"Her name really is Magallan..."
The three of them looked at the contract information in the group chat and fell into a long, thoughtful silence.
"Why would her name be Magallan? It shouldn't be..."
Franka was still a bit skeptical, wondering if the name on the document was a typo.
Jessica didn't want to continue discussing Miss Maxwell's name. She asked with a puzzled look.
"Isn't Miss Magallan from Rhine Lab? Why did she hire us at Blacksteel Worldwide?"
As a giant in the field of medical and biological research in Columbia.
How could Rhine Lab not have its own internal security team? There was no need to spend money hiring mercenaries.
"It seems Miss Maxwell's trip this time is to a relatively dangerous place in Bolívar for exploration. So, this contract was issued in Miss Maxwell's personal name. The price is also quite substantial, hiring an elite squad of two to four people for a contract fee of about 6 million. I didn't expect Miss Maxwell to be such a rich lady. With our cut, we'll be rolling in money again."
At the mention of the contract fee.
Franka immediately beamed with joy. As an ordinary person, her life's goal was nothing more than to save up enough money to retire and live out her later years in peace.
"Six million?!"
Jessica was also stunned. Leaving herself out of the equation, this was a pretty high contract fee even for Blacksteel Worldwide. If it was just an escort mission, such a high fee meant it was either a very long job or they were going to a very dangerous place.
But she needed to go home in two months.
"Miss Franka, how long will this trip take?"
Franka thought for a moment.
"One month. Excluding travel time, it'll be a month at most, maybe a little more."
"Then there's enough time..."
Jessica nodded.
"Hm? Does Jessica have something on?"
"Oh~ I need to go home in two months. Senior Franka and Senior Liskarm, would you like to come visit my home then?"
"Sure!"
Hearing Jessica's invitation, Franka immediately agreed.
She had known Jessica for so long. She used to think Jessica's family was somewhat wealthy, since she bought her own training firearms and bullets. Then, after seeing the seven hundred million dollar villa, she concluded that Jessica's family must be extremely rich, with assets starting in the tens of billions at least. But this was just a guess.
Since Jessica didn't bring it up, she didn't feel it was right to ask.
This was a perfect opportunity to visit the home of a top-tier tycoon under the guise of being a friend.
--One hour later--
After a simple buffet lunch at the community restaurant, the three of them packed up their equipment and headed towards the Rhine Lab headquarters.
Like Blacksteel Worldwide, Rhine Lab was located in the city center of the capital. The two weren't far apart, and the journey took only half an hour.
As they looked from a distance, they could see a 'humanoid creature' standing at the main gate of Rhine Lab, fully equipped and dressed in puffy gear, resembling a penguin.
Upon seeing Franka and the others.
The penguin person immediately smiled. Apart from her thick, armor-like coat, the penguin lady was quite attractive, with a slightly round face, somewhat dorky amber eyes, and a cute-girl-exclusive chestnut bob haircut, with a few tea-colored highlights mixed in with the chestnut.
Upon seeing the three of them, the penguin lady immediately smiled and waved.
"Yo! Little Miss Franka, Miss Liskarmy, and little Jessica!!"
"Hello, Miss Maxwell."
"?"
The penguin lady seemed to be used to others getting her name wrong. She sighed helplessly and corrected Franka's mistake.
"Um, little Franka, my name is Magallan. You called me by the wrong name again. I didn't expect you to be the one taking the contract. What a coincidence."
"Let's get in the car first. I'll give you the detailed information and contract requirements on the way."
Miss Magallan's vehicle was a massive military-grade off-road transport model, the 'Leap,' advertised as being able to handle any terrain in the world.
The space in the back was huge.
Franka and the other two didn't have much luggage, just one suitcase each in addition to their weapons. As a professional explorer, Miss Magallan's equipment was comprehensive: multiple general-purpose surveying instruments, two Dragon-class Magallan custom drones, and the puffy coat she wore was a multi-functional combat suit specially developed by Rhine Lab for its employees. It was not only insulated, waterproof, and had an automatic drying function, but it even had features for basic self-treatment, bandaging, self-defense, and stopping bullets.
"Little Franka, Liskarmy, our destination this time is the Blackflow Sea of Trees in Bolívar. This is my first time going there, so I can't provide much more information, please forgive me. I read in a book that the Blackflow Sea of Trees in Bolívar is one of the most mysterious and dangerous places in all of Terra. It's deep within a subterranean river, yet it's a world of its own. And in this subterranean river, all sorts of towering trees grow. Although I've never seen it, just imagining the scene is a magnificent and wondrous sight!!"
The more she spoke.
The more excited this Miss Magallan became, as if the only things in the world that interested her were unknown places.
"What do you think! You're interested too, right? To be able to explore all the little-known secret places in Terra in my lifetime is my greatest dream. This kind of natural, miraculous creation is so much grander than the so-called modern skyscrapers!!"
Magallan's eyes sparkled. As she spoke, her head trembled slightly, and her cute, fluffy bob swayed from side to side.
But Franka and the other two just looked at each other and slowly shook their heads.