Chapter 130: The Mercenary Corps

Riding on the mad gallop of several giant wolves, Chu Tian and his companions reached Landen City, the capital of the Ror Principality, in just three days from the great mountains.

Along the way, Locke appeared exceptionally excited because the giant wolf carrying him was actually one tier higher than himself, a Tier 4 magical beast. This allowed Locke, a mere Tier 3 swordsman, to feel immensely proud.

"Brother-in-law, our grandfather really has a good eye for people, actually marrying Julia off to you in advance," Locke chattered endlessly to Chu Tian. "Who could have ever imagined that you, a thief who used to steal swinelings, would become the commander of the principality's premier mercenary corps?"

What was being the first in a small country worth? Chu Tian felt immense disdain in his heart; after all, Young Master Chu controlled a top-ten earth dragon mercenary corps on the entire continent!

"What, a single mercenary corps has you so thrilled you've lost your mind?" Chu Tian said. "If you like it that much, I'll give the Storm Mercenary Corps to you."

"Haha, stop joking around!" Locke didn't believe a word Chu Tian said. "How about this, I'll quit my own mercenary corps and work for you instead. Just let me be a small squad leader." With that, Locke drifted into fantasies of a bright future ahead. "Heh-heh, that way, I can earn five gold coins a month. In just a few years, I'll be able to build a big house for Grandpa to retire in, and the dowry for when Julia marries you will be covered too..."

Looking at the easily contented Locke, Chu Tian sighed inwardly. These two simple-minded rural siblings had no idea that their grandfather was the mainland-shaking Tier 10 magical beast Dracula, and that old bat was probably already dead in a duel by now...

Thinking of that old bat made Chu Tian depressed again. When he first transmigrated to the West, Chu Tian's mind was solely focused on finding a way home, and he hadn't considered why Dracula would marry his granddaughter to him at all. Only recently, after things had settled down, did he suddenly realize that Dracula's excuse for marrying off his granddaughter seemed logical on the surface, but had far too many flaws.

Could it really be that among the descendants of Dracula's friends, not a single one was worthy of Julia? Was merely finding a strong grandson-in-law enough to make him use his remaining strength—or rather, his very life—to save Chu Tian? And what about Dracula saying Chu Tian was no longer human? What did that even mean?

Chu Tian fell into deep contemplation until Locke patted him on the shoulder. "Hey. Do you agree or not? I really only need to be a small squad leader."

"Oh," Chu Tian shook his head, casting the matter of Dracula out of his mind. "I was serious just now. The Storm Mercenary Corps is yours!"

"You..." Seeing that Chu Tian's serious expression didn't look like he was joking, Locke was stunned.

"No, I don't want it!" After a moment, Locke turned serious as well. "Before Grandpa left, I promised him that I would earn money through my own strength!"

Such an honest man! Chu Tian's impression of Locke immediately rose to a new level. There weren't many people left on this continent who could remain unmoved in the face of over a million gold coins.

"I'm not giving it to you for nothing!" Chu Tian was determined to give the mercenary corps away—well, or rather, find a free laborer. "I'm a thief; I have no idea how to be a commander. So I'm asking you to manage it for me, but the mercenary corps still belongs to me."

Chu Tian had zero interest in the painstaking management of a mercenary corps. Back in the day, even prestigious positions like the Empire's Right Chancellor and Chief Court Priest were merely honorary titles for him, carrying no actual duties. In Earth parlance, Young Master Chu only wanted ownership and the right to profits, while delegating management to his subordinates. Then he could just watch his subordinates work while lying at home counting gold coins!

"Is that so!" Locke was tempted. "Alright then, I'll manage it for you!"

While they were talking, the group rode their giant wolves straight into Landen City.

Although Landen City was the capital of a nation, compared to Pompeii City, it fell far short. While Pompeii City boasted buildings towering dozens of meters high, Landen City resembled a child's toy town, filled everywhere with low, single-story houses. Only in the center of the city did the imperial palace-like structures appear somewhat magnificent.

Led by Alun, Chu Tian and his group passed through several streets and arrived at the headquarters of the Storm Mercenary Corps. Along the way, although the sight of several people riding giant wolves was quite conspicuous, the city residents didn't show any particular surprise.

"This is the headquarters of the mercenary corps?" Surveying the somewhat dilapidated courtyard before him, Chu Tian frowned and asked Alun.

"Commander, this is it." Sensing Chu Tian's dissatisfaction, Alun explained, "It's probably because no one has cleaned the place since Davis met with his accident, which is why it looks a bit messy."

"Andy, this place is already quite nice!" Julia gestured to the surroundings and said, "This is already one of the best houses around here."

"Brother-in-law, are you still not satisfied?" Locke started chattering again. "This is the headquarters of the principality's largest mercenary corps. These buildings are considered quite good within the capital!"

"Praise the God of Death! Let's go in!" Though helpless, Chu Tian had no choice but to endure it. Yet he thought to himself, *Once I go home, I'm going to buy the whole of Landen City and tear it down to rebuild it...*

The two-story pavilion in the center of the courtyard was where Davis used to work and live, though it looked much more deserted now.

"Sigh!" Alun sighed and said, "We mercenaries sell our lives for gold coins. Now that Davis has met with disaster, quite a few people in the corps have scattered!"

Chu Tian also noticed that there weren't many people left in the corps. The vast courtyard was cold and desolate, with only a few dozen servants remaining. Occasionally, a few mercenary-figured individuals caught a glimpse of Chu Tian and the others entering the pavilion, a fleeting flash of vitality finally appearing in their eyes.

"Locke, Alun, from now on you two are the vice-commanders of the mercenary corps." Chu Tian instructed the two of them. "Go check right now and see how many people are left in the corps." With that, Chu Tian cradled Xiao Bai and Julia, walking into the pavilion.

Locke and Alun moved swiftly. Before Chu Tian had been seated in the main hall for very long, they returned, bringing an old man along with them.

"Commander, this is Terry, the steward of the headquarters. Let him report to you!" Alun introduced.

"Greetings, Commander!" The old man bowed respectfully to Chu Tian and then said, "Originally, the corps had a total of three thousand two hundred members. However, ever since Commander Davis met his accident, all the elite fighters in the corps were killed by Gatte, and quite a few ordinary members have left as well. Now, there are only two thousand left."

"Where are these two thousand people?" Chu Tian asked.

"Five hundred are here in Landen City and can be summoned at any time. The rest are scattered across various parts of the principality, maintaining local businesses."

With that, the old steward Terry produced a ledger and presented it to Chu Tian. "This is the corps' account book. There are currently over seventy thousand gold coins left in the headquarters. In the past, the corps could earn around one hundred thousand gold coins a year, but now it's hard to say."

Not bad at all. Chu Tian could accept this outcome.

As for the method of returning home, Chu Tian had calculated for a long time. Wanting to cross the entire continent required more than just gold coins. Right now, people all over the continent were hunting Chu Tian down; who knew what kind of dangers he might encounter along the way? Therefore, Chu Tian planned to wait until he had gathered enough money to directly buy a Zeppelin airship and fly back. That way, he would have both speed and safety.

"Commander, there is one more matter..." Terry suddenly began to stammer hesitantly. "Ever since Commander Davis's accident, Gatte's mercenary corps has been constantly making trouble for us. Quite a few of our brothers have already been beaten and injured by them."

"What?" Chu Tian's eyes narrowed. Daring to beat up his men? Damn it, this Gatte was courting death!

"How many people does Gatte have? And how many experts are among them?" Chu Tian struck a posture, ready for a fight.

"Commander, don't be rash." Alun persuaded, "Although Gatte's mercenary corps only has a little over two thousand people, they have more elite fighters than we do." Alun looked troubled. "Now, there is only one intermediate-level professional left in our corps..."

"It's fine, I'll go borrow some from Kevin..."

Before Chu Tian could finish speaking, a deafening clamor suddenly erupted from outside the courtyard. "This is bad!" A mercenary rushed in frantically. "The principality's army has surrounded us!"

"Step aside!" Several soldiers shoved aside the blocking servants, then swarmed inward, escorting a potbellied, yet warrior-dressed fat man.

"Terry, you old bastard, get out here!" the fat man yelled arrogantly.

Terry glanced at Chu Tian and remained standing still.

"Oh? You old immortal, you dare disobey now?" The fat man shook his belly, causing his armor to rattle along with it. "According to the rules, since your mercenary corps no longer has a commander, all its assets belong to the principality! Hurry up, get out of here. This place belongs to His Majesty now!" Clearly, this was naked robbery. However, the one being robbed this time was Chu Tian.

"Who says the mercenary corps doesn't have a commander?" Chu Tian asked with an evil smile. "I am the new commander of the Storm Mercenary Corps!" As he spoke, Chu Tian produced the contract and waved it around.

The fat man was stunned for a moment, then said, "Kid, who agreed to let you take over the Storm Mercenary Corps? Without His Majesty's consent, your position as commander doesn't count!"

"Commander Andy is..." Alun tried to explain, but Chu Tian stopped him.

Chu Tian stood up from his chair, walked right up to the fat man, and asked, "Do I need anyone else's permission to be the commander?"

"You're quite arrogant, aren't you, kid?" The fat man's flab trembled with anger as he waved a hand at his subordinate soldiers. "Arrest him!"

"Who dares make a move?" Locke stepped forward with his sword drawn, blocking Chu Tian.

"Locke, I'm fine!" Chu Tian motioned for Locke to step aside, then said to the fat man, "As it happens, I have some business to discuss with your king anyway. Let's go; I'll trouble you to lead the way."

"You want to see His Majesty?" The fat man was somewhat taken aback. Having spent over a dozen years mingling in official circles, he naturally had a knack for reading people. Although Chu Tian was dressed ordinarily, his bearing and demeanor were absolute proof that he was someone accustomed to holding high positions of authority for years.

"That's right, I'm going to see your king."

"May I ask who you are?" The fat man's attitude improved significantly.

"You're not qualified to know!" Chu Tian assumed a lofty, high-and-mighty posture. When dealing with scoundrels like this, the more mysterious you acted, the more terrified they would be.

"Wait for me here." Chu Tian pulled the fat man along as he walked out, instructing Locke and the others as he went, "I'm going to discuss a business deal with the king, and I'll be right back..."