rune hunter

Chapter 92 Preparation
Luxuriously decorated carriages drove out of the deep house compound and converged on the road in an endless stream.Tonight, the inner city of Istaren is brightly lit all night long.Walking on the street, you can hear the joyful music played by bards everywhere, and the night wind is full of intoxicating and passionate atmosphere.

Although there are no official celebrations, the taverns in the downtown area are also filled with joyful smiles.The veterans returning from the battlefield brag about their heroic battles tirelessly, and the drinkers praise them in unison, never tired of hearing them.If two or three veterans can sit together to make up for each other's deficiencies, or to make up for each other, it will be the most popular program for everyone.

Occasionally, there will be a local tyrant with ample money, who will order a glass of ale for everyone when he is excited, and he will immediately become the most popular guest.For the sturdy people of Istaren, every victory in a war should be celebrated like a festival.In the ancient customs of the Northland, people believe that the souls of the comrades-in-arms and brothers who sacrificed are still with them. The dead have passed away, and the living should not be sad. Instead, they should laugh and work hard to make their souls feel happy and fulfilled. .

Jupiter's business was also busy all night. Carriages loaded with goods filled the courtyard, and under the light of the torches, there were busy figures everywhere.

After selling all the leftover goods of aromatherapy wood, the circulating funds in the old businessman's pocket suddenly became full.If he still wants to continue doing business in the country, according to the unwritten rules, the money will eventually flow back to the imperial envoy through the channel of the trade fair. Reject the rogue by the rules of the game.

But no matter what the rules are, they are based on the stability of the social order. If tomorrow is the end of the world, who cares about the rules?When the old businessman got the news that the plague was coming, he decisively abandoned all tangible or intangible assets such as the reputation of contacts he had established in Istaron.

After El left that morning, Jupiter gathered all the cash in the family, even including the newly hidden daughter's dowry, and began to buy food on the market in large quantities.

It was the end of summer, and the rice in the fields was about to mature, but the grain reserves in the urban warehouses were seriously backlogged because the war ended too quickly. This was the best opportunity to buy grain at a low price.If the truth is told, not only will no one believe it, but they will be immediately arrested by the surveillance forces for "spreading rumors" and dealt with secretly. In this way, business activities that follow the trend will not arouse suspicion from others.

While purchasing grain, the old businessman was also rapidly selling off various properties under his name, and even commercial banks and shops were mortgaged for loans.A businessman has been a profit-seeking creature since ancient times. When he was in trouble, no one gave him a helping hand, and even villains like Master Bajar came to his door to press for debts.But when he regained his breath and resumed his career, both mortgages and loans became extremely easy.

News circulated the fastest in the business circle, and Jupiter's crazy borrowing behavior fell into the eyes of those who cared, and soon attracted the attention of other businessmen.This kind of behavior is actually not uncommon in the business circle. Generally speaking, a certain big businessman discovers a rare and big business opportunity and wants to monopolize all the profits, so he frantically raises funds and does not hesitate to fight with his back.

In fact, Jupiter, who owned a complete caravan before, did such a big deal once, and the profits he got made the insiders couldn't help but envy.Looking at it now, it is obvious that this old guy is not willing to be lonely, and wants to give full play to his remaining heat!

In the face of all kinds of insinuations and temptations, Jupiter maintained a smiling silence from beginning to end, and only reluctantly revealed a bit of information in front of a very small number of "friends" who "understand the rules".It is said that the lords in the south have also encountered the invasion of underground creatures, but the combat effectiveness of those fat-headed guys is completely inferior to Istaren, and a large number of crops have been destroyed by insect plagues. It is estimated that there will be a large number of people fleeing famine in the territory this year...

The clever "friend" thought about it carefully, and his eyes lit up.That's right, how could it be that Istaren is the only one so unlucky to be invaded by underground creatures?The lords in other places may not have such a strong military force as the White Lion family. The protracted war will definitely affect this year's autumn harvest, and the price of grain will definitely double by then. This is a huge business opportunity!
Just when the merchants turned their attention to the grain market, Jupiter quietly stopped large-scale acquisitions and began to recruit mercenaries instead.

After every war, a group of disabled veterans will be discharged from the army. With their accumulated military merits, they can usually receive a military salary that is enough to enjoy the rest of their lives, but most of them can only meet the level of food and clothing.If you want to accumulate a family business for your children and grandchildren, you have to work hard for more than ten years.Basically, these professional soldiers have never learned the skills to make a living, so they had to join the mercenary guild and exchange their best skills for gold coins.

In addition to veterans who have been discharged from the army, Jupiter also opens the door to young rookies, whether they are Xi people, mountain people or barbarians, as long as they are healthy and strong, they will not refuse them.Young people from these ethnic minorities can be seen everywhere in the mercenary guild, as many as they want.Just because he was young and energetic, he didn't have much combat experience, so he couldn't accept high-level tasks at all.Even if they are hired, like the young people in Jupiter's family, they spend most of their time doing manual work.

Under the bounty of double salary offered by the old businessman and the lure and abduction of George and others, the firm assembled a team of nearly 200 people overnight.Seeing such a situation, other businessmen realized that the old businessman was really going to play a big deal this time.

The large-scale gathering of mercenaries also attracted the attention of the public security forces, but the 57th Detachment was in charge of this urban area. After the death of the bearded captain Corson, the deputy captain Romney was in charge.During the chase that night, Al almost died for him, which made him always feel that he owed Al his life.

The friendship between men has never been expressed with words, let alone the life-and-death friendship that went to the battlefield together.El asked him to mention the matter of his own mercenaries. Romney patted his chest and said there was no problem. The team leader went to the firm to help train these rookies who had never seen blood.

The security force itself belongs to the regular army, and the most basic work on weekdays includes restraining and training mercenaries on the street.Coupled with the help of veterans in the team, after a few days, the atmosphere of the team has greatly improved.

While the old businessman was finishing his property all night, Tika sneaked into the attic of the firm's warehouse with a basket of food and water.

The attic was originally used to store scented wood. After the goods were sold, Jupiter moved impatiently without telling the truth.

Tika carefully held the candle and climbed up to the attic, looked around and found no trace of other people, he couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief.She put down the candle, walked to the corner of the attic among the piles of straw and squatted down, showing a happy smile.

Hidden in the straw was an old man with a white beard, or half of it.The old man's legs were cut off at the knees, and one arm was missing, and there was still a huge scar on his chest that almost split him in half.All the wounds and carrion on his body showed an abnormal dead gray color, basically no different from the corpse, but he still insisted on surviving.

Although Er repeatedly warned Tika not to pick up strange things casually, the little maid was kind-hearted and loving. After finding the half-dead old man in the alley, she took him back after some hesitation.He hid him in the attic without telling anyone because he was afraid that El would blame him.

Hearing footsteps, the old man opened his eyes vigilantly, and only opened his mouth to laugh when he saw Tika.

"Grandpa, how is your injury?" Tika asked with concern, blinking his eyes, "I bought you some medicine for your injury, but I don't know if it will work. I really don't know how to deal with the wound on your body." hurt."

"It's okay, it's okay, the old man should have died a long time ago, and it's luck to live one more day now." The old man's expression was very calm, and he didn't care about the wound on his body at all.

"Good-hearted little girl, I heard the voices of many people in the yard, are the soldiers here to search?"

"No, Mr. Jupiter has recruited a lot of mercenaries, and they are training now." Tika took his basket and put it in front of the old man: "I heard that we are going to the south, but I have never been to the south Well. These days we have to pack our luggage, so we should bring some more food here, so that we won’t be too busy to take care of you.”

"It doesn't matter." The old man didn't pay attention to the food in the basket, but just looked at Tika with fixed eyes: "Going to the south? It's fine to go to the south, just go south and don't come back."

"Don't worry, I'll take you with me even if I want to go." Tika patted the straw mat under the old man and said with a smile.

"You are a good boy." The old man said with a smile, "A good boy will be rewarded."

(End of this chapter)