Chapter 6

Two months of time had allowed He Boqiang's body to fully recover, and these days in the military camp had also gradually calmed him down.

Many infantry regiments of the Green Empire fought in the field without dedicated logistics support units, and the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment was no exception. As the commander of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment, Count Munde Goss, like other regimental commanders, entrusted logistics support to the accompanying merchant caravans.

The number of merchant caravans that followed Duke Newman into the Handanar County was enormous. The major merchants all trailed behind Duke Newman's main Mechanized Knight Regiment, while only some smaller caravans would come to do business with the heavy infantry regiments. Of course, most of these caravans were from Baron Sydney's territory. These merchant groups not only helped the soldiers send their pay and letters home but also occasionally brought news from their hometowns.

Sulidak often managed to get some black-striped magic leather, so he knew many of the managers of the merchant groups. They would often chat and laugh together.

He Boqiang sat on a small hill at the camp entrance, watching Sulidak stand outside the camp chatting with a merchant dressed in tight silk pants and a cut-sleeve long robe. Occasionally, the bearded merchant would glance at He Boqiang.

At first, the merchant thought Sulidak was joking, but as the conversation continued, he became more serious.

Sulidak waved to He Boqiang, who stood up from the grass, patted the grass off his buttocks, and ran down the hill a few steps.

The merchant tilted his head slightly, looking at He Boqiang with narrowed eyes, like a cunning fox.

"From the North?" he asked casually, his gaze falling on He Boqiang's bulging biceps.

He Boqiang nodded.

People here were very conscious of their Northern identity.

Sulidak quickly added, "Hey, Larkin, he can't speak, probably due to an injury, but he can follow your orders without any problem. Just don't expect him to answer."

Larkin slowly scanned He Boqiang from head to toe, finally resting his gaze on his feet. He sighed, "Strong enough, I'm sure he was a warrior before. Are you really going to put him in the caravan?"

Larkin's last question was asked with a smile, as if it were a joke.

Sulidak frowned, somewhat impatiently, "Just give me a straight answer. If you don't want to, I'll go to Big-Eyed Pick."

Seeing that Sulidak was serious, Larkin quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "I didn't say no, just be a bit patient, okay? We're from the same hometown. You take care of me, and I'll take care of you. That's how it should be, right?"

Sulidak felt Larkin was still being evasive and was about to scold him, but Larkin didn't give him the chance. He patted Sulidak on the shoulder and said, "Alright, I get your point. Hand him over to me. I don't think he needs much care, and I'll pay him a wage."

Larkin dragged He Boqiang away from the camp, and Sulidak, standing at the camp entrance, waved to him lightly.

...

The merchants' temporary residence was not far from the camp. It was like a bustling market street, with tents set up on both sides, displaying various daily necessities and goods. The merchants wouldn't miss any opportunity to make money. The soldiers in the camp often came out to buy daily necessities, and more often to enjoy a good meal.

However, for these merchants, these small transactions were not their main business. The limited silver coins in the soldiers' pockets were not worth the long journey to the front lines.

The main business here was the large-scale procurement of military supplies by the camp, including food, fabric, ironware, and other bulk purchases. Additionally, the merchants collected various war trophies, exchanging them for gold and silver coins, which made the soldiers feel more secure. Some large merchant guilds even offered mailing services, sending the soldiers' hard-earned money to their hometowns.

The 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment was responsible for the defense of the northern slope of the forest. This area only occasionally saw the appearance of evil spirits, and the last battle was a month ago.

Although He Boqiang didn't show it, he was very grateful to Sulidak.

Thinking about why Sulidak was respected by the merchants, it was mainly because of his excellent skinning skills. Looking down at his rough, calloused hands, He Boqiang felt he should also pick up his own skills.

Larkin suddenly stopped, and He Boqiang, who was walking behind him, almost bumped into him. Larkin turned to He Boqiang and said, "Hey, I forgot to ask, what's your name? How should I call you?"

He Boqiang tried to speak, but his face turned red, and he always subconsciously thought of the sounds 'a—o—e.' It seemed he needed to forget them completely.

"Big Guy?"

Larkin tried.

He Boqiang's face turned a bit sour.

"Northern Lad?"

Larkin continued to probe.

He Boqiang glanced to the side.

"Or just a random name, it's just a nickname. How about Morgan? There used to be a big guy named Morgan in the caravan. He was a great carriage driver." Larkin suggested, undeterred.

Just as He Boqiang was considering using his old name, Larkin slapped his forehead and asked, "Alright, what do you want me to call you? ... Little Dak!"

Seeing He Boqiang hesitate but not frown, Larkin immediately patted his shoulder excitedly, "Ha, I think this name is great too!"

The two walked into the temporary market street, and Larkin continued to talk non-stop.

He was curious about how Sulidak had brought He Boqiang back from the battlefield, so he asked, "I heard Dak dug you out from a pile of evil spirits' corpses?"

He Boqiang only nodded occasionally under his gaze.

Larkin led He Boqiang to a campsite made up of three tents, called over a curly-haired boy who was watching a stall and a muscular man who was sleeping outside a tent, and introduced them. The curly-haired boy was named Gabi, and the sleepy-eyed muscular man was named Ulysses. They would be working together.

The curly-haired boy Gabi seemed slick, smiled at He Boqiang in a friendly way, and then ran back to his stall.

The muscular man Ulysses, however, was very interested in He Boqiang and extended his hand.

He Boqiang shook it habitually, feeling it was like a giant iron clamp gripping his hand, and the pressure increased.

Ulysses' face showed a triumphant smile.

But before the smile could fully spread, Ulysses' dark face slowly stiffened.

He Boqiang released his hand without showing any emotion, and Ulysses, as if bitten by a venomous snake, quickly pulled his hand back.

Larkin ignored these small probing actions among his subordinates.

After greeting the two workers, Larkin arranged a place for He Boqiang to stay...