Jacob's cocked an eye when heard the word. Knight.
He naturally knows about the backbone of the Humane Kingdom, the Knight Order!
It was not because he was curious; it was because these knights had too many story books about them. It was quite clear that it was done deliberately to encourage the Knighthood within common folks and inspired them to join the Knight Order.
However, Jacob has nothing to do with those folktales, and he wasn't interested in becoming a Knight, no matter how many benefits they would offer him because the humans were too weak and can't sustain his needs.
If the humans were like the mountain giant race, he might've considered setting here for a decade or two, but he knows it was just a pipe dream.
After encountering those hob trolls, he was even more sure that humans were in constant danger and very easy to push around, so he had an even worse image of them right now.
Nevertheless, this didn't give him the reason to antagonize the Knights from Knight Order, since they might bring unnecessary troubles to his door.
He still needed to stay for some time in here, so he didn't plan to fall with the strongest force of this kingdom. Unless they're courting death themselves.
He looked at Austin and nodded slightly. "No need to be polite. Come in."
Jacob brought the guests into the small living room, where a table and two chairs were.
He took one chair and pointed toward the other. "I don't have any more chairs, since I wasn't expecting other guests."
Harland's expression changed and Kai's eyes turned stony as he was about to rebuke him when Austin took the chair and sat down with a smile.
"Don't worry, I won't take your precious time. You two wait outside."
Austin's words made Kai stand down with resentful eyes, and gave Harland a tremendous surprise since he knew Jacob was just being extremely rude. But Austin didn't react at all, and he started to get suspicious that they both know each other.
But when he saw Kai clenching his fist slightly, he thought otherwise. They both left the two alone.
Jacob didn't even glance at Kia or Harland all this time, so their departure wasn't anything for him.
He asked impassively, "So, what brings Sir Knight to my door? If you were just an hour later, I was going to leave for another trip."
Austin smiled amiably and reply, "I was here out of curiosity to see what kind of C rank mercenary has appeared here. As you know, people use the identity loophole all the time, and it's seldom that a C rank mercenary appeared, especially in such a small town."
Jacob coolly replied, "This place suits me for the time being, so I decided to register from here."
Austin nodded in understanding and didn't discuss further into it, since everyone has their reasons.
His eyes suddenly turned sharp as he said, "I can tell you are extremely strong, far stronger than me. You also look like someone with hidden motives. So, I won't beat around the bush with someone like you. I want to invite you to join the Black Knight Order!"
Jacob didn't react, but his lip curled slightly. "Black Knight Order? Let me guess, it's some personal army under the crown, and they are free to do whatever they want, but they had to protect the royal family whenever they are in danger.
"Or, they are some kind of assassination squad or like this. Let me tell you straight, I will not join anything if it's affected my freedom."
Austin pursed his lips. "You didn't even hear me out and directly rejected me? Don't you want to know what the Black Knight Order is?'
Jacob shrugged. "My answer is the same. I will not join anything if it affects my freedom."
Austin sighed, "I will still tell you. You can then decide to join or not."
Jacob remained silent and let Austin continue.
"You see, the Black Knight Order is different from the Knight Order because it wasn't made public and only nobles know about it.
"The Black Knight Order isn't under anyone's command, not even the crown, but it's under the Nightmare Knight Legion."
"Nightmare Knight Legion?" Jacob's interest was suddenly piqued when he heard this unfamiliar name.
Austin nodded, "Yes, the Nightmare Knight Legion is like the Start Mercenary Agency, Apothecary Guild, and Gunsmith Guild. You're probably wondering why such an organization isn't famous as the other three, right?"
Jacob nodded. He had already known about three famous forces that represent and target unique aspects of professions.
Austin smiled, "Just like the Star Mercenary Agency had the Zodiac Taurus Bank, and the Apothecary Guild and Gunsmith Guild had the Alchemy Guild behind them, the Nightmare Knight Legion also has the Zodiac Warriors Alliance behind them."
'So, there were some important parts they missed in those books, huh? It seemed this Alchemy Guild and Zodiac Warriors Alliance are on the same level as the Zodiac Taurus Bank.
'But the Zodiac Taurus Bank seemed more famous and open than the other two or they simply aren't worried about influence?' Jacob's eyes shimmered with uncertainty.
"Please, continue." Jacob nodded in understanding.
Austin smile meaningfully as he had already guessed Jacob didn't have this kind of information, and he knew he had to convince Jacob with facts if he wanted to persuade him.
He said, "These three are the three hegemonies in four regions and their roots are so deep no one knows where they end, so no race goes against them.
"As for why I tell you about the other two? It was because it would be simple to understand this way.
"First, the Alchemy Guild, their strongest strength is their control over life knowledge, the forerunner of life, and unimaginable technology. They had all kinds of knowledge of different professions which greatly affects our life and others, even wars.
"That's why they were dreaded by everyone, and on one dare to fall out with them. The Apothecary Guild and Gunsmith Guild were just fragments of their knowledge. We humans just weren't interested enough to arouse their further interest.
"Second, the Zodiac Taurus Bank, I don't have to introduce them since you might've already known. Their strongest strength is wealth and their way to keep increasing it and keeping it safe.
"The biggest reason for Zodiac Taurus Bank is one of the three hegemony, is their way to protect the wealth they controlled, and they had many mysterious ways to hunt you down if you ever try to rob them.
"That's why everyone trusted them, even those arrogant Apothecaries and Gunsmiths, have accounts and safes in the Zodiac Taurus Bank.
"Lastly, the Zodiac Warriors Alliance. They didn't have the knowledge or technology like the Alchemy Guild, nor did they have the wealth of Zodiac Taurus Bank.
"But it ranked first between three hegemonies, do you know why?" Austin smiled mysteriously, which made Jacob's eyes narrow with prudence!