Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Chapter 496 Conscription Order: The Problem of Military Recruitment

The city lord's mansion of White Bone Fortress is built at the highest point of the cliff, overlooking the entire city.

Ian led Nilos to the entrance of the city lord's mansion, where two bone demon guards blocked their way.

Without wasting any words, Ian pulled out the dominoes that Spike had given him.

The guards took the dominoes, glanced at them, and then respectfully stepped aside to clear the entrance.

The interior of the city lord's mansion is much wider than it appears from the outside. Thick bone pillars line both sides of the main road, and dense magical runes are carved on the pillars.

The air was filled with the smell of dry bone meal, and there was a soft rustling sound underfoot.

A mid-level skeleton demon led the way, bringing Ian into a huge stone hall.

In the center of the stone hall stood a stone table, on which lay a huge sheepskin map, marked with various symbols.

Cigu sat behind the stone table, his bone claws resting on the surface, studying the map with his head down.

It saw Ian come in, looked up at him, and said, "You've come."

"My lord." Ian bowed slightly.

The piercing gaze lingered on him for a few moments before asking, "Where's the roster?"

Ian pulled a folded animal hide from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

This is a complete roster of the Clefthoof Mine that Nilos compiled overnight. In addition to the miners, there are fifty-six scorpion patrol teams, as well as the distribution of the ore veins and the ore production.

Bone-Chill took the roster, glanced at it, and tapped it with his bone claws.

"There are quite a few mine slaves, but fewer scorpion demons."

Ian lowered his head. "Iron Jaw broke quite a bit when it was alive, and I'm slowly rebuilding it."

Crack didn't dwell on the matter. He put the roster aside, picked up a white bone plate from the table, and pushed it in front of Ian.

"Take a look."

Ian picked it up and glanced at it. The bone plate was engraved with the mark of the Bone Demon Commander, and below it were lines of ancient abyssal script.

The message was brief: Zul, the newly appointed warlord of the Rift Mine, has been appointed as a recruiter, responsible for building a mixed force of no less than three hundred men within his jurisdiction. He will join the Bone Demon army in battle one month from now.

Those who disobey will be treated as traitors.

Three hundred people.

Ian looked at the numbers on the bone plate, his brow furrowing slightly as he suddenly realized something.

He had hunted down most of the monsters near the Crackhoof Mine over the past month.

He wiped out anyone with any fighting ability, and the few who managed to escape were so frightened that they scattered and fled. Within a radius of dozens of miles, not a single decent monster could be found.

Where could he find three hundred soldiers? But he couldn't just say that directly.

Seeing Ian's stunned expression, the crack slightly opened and closed, emitting a short, cracking sound.

"Not enough?"

"No, it's a bit too much. I'm afraid—" Ian put away the conscription order, somewhat hesitant.

Cigu waved his hand, indicating that he could leave.

"You only have one month, don't make me rush you a second time."

Ian left the stone hall, and Nilos was waiting at the door. When she saw him come out, she quickly followed him.

As the two walked out of the city lord's mansion, Nilos secretly glanced at Ian's expression and cautiously spoke.

"My lord—what does the conscription order say?"

"I need to recruit 300 people, and I only have one month."

C

Nilos paused, "We only have about fifty scorpion demons in our mine—"

"Some strong miners count too." Ian didn't stop.

"Mining slaves?" Nilos was taken aback for a moment, then quickly walked to Ian's side.

"My lord, there are many elite miners among the miners. I will select some for you."

Ian glanced at her. "Are you familiar with the strength of the miners?"

"More or less." Nilos nodded, her tone much more confident than before.

"Iron Jaw never gets involved in anything. I handle all the big and small affairs in the mine. I know who came from where and what they did before."

"Approximately how many can be selected?"

"If it's elite—about thirty or forty," Nilos said after a moment's consideration.

"The rest of them, some have potential but lack experience and need training, so we can barely gather fifty or sixty people."

That's only 120 people, far from 300.

Ian stopped by the roadside, his gaze fixed on the direction of White Bone Castle.

Demons come and go in and out of the city. A large number of idle low- to mid-level demons roam the streets, without territory or a place to belong, living by doing odd jobs or scavenging leftovers from other demons.

These guys aren't even cannon fodder in the Bone Demon's eyes, but if you want to make up a number, they're readily available.

He turned to look at Nilos, a smile spreading across his face.

Nilos felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze and took a half-step back. "M-Master?"

"There must be quite a few idle demons in White Bone Castle, right?"

"Yes—there are plenty." Nilos nodded.

"I hereby appoint you as the recruiter," Ian said, looking at Nilos. "Help me gather the required number of men."

Nilos opened her mouth, "Recruiting officer? But I—"

"You just need to gather enough numbers, regardless of their strength," Ian interrupted her.

"Anyone who can breathe and wield a weapon will do. As for the reward, I brought some magic iron crystals; I'll use them as recruitment fees."

He pulled a cloth bag from his pocket, weighed it in his hand, and the crystals inside rattled.

"The magic iron crystal contains pure energy, which is also a good material for forging weapons. I believe they will like it very much."

Nilos took the bag, her eyes twitching slightly, still somewhat hesitant.

"My lord, I'm just a supervisor—there are a few bad-tempered ones among those idle demons, what if—"

"I believe you have a way," Ian said encouragingly. "You should make full use of the advantages of the succubus race."

Nilos's face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, ceasing her argument.

Their allure is so strong that, as long as they don't touch high-level demons, they can easily deal with low- to mid-level scattered soldiers.

"Let's go to the trading market." Ian strode forward.

The trading market of White Bone Fortress is located in the southeast corner of the city, in a vast area consisting of dozens of stone sheds and caves.

As soon as Ian entered the market, he was overwhelmed by the stench and noise.

The shouts of vendors, arguments, and haggling mingled together; some were selling ores, some were selling weapons, and some were selling parts from some unknown monster.

The further you go in, the stronger the fishy stench becomes in the air.

Ian held his breath, found a spot with a good view, stood against the wall, and waved to Nilos.

"Go."

Nilos took a deep breath, tucked the bag into her bosom, and turned to walk into the crowd.

Ian leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed, eyes half-closed, his senses spreading out and covering the entire market area.

The variety of demons in the market is much greater than what we've seen before.

A group of short, stocky demons squatted in front of a stone shed, their bodies covered in grayish-white rocky armor, like moving stone pillars.

They have no obvious facial features, only two deep-set eye sockets, and they hold rough stone hammers in their hands.

Beside the stone shed, an extremely thin demon was haggling with someone.

Its body was as thin as a bamboo pole, with four arms extending from under its ribs, each hand holding a bone throwing knife, its fingernails green and gleaming with a poisonous light.

Poison Blade Demon is an agile assassin who excels at using poisoned weapons. He has good single-target damage but is vulnerable to head-on confrontations.

Further ahead, a completely black demon crouched in a corner, with a pair of folded bone wings on its back, the edges of which were as sharp as knives.

Darkwings are not good at direct combat, but they are extremely fast, making them suitable as scouts or messengers.

There were several dark red stones in front of him, and he seemed to be a small vendor.

Here, Ian saw many species he had never seen before, with all sorts of strange appearances.

A green demon, reeking of a sour, putrid stench, dripped saliva, corroding small pits into the ground.

This is the Acid Demon; its skin is covered in bumps, making it look disgusting like a toad.

There was also a medium-sized demon whose body resembled solidified magma, spewing out plumes of scorching steam.

Ian withdrew his senses and his gaze fell on Nilos.

She has already begun to take action.

Her goal was clear: to target the most down-on-their-luck and resource-starved idle devils.

The first target was the stone demon crouching in the corner, a pair of stone hammers resting on its knees, its empty eye sockets staring ahead.

There are several obvious cracks on its shell, one of which runs from its shoulder all the way to its chest, looking as if it had been cleaved by something.

Nilos walked over, squatted down in front of it, and tilted her head to examine it.

"The wounds on your body, were they left by flames?"

The stone golem's eyes lit up, and it looked up at Nilos.

"How—how did you know?" The stone statue demon's eyes began to glaze over.

"Gargoyle's carapace is afraid of fire, that's common knowledge," Nilos said gently.

"The carapace burned by flames is unlikely to heal on its own; you need repairs now."

The stone demon lowered its head and fell silent.

"Come with me," Nilos said, taking a small piece of magic iron crystal from her bosom and twirling it between her fingers.

"I will heal your wounds, provide you with food and lodging, and this will be your reward: to strengthen your shell."

The stone demon stared at the crystal for a few moments, then stood up.

Some people nearby noticed something was wrong, but no one said anything.

The first one went surprisingly smoothly, emboldening Nilos, who set her sights on a one-eyed Poison Blade Demon for her second target.

This Poison Blade Demon only has three arms; the other one is severed at the elbow. It is leaning against the stone shed, fiddling with a bone throwing knife, its eyes sinister.

Nilos didn't go straight over; instead, she bought a glass of Horned Demon Liquor from a nearby stall and walked over with the glass in her hand.

"Hi, would you like a drink?"

Poison Blade Demon raised his single eye, his gaze sweeping between the wine glass and Nilos.

"roll."

"I meant no harm," Nilos smiled. "With injuries like yours, you won't survive in Bone Fortress. Nobody wants to hire a cripple."

The Poison Blade Demon's single eye suddenly contracted, and the throwing knife in its hand was revealed.

"What did you say?"

"I'm telling the truth," Nilos said, her tone unchanged.

"But if you follow my master, that severed arm might be able to be reattached. My master is a powerful Balor Flame Demon, skilled in refining techniques."

After saying that, she pushed the wine glass to the feet of the Poison Blade Demon. "Of course, if you want to miss this opportunity, then never mind."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The Poison Blade Demon stared at her back for a few moments, then looked down at the wine glass at his feet.

Then it put away the throwing knife, picked up its wine glass, and followed.

Ian watched all this from a distance, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Nilos followed suit, frequently displaying her alluring talent, coupled with a gentle tone and an approachable manner, and she almost never failed.

The ranks behind her began to grow, with Darkwing Demons, Acid Demons, and Earthfire Demons—each a demon following in a daze.

In less than an hour, Nilos was followed by twenty-eight demons.

They come in all shapes and sizes, and their strengths vary greatly; some aren't even considered mid-level demons.

But Ian didn't need elite troops; he just wanted a general number.

The rest can be picked from the miners, and some stragglers from the surrounding area can be found. That should be more than enough within a month.

After leaving the market, Ian led a long procession toward the city gate.

Nilos walked at the back of the group, glancing back every now and then at the demons following behind to make sure no one had fallen behind.

After walking for a long time, the walls of White Bone Fortress had become a blur in the distance behind us.

Nilos suddenly quickened her pace and walked to Ian's side.

She hesitated for a long time.

From the moment she picked up that bone fragment at the tavern entrance until now, the fragment, hidden in her sleeve, has been like a branding iron, making every step she takes an ordeal.

She knew she would have to tell someone about this sooner or later.

The master's senses are so sharp that even if he didn't point it out to his face, it doesn't mean he didn't know.

An owner who knows about her little tricks but keeps quiet is even more terrifying.

"grown ups.

",