Mercenary Wars

Chapter 261 Mengbala

“Indeed, many people find it strange. This isn’t a particularly good estate, yet Princess Sarah not only bought it, but reportedly paid a hefty price,” the tavern owner said, wiping his glass. “No one knows Her Highness’s thoughts, there are just some rumors…”

He didn't continue speaking. Gaucano noticed his gaze shifting between himself and Daryls, as if he were considering whether he should reveal the rumors.

“I’ll order a bottle of Lulabel,” Gaugano said, taking out some silver coins as he did so.

The tavern owner smiled slightly and leaned closer, saying, "It's just a rumor, and it may not be true. I heard from a friend that Princess Sarah bought this manor on the advice of a fortune teller... As for what things in the manor are related to the princess's fate, that's not something ordinary people can understand."

After listening to the tavern owner's words, Gao Jiano fell silent.

The moment he learned that Princess Sarah was the owner of the estate, he knew that his plan to buy the estate was probably going to fall through, but he still held onto a sliver of hope.

Now that I've heard that Princess Sarah bought the estate on the advice of a fortune teller and at a high price, that illusion has completely vanished.

After all, it was obvious that he couldn't afford a price that would sway Princess Sarah.

This made Gao Jiano somewhat frustrated.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly was in the manor that concerned Princess Sarah's fate?
The Shackleton family's secret cellar?

It shouldn't be.

During the previous exploration of the secret cellar, Gao Jiano found neither any traces of it having been explored, nor any signs of guarding or protection.

Moreover, while the items in the secret cellar may have some value, they don't seem to warrant Princess Sara's attention.

She was the king's most beloved princess.

One of the reasons the king favored her was her exceptional ability to make money—just like the shrewd king himself.

Therefore, Princess Sara's worth is self-evident. Even if the contents of the secret cellar were valued at ten thousand gold coins, they would be insignificant to her, and it's unlikely she would consult a fortune teller for such a thing.

Besides the Shackleton family's secret cellar, what other good things could this not-so-wealthy estate possibly have?
Gaucano couldn't figure it out.

He then stopped thinking about the problem and began to consider solutions.

Since we can't buy the secret cellar, let's sell the stuff we looted from it to the Shackleton family first.

He recalled the various items he had obtained from the secret cellar and felt that selling them for five thousand gold coins shouldn't be a problem.

As for the secret cellar itself...

Gaucano originally intended to inform the Shackleton family about the existence of the secret cellar, so that they could discuss and argue with Princess Sara themselves.

But then he thought again, wouldn't this risk exposing his act of "stealing the princess's property"?
Headache.

Gao Jiano sighed and rubbed his forehead.

To be on the safe side, it's better to delay selling the items in the secret cellar. We should wait at least a month until the low-level spells become untraceable.

With mixed feelings, he left the tavern, rented a carriage, and headed to the nearest portal.

The County of Lorraine is a fairly typical county in every respect, therefore there are no teleportation portals within its borders.

Fortunately, it is close to the Duchy of Mambara and not far from Mambara City. Lorraine people who need to take a teleportation portal will go to Mambara, and it is very convenient to find a carriage, including the fast monster carriage.

That evening, Gaucano and Daris arrived in the Principality of Mambara.

They were immediately amazed.

"So many people!" Darlis exclaimed repeatedly, and Gaucano shared the same thought.

In fact, almost immediately upon entering the country, they sensed a distinct difference. The roads were increasingly crowded with pedestrians, and carriages were packed. In some places, the air was thick with a mixture of smells: sweat, spices, cooked food, and other indescribable odors.

Although they had heard about the population situation in Mumbala before, the sight was still beyond their expectations after seeing it with their own eyes.

The Monpara is not large, ranking only as medium-sized among all principalities. After Gadgetzan gained independence, the Monpara's size became even smaller, falling below medium.

Moreover, within the relatively small territory of Mumbala, there are many mountains, swamps, and other uninhabitable areas, resulting in the majority of the population being concentrated on a small, fertile plain centered around the city of Mumbala.

However, its population exceeds ten million, making it the most populous principality.

It has a medium to small land area, but a top-tier population, and its population density is naturally far higher than that of most countries.

The population density in Mumbala was particularly exaggerated. When Gaucano and Dalis arrived, they were met with a sea of ​​people everywhere, shoulder to shoulder.

Long queues formed at the city gate, and the guards were frantically trying to maintain order. Occasionally, arguments and complaints erupted from within the queue, a cacophony of dialects and accents creating a chaotic cacophony.

To avoid congestion, people often resort to various methods.

The most common method is climbing walls.

Those who are agile or possess relevant magical abilities will transform into geckos when they enter a busy urban area, walking on walls and rooftops, resulting in a terrible appearance of the city.

It is said that at the beginning, the Duke of Mambara and the city officials intended to improve the terrible appearance of the city, which was "a disgrace to the saints," but each attempt to improve the city came to nothing. Eventually, the officials gave up and not only stopped trying to improve the city, but also set up ropes in some places so that people who were not so agile could climb the walls.

As Gaucano passed through a bustling area, he looked up and saw many people leaping up like monkeys, then swinging over walls while holding onto ropes. Among them were several rather elegantly dressed individuals who skillfully swung across the streets, creating an extremely comical scene.

Even in a world with gods and magic, such a scene can't help but feel somewhat magical.

This kind of operation requires a certain level of skill, and most ordinary people can't do it, so they can only walk on the streets, which are packed with people.

Gaucano initially did not want to jump like a monkey.

Because it really looks so strange.

Moreover, he was carrying Dariss, and he needed to hold Dariss in one arm while jumping up to grab the rope with the other, which made him look just like a monkey.

But he soon discovered that sometimes, adapting to local customs is a necessary but unavoidable choice. Walking through the extremely congested crowds, pedestrians were almost pressed together. The body odor of the crowd mixed with various strange smells, creating a unique and intense aroma, and Gaucaneau felt as if he were being overwhelmed by the crowd. Someone stepped on his foot in the shoving, someone's elbow hit his ribs, and someone's backpack kept bumping against his back.

Just then, a hand reached out from somewhere and went straight for the money pouch at his waist.

Because it was so crowded, with arms shoving and pushing all around, Gao Jiano didn't notice the thief's touch.

Fortunately, he now possessed the Eye of the Demon, his eyesight was exceptionally sharp, and he quickly spotted the owner of the arm—a shifty, thin figure—a child who looked no more than twelve years old, skin and bones, his clothes tattered, his eyes revealing alertness, cunning, and a hint of ferocity. His face was stained, his hair was disheveled, and he wasn't even wearing shoes.

Just as the thief grabbed his money bag and tried to run away, he suddenly realized what was happening and quickly reached out to grab him.

But the thief had no intention of giving up the money bag; instead, he opened his mouth and bit Gao Jiano's hand.

Gao Jiano's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously activated Earth Skin.

"Crack!"

With a sharp crack, the thief bit into Gao Jiano's skin, which had become as hard as stone, breaking a tooth and drawing blood. A flicker of terror crossed his eyes; he clearly hadn't expected this, but hunger and despair prevented him from giving up.

Blood was flowing from his mouth, but the thief still had no intention of giving up on the money bag; his thin, bony hands still gripped it tightly.

Finally, Gaucano let go.

After all, his money was mainly kept in his storage ring, and his money bag only contained some small silver coins, which were actually insignificant. However, for this child, they could be a matter of life and death.

Watching the thief hurriedly leave, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth and clutching his money bag, Gao Jiano couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Let's just consider it an act of charity—although he doesn't have the habit of giving charity.

"Ah!" Daryls suddenly cried out, frantically searching her waist. "My purse is gone!"

Having survived two pickpocketing incidents, Gao Jiano no longer cared about looking like a monkey. He picked up Dariss, leaped up, and jumped onto a high wall not far away.

Lifted by fourteen swift breezes, he didn't even need the aid of ropes or the wall; he simply pushed off the wall a few times and easily leaped across the extremely congested street.

They then continued their journey to the portal to Membranah.

Along the way, we saw some sights that we couldn't see anywhere else, such as the St. Christopher River in the city.

This great river, which irrigates vast farmlands and is closely associated with the deeds of saints, is widely and intensely worshipped in the Principality of Mumbara.

Many people in Membranah believe that bathing in the St. Christopher River is also a sacrament.

Therefore, many Monpa people float and swim in the river.

Given the extremely dense population here, one can imagine what the river must look like.

At least in this section of the San Christopher River near Membranah, it was a completely murky, yellowish-brown color, with countless debris and garbage floating on the surface. Gaugano even felt that "mud" was a more apt description than "water."

But the people of Mengbala don't care at all.

The murky river was still packed with people, who were bathing in the mud, pushing and shoving, praying and chanting. Among them were the elderly, women, children, and even mothers holding babies, all devoutly immersed in the polluted water.

Some of the Monpa people would swim and drink in the water, swallowing and spitting out fluids like fish, which made Gaucano physically uncomfortable—especially when he noticed that some of the Monpa people floating in the river were dead.

“Boss, how come there are so many people in Membranah?” Daryls couldn’t help but ask. “I remember that when I was here, the population of Membranah wasn’t this exaggerated.”

“Who knows?” Gao Jiano shook his head. “They say it’s thanks to the blessings of Mosa that the Monbala have had good weather and abundant harvests in recent years. At least I’ve known since I learned to read that the Monbala people often have bumper harvests.”

Gazing at the Monpa people tumbling in the river in the distance, Darlis blinked: "What if there's a sudden crop failure? So many Monpa people... what will happen?"

Gao Jiano casually said, "That's something the Bread Council should have to consider. Since the Bread Council claims to have enough food to feed the whole world, it should be able to take care of the Duchy of Mambara."

They arrived at the portal to Membranah.

Like most countries except for the two kingdoms, the portal to the Duchy of Mamba is located within the Mage Guild.

However, the difference lies in the fact that the Monpa Lama Guild is blatantly corrupt.

Therefore, Gaucano and Dariss paid extra money to be allowed to use the portal.

This naturally worsened their impression of Mengbala, and they both thought they should avoid coming here in the future if possible.

Go through the portal and return to Ax.

After resting for a day, Gao Gano went to the Adventurers' Guild the next day and found the adventurer broker, Gideon.

"Long time no see, Gaucano." Gideon had a good memory and immediately recognized Gaucano. "Are you ready to embark on an interesting adventure?"

He still had that same smiling face, dressed in a neat blue uniform, with various mission documents and maps laid out on his desk. He warmly invited Gao Jiano to sit down and poured him a cup of tea.

Gao Jiano nodded: "I need some information—about the whereabouts of a level seven earth-type magical beast."

“Level 8 is also an option,” he added.

With the sealing of the level 10 Gaussian Eye Demon, his strength greatly increased.

He still has three divine pronouncements to complete.

The oracle from the goddess of harvest and the goddess of vengeance is somewhat troublesome.

The Oracle of Wind Prince Sunderland isn't difficult to obtain; just find a level 6 or higher earth-type magical beast and defeat it.

Gideon: "Let me see a level seven or eight earth-type magical beast..."

(End of this chapter)