Chapter 78: The Iron Blood Mercenary Group

"… In fact, my king, we bards are quite useful. When the battle begins, I will sing songs of bravery and victory, which will inspire your people to fight with three times their strength. You want ten times the strength? Alright, I'll see what I can do. Oh, there are cheers already, it seems it has started. So, sir, I beg you, tell me your name. If the battle goes well, I will sing an epic song about your deeds. If the battle does not go well, your bravery will be recorded, sir. In any case, I will make you a legend."

Under the moonlight, Lüdi was deeply moved by Taoles' song and sighed softly, "You can still sing bard songs!"

Taoles' chubby face broke into a smile, "When my grandfather was a bandit, many of the people who joined were wanderers, travelers, and bards. I always heard these poems when I was little, and I learned some of them too."

"Hehe, I see." Lüdi looked at Taoles' face in the moonlight, "I wouldn't have guessed."

Taoles asked in confusion, "What wouldn't you have guessed?"

"You." Lüdi said, "A chubby guy who swears all the time, to have such a romantic and poetic side."

"Hahaha, it's nothing, nothing at all." Taoles laughed happily.

Jesse followed quietly a few meters away, seeing the two students chatting and laughing together, he shook his head and smiled, "I knew it would be like this."

A wolf's howl echoed from the distance. Jesse, unable to bear to interrupt the two young lovers, still couldn't help but disturb them, "Hey, you two artists in love, shouldn't you stop now? Under this romantic moonlight, you don't feel tired, but I need to rest."

It seemed only then did the two realize it was already late at night. "Sorry, sorry." Lüdi's cheeks were flushed, "Let's find a place to camp."

Taoles looked around, "There's a flat open area over there, let's camp there."

The three of them, carrying their backpacks, came to a clearing in front of a few large yellow rocks and set up a simple tent. Taoles gathered some dry wood and started a fire. The fire wasn't for warmth but to drive away wild animals, and of course, to roast some game.

Lüdi was laying out a blanket in the tent and poked her head out, "Ah!"

"Lüdi, what's wrong? What is it?" Taoles and Teacher Jesse rushed to her side.

Lüdi, frightened, pointed to the dark crevice between two rocks, "There... there's someone..."

Taoles indeed saw a vague figure hiding there, took up his weapon, and shielded Lüdi behind him, shouting, "Hey, who's there, come out!"

The figure in the darkness didn't move.

"Is he dead?" Lüdi asked in confusion.

Teacher Jesse took a torch from the fire and shone it into the crevice, seeing a very thin man lying there, but it was unclear if he was alive or dead.

After a while, seeing the figure still motionless, Taoles said, "It's probably a corpse. I'll drag him out, it's not comfortable to leave him here." As he reached out to grab the corpse, the corpse suddenly opened its eyes.

This sudden movement scared the three of them so much that even Jesse fell on his butt. "I... I... a living person?" Lüdi trembled, "You... are you a person or a ghost?"

The corpse's eyes, full of vitality, gradually lost their luster, as if he were seriously ill. His greenish-yellow eyes turned and sized up the three people in front of him, then suddenly fixed on Jesse, "Maurice Jesse?"

Everyone was surprised by his strong voice. Jesse was even more astonished, "Who are you? How do you know me?"

The corpse suddenly stood up, crawled out of the crevice, revealing his entire face. The blue cross on his clothes showed he was a key member of the Blue Cross Mercenary Group, 'Dry柴'. Dry柴 also looked at Jesse in surprise, "I went to Stor, you forgot?"

"Stor... It's you! It really is you!" Jesse exclaimed, "You... how did you end up like this?"

"Teacher, do you know him?" ...

The fire crackled, and Dry柴 drank some water, sitting around the fire with them. Jesse said, "Yes, I know him. We were both members of the 'Iron Blood Mercenary Group' in the past."

"The 'Iron Blood Mercenary Group'." Lüdi said, "Teacher, you were a mercenary too?"

Jesse laughed, "Yes, I'm a warrior, not like you mages who can easily find jobs. If I didn't become a mercenary, it would be hard to survive, let alone support a family."

Dry柴 silently ate the roasted meat, listening to their conversation.

Jesse continued, "Back then, I was in the 17th squad, and he was in the 4th squad. We weren't very familiar at first, but later, something made us fight each other."

"What was it? Something that would make squad members fight each other?" Taoles asked.

"Layoffs." Dry柴 suddenly interjected coldly.

Jesse looked at him, and he continued to eat the roasted meat with his head down.

"Layoffs?" Lüdi was surprised, "Mercenary groups also lay off people? Why?"

"Why? Hmph." Jesse laughed, "Do you think the 'Iron Blood Mercenary Group' is like a children's game? The group has to pay salaries to its members every month. Although it's not much, it's still important for survival. At that time, the 'Iron Blood Mercenary Group' had just been promoted to an A-level mercenary group, and many people flocked to join, causing the group to expand too quickly, making the mercenary structure bloated. Moreover, there was a lot of corruption in the group, and many people with no real skills were brought in by friends and family without paying the entry fee, leading to financial strain. Therefore, layoffs were necessary, and the least useful warriors were the first to be let go."

Lüdi listened with wide eyes, "This is... a real mercenary group, with finances and systems, so formal!" She thought about the mercenary group she joined, which seemed like child's play compared to the 'Iron Blood Mercenary Group'.

Jesse said, "Of course. Each member of the mercenary group has to hand over one-fourth of their earnings from each mission to the group to ensure its normal operation. This includes base maintenance, intelligence, and logistics, all of which require money."

"Handing over one-fourth, wouldn't it be better to work alone? How is this better?" Lüdi asked.

Jesse shook his head, "No, it's not like that. According to the rules of the Mercenary Guild, within the mercenary group's level, lower-level mercenaries can take on higher-level missions. For example, if the 'Iron Blood Mercenary Group' is A-level and you are C-level, you can take on B-level missions, which have rewards far greater than C-level missions, and there's also a difference in work points. Additionally, the 'Iron Blood Mercenary Group' has a dedicated logistics department, where members pay 50% of the external price, including repair costs and entertainment."

Lüdi asked, "What is entertainment?"

Taoles covered her mouth and whispered something in her ear.

Lüdi blushed, "O... Oh, that's what it is."

"Ha, yes, that's it." Jesse said, "Just these benefits are enough to attract many freelancers, and if you don't complete a mission or earn enough money to live, the group will give you some money to cover your basic expenses for the month."

Taoles nodded, "With such a detailed and complete organizational system, and being an A-level mercenary group, it's no wonder so many people want to join."

Jesse said, "Yes, that's what led to the first round of layoffs. The rule was simple: the strong stay, the weak leave, and my opponent was him."

Dry柴 licked the oil off his fingers, drank some water, and picked up another piece of roasted meat, as if he could never get enough.

Lüdi looked at the thin man and asked, "What was the result...?"

"I won, he lost." Jesse sighed, "So he was given a severance package and left the 'Iron Blood Mercenary Group'."

Dry柴 pounded his chest and swallowed the meat, "Jesse, do you remember what I said when I left?"

"Yes. You said you would come back, and when you did, I would be the one to leave." Jesse looked at him, "Are you here to challenge me now?"

Dry柴 shook his head, "No, I've joined another mercenary group, and I never want to go back to Iron Blood."

"Oh!" Jesse was quite surprised, "I remember you had high standards and wouldn't join any group that wasn't good. Where are you now?"

Dry柴 said while eating, "A C-level mercenary group, the Blue Cross!" He pointed to the blue cross on his chest.

"C-level? You actually chose a C-level mercenary group? Is it just a temporary stop?"

"No, I plan to stay with this group long-term."

Jesse stroked his chin, "Oh, that's interesting."

"You? It seems you've become a student's guardian." Dry柴 asked.

Jesse laughed self-deprecatingly, "Yes, after you left, I became part of the second batch of layoffs. Later, through a friend's introduction, I became a staff member at the Kulantin Academy."

"Quite surprising." Dry柴 laughed without much emotion, "But the treatment at Kulantin should be good, right?"

"Yes, it's enough to live on."

"Tch, I can't really believe what you say." Dry柴 said, "Are you interested in joining our Blue Cross? You were a formidable warrior in 'Iron Blood,' it's a waste to be in a school."

Jesse shook his head and laughed, "Are you here to recruit me? I forgot to tell you, I've settled down, and my child is old enough to go to the market to buy soy sauce."

"You've settled down." Dry柴 sighed, as if he had a lot of sorrow.

Jesse also asked, "I'm curious, how did you end up like this? I remember you were... strong before."

Dry柴's eyes flashed with fear, then he sighed, "It's nothing, I was harmed by a devil, but I won't die, don't mention it. It's been a long time since we last met, do you have any wine? Please give me a drink."

"Haha, sorry, I only have water, no wine."

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