Chapter 3

It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and most people were awake. Locke got up and started rallying his men. "Let's go drink outside the camp! This heat kept me from sleeping all night!" Locke complained.

"Boss, hooray!" Locke's men were excited about the prospect of free drinks. In such hot weather, only ice-cold beer could soothe these big soldiers' restless hearts.

"Kain, you take the guys to the Green Palm Tavern first. One beer for each, and book a private room. Tell the boss lady to put it on my tab. Hans, you and I will go find Captain Yoshak," Locke instructed.

"Sure, boss," the two replied.

Locke and Hans went to Captain Yoshak's tent. "Uncle Yoshak, let's go drink!" As soon as they entered the tent, Locke shouted to Uncle Yoshak, who seemed to have just woken up.

"Got it, but keep your voice down. My head is still buzzing from your shouting," Uncle Yoshak joked.

"Uncle, let's go. I've already booked a private room at the Green Palm Tavern in Giza Town," Locke said.

"Alright, let's go." Uncle Yoshak put on a casual outfit and set off with Locke. "This is Hans, right? The kid has grown quite a bit," Uncle Yoshak remarked, recognizing the young man from the same town.

"Thanks, Uncle. I'm very satisfied with my physique now. I can take on three Charlo savages without any problem," Hans replied.

"Still, he eats a lot to get that strong. He can eat as much as two of me in one meal," Locke laughed.

"Soldiers need to eat! Look at how much I eat. You're in good shape, but you're still a bit too thin."

Uncle Yoshak wasn't entirely satisfied with Locke's build. Locke was 1.76 meters tall, which was slightly above average for most soldiers. He had a well-proportioned body and weighed 150 pounds. Compared to Uncle Yoshak, who was 1.9 meters tall and weighed nearly 300 pounds, Locke didn't stand out much. Even Hans was 1.8 meters tall and weighed over 200 pounds.

The three of them walked out of the camp, chatting and laughing.

Giza Town, outside the camp, was once part of the Charlo Kingdom. Two months ago, after the Fustan Kingdom's strong attack on the Felmer Pass, the Charlo Kingdom had no major natural defenses or significant resistance left. The three major legions advanced in three routes—upper, middle, and lower—deep into the heart of the Charlo Kingdom, heading straight for the capital, Audis City, crushing all resistance along the way. The Eagle Legion was advancing from the south, where resistance was sporadic. The legion commander decided to spread out the troops, with four infantry regiments totaling 20,000 men, each battalion averaging 500 men, participating in the attacks on villages and towns. For attacks on cities or larger territories, they would reorganize into regiments of 5,000 men each. The legion command left only the cavalry and logistics regiments, totaling 10,000 men, to guard the headquarters.

Giza Town was a small town in the south of the Charlo Kingdom. It had just experienced the ravages of war. As they walked along the streets, burned houses and dark-skinned beggars were everywhere. These people looked at Locke and his men with fear and panic, their eyes lowered. The Fustan Kingdom's military uniforms revealed their identities. War always destroys something. Two weeks ago, Locke's battalion had captured this town, and the lessons of blood and fire had made the remaining residents accept these strangers.

The owner of the Green Palm Tavern was a shrewd man. It was said that he betrayed his own country before the Fustan Kingdom's army arrived, selling out the town's defenses and personally capturing the town mayor. After offering a large sum of money, the owner of the Green Palm Tavern successfully won the favor of Baron Kedochi, the actual controller of Locke's battalion. The Green Palm Tavern was the only business still operating in the town, serving the soldiers in the camp.

As for why so many soldiers were willing to drink outside the camp, there were two reasons. First, there were few high-ranking officers in the camp, and the highest was a squad leader. Here, the soldiers could speak freely, drink, and play games without restraint. Second, the cost was low. As an occupied area, the Charlo Kingdom's currency was almost worthless, and the daler was the hard currency. A large glass of beer cost only one copper daler, half the price inside the camp. Additionally, the tavern offered other services. Due to the war, many poor women came here to earn extra money, some voluntarily and some forced. In the war zone, where laws had not yet been established, no one cared about them. Because the prices were low and the women were fresher than those in the military camps, even the strictest military discipline couldn't control the soldiers' desires. As the Green Palm Tavern's hidden business grew, the higher-ups turned a blind eye. In the occupied area, this was a common occurrence. The lower-class civilians of the Charlo Kingdom, unable to farm due to the war, had no choice but to sell their blood and bodies to survive.

Locke and his group arrived at the Green Palm Tavern. As soon as they entered, a strong smell of sweat and noise hit them, indicating that many people were already there. Indeed, seeing many familiar faces, Locke and his men nodded and smiled at each other. Uncle Yoshak was even more popular, as many of his squad members were present. As one of the four actual squad leaders in the battalion, Uncle Yoshak was considered a high-ranking officer, and many people came to greet him. Uncle Yoshak just nodded slightly.

"Boss, over here!" A loud shout came from the corner, where Kain and his group had already occupied several tables. The large glasses of beer on their table were untouched, indicating they were waiting for Locke and his men.

Uncle Yoshak was still socializing with the people around him, so Locke took Hans to their squad's table first. "You guys start drinking. I need to discuss something with Captain Yoshak. Kain, get Hans a beer," Locke instructed the squad members.

"Sure, boss," Kain nodded, handing Locke a key to the private room upstairs.

"Hans, you drink with the guys. I'll go talk to Uncle Yoshak," Locke said to Hans.

"Alright, go ahead," Hans nodded, watching Kain bring him a large glass of ice-cold beer from the counter. Hans smiled, showing his yellow teeth; he enjoyed this too.

"Guys, start drinking. I'll be down in a bit," Locke said and walked towards Uncle Yoshak.

"Boss, go ahead." "Sure, boss." "Boss, we'll wait for you." The squad members all said.

"Uncle, let's go upstairs," Locke said to Uncle Yoshak. Uncle Yoshak was still chatting with the soldiers who had greeted him. Hearing this, he nodded to Locke and said to the people around him, "I have something to do. Keep drinking, guys." "Sure, captain." "Captain, see you later." "Captain, come down and have a drink with us later."

The soldiers, understanding the situation, nodded in agreement. Locke's use of "Uncle" to address Captain Yoshak was not without purpose, indicating a special relationship. The struggles in the camp were everywhere, and even a small gesture like this showed Locke's strong backing, subtly enhancing his influence. Moreover, the timing of the meeting with the squad leader was something that people at a certain level could guess. A few soldiers nearby showed a slight change in expression.

Locke and Uncle Yoshak went upstairs from the corner of the counter, nodding to the tavern's owner, a woman with red curly hair named Sasha. After all, they were drinking and talking in her place, so they had to acknowledge her. Sasha gave a flirtatious wink, indicating she understood. Locke thought to himself, "What a seductive vixen."

Upstairs, there were about five or six private rooms. Locke found their room with the key and opened the door. The room was not large, less than 20 square meters, with a window offering a view of the distant green mountains. There was a table by the window, with a sofa on each side. At the entrance was a not very elaborate but visually pleasing screen, and a small coat rack stood nearby. On the table were two glass cups and two bottles of bottled beer, with glass bottles and oak stoppers. The overall layout of the room was very comfortable. Locke had been here once before, and even though he had never been one for elegance, he found drinking here to be quite upscale, leaving a strong impression. This was a woman who knew how to do business, Locke thought of the owner.