Chapter 302 There is a boat
Thinking they had guessed Harold's urgent purpose in seeking reinforcements, the elders let down their guard while carefully weighing the pros and cons. Although 100,000 Mora was very tempting, the value of dozens of young warriors far exceeded this number.
At this time, an elder had an idea. He remembered the information he heard from a mercenary who had been to the city last year, and then he said:
"Sir, if our warriors can return safely, 100,000 Mora is indeed a reasonable price, but if they are killed during this journey...
Even if only one person is lost, it will be an irreparable loss for our small tribe. Moreover, I heard from the mercenaries who have been to the city that they will discuss this part of the compensation with the employer in advance. "
As he spoke, he observed Harold's expression. Seeing that the other party did not make any sarcastic remarks, a hint of hope unconsciously appeared in his eyes.
"Yes, this part of the unexpected compensation is called 'pension'." When Haroldt mentioned "pension", he switched to the common language of the Xumi Rainforest because there was no such word in the language used by this tribe.
He paused, and continued, "If these mercenaries encounter an accident during the mission, I will provide their families with a pension of 200,000 for serious injuries and 600,000 for accidental deaths."
sixty...?!
Upon hearing this number, the breathing of several elders became noticeably heavier, and two of them even considered using their privileges to recruit their relatives into the team.
After they recovered from their shock, they hurriedly said:
"No problem, the price is right."
"Our warriors would be very proud to know that they have had the honor of serving you and dedicating themselves to our friendship."
Harold nodded, and the chief clerk stepped forward and handed over the written contract.
...
In the evening, the young and middle-aged men of the tribe returned from hunting. They learned from the elders about the arrival of the caravan and the deal they had reached privately with the caravan. After learning the amount of the pension, no one raised any objections and many people even signed up enthusiastically. The number of people who volunteered to follow the caravan far exceeded the number originally promised by the elders.
After these members returned, more people came to buy the goods displayed by the merchants. The merchants were busy bargaining with the desert people and recording the sales and profits of the goods.
At the same time, the caravan chief handed the contract signed by the elders to Harold. Harold glanced at the names and the elders' signatures, nodded, and said nothing more.
The chief clerk finished his work but did not leave immediately. Instead, he lowered his voice and said to Harold: "...Four of the twelve names are the younger generations of those elders."
Harold could hear the contempt and indignation in his companion's words. He rubbed his forehead and whispered, "Poverty makes people cruel."
While the two were talking, Kavi came out of his tent and walked towards Haroldt. His eyes were focused on the contract in Haroldt's hand: "Junior, have you discussed it with the people here?"
Harold casually handed the contract to the chief clerk and said, "Yes, it went smoothly."
The chief clerk put the contract into his notebook and then said goodbye and left.
Kavi glanced at the position of the chief clerk, and seeing that he had gone far away, he finally asked the question that confused him: "Why are you hiring people here again? According to your plan, don't we have enough people?"
Moreover, the main weapons of the natives here are scimitars and hidden arrows, which are difficult to cooperate with the specially trained mercenaries in the caravan. Do we have to stay here for a few more days to issue weapons to these newly hired people and teach them how to use those weapons?
Kavi thought a lot in his mind, but did not say it out loud immediately. He planned to listen to Harold's plan first.
"I added a little insurance to the plan," Harold said with a smile, "I hire people here and then terminate the employment relationship with the next tribe. This will make the increase and decrease of the team's personnel look reasonable, and our small force will not arouse the vigilance of the 'Relic of the God King' when it takes action.
Moreover, before our caravan approaches the ambush point set by the enemy, we may encounter several attacks at night. It will not be a direct conflict, but their main purpose is to harass... to use a technical term, the strategy of tiring the troops, so I plan to arrange all these "temporary workers" to guard the night. "
Especially since it was my first time to be the leader of a caravan, the 'Relic of the God King' didn't understand my style of doing things, and some merchants and scholars would repeatedly change hired mercenaries in the desert.
Because long-term missions are more troublesome than short-term missions for mercenaries living in the desert, and sometimes they will miss the best hunting dates of the year, so short-term employment is relatively more cost-effective for employers.
But the combat effectiveness of "temporary workers" and the degree of coordination with other mercenaries in the team are difficult to guarantee. At this time, short-term hiring is a typical case of valuing money over life. But when it comes to leading the team, I am a "newbie". "Legacy of the God-King" will only think that I am stingy and will not think that I am trying to trick them. Well, it's perfect.
Kavi said "Oh" when he heard this.
Harold continued, "Besides, the hiring fee is not expensive. In my opinion, this is an investment with a high return."
Taking these people out for a stroll only costs 100,000 Mora, which is one-third of Kawi's salary for a class (in Kawi's legendary quest, Kawi's salary for a class is 300,000 Mora), and this part of the expenditure has been recorded by the chief accountant in the caravan's income and expenditure, that is, in Dolly's account.
Kavi nodded repeatedly. Harold's explanation answered all his doubts and he could continue to focus on drawing.
...
After resting in this small tribe for two days, the caravan continued on its journey. When they arrived at the next tribe, they terminated the employment relationship with the twelve temporary mercenaries and hired a new group of mercenaries in the same way.
In this way, the caravan walked all the way to the location specified by Harol: a tribe close to the headquarters of the God-King's Legacy. The caravan members replenished water and sold goods as usual, while the mercenaries who were assigned special tasks saw the tension and excitement in each other's eyes amidst the apparent calmness.
At midnight, the group of people came out of their tents and gathered silently at the foot of a secluded hill. After Harold counted the number of people, he briefly said "action", and someone quickly took out ropes and cloth from his bag.
The owners of the Rock Attribute God's Eye, including Harold, began to gather the rock elemental power, creating stone slabs of various shapes and splicing them together. The others fixed the cloth on the mast after the rock creations were completed.
They had practiced these movements for two whole nights in Aru Village, so they were very proficient in them. In less than half an hour, a rock-made ship appeared on the sand.