Mercenary Wars

Chapter 71 Black Bear
"What?! No war reparations?!"

When they learned there would be no war remuneration, the Gray Eagle mercenaries erupted in uproar. This was especially true of the cannon fodder who had signed short-term contracts; most of them were penniless, had come to risk their lives, only to find they weren't even getting paid.

The quartermaster who came to announce the news quickly explained, "Listen up, everyone! Although there are no war reparations, everyone who participates in the war will be allocated a piece of land. The most can be allocated one hundred acres, and the least can be allocated twenty acres!"

"Twenty acres of farmland? That sounds pretty good. According to the prices in my hometown, it's worth about two hundred silver coins."

"Although I can't get married yet, at least I can support myself. I don't want to fight anymore!"

The quartermaster looked guilty: "But it's not farmland, it's uncultivated woodland..."

The lower-ranking mercenaries erupted in protest again: "Uncultivated woodland? This land is only worth one-tenth of arable land! This is fraud!"

"War subsidies! We want war subsidies!"

"In the name of Mosa, we demand war subsidies!"

The quartermaster continued, "The commander plans to build a small town on the land granted by Prestoburg. Everyone who participates in the war and is willing to clear the woodland will receive a job in addition to the land in the town. Those without a holy name can become farm laborers, while those with a holy name can become trade route guards. In the future, we will be responsible for guarding most of the 'Count's Road' in the County of Prestoburg..."

"Where is the land?"

"Southeast of Prestoburg, near the Driftwood River."

"I've heard there are many magical beasts there, and even ogres."

"That's true, but the mercenary group will clear the land in one go. Whether it's low-level magical beasts, goblins, or even a few big, dumb ogres, it won't have any impact. Everyone has absolutely nothing to worry about!"

With the quartermaster's repeated explanations and a seemingly pre-planned concession, the controversy gradually subsided.

Even though the lower-ranking soldiers were reluctant, they eventually accepted the terms. After all, this wasn't a world where uprisings were common, and they didn't have much leverage to negotiate.

In contrast, Gray Eagle mercenaries with long-term contracts are treated much better. They are almost never owed wages, and even if they are owed a portion, they receive enough land as compensation, so they don't suffer any losses.

Gaucano received treatment no less than that of long-term mercenaries; specifically, he was allocated sixty acres of land and was not owed any wages.

Of course, as the quartermaster said, these lands were all uncultivated wild woodlands.

The Grey Eagle Mercenary Group must first clear the land, removing all living things before they can establish a settlement for humans.

Soon, the mercenaries left Prestoburg, headed southeast, and arrived at their destination the day after they set off to begin clearing the land.

The person in charge of all this was Hicks, another vice-captain of the Grey Eagle Mercenary Group besides Cassandra and Night Owl.

Hicks was mainly responsible for supplies and logistics in the mercenary group, and he was also a level six hunter, which was a perfect match for his profession. Lucius transferred him over to lead the mercenaries in clearing the forest.

He was an unremarkable man with a stubble beard and dark, rough skin. If it weren't for the longbow he was carrying, he would probably look more like a middle-aged farmer.

But his mount drew everyone's attention.

“Roar…” A black bear, nearly the size of an elephant, lay beneath Hicks, occasionally letting out a low growl and sometimes sniffing the ground with its trunk.

Such a massive magical beast was clearly a rare sight, and some of the mercenaries nearby couldn't help but show a hint of fear. "Don't worry," Hicks said with a smile as he sat on the black bear's back, "Little Black is a smart boy; he would never harm his own people."

"Lord Hicks, what level of magical beast is it?" someone asked curiously.

Hicks' expression turned slightly serious: "It's 'he,' not 'it.'"

After making the corrections, he reached out and stroked the black bear's fur: "He's level six now. If you encounter any tough opponents during the clearing process, whether it's a group of goblins or a few ogres, you can bring them over and let Little Black help you tear them apart."

"Roar." The big black bear tilted its head and growled softly, as if it were saying something to its owner.

"Your appetite is getting bigger and bigger, I can hardly afford to feed you anymore." Hicks patted the black bear, then said to the others, "Let's start clearing the land according to the assigned tasks!"

"Yes," the mercenaries replied in unison, and then entered the woods in their respective squads.

The lower-ranking mercenaries walked at the back, responsible for cutting down trees; the regular mercenaries walked at the front, responsible for clearing away other living things.

Gaucano is still in the same team as before.

Warrior Captain Thomas led the way with his shield, followed by John, then the others, with Gaucano bringing up the rear, beside him was Dariss in a camouflage cloak, and a little further away were Ryan and Priest Sheldon.

Darius's teammates were naturally curious about her sudden appearance.

Gaucano explained that Dariss was his distant cousin and planned to leave Prestoburg with him for Southshore.

Some members of the Gray Eagle Mercenary Group brought their relatives along on their return journey, so it didn't seem strange to anyone.

Some individuals even showed affection for Darliss, but Darliss's response was very aloof—for example, she never accepted food shared by others, and she also occasionally revealed her distrust of the church and her poorly acted, fake respect, making her seem like a persecution complex. So these goodwill gestures quickly faded away.

“Captain, didn’t you just level up to level five and get the ‘Shield Wall’ blessing? If we encounter anything big, we shouldn’t need to go looking for Little Black, right?” a mercenary said as they walked into the woods.

“Get lost!” Thomas cursed his catchphrase. “When did I have a ‘Shield Wall’? That’s called ‘St. Christopher’s Tenacity’. The one similar to the Shield Wall is ‘St. Christopher’s Fortitude’.”

"almost."

“Not at all!” Thomas said. “The strength of St. Christopher can make a person’s body as hard as steel for a period of time, but as for ‘tenacity,’ it’s at most about the same as gray wood.”

"But 'tenacity' doesn't seem to have a time limit."

Thomas: "So what? If I encountered a level six ogre with weapons weighing hundreds of pounds, do you think I wouldn't get beaten to a pulp?"

"Ha, Captain, you're joking again. How could we possibly encounter a level six cannibal here!" the mercenaries said with a laugh.

"Yes, I've been here several times, and I've never even seen a level three ogre."

"Wait, what is that?"

"It's a few goblins!" Upon spotting several goblins in the distance, a mercenary immediately rushed over.

(End of this chapter)