Tatsuo sat down and invited his subordinates to do the same.
"Ragnar, I want to give you this battle axe. Its name is Soul Breaker." Tatsuo handed the weapon to Ragnar. On the other side, Rota felt a pang of envy, which Tatsuo immediately noticed. He reassured Rota, "Rota, don't be envious. You are my First Knight. In the future, you will be the Commander-in-Chief of my army. When I find a sword that suits you, I will give it to you." Rota's envy vanished. He bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
"Anne, here are 2000 gold coins for capital. You can use this place as your headquarters. I suspect not all members of the Iron Slavery Company are here. They may return. Fubidon, you are authorized to eliminate them. Anne, you are in charge of recruiting new members. Also, when the team returns from Harbor Town, tell them we are waiting in Yorai City." Tatsuo instructed them.
Anne and Fubidon bowed and said, "Yes, Your Highness."
"Ragnar, Rota, prepare everything. We are leaving tomorrow morning. The rest of you, if you have no assignment, TRAIN!" Tatsuo commanded.
"Yes, Your Highness," they replied.
Tatsuo left the room.
…..
The next morning, Rota reported, "Your Highness, we are ready to depart. All prisoners are secured."
"Very well. Ragnar, Rota, instruct everyone to display their auras upon reaching the city gates, except for us. Let's go."
"Yes, sir."
After five days of travel, they arrived outside the city gates. The guards stopped them. "State your names and purpose!"
"My name is Tatsuo, captain of the Dragon Cry Mercenary Group. We are here to claim the reward for capturing the Iron Slavery Company," Tatsuo declared. Upon hearing this, the guards initially felt greedy, but their demeanor quickly shifted to nervousness as they sensed the powerful auras of the Dragon Cry members, all of whom were above Sky Gate Realm.
The guards allowed them entry. Expecting this reaction, Tatsuo was pleased. He gave five gold coins to each guard, who were relieved and grateful for the unexpected generosity, having nearly offended powerful individuals.
Tatsuo and his group proceeded directly to the City Hall.
Inside the City Lord's Hall, Tatsuo knelt, with Ragnar and Rota kneeling behind him. Before them stood City Lord Baron Bronzeborn and Senior Deputy General Viscount Manler.
"After reviewing the reward system, the final reward is 250,000 gold coins. However, we do not have such funds readily available. We will pay you in installments over five years," Bronzeborn cleverly stated.
Tatsuo knew Bronzeborn was lying, but he wasn't interested in the money. He had another objective in mind. "Lords, this humble one has no greed for money. Since childhood, we brothers have always desired to join the army and fight for the empire," he said sincerely.
Bronzeborn and Manler exchanged glances, recognizing a golden opportunity to pocket the reward money. Manler stood. "I see your determination and sincerity. I like that. Based on your merits and the prisoners you captured, I will allow you to join the Southern Army as a Senior Major under my command. You will have the authority to recruit and rank your subordinates according to their merits. You will report directly to me." Deputy General Manler didn't hesitate to recruit Tatsuo, knowing they could pocket the reward and recognizing Tatsuo as the one who had eliminated the troublesome bandit group. Tatsuo was a valuable asset.
Tatsuo, anticipating this outcome, replied, "Thank you, my lord, for accepting us. We will follow your orders."
"Very well. You may rise." Tatsuo and the others stood. "As a Senior Major, you can command five squads. You have two months to organize your squads. Report to me when you are ready, and I will give you your first assignment. You may leave now."
"Thank you, sir." They exited the hall.
Bronzeborn and Manler exchanged a knowing look and laughed.
...
Outside City Hall, Tatsuo commanded, "Ragnar, purchase a large training ground. Instruct your men to buy plenty of black armor, weapons, and food for a hundred men, enough for two months. Here are 2500 gold coins. Don't hesitate to spend."
"Yes, sir!" Ragnar saluted and left with his men. Tatsuo, Rota, and two guards remained.
"Rota, devise a plan for recruiting men."
"Sir, I already have a plan in mind," Rota replied.
"Excellent, as expected. We'll finalize it when Ragnar returns." Tatsuo praised him.
"While we wait, let's go to the market." Tatsuo walked towards the market.
In the market, Tatsuo saw a cage containing dwarves. He stopped before the slave dealer. "Are these dwarves for sale?" Tatsuo asked.
"Yes, good sir. They're 50 gold coins each," the slave dealer replied.
"I'll buy them all." Tatsuo handed him 200 gold coins. "Rota, release them." Rota immediately unlocked the cage.
As Rota freed the dwarves, a blue screen appeared before Tatsuo.
Ding! Slave Stats
Name: Figokin
Age: 26
Title: Slave
Level: Clashing Light Realm, 3rd Level
Special Skills:
Over Heat
Molder
Magic Skill: N/A
Attack Skill: High Rank Dwarven Swordsmanship
Abilities: High Level Intelligence, Advanced Level Blacksmithing, High Level Engineering
...
Name: Jerron
Age: 24
Title: Slave
Level: Clashing Light Realm, 2nd Level
Special Skills:
Cold Hand
Strength Up
Magic Skill: N/A
Attack Skill: High Rank Dwarven Battle Axe Technique
Abilities: Middle Rank Intelligence, Middle Rank Blacksmithing, Advanced Level Engineering
...
Name: Bevin
Age: 24
Title: Slave
Level: Clashing Light Realm, 2nd Level
Special Skills:
Heavy Smash
Builder
Magic Skill: N/A
Attack Skill: Advanced Rank Dwarven Swordsmanship
Abilities: High Level Design, Middle Rank Blacksmithing, Advanced Level Engineering
...
Name: Vawan
Age: 20
Title: Slave
Level: Clashing Light Realm, 1st Level
Special Skills:
Shield Us
Support Heat
Melting Heat
Magic Skill: N/A
Attack Skill: High Level Monkey Spear Technique
Abilities: High Level Intelligence, Basic Level Blacksmithing, Advanced Level Engineering
Tatsuo chuckled to himself. Harvest day!
At the same moment, a guard from Ragnar's squad returned. He reported that Ragnar had purchased a field located just outside the city.
They followed the guard.