Mercenary Wars

Chapter 40 Preparation before the war
With the war approaching, it was certain that the price of more than just potions would increase. So after buying a large batch of potions, Gao Jianuo immediately went to the Barto blacksmith shop.

Bartor's Blacksmith Shop is very famous, and the reason for its fame is very simple - the owner Bartor is a dwarf blacksmith.

Barto lived up to people's stereotype of dwarves. His blacksmithing skills were excellent, and most of the high-quality weapons in Nanhai Town were made by him.

"Long time no see, Gao Jianuo!" The one who greeted Gao Jianuo was Grim, who was Barto's elder brother, but he was not as good a blacksmith as his younger brother.

Graham was a Moslem, and he seemed to be quite devout. He had always mistakenly believed that Gao Jianuo was also a devout Moslem, so he was always quite enthusiastic about Gao Jianuo.

"What do you need?" he asked with a smile.

"I want to buy a lot of things this time." Gao Jianuo said as he walked to the weapon rack where bows and arrows were placed and pointed. "How much are these arrows?"

"Enchanted steel arrows, steel arrowheads, ashwood shafts, wind eagle feathers, and arrowheads enchanted with 'Easy to Sharpen'—collisions and wear won't dull them," Grimm explained. "A set of twelve, priced at one gold coin."

"I want three sets."

"No problem!" Grim brought three sets of enchanted steel arrows.

"I also need a sword...how much is this?"

"A fine steel longsword, unenchanted, one gold and twenty silver coins, one enchanted with 'lesser fortification', three gold coins."

"I want one enchanted with 'lesser fortification'."

"Ok!"

"Is this set of fine steel mail enchanted?"

Grim shook his head. "No, enchanting armor is much more complicated than enchanting weapons. If you need it, we can provide an 'easy clean' enchantment for easier cleaning."

"Okay, how much?"

"Lock armor for six gold coins, enchanted for you."

Although he had known that the armor was expensive, Gao Jianuo's heart still ached when he heard the price: "I want it."

He then bought some odds and ends here, such as arrow shafts, feathers, trap tools, and ten sets of cheap arrows.

All in all, the total cost was about thirteen gold coins.

Gao Jianuo then went to the Mage Guild and bought some spell scrolls, mainly three types: the first-level spell "Armor of Agathys" and "Tasha's Laughter", and the second-level spell "Return to Normal".

Armor of Agathys is a defensive spell, while Tasha's Laughter is an offensive spell that can make the enemy laugh wildly.

Gao Jianuo spent about five gold coins to buy several copies of each of the two spell scrolls, plus some practical trick scrolls.

Then he thought again, what if the enemy also has similar spells or spell scrolls?
It's okay to have a defensive spell like Armor of Agathy, but if the enemy also has Tasha's Laughter or something like that and uses it on me, will I die of laughter?
Gao Jianuo's mental attributes were high enough to be able to resist to some extent, but to be on the safe side, he gritted his teeth and bought another scroll of "return to normal".

"Return to Normal" is a second-level spell scroll, and it is also the most expensive of all second-level spell scrolls, which makes Gao Jianuo's spending in the Mage Guild reach nine gold coins.

In the evening, on the way back to his residence, Gao Jianuo reviewed today's consumption.

A total of thirty-one gold coins!

Enough to buy a nice house in Nanhai Town!

In fact, Gao Jianuo had recently considered buying a house in Nanhai Town, but after spending these thirty-one gold coins, it was obviously a bit tight for buying a house.

I hope the money won’t be wasted... With this feeling, Gao Jianuo ended a day of shopping.

It turned out that his choice was wise. The next day, the prices of various potions, weapons, and scrolls rose again, and continued to rise for several days thereafter.

At the same time, with the increase in short-term combat personnel, the size of the Grey Eagle Mercenary Group began to expand rapidly. After just a few days, the number of people in the group exceeded one thousand.

Many of these new recruits who signed short-term contracts were street urchins from the slums, usually with no more than two verses of the Holy Name, and had neither blessings nor any special skills.

Obviously, they need to go through some training before they can become qualified cannon fodder.

So for more than ten days in a row, the training ground of the Grey Eagle Camp was busy. Hundreds of people received intensive training every day, learning basic combat skills and common sense about the army and war.

"They think they can get the money!" Marcus looked at these reserve cannon fodder from afar, his tone full of contempt.

Gao Jianuo raised his eyebrows slightly: "Could it be that the mercenary group owes debts?"

"That's not the case. But you have to understand that everyone wants to save costs. For a mercenary group, money is a cost, but people are not. At least not these people." Marcus paused and continued, "Of course, this is good news for us."

Gao Jianuo didn't understand and gave him a questioning look.

Marcus said leisurely, "The world is nothing more than men and women. War ultimately comes down to killing men and robbing women. After the men have consumed each other, the surviving men can more easily find women. And as long as men find women, the world will be peaceful..."

He smiled crookedly: "Hehe, it won't be long before the girls on Happy Street will collectively lower their prices. Why don't you give it a try?"

"No," replied Gaujano, "I'm going to Prestor."

Marcus was stunned. "You were chosen to be the 'military pharmacist'?"

"I wanted to go on my own."

"Why?" Marcus' eyes widened, as if he was meeting his neighbor for the first time.

Gao Jianuo was silent for a moment, and then he said only: "You can understand that I am a bit of a war fanatic."

Marcus was stunned for two seconds and sighed: "Well, I thought he was the only one like this in the world."

As he said this, he pointed.

"Lucius, the Twin Swords."

On the high platform of the training ground, Lucius, the leader of the Grey Eagle Mercenary Group, who was rarely seen on weekdays, was encouraging the soldiers with his passionate tone.

He was dressed in a gray swordsman's uniform, tall and thin, with a handsome face as sharp as an eagle among his long black hair.

At this moment, Lucius stood on the platform, the twin swords behind him gleaming coldly in the sunlight. As he raised and lowered his arms, the cheers and silence of hundreds of people fluctuated, making him look like the conductor of an orchestra.

"You may have trodden through the mud of Raven Street only yesterday, but I see steel coursing through your bodies—something the rats huddled in the corners of the inn, searching for bran crumbs, will never understand!"

"Your cowardly fellows, some of them are waiting for you to die in the mud like wild dogs, but I know that you will return to Nordaren and Southshore with gold coins, and sleep in beds all over Happy Street!"

The soldiers cheered loudly.

"Some of you crave power, and you are the darlings of the battlefield!"

"Because the Holy Name never comes to cowards, it only falls on the heads of the brave - even if they have been severed!" Lucius raised his head as he said this.

Only then did people notice that there was a horrible scar that actually circled half of his neck!
(End of this chapter)