"Yvlan is an amazing tavern owner. If it weren't for her help, I wouldn't have improved so quickly," Caius said with a smile. "My very first mission was introduced by her. That was when I encountered a Wolf Demon."

  "So, without her, you wouldn't have gotten the Wolf Demon remains, nor met an excellent mercenary?" Holan chuckled.

  "Hahaha, something like that." Caius nodded.

  "Then I must properly thank her later." Holan said as she walked into the tavern alongside Caius.

  As soon as she stepped inside, she slightly frowned.

  The air was thick with the scent of alcohol and the sweat of mercenaries.

  She disliked such an odor, which was why she rarely visited mercenary taverns.

  However, she didn’t detect any sweat stench from Caius. Perhaps because he had never broken a sweat in front of her.

  Luckily, she was only here to commission a mission and wouldn’t stay long, so she could tolerate it for now.

  But then, her eyes landed on a woman.

  A stunning woman with a strikingly curvaceous figure.

  For some reason, her first instinct was to glance at Caius.

  That big guy had said the Boss Lady was great—was he only talking about business?

  Caius, on the other hand, walked straight toward the woman with a bright grin.

  "Boss Lady, I'm back!" he declared, striding in like he owned the place.

  The nearby mercenaries turned to look.

  They were already familiar with Caius. What truly drew their attention was the beautiful lady beside him.

  With that noble aura and breathtaking looks, she did not seem like someone who would step into a mercenary tavern.

  Which left only one possible reason for her presence.

  Suddenly, the mercenaries’ gazes toward Caius brimmed with envy.

  Yvlan smiled and nodded at Caius, her eyes pausing on Holan for a moment before asking, "Mission completed?"

  "Of course!" Caius grinned, retrieving the mission materials from his Spatial Ring.

  Among them were a Unicorn Bison's horn, some Hops Flower that Eli needed, a mission token from Nick, and a stamped mission sheet bearing a five-star rating.

  Completing three Gold-tier missions in one go left the surrounding mercenaries in awe.

  Yvlan, however, was unfazed. She was well aware of Caius’s efficiency.

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  She nodded, collected the materials, and swiftly handed over the commission reward. Caius pushed one of the bags back toward her. "Give this one to Boss Eli for me."

  "Alright." Yvlan nodded, then turned her gaze to Holan. "And this is?"

  "Instructor Holan from Hydis Academy," Caius introduced. "Instructor Holan, this is Yvlan, the incredible Boss Lady I mentioned."

  Hearing this, Holan smiled and extended her hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

  Her every movement exuded noble grace.

  Yvlan quickly shook hands with her, a smile appearing on her face.

  Caius calling her an incredible Boss Lady filled her with a quiet joy.

  "Instructor Holan is here to commission some missions..." Caius interjected, acting as a bridge between the two women.

  But Holan picked up the conversation herself. "Yes, I have six Gold-tier missions and one Platinum-tier mission to commission."

  At that, not only Caius but also the surrounding mercenaries and Yvlan widened their eyes.

  Caius blinked at her, his expression clearly saying, "That’s not what you told me earlier."

  Before arriving, Holan had only mentioned three Gold-tier missions. Now, the number had doubled, with a Platinum-tier mission added on top.

  Holan noticed Caius’s gaze but merely smiled and ignored it. Most of her attention was focused on the beautiful Boss Lady in front of her.

  The air seemed to crackle with tension.

  Or maybe it didn’t.

  "So, can you take them on?" Holan asked with a gentle smile, though the undertone was not lost on Yvlan.

  Take them?

  The real question was—did she have the qualifications to accept them?

  She currently had only one capable mercenary—Caius. If she accepted the missions, he would undoubtedly be the one to carry them out.

  Six Gold-tier missions wouldn’t be an issue for Caius.

  The problem was the Platinum-tier mission.

  Could Caius complete it?

  More importantly, did she even have the authority to accept it on his behalf?

  Thinking this through, Yvlan was already inclined to back out.

  Her looks might rival Holan’s, but in terms of power, status, or any other aspect, there was an undeniable gap between them.

  Her gaze dimmed slightly, but she maintained her professional smile. "The Gold-tier missions are no problem, but the Platinum-tier one..."

  Before she could finish, Caius’s voice rang out: "We’ll take it too!"

  Yvlan's heart trembled as she turned to look at him, only to see him grinning at her.

  Holan also turned to Caius, an unreadable glint in her eyes.

  After a brief moment of silence, Yvlan bit her lip. She wasn’t sure where this sudden confidence came from, but she nodded and smiled at Holan.

  This time, it wasn’t a professional smile—it was a smile filled with determination.

  "Yes, we can take it."

  "I have the best mercenary on hand, and I guarantee he will complete your commission!"

  "Is that so? Then I look forward to it." Holan smiled and nodded.

  "Please, follow me. For Gold-tier and above commissions, we require identity verification and mission registration. You are an esteemed client, so we will arrange the best reception room for you."

  "Thank you," Holan responded politely, following Yvlan deeper into the tavern.

  Caius hurried after them.

  He wasn’t oblivious—he could feel the tension in the air.

  As for why...

  Caius could only bite his lip and curse his own damned charm.

  Not that he was being conceited—he genuinely hadn't expected this.

  It was their first meeting, yet the two women seemed to be subtly competing with each other. He wasn’t even sure why, but he knew it had something to do with him.

  And just now, Yvlan had been at a disadvantage.

  The Boss Lady had helped him a lot, so it was only right that he returned the favor.

  Which meant Holan was probably a little upset now.

  Having two women subtly competing for him felt great, but it was also quite the headache.

  It happened in his past life, and now it was happening again in this one.

  Sigh... was Chris that old bastard right after all? Was he actually a scoundrel?

  Pah! No way!

  He was a responsible man!

  A real man!

  Chris and his nonsense couldn’t be trusted!

  Muttering to himself, he followed the two women into the reception room.

  Yvlan prepared tea for Holan, though Holan didn’t drink it.

  Then came the paperwork—seven missions in total: six Gold-tier, one Platinum-tier, plus identity verification and mission registration. Yvlan brought out nine forms.

  Holan filled them out carefully while Yvlan patiently guided her.

  Caius raised a brow.

  The two of them didn’t seem to be competing anymore.

  Maybe he had been imagining things.

  Tsk, women were hard to understand.