Chapter 54

The curly-haired boy Gabi took the magic core with a small window ground into its surface from He Boqiang's hand, walked to the tent entrance, and through the dim light outside, the amber-colored magic crystal inside emitted a faint glow.

"Wow, there really is a magic crystal stone, Dake, you're really lucky!" The curly-haired boy Gabi's tone was filled with unhidden envy.

Then he felt he shouldn't change his stance, especially regarding the magic core bet.

The curly-haired Gabi's youthful face looked somewhat serious as he pulled He Boqiang and said earnestly, "Although the goddess of luck favored you this time, this kind of thing is really hard to predict. I'm telling you, don't be foolish next time."

At this moment, the merchant Lakin walked in, not knowing where he had heard about He Boqiang buying a magic core. He entered the tent and said to He Boqiang,

"Gabi is right. You probably know that a few days ago, I spent five gold coins to buy ten first-level magic cores from the second squad, but those cores were unsorted. As long as one of them contained a magic crystal, it would be worth it, but even so, I still took a big risk. I got one magic crystal from ten cores, so I consider it a win."

Lakin then said to He Boqiang,

"My magic cores... are very different from the ones you bought at the stall. The ones on the stall are mostly the leftovers after selection. To put it bluntly, those cores are just a pile of worthless rocks."

Lakin spoke very directly, "I just heard in the tavern that two guys teamed up to scam you, so I rushed back. If it were really a magic core from a swamp giant crocodile in the Kempato River Basin, each one would be worth about five gold coins. How could they just leave it on a street stall for you to pick up cheaply?"

The curly-haired boy Gabi kept giving Lakin eye signals and lifted the magic core with the small window ground into it.

Lakin then realized the situation had changed. He took the magic crystal from Gabi's hand, looked at it in the light outside the tent, and sighed, "But your luck... is pretty good!"

The merchant Lakin handed the magic core back to He Boqiang and said, "This magic core is a bit small, but the magic crystal inside is quite full. It should be just enough for one unit of magic crystal, and it's an earth attribute magic crystal..."

From Lakin, He Boqiang learned some knowledge about magic cores. According to Lakin, only first-level magic cores have a gambling element, and it's not entirely random. The probability of a first-level magic core containing a magic crystal can be identified through various methods. The stronger and longer-lived the magic beast, the higher the probability of its core containing a magic crystal.

The magic cores in the skulls of adult second-level magic beasts almost always contain magic crystals.

Of course, if you get a third-level peak magic beast's core, you should try to extract the magic crystal inside, as it might contain a high-level magic crystal.

The rain outside showed no signs of letting up, but the caravan had already started to leave. The caravan had many horses, and the front part of the horse team had already disappeared into the rain, while the rear part had just left the market.

The three of them sat at the tent entrance, and He Boqiang used a file to slowly grind away the outer layer of the hardened stone skin of the magic core.

A small, oval, amber-colored magic crystal gradually revealed itself...

...

With the arrival of the fourth heavy infantry regiment, the number of heavy infantry regiments near the forest area had increased to 3,000, and the number of imperial heavy cavalry had surged to 1,000. The neighing of warhorses could be heard every day at the foot of the forest. Some caravans were also continuously gathering in the forest area, bringing large amounts of logistics supplies and creating new business opportunities.

The temporary market district was quietly expanding outward.

For the past week, Count Monty Goss, the commander of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment, had been discussing battle plans with the other three regiment commanders of the infantry and cavalry regiments every day.

He thought the swordsman Gabriel and his squad would stay until the end of the battle at the Sky Wheel, but unexpectedly, on the day the fourth heavy infantry regiment arrived, the swordsman Gabriel came to the market to find He Boqiang and bid farewell.

He was wearing a simple leather armor and linen tight pants, with a simple sword hanging from his waist. He walked lazily through the bustling crowd, and his tall figure was easily noticeable, like a poet of swordsmanship.

The swordsman Gabriel walked to the tent where He Boqiang was staying. At that time, He Boqiang was setting up a stall with the curly-haired Gabi in the market.

Recently, the merchant Lakin's business had been very prosperous. He had sold a batch of leather he had in stock and bought some finely crafted swords and a few knight shields.

The swordsman Gabriel stopped in front of the stall, and the curly-haired Gabi thought a customer had come, so he greeted the swordsman Gabriel warmly.

It wasn't until He Boqiang stood up and invited the swordsman Gabriel to sit in the tent that Gabi realized the visitor was He Boqiang's friend. He looked up at the towering figure of the swordsman Gabriel, his eyes filled with envy as he gazed at the long sword on his waist, looking like a dazed goose.

"Dake, this gentleman is here to see you...?"

He Boqiang nodded at Gabi, indicating that he should watch the stall alone.

The swordsman Gabriel was invited into He Boqiang's tent. He looked at the extremely simple wooden bed placed at the tent entrance and asked He Boqiang with a smile, "Have you made a decision? The investigation here is temporarily concluded, and I will return to the Constructed Swordsman Corps tomorrow. If you want to go with me, you need to prepare in advance."

He Boqiang brought a chair from outside the tent and invited the swordsman Gabriel to sit down.

He sat on the bed, lowered his head, and pondered for a moment, then patted the wooden bed and pointed to the place.

The swordsman Gabriel was completely surprised when He Boqiang rejected his proposal:

"You want to stay?"

He Boqiang nodded slightly.

The swordsman Gabriel rubbed his temples, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense for a while before he said,

"Alright, I respect your choice."

He sat on the chair, his gaze calm, as if facing an old friend of many years.

Outside the tent, it was noisy, with various vendors' calls mixed together, giving it a market-like atmosphere.

The swordsman Gabriel carefully examined the tent and the various supplies piled inside, seemingly puzzled by He Boqiang's decision to stay. Was there something worth lingering here?

"I seem to owe you a thank you. If you hadn't come in time, the one who would have been injured and unconscious might have been me!" The swordsman Gabriel said to He Boqiang, "Zake, thank you."

These words had been in his heart for a long time, and saying them now made him feel much lighter.

He Boqiang smiled shyly and shook his head.

The swordsman Gabriel then remembered something and fished a piece of paper from his pocket, with a row of elegant imperial script written on it.

It was a note with an address, which He Boqiang carefully folded and put into his money bag.

The swordsman Gabriel then said to He Boqiang, "Oh, by the way, I live at No. 61, Tulip Princess Street, in the second district of Bena City. If you ever come to Bena City, you can visit me anytime."

He Boqiang nodded.

The swordsman Gabriel then fished a small, flat glass bottle from his belt. It was about the size of a palm, with a slender neck and a round belly, filled with a bright red liquid. He Boqiang had seen similar healing potions in the magic potion shops on the street, but the bottles were not as large, and the color of the potion was not as bright red.

The swordsman Gabriel handed the healing potion to He Boqiang and said, "Take it. You might need it on the battlefield."

After sitting for a while longer, the swordsman Gabriel got up to leave.

He Boqiang sat on the chair at the tent entrance, holding the precious healing potion, feeling a surge of emotion...