Chapter 594
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Aini glared at Saleen . His clan was given the rank of nobility only because of their businesses . As such, Aini bore a deep hatred towards bandits .
"I'm just kidding . Hey, I was just thinking this caravan doesn't seem like they belong to Qin . "
Aini continued glaring at Saleen . As the caravan came closer, he could see the caravan's guard that was leading the way .
"Sikeqinyan mercenaries? That's strange!"
"What's so strange about that?" Saleen was puzzled . Sikeqinyan mercenaries could travel across all the four major empires . A small-scale mercenary usually accompanied a large-scale one and these small-scale mercenaries were usually the ones that moved across the countries . They could handle bandits, but would be no match for the armies of other countries .
The other three major empires did not fear such small-scale mercenaries, besides, they could bring in large amounts of taxes for the empires . Qin was currently preparing for war and would purchase large amounts of resources so it was no surprise to see Sikeqinyan caravans . At the very least, this meant that the Sikeqinya empire was still on friendly terms with Qin .
"It is a grade-8 mercenary, their main forces are there too," Aini said uneasily .
"What exactly are you worried about? Even if it is the main forces of a grade-8 mercenary group, there is nothing much they can do . "
"Who said so? If they all died in Qin, it would immediately sour the relations between Qin and Sikeqinya . "
Saleen did not ask further . He immediately understood what Aini was trying to say . Looking at the current situation on the mainland, Sikeqinyans were extremely important to Qin . If Sikeqinya formed an alliance with Tanggulasi, the situation at the battlefront would immediately turn in their favor .
In Sikeqinya, only mercenaries of grade-7 and above were given cities . In other words, mercenaries of grade-7 and above were equivalent to half of a conventional Sikeqinyan army .
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"Maybe you are being a bit too paranoid…," Saleen tried to console Aini .
"Perhaps . Why don't we travel with these mercenaries? They must be heading to Holy Rock City as well . Such a large-scale caravan must be transporting huge amounts of resources . "
"Too slow . " Saleen frowned .
"Not at all . It is good to travel with the caravan . We will be able to reach Holy Rock City before New Year and it is safest for you to be there just before New Year . Even if…"
"Alright . " Saleen did not wish to argue with Aini . He was indeed rather worried about going to Holy Rock City . His Metatrin City was beyond Holy Rock City's jurisdiction and he did not have a suitable identity either . Unfortunately, he was not Lex's subordinate . Their relationship was one of partnership so Metatrin City was considered to have set up beyond Qin .
Even though he was considered a Lord now, it was still difficult entering Qin on his own .
Following the caravan was indeed a good way of entering the city undetected . He needed to stabilize his eye of lightning . If he could improve this skill further, his badge would truly become invincible . By using his eye of lightning to paralyze the enemy momentarily before using his badge to release electricity, even a grade-9 opponent would not be able to dodge this attack .
"Just take it as using the extra time for training," Saleen consoled himself . He did not wish for relations between Sikeqinya and Qin to sour either . Aini's worry was not without reason . As a death mage, his sensitivity towards bad omens was stronger than an element mage .
The location that Saleen and his company chose to set up camp on was a good one . It was on high ground and a sentry post was set up further down, guarded by five skeletal soldiers . Magic alarms were also set up beyond the sentry post so no bandits would go undetected .
There was a large and open field below that was suitable for setting up camps . The next city was about two-hundred miles away . The sky was already darkening and there was no way the caravan would travel in the dark . Even if they did not run into bandits, beasts were still a possibility . Even low-level beasts would pose a problem to the caravan .
As expected the caravan came closer and more than twenty men rode on their horses towards the spring water .
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Saleen's camp was on high ground and was well-hidden so the knights did not notice it from afar . Aini called a bodyguard over and gave him some instructions . This bodyguard then mounted a skeletal warhorse before riding down without any intentions of hiding himself . The twenty knights noticed him immediately and got into a triangular formation .
Although they were part of a grade-8 mercenary group, they had never left Sikeqinya before and were unfamiliar with the lands of Qin . The sudden appearance of a swordsman on a skeletal warhorse made them nervous .
Aini's bodyguard came closer . He did not draw any weapons and only shouted from a distance, "I am from the Clyde clan . Which business group are you from?"
The Clyde family's businesses had reached Sikeqinya and was rather reputable . Nevertheless, the twenty mercenaries did not relax . Only one of them said, "We are from the royal business group . "
The royal business group was well-known in Sikeqinya as well . It was started up by some affiliates of the royal family instead of the Emperor himself .
"My Master has set up camp on top of the hill and will be happy to host your leader for a drink . " The bodyguard's tone was proud, but the mercenaries were not offended . They replied courteously, "I will convey the message to my leader . Many thanks to your Master . "
The bodyguard nodded before returning back to the camp . The two sides communicated in the Common Language but clearly, the mercenaries were still suspicious of the bodyguard . Amongst the twenty of them, one of them said, "That is a high-level swordsman right?"
"No, at most a middle-level swordsman wearing magic armor . "
"Magic armor?!"
"No need to be so shocked . The number of mages in Qin is hundreds of times more than ours, so the price of magic armor is much cheaper there . "
"That's still very incredible . If only I could get myself a suit of magic armor too . "
"Stop spouting nonsense . What did I tell you before we set off? Go and check the source of the water and see if there are any problems with it . I will go back and report this to the leader . " The knight that was taking the lead turned his horse back towards the caravan .
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On the high ground, eighty death wolves strolled in front of the campsite while over forty skeletons stood around nonchalantly . Alchemy crossbows were set up at the four corners of the campsite as the soldiers in the camp were warming themselves up or cooking . In front of the barrack two soldiers were standing guard .
Within the barrack were three grand mages and one silver grand swordmaster . It was rather ironic that the two soldiers standing guard outside were supposed to protect the three of them .
On the road, the mercenaries made sure all the wagons had arrived before choosing a location to set up camp . The mercenaries were very professional in their choice in that it should close to a source of water . More than a hundred mercenaries brought their water bags over to the spring to fill them up while the coolies in the caravan began to set up tentages . The trees around the campsite were chopped down and formed a pile of wood . Saleen even saw some low-level puppets .
There were more than three-hundred big wagons and five-thousand mercenaries . This was a huge company . Saleen believed that even though the caravan was huge, five-thousand mercenaries for protection still seemed unnecessary . Even if this caravan would need to pass through the side of Luolan, they should not be attacked as long as Tanggulasi empire had not declared war with Sikeqinya .
The conditions of the central parts of the Tanggulasi empire were poorer than Qin, so their need for goods was hundreds of times more than Qin . If the Tanggulasi empire offended Sikeqinya, they were basically on their own .
When the campsite was almost complete one-hundred mercenaries escorted a few men towards the hill . Within a few moments they had already reached the sentry post .
The caravan's leader led the way . He was a middle-aged man that looked just over forty years old . He wore a long brocade robe of the Cloudflow empire and there was a small bag on his waist that was decorated with gemstones . It was not any kind of equipment for magic though . There was also a long sword on his waist and it seemed that he should be a decent fighter . While riding the horse, he did not have to bring along any reins or lean on the saddle . His posture was straight and upright yet had a good grasp of balance .
Upon seeing the sentry post formed by five skeletons, the leader was stunned for a moment . "They have grand death mages? Low-level death mages are not be able to keep their skeletons moving for a sustained period of time . "
He was only stunned for a second before recovering himself . He led his men up from the side and eventually came before a moderate-sized camp . Tens of death wolves laid in front of the entrance . These death wolves were clearly of a very high level . Once they sensed the mercenaries approaching, only two of the wolves jumped up and looked ready to attack .
A soldier walked out and shushed at the two death wolves . Only then did the wolves lie back down and began to doze off again .
Upon seeing the eighty death wolves, the caravan's leader knew immediately that they were in no position to be arrogant or prideful . The other party had at least one grade-5 grand death mage .
"My Master welcomes you . " The soldier was courteous . The leader dismounted from his horse and smiled, "Please lead the way . "
His two followers and the other mercenaries followed his lead and dismounted . Immediately, all the death wolves stood up together . The soldier smiled and said, "You have too many people with you . Our camp will not be able to take all of you . "
The leader picked ten mercenaries randomly along with his two followers . Without a word, they followed the soldier into the campsite . They saw skeleton soldiers that just stood rooted to a spot and more than ten soldiers cooking their meals .
When they arrived before the barrack entrance, a young voice from inside said, "Invite them in . Bring the mercenaries to their meals and make sure they are well-treated . "
The caravan leader could only wave his hand and allowed the ten mercenaries to go and have their meals . The soldier that had led them there was warm and hospitable as he led the mercenaries away so there was nothing the leader could say either .
From the outside, the barrack looked to be of a decent size, but upon entering the leader realized that it was actually quite small . The barrack was layered so that there was some form of protection against attacks from heavy weapons .
The leader was originally unhappy with the Clyde family . He felt that it was rude to summon them over like this . Once he saw the few people sitting in front of him, his anger dissipated immediately .
In front of him sat three mages and two of them wore gray robes . These were grand mages!
"Cuisi, please provide seats for our three guests," Saleen said .
"Yes, my Lord . " Cuisi took out three small stools before setting up a long and narrow table in front of the three of them .
The caravan leader was confused . He had thought that Cuisi was merely a female servant, but Cuisi could make objects appear out of thin air and that was a skill that only grand mages possessed . This woman was also the subordinate of a white-robed mage .
The caravan leader bowed cautiously before sitting down and asked nervously, "Your Excellency has summoned me . May I know if you have any instructions?"