The jewelry merchant remained unfazed, casually moving the sword away with his finger, his expression troubled.
“Five thousand is already quite a lot. I don’t know where you got these items from, but considering the sheer volume, they must have come from dubious sources, right? Apart from us, no one else would dare to buy them…”
The merchant took advantage of Feraus’s lack of experience.
These items, if sold separately, could fetch much more than a few thousand gold coins.
Anyone else would have realized they were being swindled, but Feraus found the merchant’s words reasonable.
“Can you add a bit more?”
Feraus asked through gritted teeth, reluctant to part with the wagonload of treasures he had risked his life for.
After all, he had betrayed Kellman and now had to worry about the risk of being hunted by Howard and Chris, neither of whom were to be trifled with.
“No, five thousand is the final offer. If you’re not satisfied, feel free to try elsewhere,” the merchant stated firmly.
Seeing the merchant’s confident demeanor, Feraus reluctantly agreed.
He didn’t have other channels to offload the goods, and he had worked with this merchant multiple times.
Despite feeling cheated, he trusted the merchant not to betray him.
Under normal circumstances, no one would scam you, but with such an enormous fortune at stake, things could be different…
In Holy Light City, any power capable of absorbing these items was not to be trifled with.
Unbeknownst to Feraus, who left contentedly with the gold coins, he had already caught someone’s attention.
In contrast to Feraus, Chris and Kellman were much more prudent.
They dispersed the treasures, selling them off in small quantities initially, ensuring they wouldn’t draw unwanted attention.
The next day, Chris stood guard outside Howard’s bedroom, ready to report the results of the previous night.
She waited a long time, and by noon, there was still no sign of Howard emerging from his room.
Frowning with concern, she sensed something might be amiss.
After a prolonged wait with no response from inside, she tried knocking on Howard’s door.
Still receiving no answer, she reluctantly kicked the door open.
Although it was a bit impolite, she was more concerned about Howard’s safety, as she had grown quite satisfied with her master in various aspects.
Upon discovering the room empty, Chris immediately tensed up.
What could have happened?
Unbeknownst to her, after Howard had retired to his room the previous day, Tina had come in a panic, informing him that Leader Kellman was in trouble.
At the moment, Howard was at Kellman’s residence.
He sighed deeply as he looked at Kellman, who was grievously injured and barely clinging to life, having been slashed several times.
Tina was by his side, weeping inconsolably.
“It’s my fault for being careless, even after being so cautious,” Kellman spoke weakly.
Howard had already learned from Tina that Kellman’s injuries were severe, threatening his life.
He had been targeted and attacked by several unknown skilled assailants while selling the treasures.
Though Kellman had fought desperately to escape, he had sustained critical injuries.
Kellman had summoned Howard to entrust him with a request.
“Howard, my brother, I know you’re a good person, and capable too,” he said faintly.
“I want to entrust Tina to you. I hope you can take care of her for me. She’s the last of our Frostwolf Mercenaries.”
Howard looked at Kellman’s pale face and promised earnestly, “Leader Kellman, rest assured, I will not only take care of Tina for you, but I will also help rebuild the Frostwolf Mercenaries. After all, you both saved my life. I will never forget this debt of gratitude in my lifetime.”
Memories of their first encounter flashed through Howard’s mind, and now it seemed Tina would be the only one left.
Howard’s expression hardened, his eyes revealing a fierce resolve.
“I will avenge you, Leader Kellman.”
Kellman was deeply moved by Howard’s commitment to rebuild the Frostwolf Mercenaries, something that had always been Kellman’s heartfelt aspiration.
“My brother…”
Kellman tried to say more, but his severe injuries left him unable to speak.
However, Howard understood his sentiment and assured him with a nod.
Ultimately, Kellman passed away.
Howard consoled Tina briefly, telling her that now was not the time for sorrow; they needed to seek vengeance for Leader Kellman and rebuild the Frostwolf Mercenaries.
As the sole survivor of the Frostwolf Mercenaries, Tina had witnessed the death of all her companions, so she only grieved briefly before stopping her tears.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t sad, but she had become all too familiar with death.
Lamenting the departed was futile.
Seeing Tina regain her composure, Howard asked her to make arrangements for Kellman’s funeral.
He then set out to investigate who was behind the attack on Kellman the previous night.
With sufficient funds at his disposal and in a city where money spoke loudest, finding answers in Holy Light City wasn’t a difficult task for Howard.
Returning home, he instructed Chris, who was well-acquainted with Holy Light City, to take enough gold coins and investigate who attacked Leader Kellman.
However, he stressed the importance of discretion.
It was crucial not to draw attention; Kellman’s fate was a testament to the dangers of being too conspicuous.
Unlike Kellman, Chris possessed much greater strength and cunning, so Howard felt assured entrusting her with tasks.
Next, Howard focused on building his own power base.
Before Kellman’s last breath, he had mentioned the idea of rebuilding the Frostwolf Mercenaries, a decision made after careful consideration.
Being unfamiliar with the land and not wanting to be a target by being in the limelight, Howard initially planned to be the power behind the throne, with Kellman as the nominal leader.
This way, he would never be in a precarious situation, nor face assassination like Sedge.
But with Kellman’s demise, the choice for a leader fell on Tina.
Given Tina’s trust in Howard, she was unlikely to refuse.
Yet, Howard hesitated, feeling a sense of guilt at the thought.
It seemed the better choice would be to appoint Chris as the leader.
With her formidable strength, she could handle the prominent position more securely.
Once decided, Howard prepared to issue a recruitment advertisement, aiming to attract mercenaries and civilians to join.
He purchased a piece of land away from the city center and quickly set up a temporary camp for the Frostwolf Mercenaries.
He and Tina waited there every day for applicants.
However, three days after the advertisement went out, no one showed up.
Howard investigated the matter and discovered the reason.
The demise of the Frostwolf Mercenaries was well-known; they had a bit of fame, with many strong members.
Now that these strong members were all gone, leaving only Tina, no one was interested in such a weakened mercenary group.
Furthermore, the advertised pay of one gold coin per month for a warrior was scoffed at and dismissed as a scam.
Under normal circumstances, the pay offered by mercenary groups to their mercenaries was at most one silver coin.
The idea of receiving an entire gold coin was beyond their wildest dreams, and a fallen mercenary group like theirs couldn’t possibly afford it.
Thus, their recruitment advertisement for warriors was met with disbelief. 𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ
Howard then tasked the experienced Chris with brainstorming solutions.
After several days, Chris had still not uncovered the identities of those who killed Leader Kellman.
With limited manpower, they had to prioritize their efforts, putting this investigation on hold.
During a trip to the city center, Chris returned with urgent news for Howard, “My lord, the empire has just issued a decree. During wartime, mercenaries and nobles are prohibited from recruiting private armies.”
Howard felt as if struck by lightning.
If that was the case, their plans to rebuild the mercenary group were doomed.
“When was this decree issued?” he asked.
“Just recently,” Chris replied.
Howard pondered over this development.
Was it merely a coincidence?
Didn’t the empire fear the potential backlash from powerful mercenary groups or nobles?
At that moment, Tina chimed in, “Such decrees have been issued before, but they’re practically ineffective against powerful forces. Even if they violate the decree, the empire wouldn’t dare to act against them lightly.”
“But for mercenary groups like ours that urgently need rebuilding, it’s a deadly blow.”
Howard looked towards the direction of the city outskirts, a glint of determination in his eyes.
“If that’s the case, we have no choice but to venture outside the city and take our chances.”
Gazing towards the south of the city, Howard had an idea that Chris immediately grasped.
“My lord, are you thinking of rallying Kaedwyn’s former subordinates? That’s simply not possible…”
“There’s nothing impossible if the incentives are right,” Howard confidently asserted.
Most of Kaedwyn’s wealth, at least seventy percent, was now in their possession.
Moreover, with Chris’s formidable combat prowess, the idea of assimilating Kaedwyn’s old guards was entirely feasible, not just a whimsical thought from Howard.
Most of those who were loyal to Kaedwyn had perished in the battle a few days ago, and Howard didn’t believe that a group driven by self-interest would remain loyal.
“Besides, this is just a temporary measure. Once we gain more strength, we can reassess our situation.”
At the very least, they needed to establish the mercenary group first.
Whether the people were trustworthy or not wasn’t the immediate concern.
Howard felt that the city was not as safe as it seemed, and they needed to act quickly.
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