Xiao Linlin's worries were not realized; in the next two days, Su Lin did not kill any NPCs.
Every day, he and Lyanna would leave early and return late, bringing back a large number of magic cores and some relatively valuable animal hides and horns, which they would then sell through their two followers.
Within just two days, all the merchants in the town knew that several powerful adventurers had arrived in Blackrock Town.
They go out hunting every day and sell their catch at very low prices, rarely haggling.
If they persisted too much, or even secretly threatened these adventurers from out of town, the merchants would foolishly throw in some extra low-level magic cores as a bonus. Their eagerness to avoid trouble delighted the merchants.
To this end, several merchants in the town secretly joined forces, agreed on a story, and bought up all the magic cores from these people at a near-monopoly purchase price.
However, these outsiders killed the monsters too quickly, and the merchants of a remote town simply couldn't handle it all.
Later, the merchants were pleasantly surprised to find that if they lied and said they had no gold or silver coins to buy these magic cores, these outsiders would accept bartering.
These outsiders didn't know much about goods; even an elf couldn't discern the specific value of commercial items, so they made a killing!
Unfortunately, this good time only lasted for two days.
At the agreed-upon evening, the team was fully prepared and arrived at the gate of the lord's manor to wait.
Also waiting here were several other groups of adventurers, numbering around a hundred, all of whom were mercenary warriors recruited by the lord.
Calling them adventurers would be a bit of an exaggeration. Only a few of them were well-equipped, while the rest were dressed in tattered and dirty clothes. Although they looked like they had been in battle, they lacked energy and spirit.
Su Lin's team, however, stood out from the crowd and attracted the attention of the surrounding NPCs.
The group waited for a short while, and just as darkness was about to fall, the captain of the guards arrived late with a group of men.
"Loyal warriors of the Empire, I have brought good news."
The captain of the guards was very enthusiastic. Standing in front of the crowd, he announced and introduced the team of more than two hundred men behind him: "They are the new recruits recruited in Blackrock Town this time, and they will serve the Empire alongside you!"
Su Lin looked up at the crowd. Most of the so-called new recruits were carrying broken weapons and armor. Some of them were just teenagers with confused eyes and numb expressions.
There was no resistance or commotion; they simply stood there like zombies, completely resigned to their fate.
But none of this affected the captain of the guard's passionate speech, as he repeatedly told the new recruits and mercenaries about the cruelty of the invaders and the sanctity of war, enticing them with military merit and titles while constantly planning a bright future.
Su Lin wasn't really listening. As he watched the NPCs raising their arms and shouting, he suddenly remembered a phrase he'd heard somewhere.
Military merit is a promotion channel opened up by the upper class to the lower class, and it is a way to exchange benefits for a stronger war mobilization capability.
Referring to the strict class system of the magical world described by Lyanna, the fact that the magical nobles resorted to such methods also meant that the situation on the front lines was extremely dire, to the point that even the proud nobles were willing to bow down and sacrifice their own flesh.
The speech lasted a long time, until it was already dark, before the captain of the guards finally stopped, satisfied. He then signaled for the new recruits to regroup with the mercenaries and assigned two guards to accompany and supervise them.
However, after the captain of the guards walked down the steps, he did not leave, but went straight to Su Lin's group.
Jia Zhengyi, being quite perceptive, quickly stepped past the crowd and went to greet them.
"Hey! Jia! I've been hearing your name all the time these past few days. I heard you guys made a lot of money in Blackrock Town!"
The captain of the guards was very enthusiastic, putting his arm around Jia Zhengyi's shoulder like an old friend. Jia Zhengyi followed suit with a warm smile: "Oh, it's just a small matter... By the way, didn't the lord come this time? This is a military expedition, isn't it an important matter?"
"Hmm... This matter is certainly important, but the lord has more important things to do."
The captain of the guards' expression turned serious: "How can we presume to know what those in power are thinking? We just need to do our jobs well."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Jia Zhengyi nodded, but inwardly he scoffed. Of course he knew what kind of good deeds this lord did in the house every day.
No wonder this empire can't win wars; the lord class isn't even willing to show up before their troops go to war, simply going through the motions of conscription from above.
"When did their relationship become so good?" Su Lin asked Xiao Linlin, looking down at her. Xiao Linlin shrugged and lowered her voice, "I only found out yesterday. Brother Jia is very good at socializing. He even got in touch with the guards. I heard he gave them a lot of benefits."
"Aren't these NPCs supposed to be immune to bribery?"
"Who knows? There are no officials in the world who are not greedy; it just depends on whether the timing is right."
While Su Lin and Xiao Linlin were whispering to each other, the captain of the guard kept glancing in their direction. With Su Lin's keen hearing, he could naturally hear what the captain was discussing with Jia Zhengyi.
"Jia, I have some good news."
"Oh, what news?"
"The lord has heard about your team's exploits. In recent years, magical beasts have been rampant around Blackrock Town. The lord hopes that you can stay and serve in the guard. He will give you the most generous reward, a price that even I am envious of."
"Ah...but serving the empire is what we pursue and dream."
Jia Zhengyi feigned hesitation and politely declined: "Besides, it wouldn't be good if the higher-ups found out. We're at least considered reserves now, aren't we?"
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