Grace Carter smiled and said, “Mr. Dark Sword, you really are hard to invite. I rarely invite others, and even more rarely get refused.”

John Carter smiled and said, “How could I refuse you, Fairy? Didn’t I rush right over as soon as I could…”

Just as John Carter said this, Little White Rabbit Milk Candy, who was biting her chopsticks, pouted and spat out two words, “So fake.”

John Carter was instantly a bit embarrassed. Grace Carter gave Little White Rabbit Milk Candy a reproachful look. “Mr. Dark Sword, let’s eat first. The food here is very authentic.”

John Carter gave a couple of dry laughs. “Let’s talk business first.”

At the mention of business, the smile on Grace Carter’s face faded considerably. John Carter even vaguely saw a trace of worry between her brows. She put down her chopsticks, tidied her hair, and said, “Let’s talk privately.”

“Alright.”

Grace Carter said, “Although I know you, Mr. Dark Sword, since this concerns something very important to me, I still need to confirm your identity first. May I ask, have you ever registered with the Bounty Hunter Guild? Do you have a professional guarantor?”

Bounty Hunter Guild? Professional guarantor? John Carter was momentarily confused. He didn’t understand the bounty hunter profession at all. He thought it was just a matter of one side paying and the other doing the job, never imagining it could be so complicated.

John Carter knew that lying through his teeth wouldn’t work now. The Grace Carter before him, though young, was most likely from a prominent family and had seen much more of the world than he had. He could only answer honestly, “I haven’t registered, and I don’t have a guarantor. To be honest, I haven’t been in this line of work for long. This is the first time I’ve heard of those two things you mentioned.”

“The first time you’ve heard of them?” Grace Carter was a bit surprised.

John Carter helplessly spread his hands. “Alright, I’ll be honest. Actually, you’re my first client.”

“First?” Grace Carter was a bit speechless and also a little disappointed. “So you just had a sudden whim to become a bounty hunter, but you don’t know anything about the industry?”

“No, I’ve thought it through carefully.” John Carter smiled confidently at this point. “Actually, I don’t think you need to worry about whether I’ve done this before. You just need to care whether I can complete the task you give me, right?”

Grace Carter was slightly taken aback. “Alright, let’s continue. In your post, you said you once served in the special forces. I’d like to know the unit number and your military ID number, if that’s okay? No offense, it’s just that my current situation is rather delicate, and I have to be cautious about everything.”

“Uh…” John Carter was at a loss for words. He felt this woman was not easy to deal with—at least, he couldn’t handle her. John Carter wasn’t stupid, but he’d never been involved in these circles before and had no experience at all. He could only tell the truth: “Actually, I’m not a special forces soldier. I only wrote that in the post to attract clients. But even though I’m not from the special forces, my skills are definitely not inferior to theirs.”

The disappointment on Grace Carter’s face deepened. She was now certain of two things: First, Dark Sword couldn’t be someone sent by that person to test her. With that person’s style, he would never send someone with such a flawed background and obvious amateurism to pose as someone else. He would definitely find a seasoned bounty hunter or a real special forces soldier—at the very least, someone she couldn’t find any holes in. Second, Dark Sword’s abilities were probably very limited. In China, there are indeed some self-taught martial artists from the mountains, whose skills are mostly passed down from their ancestors. It’s rare for any of them to be true experts, and yet, because they haven’t seen much of the world, they tend to overestimate themselves. John Carter was most likely from such a family, and given how young he was, he probably hadn’t even mastered the skills passed down from his ancestors, let alone compete with that person.

Thinking of this, Grace Carter sighed helplessly. She really was naive, actually fantasizing about hiring a bounty hunter to solve that matter. Even if there were bounty hunters with such skills, they would never be reduced to advertising on a forum.

She forced a smile and said, “Mr. Dark Sword, let’s eat. Otherwise, the food will get cold.”

John Carter, though inexperienced, was not stupid. He knew that because of his terrible answers, Grace Carter had already written him off in her mind.

John Carter himself felt helpless. For a young man with no background to enter this line of work, it was naturally full of difficulties. He said, “May I ask where your home is, Fairy?”

“Hmm?”

“Seeing is believing. Do you dare to make a bet with me, Fairy?”

“Oh? What’s the bet?” Grace Carter was a little interested.

John Carter thought for a moment and said, “I see your hair ornament is very beautiful. I think you must have a similar one in real life. Name one, and I’ll bring it to you.”

Chapter 010: Pengcheng

Grace Carter was stunned. She knew that John Carter said this to prove his abilities. This young man was too arrogant. Although the villa she lived in wasn’t exactly heavily guarded, it wasn’t a place ordinary people could enter. Besides, her hair ornament was always on her head, and she was deliberately on guard. Unless a professional agent came in person, how could anyone possibly steal it?