Chapter 52

The dark clouds in the sky were almost pressing down on the mountain peaks of the forest. Amidst the swirling mist, a light rain began to fall.

At the foot of the mountain in Handanar County Forest, the slope was like a green carpet spread out.

In the distance, an army was winding its way along the muddy road for several kilometers. A mule team was dragging a large amount of supplies, heading towards the camp. This was the third unit to arrive at the Handanar County Forest this week.

Seeing many armored warhorses in the formation, with knights dressed like iron cans, holding dwarf chain shields and five-meter-long lances, He Boqiang guessed it was another heavy cavalry regiment. Although not a main force like the Mechanized Knight Regiment, the heavy cavalry had considerable combat power and was one of the few units capable of engaging demons head-on when outnumbered.

Recently, armies kept arriving near the forest. The news of demons building defensive strongholds on the Cloudy Ridge in the Gandael Mountains had made the great lords of Bena Province restless, leading to a large number of troops rushing to this area.

Seeing three more grand camps being built next to the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment's camp, the temporary market on the hillside had expanded nearly twice its size from half a month ago. The tense atmosphere of war had already spread throughout the market, and people walked faster.

The new merchant caravan that had arrived a few days ago, after purchasing a large amount of red-eyed hyena skins, was preparing to move on to the next camp. They wouldn't be held back by the impending war here. These merchants wouldn't limit their business to just one regiment; they were natural travelers.

Early in the morning, the caravan's helpers had already started packing up their tents in the drizzle. They dismantled the tents in the rain, tied them up wet, and then secured them on the horses.

Their campsite on this hillside was quite good, and some later-arriving merchants had already eyed this spot, ready to claim it as soon as they left.

The last two stalls still had some items left to be sold. This caravan mainly traded in furs, but the managers had also brought many other items privately. Before departure, these private items would be displayed for final transactions.

At this time, some people would come to the stalls with a侥幸心理 (lucky mindset) to look for bargains. Since the caravan was about to leave, everyone knew that the items purchased would not be returnable or exchangeable, so the quality of the items depended entirely on the buyer's discernment.

The items on the stalls were varied, but there were no furs. Due to the light rain, not many people were gathered around the stalls.

The helper guarding the stall was already getting impatient, probably not wanting to do business in the rain. However, the supplies on the horse team hadn't been fully organized yet, and such stalls usually stayed open until the last moment before departure. He was huddled behind the stall in a raincoat, like a black quail, too lazy to move.

He Boqiang, with a Roman sword hanging from his waist, slowly returned from the river. After lighting up five stars in his body, he began to feel that his combat skills were not keeping up with his physical improvement. The basic movements he had practiced before were becoming deformed, so he went to the river every morning to practice. Red Socks had given up on being He Boqiang's sparring partner a week ago, and in recent days, it had been Suldak practicing combat skills with him.

Sometimes, He Boqiang's performance was like that of an agile and experienced shield warrior, but his combat skills existed only in fragmented memories, making it difficult for him to execute them smoothly. So, he was like a scholarly warrior who didn't know how to fight.

Although Suldak had not studied at the "初级战争学院" (初级战争学院) or received formal training, he had fought on the battlefield for nearly four years, gaining rich combat experience. The two complemented each other well, and both benefited greatly from their sparring sessions.

Sometimes, the swordsman Bajali would also come to watch and occasionally give them some practical sword techniques. In the past two days, he had generously taught them a set of sword techniques, which he called the "Sword Technique Guide." As a first-rank swordsman, his understanding of sword techniques was far superior to that of He Boqiang and Suldak. This set of techniques, known as the "Guide Techniques" by many students at the Swordsmanship Academy, was just an introductory set, divided into eight forms, without any complex or flashy movements. However, each form could be seamlessly connected, and after Bajali's guidance, it seemed to have opened the door to He Boqiang and Suldak's understanding of sword techniques.

In recent days, both of them had made significant progress.

Suldak had excitedly told He Boqiang the day before that he felt he had made a breakthrough and had gone to the logistics department to check his warrior level, only to find out that he had advanced to a level 7 warrior.

Walking into the market, He Boqiang's light leather armor was already soaked by the rain. He was preparing to return to the tent to dry it, as this type of leather armor would become stiff if not properly treated after getting wet.

Seeing the merchant caravan preparing to depart in the drizzle, He Boqiang sighed in relief, thinking that it was fortunate that the caravan had come to purchase a large amount of red-eyed hyena skins. Otherwise, these skins would have flooded the market, and it would have been unknown how long they would have remained unsold. The depressed leather market had directly reduced the desire of the 57th Regiment's warriors to hunt red-eyed hyenas in the mountains.

He then saw two stalls in the rain, with the items on them all wet. Some weapons were wrapped in oilcloth, and there were also some old scrolls, blank parchment, copper plates, military copper flasks, candlesticks, and other items. However, these items looked used and might be unclaimed property. No matter how cheap, the warriors in the camp would definitely not buy them.

Only some bargain-hunting merchants and poor helpers would purchase these second-hand goods.

Influenced by Suldak, He Boqiang was not interested in these items. However, as he passed by, he noticed a pile of black coal-like objects the size of walnuts on the stall, and he inexplicably stopped, stepping back three steps to return to the stall.

Sure enough, there were about thirty magic cores on the stall. These magic cores seemed to have been picked over many times, leaving only the shriveled and defective ones, which looked like donkey droppings on the carpet and were even more pitiful after being soaked by the rain.

Many merchants in the market dealt in the purchase of magic cores, and many stalls also sold them. These magic cores without magic crystals were divided into several grades. Small magic cores from level 1 monsters, like those on the stall, were typically worth about 50 silver coins each in the market, and this price was generally considered a no-questions-asked purchase.

However, the price of magic cores sold at the market stalls was much higher. The curly-haired boy Gabi's stall also had a few poor-quality magic cores, and the merchant Lakin had given the curly-haired boy a base price of 60 silver coins, but these magic cores could be picked over, and the buyer gambled on luck.

Since returning from the native tribe, He Boqiang had not touched any magic cores. Seeing the magic cores on the stall, he was slightly moved and reached out to pick up a shriveled one.

The helper squatting behind the stall, seeing someone interested in these almost ignored magic cores, carefully examined He Boqiang and asked, "Can I help you? Are you interested in these magic cores?"

He Boqiang nodded slightly, but the magic core in his hand showed no reaction, so he put it down and picked up another one.

"These magic cores were obtained from the swamp crocodiles of the Kempato River. Don't underestimate them; although they are the leftovers after being picked over, they are all from level 2 monsters. These magic cores have some flaws, but their price is higher than those from level 1 monsters, 80 silver coins each. Can you accept this price?"

Perhaps thinking that He Boqiang was not a big spender, the stall owner didn't want to waste time and directly stated the price.