Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 91 The Ready Guard, An Impenetrable Nail
The old clerk did a very thorough job, managing to get Chen Mo a top-notch eleven-man team from the prisoner-of-war camp.

This is another insider tip that only those who are well-versed in the industry's unspoken rules can grasp.

The military systems of the southern countries all follow the traditions of the Sky Empire at its peak. That is, a basic squad consists of twelve men, a company of one hundred and twenty men, and so on.

Of course, the names may differ from country to country. For example, in the Jade Kingdom, the units are divided into groups of twelve, battalions of one hundred and twenty, formations of one thousand two hundred, and armies of twelve thousand.

Therefore, a "group" of twelve people is the minimum threshold. The level of scrutiny, reporting, and verification is completely different when taking "a group" of people from a prisoner-of-war camp versus taking several people.

With the threshold of eleven people under control, the old clerk gave a heads-up to the camp's inspector, and the men were brought out directly.

In theory, if we bring in someone else, we should be able to select eleven more. But the old clerk spoke earnestly: enough people are enough, and we shouldn't take too much advantage, otherwise we'll inevitably incur resentment.

Chen Mo deeply agreed.

The advantage of buying prisoners of war was not only that the prisoners had no bargaining power with their owners, but also that the price was extremely low.

The prisoners of war who were redeemed from the POW camp were, on the surface, either seriously wounded, sick, disabled, or mentally challenged.

Just for Chen Mo's noble character in saving food rations for Emerald and taking the initiative to solve the employment problem for disabled people, if it weren't for those two silver-armored people mixed in, the Duchy should have awarded Chen Mo a medal.

Because of these two disabled Silver Armored soldiers, Chen Mo ultimately had to pay a fee of nine gold coins.

Three of the gold coins went into the prisoner-of-war camp's public account as ransom.

Don't bother asking about the other six; I can't tell you even if you do.

With this little money, even if you put it into the mercenary guild to hire someone of the same level, it wouldn't be enough for Chen Mo to live on for a month.

Moreover, the biggest difference between mercenary guilds and prisoner-of-war camps is that mercenary guilds produce hired workers, while prisoner-of-war camps produce slaves.

Let alone not paying wages, whether or not they are fed is entirely up to the master's whim.

After all, these people pulled out of the prisoner-of-war camp were all under magical restrictions.

This thing was refined by a first-tier auxiliary enchanter and crafted into a magic scroll, consisting of a main scroll and a secondary scroll, in pairs.

Once the secondary scroll is opened, it will create a psionic shackle close to the vital points inside the controlled person's body, and the function of the main scroll is to detonate this psionic shackle.

Of course, it can be dispelled, but because of the intricate details of the spell model, theoretically, this thing is like a key and a lock. Without the key, the only way to remove it is by force.

It is extremely dangerous.

With such coercive control measures, it wasn't a big problem for slaves to occasionally go hungry for a meal or two.

Of course, if you really want to kill someone, you can only sleep with your eyes open at night. After all, magical restrictions are actively triggered, not passively defended. If someone really wants to take you down with them, they can still strike when you're not paying attention.

The old clerk had a very keen eye for talent; from head to toe, he was simply perfect.

Among the eleven people who were just prisoners of war and are now Chen Mo's slaves, besides the minotaur who is a silver-armored warrior, there is another silver-armored warrior.

This is an old silver-armored man named Lynn, whose nickname is also recorded in the register: Old Cripple.

Lynn was over forty years old, riddled with injuries and ailments. His right leg was crippled, and he walked with an unsteady gait, like a shaky, broken bellows.

Two particularly prominent nasolabial folds on his cheeks, deep and long, as if carved by a knife and axe, almost cut off the lower half of his face, a natural expression of hardship, compounded by his acquired despondency.

It seems like there's no hope of changing jobs in this lifetime.

But the old clerk took a liking to it at first sight.

"That bull," the old clerk gestured toward the minotaur, lowering his voice, "is too straightforward. He's good as a henchman charging into battle, but not as a leader!"

"The team also needs an experienced veteran who can keep things in check and help you manage things on the road, so you can have less to worry about."

"However," the old clerk changed the subject, warning, "this old fellow is very slippery! If you're too polite to him, he might do something to deceive you. Remember, you have to give him a nudge from time to time and teach him a lesson!"

Considering the long and winding journey Chen Modong took to the Han Hai Territory, the old clerk assigned him five wandering knights and scouts.

According to him, under the same conditions, scouts can detect the enemy first, while guards can only defend against the enemy; one is proactive and the other is passive.

The more scouts you have, the more proactive you are.

As long as you can spot the enemy in advance, you can fight if you can win, run if you can't, and even prepare to surrender in advance if you can't run away.

With four more soldiers added, the core squad was now complete.

"Then, when can I set off?"

Chen Mo was already quite impatient. His own territory, a vast and boundless land, offered endless possibilities!
The old clerk chuckled and said, "Sir, please don't be in such a hurry."

After letting Lynn lead the prisoner squad away first, the old clerk leisurely took stock of Chen Mo's situation.

"This journey is not short, especially the last section before entering the saltwater beach, which is all rolling yellow sand, so we have to be well prepared."

"We need to prepare enough tents, preferably made of double-layered, tanned, thick animal hides, several sets of each size. We also need to prepare thick mats and blankets, otherwise the temperature will drop at night and people won't be able to stand it."

"Horses are too delicate and require too much feed. It would be better to get more hardy camels. If you come across any sand beetles for sale on the road, buy some if the price is right. Those things are tough, can carry heavy loads, and aren't picky eaters!"

Chen Mo had never even heard of this giant sand beetle before, so he could only make a note of it.

Then you'll memorize more and more.

"We need enough sand sleds and trailers, because they break down very quickly."

"Saddles, bridles, and ropes should be prepared in double quantities, especially ropes—hemp ropes, straw ropes, leather ropes, magic ropes, the more the better, as they can be used."

"We also need to prepare food for people. Your trip may last for months or even years. If you don't want to be ripped off by those unscrupulous guys around here, it's always good to bring more food with you."

"If you really need to buy something urgently, grain is much more useful than gold coins!"

The old man spoke slowly, but he covered every detail meticulously.

"Lighting torches, weapons and leather armor for protection, bows and arrows, magic beacons, alarm fireworks, medicine and bandages, and veterinary medicine too. Bring a little of everything."

"We need to buy more insect repellent incense, sand-proof hoods and headscarves, eye shields, and durable boots... For such a large group traveling together, we can't be without cooking utensils and tableware, and we also need to prepare our own fuel. We need at least three sets of tools such as hammers, chisels, saws, and axes..."

Chen Mo rubbed his slightly throbbing head: "How about I trouble you to help me prepare? Don't worry, I won't let you do it for nothing!"

The old clerk quickly stepped aside and bowed: "No, no, it's only right that I help you with these things. However, because there are so many expenses involved, some families don't trust outsiders to handle these matters. I was just afraid you would misunderstand..." Chen Mo patted his chest: "Money is not a problem. Just tell me how much you need, and I'll bring it over to you in a bit!"

"It depends on your specific requirements. Here's what I'll do: I'll make a list for you when I get back. You can choose from them, and I'll take care of everything for you. Is that alright?"

"Alright, alright! If I may ask one more question, is it possible that if I offer more money, the Earl can send you to me to help out for a while?"

The old clerk narrowed his eyes to slits, clearly pleased by what he had said.

"Oh, sir, you flatter me! This old man's bones are stiff and hard, they really can't withstand the wind and sand of the saltwater beach."

"Since you lack a steward's clerk, I'll find one for you later and bring it to you to take a look!"

Having finished the conversation, Chen Mo was satisfied and returned with the deputy city garrison's convoy.

The old clerk watched the dust kicked up by the convoy disappear into the distance before turning around and disappearing into the dark gate of Tiebeiguan.

This formidable pass, which the Jade Kingdom's allied forces had just captured, is now under high alert, and the atmosphere is tense and tense.

To the west, amidst the rolling hills, numerous scouts and rangers could be vaguely seen moving back and forth. In addition to small cavalry units on the ground, small groups of aerial patrols had also joined the battle.

Emerald's side inherited the tradition of the Laixiyue Dynasty, using expensive and powerful individual griffin knights. These behemoths with wingspans exceeding eight meters are covered in scale-like armor plates, which faintly glow with a bluish light as they glide, indicating that wind elements are flowing on the surface of their magical armor.

These elite cavalrymen closely monitored every move on the battlefield and relayed information back to the Emerald Alliance command post at any time.

Earl of Cloud Mist Territory had changed into casual clothes and was leaning wearily against a recliner left behind by some former city lord, his eyes still fixed on the huge military map on the wall for a long time.

The place where our gaze lingers is the River Crystal.

The old clerk entered the main tent and waited quietly for a while. Only when he quietly went to replace the incense stick after it had burned out did the Earl turn around.

"Is everything done?" The count's voice was slightly hoarse, his gaze still fixed on the map.

The old clerk carefully pushed the remaining incense aside, beckoned to the newly lit incense stick, and neatly inserted it. After taking a few steps back, he finally answered, "The matter is half done; the guards have been chosen for him."

Earl Liuyun frowned slightly: "Was sand mixed in?"

“I can’t get involved!” The old clerk lowered his head. “That kid doesn’t seem to know much, but he has a sharp eye for people. I put in three nails, and he picked them all out.”

"Oh?" The count suddenly became interested and sat up slightly. "What's going on?"

The old scribe brought back an image inscribed on the magic stone tablet.

This is a necessary procedure for selecting people from prisoner-of-war camps to prevent anyone from bending the law for personal gain and deliberately letting important enemy figures go.

Normally, this document would only be kept by the prisoner-of-war camp's inspectors and handed over to the duchy after a period of time. However, given the count's influence, replicating a magical image would not be difficult.

The count stared intently at the magical image, while Chen Mo quickly asked each person a few of the simplest questions, all of which the old clerk had already asked in advance and recorded in detail.

"What is your name?"

Where is your hometown?

"What rank or level?"

"Do you know why I chose you? Will you obey me?"

After asking the question, Chen Mo pointed at the old clerk without hesitation and said, "I don't like this person!"

Magic Video doesn't have a progress bar; it can only play from beginning to end, or stop midway and start from the beginning.

The count examined it three or four times, even changing the crystal twice, but still couldn't see anything amiss.

Chen Mo simply pointed straight at the object: "I want this, I don't want that."

Several of them, whom the Earl hadn't noticed any flaws in even when referring to the old document, were simply thrown out by Chen Mo with a casual gesture.

The count put down the stone slab, went over it in his mind again, and still felt it was somewhat unbelievable: "Just like that, all the nails were pulled out?"

"Yes, after he finished selecting the people, I went back and checked again. Besides our own spies, there were other spies from other territories who hadn't been exposed, spies left behind by Green Pine, and even a little divine messenger knight from Mist Moon..."

"I suspect he has some kind of detection device or magic, otherwise he wouldn't have such a sharp eye."

In fact, if the old scribe had included more other races, Chen Mo would have been completely stumped.

The device on his chest is called the "Humanoid Micro-expression Analyzer." After two module upgrades by Dongxia, its current analysis accuracy is extremely high.

But if you put a fishman in front of the analyzer and run the chip to its limit, it still won't be able to read what this big-eyed guy means.

The count chuckled self-deprecatingly: "As expected, he has a powerful background; he's not so easy to deal with!"

"By the way, you said before that you'd done half the job, what's the other half?"

The old clerk recounted how Chen Mo had entrusted him with purchasing supplies and recommending a housekeeper, adding, "I mainly wanted to ask you whether we should try putting nails in the support staff area."

"Forget it, forget it!" The count waved his hand. "It can be explained that the prisoners of war are a mixed bag, and it's normal for some to have bad intentions. But if the person you arranged to be singled out gets caught, that would be too embarrassing."

Peiwen made it clear to me that I should not become too close to her, nor should I offend her.

"However, there is one thing that needs to be thoroughly investigated!"

"Who exactly is supporting him in Cloud Mist City? Where does his endless stream of money come from?"

Where did he come from? Many forces involved in this situation and paying attention to Chen Mo could more or less guess that he must be from the Sky Empire.

The Marquis of Zircon in the Kingdom of Turquoise knew this, as did the Earl of Clouds in the Duchy of Emerald.

A few high-ranking members of the Mist Moon Divine Court, who were close associates with Green Pine, heard some rumors, as did some of the Moon-dwelling nobles who were closely associated with Emerald.

Even the spies of the Sky Empire, who have infiltrated the management of various countries across this land, have heard that some unknown force has sent a reckless man to openly intervene in the situation in the south and even manage to establish his own government and territory.

Several independent intelligence agencies began to conduct self-inspections while simultaneously seeking instructions, all amidst their grumbling and complaints.

So many people know this, who doesn't?

That's right, it's the person involved, Chen Mo himself didn't know!

(End of this chapter)