The little loli sat behind the counter, fingers flying across the keyboard as data scrolled rapidly on the screen.
When Song Jie entered, she stopped typing and lifted her head, her bright eyes glancing at him.
"Are you here for a commission? The starting price is 300,000 yuan. The Azure Sky Hunter Agency doesn't accept anything lower."
Song Jie looked down at her. The tone, the calmness—there was no doubt.
It was Lingling.
"I'm here to pick something up," Song Jie said.
"Pick something up? What is it?"
"Warrior-level auxiliary materials."
"Are you Song Jie?"
"Yeah."
Lingling swiveled in her chair and called toward the inner room, "Grandpa! That Song Jie guy is here for the pickup!"
Moments later, an old man walked out, white hair and sharp eyes glinting under the light.
"You're Song Jie?"
"Yes."
It was Old Man Bao.
"Wait here. I'll go get your things," Old Man Bao said, turning to head inside—
—but just then, another white-haired elder entered through the door.
"Old Man Bao!"
Old Man Bao stopped, sighing when he saw who it was. "Old Man Ling, what now?"
The newcomer snorted. "You really are like a worm in my stomach! You always know I'm coming."
"Can it wait? I've got a guest right now," Old Man Bao said.
"No, this matter's urgent."
Old Man Ling turned to Song Jie and said apologetically, "Young man, sorry to cut in. It's very important."
Song Jie nodded. "No problem."
He sat beside Lingling, watching her continue tapping on the keyboard while the two elders spoke openly in front of him.
"What's wrong this time?" Old Man Bao asked.
"There's a situation in my district," Old Man Ling said grimly. "A demon has been appearing at night—causing panic. I hired several hunter teams, but they all failed."
"The creature is smart. It appears randomly. We can't predict its movements or track it."
"Sounds troublesome."
"I thought so too," Old Man Ling sighed. "So I came to see if you had a solution."
Song Jie listened quietly, intrigued. A cunning demon evading hunter teams? That sounded like a challenge.
As he pondered, Lingling suddenly turned her big eyes toward him.
"You're that Song Jie with the mutated magical talent, right?"
"Huh?" Song Jie blinked, caught off guard.
"Born in Bo City. Enrolled at Mingzhu Academy. Mutated magical affinity…" Lingling listed his information fluently, word for word.
"…"
Song Jie froze. Good thing she didn't check my browser history, he thought in horror. I'd die of embarrassment on the spot!
"Yeah… that's me," he admitted awkwardly.
"Wanna team up?" Lingling asked, smiling sweetly.
"Huh?"
"We're taking this bounty mission," she said, "and you're coming with me."
"Why me?"
Lingling tilted her head. "Is being able to take down two hundred and fifty people at once a good enough reason?"
"…Yeah, that works."
Song Jie chuckled inwardly. So she's complimenting me, huh? Say more nice things while you're at it.
The truth was, Lingling had been bored lately. She wasn't allowed to take missions alone, and with no other hunters around, this was her only option.
Plus, her grandpa had spoken highly of Song Jie—so she was sure he'd agree.
"Grandpa! Song Jie and I are taking this job!" Lingling declared confidently.
Old Man Bao gave Song Jie a knowing glance but said nothing.
Old Man Ling frowned. "You sure about this? Don't just throw anyone at me, Bao."
Old Man Bao chuckled. "Relax. This kid's Song Jie, one of Mingzhu Academy's top talents. Think I'd hand you an amateur?"
Hearing that, Old Man Ling studied Song Jie again. With Old Man Bao's guarantee, he finally nodded. "Fine. Handle it your way. Otherwise, I'll have to escalate this to the higher-ups."
"Grandpa Ling, what's the bounty?" Lingling asked.
"Two million," Old Man Ling replied. "Catch the demon, and it's all yours."
"Deal! But we'll take half up front," Lingling said sweetly.
"You little rascal…" Old Man Ling muttered with a smile, but still transferred the payment.
After he left, only Old Man Bao, Lingling, and Song Jie remained.
"One million each, fair?" Lingling said with a businesslike tone.
"Fair enough," Song Jie agreed.
Old Man Bao patted Song Jie's shoulder. "Young people need pressure to grow. I trust you two. And Song Jie—take good care of this girl for me."
Song Jie frowned slightly. Something about that sounded… suspicious.
Still, he thought, earning a million right out the door isn't bad either.
Old Man Bao headed back to his study, leaving the two alone.
Lingling turned her clear eyes toward Song Jie. "Aren't you going to question me?"
"About what?"
"About whether I'm capable enough," she said, hands on her hips. "Most people don't take kids seriously."
Song Jie smiled. "Your grandpa trusts you. That's good enough for me."
Lingling blinked, then grinned. "You've got good judgment!"
She gave him a dramatic thumbs-up.
Song Jie laughed. Being praised by a little girl felt… strangely humbling.
"Alright," Lingling said, snapping her laptop shut. "Let's head to Grandpa Ling's district."
"Got it."
The two left together.
Inside the agency, Old Man Bao sat back down and picked up his phone.
"Old Man Bao," came Dean Xiao's voice from the other end, "I'll trouble you with Song Jie's matter for now. He's a good kid, but I'd rather he not go on dangerous missions alone."
"Don't worry," Old Man Bao replied. "He'll be fine under my watch."
Dean Xiao sighed softly. "Demons are getting more active lately… We old folks won't be around forever. The next generation's our only hope."
After a brief chat, they hung up.
Meanwhile, Song Jie and Lingling were already on their way to the district in question—
—and the first night of their joint bounty mission was about to begin.
...
Author's Note:
The first half (completed version) of Versatile Mage: My Magic Has Gone Beyond Limits! is now available on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your continued support! 💙