Chapter 47: Roommate Ada

Winter nights always darken quickly. It seemed only a moment had passed inside the room, yet looking outside the window now, the sky was already dim. Walking to the window and peering outside, scattered lights signaled the arrival of night.

Taking a deep breath of the cool air, Rod slowly closed his eyes, quietly enjoying this rare moment. It was peaceful and serene, his mind empty. Such a life seemed comfortable yet brought a sense of loneliness.

Yes, loneliness—but not solitude. There’s a clear difference between the two. Some people are alone but not lonely, and some are lonely but not alone. Those who are both alone and lonely are truly rare.

Kambi, Jem, Sambik, and Jerome flashed through his mind. He wondered where they were after so many days and what they were doing. Could they be in danger? Would that city lord and the damned Roger really let them go so easily? Where would they go?

Thinking of this, he felt a pang of distress. From childhood, they had been close friends, never expecting to be separated by sudden changes.

He exhaled deeply, as if trying to dispel the emptiness in his heart, but the more he did it, the more empty and uncomfortable he felt.

Frowning, he took another deep breath, feeling the cold even in his lungs. The temperature was really low, but winter would soon pass. After all, deep winter had arrived—how far could spring be?

He tried to focus on his cultivation, ignoring the sudden emptiness, feeling the presence of elements and slowly absorbing and refining them, letting them flow through his meridians. A sense of warmth arose, and his heart finally felt a bit better.

“Who’s there!”

Suddenly, Rod opened his eyes and shouted. His hand quickly reached behind him, drawing out the Dark Dragon hanging there. With a sharp sound, he spun around swiftly, his sword pointed, his expression icy cold.

What appeared before him now was a man standing about 1.65 meters tall, with fair skin and a slender build! His fair complexion and delicate features were concealed by a blue mage robe that tightly covered his slight frame. The neatly pressed robe had not a single fold, giving off a clean and refreshing impression. His light blue long hair flowed over the robe, seemingly blending in with its color—creating a harmonious and elegant appearance. Indeed, it was quite beautiful. It was hard to imagine a man having such features; even women would likely envy such skin and looks.

The mage medal on his chest was particularly striking—Grand Mage! He was actually a Grand Mage. Such a delicate and frail-looking person turned out to be a Grand Mage!

“Hehe… Brother, please don’t do this. I’m Aida, your roommate. Be careful—it could kill someone!”

Facing Rod’s cold expression, the man gave a slightly awkward smile and cautiously reached out to move the Dark Dragon away from his face, as if afraid it might hurt him.

“Aida? Getting beaten?” Hearing this name, Rod’s tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. Was this the roommate Bruce had mentioned?

After observing carefully, he sheathed his long sword, Dark Dragon. He never expected his roommate Aida to be this person—and even more so, that Grand Mage. She didn’t look particularly striking. If not for the mage robe that signified her status, people might have thought she was just an immature child, or even a girl.

While Rod was observing Aida, she was also watching him. Seeing his appearance, especially his black hair and dark eyes, a look of shock and confusion flashed in her eyes.

“You must be the new teammate Bruce, the deputy captain, mentioned. Hehe, from now on we’re teammates—let’s take care of each other!”

She stepped forward, offering a sweet smile as she spoke softly.

Rod couldn’t help but frown slightly. She did seem a bit feminine. Anyway, he wasn’t used to such feelings. Forcing a smile, he replied gently, “Yeah, I’ll take care of you too!”

“Alright, Captain Bruce is discussing something with Captain Randy. We’re all back now and are in the hall getting ready to eat. I came to call you over; let’s go out together. There’s a meeting coming up, and it’s said there’ll be another one tonight. We have a mission tomorrow, and everyone is getting ready to celebrate!”
The atmosphere felt a bit strange. The two of them spoke intermittently, and Ada also seemed somewhat awkward, her face even turning slightly red as she spoke to Rod.
“Cough, cough… Come on, let’s go!” Rod choked on his own saliva at that sight.
He really couldn’t stand Ada’s behavior and even wondered in his heart if she was like a rabbit that had run down a mountain. If so, wouldn’t it be dangerous to share a room with her at night?
With a hint of concern, Rod hurried forward as if fleeing, quickly making his way toward the hall. He really didn’t want to stay there for another second.
At that moment, Rod didn’t notice that Ada, following behind him, looked at his back with a strange and complex expression, filled with many questions and doubts.
When they arrived at the hall, which was brightly lit, more than a dozen people were already gathered there, including Bruce. It seemed all the members of the Swift Wind Mercenaries were here—almost all men, except for one female mage, who must be the high-level mage Bruce mentioned.
“Rod, you’re here? Come over quickly! Let me introduce you to the members of our Swift Wind Mercenaries!”
As soon as he saw Rod from afar, Bruce stood up from the crowd and waved loudly.
Instantly, the noisy hall fell silent. Everyone’s gaze turned toward Rod, which made him a little nervous.
Walking up to Rod, Bruce pulled him to an empty seat beside himself and said to everyone, “As I said earlier, our mercenary team has gained a new member today—Knight Rod Solomon. He’s from Breeze City and is a high-level warrior. He hasn’t gone to the Warriors’ Guild to receive his medal yet, so he’s still just a one-star mercenary. Please take good care of him from now on.”
“I hope everyone will help him out in the future!” Rod said politely, though he still felt uneasy, as Ada was sitting right next to him.
“Alright, Rod, this is our captain, Randy—the leader of our Swift Wind Mercenaries!”

Pulling Rod along, Bruce led him to the burly man sitting in the very center and introduced him. Upon closer inspection, Captain Randy turned out to be a middle-aged man whose rough appearance seemed to reflect his bold personality. His silver-colored armor made him appear even more imposing, giving off an aura of explosive strength. His brown hair was casually tied back, and with a face covered in stubble, he looked at Rod with a slight smile, conveying a sense of friendliness.

“Alright, Knight Rod. Come, let me toast you. No need for titles like captain or anything. Once you join our Wind Raiders, you’ll be one of our brothers. Remember, you must stick together through thick and thin—brothers should risk their lives for each other. Especially in our line of work as mercenaries, we must trust our brothers and be willing to entrust our lives to our comrades in battle. I hope you understand that!” With a hearty laugh, Randy raised his cup and downed it in one gulp after speaking to Rod. His voice was so loud it made Rod’s ears tingle; he was full of confidence and generosity, and his sincere and serious gaze deeply impressed Rod.

“Sure!” Randy’s words filled Rod with enthusiasm. With a serious expression, he solemnly replied, took the cup handed to him by Bruce, and drank it in large gulps, frowning slightly yet wearing a genuine smile on his face.

After that, thanks to Bruce’s introduction, Rod quickly got to know all nineteen members of the Wind Raiders. He paid extra attention to Jones, one of the few two magicians in the group and the only woman. She wasn’t particularly attractive, but she was very generous and far from inferior to the other men. Perhaps this was a habit developed after spending so much time in a mercenary group where almost everyone was male.

“Alright, enjoy yourselves drinking tonight. We set off on a mission tomorrow. I believe Bruce has already explained that this mission is simple—escort a group of people to the capital. They already have a group of about a hundred people, and we’re just there to assist. It shouldn’t be difficult, but the reward is high. If you do well this time, you’ll get a week off!” With another hearty laugh, Randy spoke loudly.

“Hehe, I really worked hard to secure this mission. I was lucky — the employer just posted it, and I was there to take it right away. If it weren’t for the reputation and strength of our Swift Wind Mercenaries, they wouldn’t have chosen us. This shows we’ve truly grown stronger. Hehe, we’re going to make a fortune this time!”
Bruce was also excited, his pride evident on his face.
Everyone enjoyed this meal to the fullest, especially Rod, who hadn’t been this happy in a long time. In the cheerful atmosphere, they drank heavily and ate heartily — a lifestyle he used to say he could never enjoy.
Under such excitement, most of them drank too much. When it was time to leave, they mostly supported each other as they headed back to their rooms.