Star Rank Hunter

Original and most up to date translations are posted at volaretranslations.

Translator's Notes: While translating, I sat on my chair and thought: I think I forgot something. What is it? Was it cat videos? Check. Divinity Original Sin 2? Check. Breakfast? Check. Mid-Season Invitational? Check. Hmm, I can't figure out what it is. What a conundrum...

Chapter 136: Mission

When they saw Tang Qiuqiu slapping the dagger-shaped emblem with a ‘6’ on the table, the little young master aside, even Castella was a little dazed.

First impressions were deceiving. They couldn’t believe that they were actually members of the great four!

Naturally, Castella could differentiate whether if the emblem was authentic or not, which was exactly why he had let out a gasp of admiration at the duo. He would never have expected Vanguard would have such a young Hunter, and with his knowledge and experience Castella could see from the emblem that the young girl belonged among the core members of Vanguard’s Sixth B Squadron.

“This… this is… this is fake, isn’t it?!” the little young master roared angrily with a flushed face, but it was obvious that his words were lacking some power behind them now.

Tang Qiuqiu humphed once and withdrew the squad emblem, hanging it back around her neck. She carried the gray cat back on her lap and scratched the gray cat’s chin, saying, “Some people are just sore losers, don’t you think?”

The gray cat narrowed its eyes and gave Tang Qiuqiu face by meowing in response. It pissed off the little young master on the opposite side so much that he nearly flipped over the entire table.

Castella straightened his expression and said, “The two of you are Hunters of Vanguard. We have been somewhat impolite earlier, so please forgive us for any slights that we may have imposed upon you.”

Originally, with Castella’s status, he need not act this respectfully towards Hunters of a B Squadron, even if they were one of the great four. However, the main reason he still acted this way was because of the number 6 on Tang Qiuqiu’s squad emblem, representing Vanguard’s Sixth B Squadron. He had recently received quite a lot of secret reports that were all related to this particular B Squadron, and according to his understanding this B Squadron showed signs of becoming a powerful force in the future.

“Since you are Hunters of Vanguard, then we should reintroduce ourselves once more. This is young master Tobo Feniers, and I am my young master’s servant. Welcome to Feniers Family’s Little Garden.”

Cillin put down his teacup and took out his own emblem, “I am the Lieutenant Commander of Vanguard Sixth B Squadron, Cillin. Pardon the intrusion.”

Castella’s eyelids twitched. Lieutenant commander… this young man was actually a lieutenant commander of Vanguard Sixth B Squadron! Now Castella had to admit that he had made an error of judgment. This young squad member and young lieutenant commander were truly surprising.

The flying car left the scenic area and landed on a manor. This was the Feniers Family’s private lodging.

Both Tang Qiuqiu and the gray cat sat in a reception room while the servants served them all sorts of pastries. Both Tang Qiuqiu and the gray cat had a great time eating the food, and they did not pay any attention to the cold-looking Tobo beside them at all.

Meanwhile, Cillin and Castella had gone to a different meeting hall. Castella told Cillin about the mission’s items and answered Cillin’s questions with explanations.

The little young master of the Feniers Family, Tobo was bored and had nothing to do in his home. Coincidentally, he heard from his family about a group of people that was headed to Sector X’s ‘Little Garden’ to supervise matters, so he asked for his parents’ permission to follow them to ‘Little Garden’ and relieve his boredom.

Naturally, the little young master must be properly secured on his journey, and they even had a few corvettes escorting them during their travel to ‘Little Garden’. However, not long after they arrived, they received a distress message from their family at a different property in Sector X. Half of the security crew had responded to the message and gone over to provide support, and their numbers became insufficient. Meanwhile, the little young master was tired of Little Garden already, but the personnel they sent off did not return in time and missed the original departure time they had agreed upon. With Tobo’s safety in his mind, Castella did not head home in accordance to Tobo’s wishes. If they returned now while lacking the number of security personnel to protect them, they might run into trouble.

Previously, the reason Tobo had gotten angry was because he was tired of this place, and in a fit of pique went on the flower car to divert his mind. In the end, he was annoyed by the bodyguards around him and ultimately broke into a yell by the plaza at the rest area.

“Do you think that there is some force at work?” Cillin asked.

“I do.” Castella did not hide this, “As you know, there are many children of great families who experienced kidnapping at some point in their lives, and this is only more true for the likes of the Feniers Family. Those who dare take the risk to do such a thing are naturally capable people who aren’t easy to deal with, not to mention that they are still in the dark.”

Since he had worked together with the current successor of the Douance Family, Aiflon, Cillin naturally knew all about the twists and turns of such incidents. Otherwise, Aiflon would not have sought out Cillin to feign as his son back then.

“According to my knowledge, a family at Feniers’ level would normally protect their young children quite well. So why did they take the risk and agree to little young master Tobo’s travel from Sector F to Sector X?”

Sector F was considerably far away from Sector X. If anything did happen, the water from afar would not be able to quench the current fire*. Plus, Tobo was still young and only ten years old. He would not have much ability to protect himself.

*a slow remedy does not address the current emergency

Castella smiled with a hint of proudness at Cillin’s question, “The Feniers Family do view their children’s safety with great importance, but what is equally important is the children’s growth. A member of the Feniers Family cannot be afraid to take risks, and he or she cannot avoid a task simply because there is inherent danger. The children need training, and there is no better time than this age to open their eyes.”

Cillin nodded agreeably. It was true that a child who was raised in a greenhouse* would only grow up to be a parasite even if he avoided becoming a prodigal. Lung, Ci Jincheng and Knight were good examples of this. They all had powerful backgrounds, but their individual strength could not be underestimated as well. This was a result of their own training. While effort was not always rewarded, it was nonsense to hope for reward without effort.

*grow up sheltered

“How long will the mission last?” Cillin asked.

“If our security crew still does not return in three days time, then we will depart for Sector F immediately. The end of the mission shall be the point where we return to Sector F safely.”

“That is acceptable. There is something I must mention beforehand, though. The only one who will be accepting this mission is Tang Qiuqiu. As for me, well, our kid wants to grow up, so I have to watch over her from the dark.”

The reason Cillin did not interfere with Tang Qiuqiu’s actions was to increase her experience. As a Hunter, it was only a matter of time before she undertakes a mission on her own.

Since Cillin did not participate directly in the mission, Castella only paid Tang Qiuqiu for the mission. The down payment was one million, and another one million would be paid after the mission was completed successfully. Originally, Castella was only going to pay five hundred thousand as down payment, but after he saw Tang Qiuqiu blasting a butterfly bee’s head to bits outside the manor with a single shot, he increased her pay without hesitation. Castella sighed. This girl deserved to be called a member of Vanguard alright; her gun instinct was just too good. Without needing time to aim and relying on her instinct alone, she could shoot at the first moment and know that she struck her target without even needing to check the results.

The mission covered for both accommodation and meal expenses, so this was a huge sum of money for Tang Qiuqiu, who was accepting an independent mission for the first time in her life. Tang Qiuqiu could envision a future of honey sweets ahead of her.

Although she was excited, the contract must still be read seriously. Dias once told her that contracts cannot be dealt with carelessly. Otherwise, she could cry all she wanted but nothing could be done if someone took advantage of her.

Once she’d gone through the contract and felt that everything was in place, she signed the contract and officially began her mission. While Tang Qiuqiu signed a mission contract, Cillin signed a different contract that required him to obey several rules for not participating in the mission.

It was night. Cillin lay on his bed while the gray cat lay on its stomach beside him. Due to the mission, Tang Qiuqiu slept in the room next to Tobo’s bedroom.

“Cillin, why did that wiener or whatever family hire Qiuqiu as their little young master’s bodyguard? Wouldn’t it be better if they hired someone else stronger?” the gray cat asked while swaying its tail idly.

“Normally, a great family like Feniers would not hire a Hunter as their bodyguard. As compared to a Hunter, they trusted the people they raised themselves more, so there must be something that that old fox Castella hasn’t told us. Still, whatever that may be, this will be a good learning experience for Qiuqiu.” Cillin said.

“That’s true. Plus, Qiuqiu can get two million from this mission. She said that she will treat me to a fish feast when the time comes, hehe.”

“Go to sleep already you glutton. Maybe you can taste that fish feast of yours earlier in your dreams.”

The gray cat humphed twice, before curling itself into a ball. Then, it hugged its own head and fell into sleep.

Amidst the darkness, Cillin opened his palm and let loose a few flying insects. After observing the direction they’re flying to, he waved his hand and withdrew them once more.