The mercenaries were utterly stunned by this slave-like treatment.
However, it's alright if there's no work during the winter. The experienced mercenaries who accompany and protect the vehicles usually earn at least several dozen silver coins a day. The job they took this time only pays one gold coin a day, while the mercenary captain earns two gold coins a day.
Therefore, they are not yet at the point of having to work as slaves.
"However, if we find someone who can do regular work, we'll introduce them to you. To be honest, even manual labor doesn't offer such good treatment as slaves!"
The orcs curled their lip. They had no idea how good the benefits of having invisible slaves in their territory were. However, mercenaries did earn quite a bit. For example, this trip to come here for three days earned them one gold coin a day, and going back earned them fifty silver coins a day. That was more than four gold coins for the round trip. If they were mercenary captains, they would earn nine gold coins. There was no danger involved, and one trip could cover the taxes and living expenses of their entire family for one or two months.
Mercenaries earn a lot, and almost all of them are married with children. They may buy themselves a little wine on the road, but the money they return home is enough to support their families for a while.
"Our treatment this time is good, mainly because we're working for the Black Rose Auction House. The Black Rose Merchant Guild has always been a good guild and doesn't arbitrarily deduct from our hard-earned money. Our mercenary group has signed agreements with several employers, but the Black Rose Auction House is the biggest one! That Hans guy, who claims to pay more than the Black Rose Auction House, signed an agreement to work three times in a month to earn the same amount as the Black Rose Auction House for just one trip. He's always deducting money from us here and there; he's utterly heartless!"
"That's right! This is still a delivery run on a peaceful day. If it were winter or a sandstorm, no one would do it even if the price doubled. Not to mention the bad weather, you'd also run into monsters on the road from time to time! Last time we took on an order worth three times the price and made the trip, but one of our brothers' hands was completely broken. He can't be a mercenary and make money anymore!"
Once they start drinking, these mercenaries begin to complain bitterly. They say they earn their money through hard work and are constantly being cheated out of it; it's a business that's like licking blood off a knife's edge.
The wasteland really doesn't value human life!
The gorilla-orc had served in the military and witnessed countless life-and-death situations along the way. He couldn't help but feel grateful for his peaceful life now. Of course, he had set a plan for himself to save money to see if he could contact his family and bring them over to serve as slaves to the lord.
Then life would be complete!
"Was his hand completely severed, or is his hand still there but unusable?"
The difference between these two is huge. To be honest, if a severed hand is regenerated, there is probably no chance of recovery. Even if you eat food with zero pollution and amplification, the amplification level of the food must be guaranteed to be at least +10, and it must be maintained at +10 for a long time to restore the hand. That is something that ordinary nobles cannot afford or obtain.
However, if it's just a simple rupture of tendons in the hands or feet, he believes there's still a chance.
Eating a +5 food shouldn't be a problem, but outsiders can only buy food from the territory by exchanging points earned from tavern quests. This time, the lord has returned with so many supplies that many quests in the tavern have been removed, leaving only a few. Furthermore, tavern quests require ten points to exchange for a single food item with a +attribute bonus.
This is still a bit difficult.
"His tendons are severed, so he can't hold a sword, and he can't use firearms either. You know, he used to be good with machine guns!"
"He was ambushed while trying to save us when we went to Flame City last time! It's all that damned mutant's fault!"
"That's right! He fought a monster all by himself, and that monster was controlling a half-orc whose brain had been eaten. It's all my fault! I was leading other brothers on another mission at the time. If I hadn't taken that mission and had gone with you guys, this wouldn't have happened!"
The people around the captain comforted him, "How can you blame yourself, Captain! You took on the previous mission first. The brothers stayed in the territory to earn more money, which is why we took on this mission. It was our own choice. Besides, after the Flame City incident, we brothers have been pooling our money every winter to help Karl and his family get through the cold winter! Our mercenary group is already very united. If we were in other mercenary groups, we would have been kicked out long ago, and their lives would have been ignored!"
As mercenaries, they live with their lives on the line.
The gorilla-orc could empathize deeply. He was a soldier who fought on the battlefield. Before the war with the Empire, he went to the Misty City to eliminate alien species. He had seen too many people around him die. He became a soldier so that his family could be exempt from taxes and he could earn enough food to send back to his family. But there was never a day when he could retire unless he died in battle or was sold as a prisoner of war, just like now.
He decided to point out a new direction, a bright future, for the mercenaries!
"Hey guys! Did you see the quests at the tavern? I mean the quests that can be exchanged for points. You might not know this, but the points in our territory can be exchanged for attribute-enhancing food. Once you've earned ten points, you can exchange them for attribute-enhancing food made by the lord."
"Of course, these attribute-enhancing foods are all failed attempts by the lord. She usually experiments with things like tomato and banana stir-fry, dragon fruit and egg noodles. These failed attempts have very small attribute bonuses, probably around +1 or +2. They taste extremely bad, and are considered culinary disasters when the lord is in a bad mood, but..."
"I think you can exchange twice, and your brother should be able to recover successfully! I'm serious... You don't need to open your eyes so wide!"
"Dude, we chimpanzees have big eyes too! No... no customers allowed behind the bar! Don't... don't hug me... My God, why did I have to accept a man's... a man's kiss!"
I really can't breathe.
If it were next time... he would never mention his territory to those rude mercenaries again... Ugh~ I can't breathe, heaven knows, he likes women!
These sweaty, smelly men!
Damn it! Now he finally understands why the lord insists on keeping the entire territory clean and tidy. He's going to complain! He's going to report this! Did the rabbits not let these damned orc mercenaries take a shower when they came in to register?!
What does it mean to lift him up like that? What does it mean that so many people lifted him up to the ceiling?
Damn it, he shouldn't have talked so much. He had no idea that being a bartender and cook could involve so many dangerous things!
"Enough! The pancakes in my pan are going to burn! Put me down right now!"
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