The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"What do you think?"

Charles let the knights discuss for a while before asking again.

"If we only need to send people, and the number is not large, I think we can try cooperating first."

After hesitating for a moment, one of the three squadron leaders spoke.

"However, they have to pay at least half the price first before we set off—if this is a trick by the nobles to attack us, they certainly won't be willing to sign a contract with us in real gold and silver."

At this moment, another company commander added his thoughts.

“We should sign a confidentiality agreement. They can’t reveal our true identities, and we will never admit to being hired in any situation. That way, we can justify not bringing steam armor with us. If we go to the competition in person, even if it’s a trap, we can minimize the damage.”

Charles looked at them.

"So, in principle, you prefer to cooperate with the other party?"

The third company commander also nodded.

"what about you?"

Charles looked at the other squad leaders and knights.

"agree."

"agree."

......

The consensus was almost unanimous. A few slightly unusual comments were simply due to concerns that the other party might be playing a trick on the nobles, and that they should be more cautious.

The steam knights were well aware of the situation they were facing and also knew about Charles's previous cautious actions.

“The three squadron leaders will stay behind. We’ll have a seminar to discuss the additional measures we should propose. The rest of you can go back first. Remember, no word of this can leak out beforehand.”

The knights nodded, and those whose names weren't called left the room.

Charles took out paper and pen, looked up, and looked at the other three.

What price should we quote?

All three of them were a little stuck.

Previously, the Steam Knights never needed to worry about logistics, but now that they do, logistics has ceased to exist.

Charles, the housekeeper, was a latecomer to the field. He had a good understanding of the supplies and logistical needs of the entire Knights Order, but he was somewhat clueless when it came to prices and funding. After all, they could only purchase locally, so the price fluctuations were as great as the difference between Victoria and a unified country.

"Drive higher."

The first company commander to speak gritted his teeth.

"We need to test whether they are actually sent by nobles and demand a deposit first, then pay half the price when we need them—even if it's a trap, we'll accept it if they can deliver enough supplies!"

"Yes, set the price high, ask for the moon, then negotiate. If the other party is really sincere, you can always lower it later."

The other two echoed this.

Charles hesitated for a moment before filling in a number.

"Isn't this... a bit too high?"

The squadron leader asked hesitantly.

He meant to set a higher price, but this blatantly exorbitant price is just too shameless.

"this one!"

Charles gritted his teeth.

"Anyway, I can tell they're in a hurry. Let's test the waters first, and if that doesn't work, we can let them negotiate the price."

However, his lack of confidence was soon exposed.

After all, he felt that the price seemed a bit excessive—after all, the other party said they only wanted a few people, not the whole group.

"Uh...okay, just give me a bottom price."

The company commanders looked at each other, and finally nodded in agreement.

"Let's go, let's go and talk."

Charles stood up and led the three men toward his office.

-------------------------------------------------- ----

When the four steam knights entered, Qiao Yelan was admiring the portraits of the past steam knight commanders.

"A very efficient notification, Commander Charles."

"We are soldiers, and it's not good for us to have discussions that go on for too long."

Charles sat down opposite Qiao Yelan again, while the other three stood behind Qiao Yelan.

"After discussion, we agree in principle to accept your employment—but we would like to discuss the details of the contract first."

"No problem, what would you like to discuss?"

Qiao Yelan said very readily.

"Uh, how many steam knights does your company, Babel Tower, need?"

“Generally speaking, competitive matches are divided into team competitions and individual competitions, so I need two sufficiently strong steam knights, in addition to three to five knights to be responsible for team battles—of course, team battles usually do not have more than one hundred participants on each side.”

Five to seven people, roughly two small teams.

This number put the group at ease; if it were a trap, there would be no need to be so small-minded.

However, after catching his breath, Charles seemed a little embarrassed.

If it's just a few people, then his price isn't just ripping off a fat sheep, it's pure extortion.

The three people standing behind Qiao Yelan were already exchanging glances, signaling Charles to lower the price and not scare away the fat sheep—no, the sugar daddy.

How long will it take?

"The competition is in the second half of next year, so it's about two years—we also need to do some warm-up competitions to build our reputation. However, we can guarantee a vacation, and we will try to reduce unnecessary public appearances, so we don't need to participate in commercial endorsements, and the workload isn't too heavy."

The compensation does sound pretty good.

Charles cleared his throat and opened the paper in his hand.

“We believe that three, no, two million Victoria gold pounds should be a reasonable price.”

Qiao Yelan nodded and waited for the rest of the story.

But nothing came of it.

He looked up in surprise, only to see Charles staring at him expectantly.

No, it's gone?

Dude, I'm here to buy the Steam Rider, not the Rice Rider.

Two million Victorian pounds! I don't even know if that's enough for two grand banquets in the Grand Castells—that's enough to buy two squads of steam knights, a full two years of service.

Are you still asleep or am I still asleep?

He turned his head and looked at the three men behind him. The three squad leaders quickly put away their previous aggressive expressions, which had been demanding that Charles lower the price, and their faces became serious.

Then, as if remembering something, he forced a fawning smile at Qiao Yelan.

It almost startled Qiao Yelan so much that he stood up from his wheelchair.

This is a bit too terrifying.

However, after thinking about it for a moment, Qiao Yelan realized a problem—

Do these guys not know what price they're worth in terms of their fighting ability?

"Cough-cough-"

Charles cleared his throat, clearly intending to reduce the amount even further.

"So, is this enough as a deposit?"

Qiao Yelan asked abruptly.

"Cough cough cough cough cough -"

The regimental commander's throat clearing turned into a real cough.

The three company commanders also widened their eyes.

"Deposit... deposit?"

"Uh, isn't it a deposit? The formal employment price is something we discuss when we negotiate and sign the contract."

Qiao Yelan concealed his slightly sympathetic gaze with a look of bewilderment—he hadn't realized before he arrived that these guys were being controlled so badly, after all, based on what Klovishia had said before, he thought that the unicorn was secretly supporting the Steam Knights.

But now that this situation has been discovered, what else can Qiao Yelan say?

—Thank you for the gifts of nature.

"Cough cough cough—Yes, yes, yes, it's a deposit, this is a deposit."

Charles nodded frantically.

“Okay, the deposit is a bit high, but considering the Steam Knight’s combat power, it’s not impossible—but you have to give me a definite answer, otherwise I won’t be able to explain it to the company’s board of directors.”