That's right, that's what adventure is like!

Chapter 91 Each Gets What They Need

Zane is a quartermaster.

He had handled countless supplies and met countless people in his life—merchants, deserters, wounded soldiers, spies, nobles, and even kings—and had long since developed a sharp eye for talent.

But these two in front of him made him, unusually, a little unsure.

The first one was named Cole, a nobleman accompanying the army. He only glanced at the edict and knew it was another fool. Those scribes had no shame at all. They used to buy titles for 1500 gold coins, and now they were throwing them on the battlefield for 500 gold coins.

But this fool, who was about to give him his life, looked genuinely determined, as if he were certain of dying.

The second one was a new recruit who had been at the fortress for less than two hours and had been assigned to the supply train under his command. His name seemed to be Roland.

Although he was a new recruit, he knew from just one glance at the gleaming silver sword that it cost no less than 700.

Gold coins—it's rare to see someone like that in the army.

So he invited the two of them into his tent to see what the sentence meant.

"I'll give you your life."

The flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows on Roland's face. He repeated his sentence before continuing, "We have a plan and would like your approval."

Zane, clad in leather armor, sipped a mouthful of warm red tea. The scars on his face distorted slightly in the candlelight; they were left by an imperial assassin a few days earlier, and he hadn't left the fortress since.

"A plan?" He put down his cup, his tone indifferent. "I don't think there's any plan worth joining, especially since you don't have the capital."

The man behind him is a trusted minister whom His Majesty the King relies on. He has already planned out his future, so there is no need for him to take any risks to help two fools with their plans.

Roland had precisely grasped this point.

Snap—

A blank contract was placed on the table, causing Zane to pause for a moment, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Those who bring a contract are mostly certain that he will agree to the plan. The question is—why?

unless----

"Unless this poses absolutely no risk to you," Roland smiled, gesturing to Cole who was constantly swallowing, "he's looking for a way to survive, and so am I."

"Oh? No risk?"

Zain chuckled, lazily surveying the two of them, a smirk playing on his lips, clearly intrigued: "Tell me about it."

Roland patted Cole on the shoulder, gave him a reassuring look, picked up the royal decree, and pointed to the text: "You see, this is the power to requisition non-scarce resources, right?"

"right."

"Then what are non-scarce resources?" Roland asked.

Zane scoffed, "Of course, we're the ones who call the shots."

“That’s right,” Roland put down the decree, “You said something about non-scarcity, then what is non-scarcity, but—”

He looked up, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes: "What if there was a shipment of goods that was supposed to be a scarce resource, but your men accidentally 'mislabeled' it?"

Zane's expression changed slightly, and his fingers unconsciously began to tap on the table.

"That shipment will become a non-scarce resource," Roland continued, "and then Viscount Cole will take it away and disappear into the warehouse."

"This matter should be discovered soon, but they will only trace it back to your men and Viscount Cole, and it will have nothing to do with you, right?"

Zain took a sip of his black tea and remained silent.

"You don't need to do anything," Roland said, his gaze falling on Cole beside him, his eyes gleaming. "Viscount Cole will bear the risk. You don't need to worry about him telling anyone, because there is a contract protecting him."

"Or, if you want to be even safer, you could happen to be discussing the supplies with some important figure when Viscount Cole picks up the goods. That way, even if he tells anyone, no one will believe him."

Zain narrowed his eyes slightly and put down his cup. "Where's the goods?"

He didn't say it explicitly, but Roland understood that he was tempted, so he smiled and said, "If you want it, it's yours; if you don't want it, you can pretend it never existed."

"Interesting—" Zane stared at Roland for a long time before finally saying, "What do you want?"

"The transfer order," Roland began, "I want to be transferred to your side to broaden my horizons, and Cole—"

He glanced at Cole, his tone slightly heavy: "Cole will leave the army, carrying your blessing, and run further and further away. Whether he lives or dies depends on his luck."

This is what is meant by "giving you a second chance at life".

Zain stared at the two of them for a while, until the candlelight on the table began to dim, and then he suddenly laughed.

"Interesting, you guys have guts."

He opened the drawer, took out a palm-sized bag, and threw it on the table: "Warehouse number three, the innermost row, the things covered with tarpaulins, and those two boxes at the bottom, pack them all in before dawn."

He paused, then shifted his gaze to Cole: "I'll arrange a route and, incidentally, resolve the issue with the nameplate on you. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood, thank you, sir."

Roland took the contract, wrote down the relevant terms, and then had the other two check it to make sure it was correct before signing their names.

Buzz—

A faint white light flashed through the tent, and an inexplicable sense of being watched came from behind, signifying the completion of the contract.

Anyone who fails to fulfill the agreed terms or reveals the contents of the contract will be punished by the God of Contracts, who holds the authority over "contracts," "fairness," and "oaths."

According to their agreed-upon punishment conditions, the victim would die on the spot, and their soul would be corrupted.

However, the contract was quite simple, and the three of them had no reason to break it; it only took a few minutes to complete.

The problem arises after the contract is completed.

"Will I survive?" Cole asked, his face pale as he stepped out of the quartermaster's tent. "Once I get out, I'll be wanted again, and this time it won't be guards chasing me, it will be the army."

Roland was aware of this, and sighed helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. Since you're willing to take the gamble, this is the only way."

After learning of Cole's plight, he quickly devised this plan that would kill three birds with one stone.

First, he could use this connection to get in touch with the quartermaster and maybe even make some extra money.

Secondly, Cole can leave this place; staying here means certain death, and escaping alone would be difficult to survive. Now that Zane is willing to help him, the success rate will naturally be much higher.

Third, Zane will be able to get that shipment.

It's not ordinary arrows or anything like that; the quartermaster could make those himself. This batch of goods must be something he's been eyeing for a long time but hasn't dared to touch.

The quartermaster needs a scapegoat, Cole needs an opportunity, and Roland needs a way out.

The three parties reached a consensus, thus forming an alliance and obtaining what they each wanted.

As for who suffered the loss?

unimportant.

A pale blue light shone brightly from above. Roland stood in the center of the camp, looking up at the valley beyond, a sense of urgency rising in his heart.

"Three days, hopefully that's enough time."