108(2) – Zenyo! (IV)
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PART 4 – Thorn Family!
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The next morning!
The trio walked through the streets of Jerla's capital, which is quite busy from the early hours of the morning.
They stopped at a restaurant; Lina wasn't the target of strong prejudice and could enjoy the food. But after eating, they went to their destination.
Their target was the residence of the Thorn Family, a powerful family of mages and merchants, whose head holds the noble title of Viscount.
The mansion covers a gigantic area the size of 4 to 5 football fields. In the center is a colossal white mansion with the Thorn Family's banners, a rose covered in thorns. The mansion is surrounded by a huge, verdant garden, followed by 2 side buildings, probably where the servants, guards, and slaves reside.
Arriving at the entrance, the steel gate was firmly closed. – “Are you looking for him?” – A tall, corpulent figure asked, a man who reminded Verna of Makaulu; curiously, he was human.
“I’m Verna, this is Zenyo, and she’s Lina. We’re adventurers, and we heard the Thorn Family is looking for us.” – Verna said calmly.
“The Thorn Family is looking for mercenaries, not a small group. Get out!” – The man’s tone was firm.
“I didn’t know a mercenary group was worth more than 3 Legends, but since that’s the case, we can look for other jobs.” – Verna said, rolling her eyes, and the man who refused them froze.
“What did you say?” – He stared at her seriously.
“The three of us are above Level 20. If you still don’t need us, we won’t waste any more time.” – Verna crossed her arms as she faced him.
The man tested something: intimidation. Verna sensed it and mocked him, returning the intimidation that forced the large man to take a few steps back. Accepting that Verna is indeed a Legend and that those beside her are too, he ordered them to open the gate. – “Excuse my rude attitude, it’s just that many charlatans come here, and since you aren’t well-known people and aren’t properly dressed, you can’t blame me for my ignorance.”
He can’t be blamed, in fact. Zenyo… tiny, doesn’t seem anything special at first glance, he even looks cute in his clothes. Nobody would believe he’s above Level 20; they’d probably think Level 10 is his limit.
Lina, she has an incredible figure, but her attire isn’t the best; she’s not wearing any items that appear to be of quality or emit any magical energy. Not to mention she’s Black, and Black people don’t have many opportunities and tend to be hunted and killed before they can level up. Prejudiced groups of this type say they are harvesting resources that should belong to others in order to level up.
As for Verna, she does stand out, tall and strong, tight leather clothing, a beautiful axe, but one that doesn’t seem so grand. She is indeed flashy, but that's common among groups of charlatans.
Some groups pose as elite mercenaries and adventurers, willing to face the consequences, to receive part of the payment upfront. Others boldly try to use their striking appearance or presence to attract the interest of nobles.
People tend to be very shameless and opportunistic to extract the maximum possible benefits at the cost of minimal effort. Needless to say, hunting them all becomes a headache.
……
The three were received at the grand mansion. Servants guided them to a waiting room, food and drinks were offered, Lina readily accepted and was already stuffing herself.
Less than 10 minutes after they were left to wait, the door opened and a handsome young man entered. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, with short blond hair and vibrant eyes that shone with a rosy hue.
[Image] →
The man at the head of the trio is Elias Thorn, the current patriarch of the Thorn Family and also the Viscount. A Legendary Archmage with an estimated level of around 35, over 200 years old, but appearing to be in his 20s.
“Hello, I apologize for making two ladies and a gentleman wait.” – Elias said, smiling slightly, his gaze sharp and seductive.
One look and he knew Verna was the leader of the group; her posture was also incredible. No matter how much she tried to disguise it, she was experienced and in a high position.
‘A fine disguise, I wonder where it’s from.’ – Elias doubted her identity, not her appearance.
“You heard about my problems, right?” – Elias shook her hands.
“Yes. We heard you’re promising hefty rewards; some extra money is never a bad thing.” – Verna said, smiling slightly.
Elias laughed. – “Certainly. Elias Thorn!”
“Verna.” “– Verna said, then Zenyo and Lina introduced themselves and everyone sat down.
“So…” – Elias crossed his legs on his comfortable sofa. – “How much do you know about my problems?”
His gaze fell on Verna. – “From the information I’ve obtained, the Thorn Family has been very busy with Flying Caravans all over the eastern continent, making a lot of money. You’ve divided your forces well, the legendary guards and contracts with mercenary groups that have a long history. But you’ve come into conflict with a rising merchant group from neutral lands.”
“So you know about the conflict in general.” – Elias smiled. – “So you understand that even though I have the power, I can’t send my people directly to recover the goods that were stolen from me and deliver the message without certain political enemies using it against me.”
“Exactly.” – Verna smiled. – “That’s why you need individuals without affiliation. Some bloodthirsty contractors willing to bear all the responsibilities of invading technically neutral lands, doing their dirty work, and returning.”
Elias smiles even more happily.
From what Verna knows, the hierarchy of power and land organization on this continent is complex, but it opens doors to incredible opportunities.
There are several powerful nations and empires, but due to the vast amounts of land and abundant resources, even an empire with dozens of Demigods and thousands of Legends would be unable to govern the entire continent; even 1/3 of it would still be too much.
As a result, they tend to take the best lands for themselves, so they use various ventures, allowing the most greedy and capable to gather troops to take unexplored lands or those under the control of tribes or groups.
Such individuals tend to be known as Warlords. They govern cities in lands that do not belong to any declared nation. Centuries of such rule have structured hidden rules.
Warlords tend to be individuals of immense power, many even becoming formidable demigods. They govern cities and collect resources, using them to trade with nations.
Some Warlords are linked to noble and powerful families, others even under the control of royalty. Their cities tend to be used politically to protect individuals of a certain dangerousness, to guard resources that should not be exposed to the public.
They can also be used as locations for dangerous experiments. Places to house groups and armies. There are endless possibilities.
So the Cities of Warlords are all boxes of surprises, which many avoid provoking, as it is often impossible to know who supports them.
There is literally a famous case that Verna doesn't know about, about a Duchess Family that was provoked by a Warlord, retaliated, annihilated the city, and killed the Warlord.
The Warlord was the emperor's nephew and was secretly working for the benefit of the nation. His death and the loss of resources and strategic position enraged the empire in question, and subsequently the Duchess Family fell.
As for why Elias needed someone to deal with his enemies? Even with practically everyone knowing that it would be the Thorn Family who hired him?
Simple. No one in their right mind would provoke Warlords or Demigods. Families with Demigods are practically immune to such problems; even Royalty pays attention and respect.
Warlords, nobody knows what's behind them. But many still provoke various powerful and influential families. Such families may send their main troops to deal with the matter, but they may be harmed by secretly irritating allies or political enemies, or even Demigods, creating justification for being harmed.
If Elias sends his troops, he will irritate someone. But if he sends someone unaffiliated who is doing it only for money, the blame and courage will rest entirely on that person. They will not attempt to retaliate against Elias, even though he was the one who hired them, because he hired these individuals to solve a problem created by others.
He used intermediaries, not his own hands. And it's almost a tactical rule to avoid conflicts of this magnitude, as they can escalate very quickly. Using intermediaries is the same as shifting the blame onto others.
And of course…
“Since you understand the problems, you know the reward will be immense, right?” – Elias smiled.
“Yes, but I want something specific.” – Verna said calmly. Elias narrowed his eyes and listened patiently.
“It turns out I have a problem I've been trying to solve for years, but conventional means don't work. Then I heard about Ariel Honça. As a reward, I want a meeting with her.” – Verna said without hesitation.
Elias narrowed his eyes and leaned back. As part of the reward for irritating a Warlord and the force behind him, introducing her to a Demigoddess?
“I have my ways of contacting the Demigoddess Ariel, even though she’s isolated herself in recent years… I agree that this should be part of the reward. I’ll also provide potions and equipment.” – Elias said calmly.
Lina’s eyes gleamed.
“Zenyo and I don’t need it, but we’ll take a look, you never know. Lina is a recent addition to my group; she needs some better items. But I hope you can give me more precise details about what you want recovered, who you want to die or be punished, and things like that.”
“No problem.” – Elias smiled. – “Besides the supplies and equipment from my arsenal for you to use as you wish, I’ll give 50,000 Zyrps per person. Upon completing the mission, depending on your performance, I’ll give you at least another 50,000 Zyrps.”
“And what if I happen to kill the Warlord?” – Verna asked.
“If you kill him, I’ll give you an extra 200,000 Zyrps. If you get details about who’s sponsoring them, another 100,000 Zyrps.” – Elias smiled, obviously doubting it would happen.
Verna nodded.
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PART 5 – Preparation!
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“Warlords… I didn’t know what they were, but now that I do…” – Lina finished reading documents she had just bought from an intelligence group. – “Are you sure about this? Irritating these people doesn’t seem right.”
“Chickening out?” – Zenyo mocked.
“Little brat. I fought against churches and threw myself into an unstable portal to another world. Do you think I’m afraid of death?” – Lina huffed.
“Yes.” – Verna said. – “You are, very much so.”
Lina remained silent.
“Anyway. I’m not acting recklessly. We’re searching for something, and after we get it, we’ll leave.” – Verna said.
“Okay, and me?” – Lina crossed her arms. – “So far, I know almost nothing about you. I know about the curse of the tiny one, but nothing about the elephant in the room.”
Zenyo shuddered with anger.
“You can just leave, we haven’t done anything yet. But if you continue, naturally I’ll face the consequences.” – Verna said.
“Hmm…” – Lina scratched her chin. – “How confident are you of success?”
“As long as two demigods don’t show up, I can handle this.” – Verna smiled.
“Two? Does that mean if there’s one, you’re confident you’ll win?” – Lina’s eyes gleamed.
“Yes. All I’m saying is that I possess a Special Ability.” – Verna smiled confidently, Lina remained quiet, then nodded.
“But what then? Are we going to start running away? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have dark skin in a world that doesn’t seem to like the dark.” – Lina pointed to her own arms.
“The world already wants to hunt you down, what does it matter if there are more nobles? Not to mention that if we go to the other side of the continent, they'll have to spend tons of resources to find us and mobilize individuals to hunt us down. I doubt Demigods would accept mercenary work, and as for the Legends who might hunt us down, if there is indeed a Demigod there and I kill him, I think you understand what will happen.”
Lina remained silent, seeing that even if they provoked a powerful force, if they killed a Demigod, they would be known as individuals with the strength to kill Demigods. Groups of legendary individuals would be cautious and avoid them; Demigods who wouldn't normally receive such missions would also be careful.
She saw that they had more to gain by completing this mission.
…
Elias left his arsenal and potion store for them to take whatever they wanted.
Verna glanced at the equipment, but nothing caught her attention. On the other hand, Lina was salivating at the sight of so many high-quality weapons and armor, having never seen anything like it.
If she could, she would take everything, which is the same for Verna. Even if they weren't useful to her, they would be useful to her troops, but it's not like they could take the entire arsenal.
Lina quickly acquired a magical leather armor that increased her AC (Armor Class) by 8, not to mention that it has +60 Extra Life, which for her, with her average Constitution, is absurdly good. There are other bonuses, such as a better dodge rate.
“Where I come from, this would be legendary armor. Those groups would fight to have something like this.” – Lina laughed, but also felt her chest tighten, as she saw dozens of copies of this leather armor.
In her eyes, everything present here is a treasure that, if taken to her world, would create an almost immortal elite troop.
“Indeed, the Thorn Family is quite powerful and rich, but I've seen arsenals of better quality.” “Zenyo said, ‘He’s already been to the Krugar National Arsenal, which is much larger and has many more items, no less impressive than this.’
Of course, Verna’s personal arsenal is far superior, not that it needs to be said.”
Lina sighed, realizing that from here, she was the poor girl who came from a world where the gods had extracted every possible resource, along with the talents capable of creating such items. It wouldn’t be strange to say they had sucked so much dry that they even extracted the last drop of blood from the goblins.
In any case, she found two daggers and a longsword that were perfect for her, absurdly superior to what she used. If she had them in her world, she would be unstoppable!
Lina also found a set of throwing knives, taking them without hesitation. Among the accessories, she saw several, a pity she could only take two.
Verna glanced around; some were interesting and she took two, free accessories.
“Uwo!” – Zenyo, who normally just looked, suddenly showed enormous surprise. They both looked and found him holding a grimoire made of pure gold.
“What interests you in this?” Verna asked.
“I never expected to find this here. I’ve heard stories that Golden Mages possess extremely rare and unique items that can reduce the cost of their spells,” Zenyo said, his eyes shining. “This grimoire should reduce the cost by 15%!”
Verna was slightly surprised.
“Cost? If that’s the case, there are several energy cost reduction rings here.” – Lina said, pointing to the accessories.
“Do you know what a Golden Mage is?” – Verna asked.
“Isn’t it just a mage?” – Lina blinked.
“Golden Mage is a branch of magic that literally uses gold. You could say we’re paying for magic so we can use it. We don’t spend magical energy, just gold, jewels, and more. The more we spend, the more powerful our spells are.” – Zenyo said cheerfully and confidently.
Lina blinked, opened and closed her mouth, then said. – “You literally waste money to cast spells? Wouldn’t it be easier to just specialize in an area of attack magic and develop into a decent specialist? Why resort to wasting valuable resources?!”
Verna remained silent. She actually found the existence of Golden Mages impressive, but… after an initial introduction, she saw that they became a waste of resources.
As the ruler of a nation, seeing one of your most trusted allies waste tons of gold in combat is not a pleasant sight.
Lina, coming from a world where resources are scarce and a gold coin would make even a nobleman jump for joy, knew that Zenyo spends gold on magic, while normal mages spend their easily replenished energy in exchange for magic…
Zenyo snorted. – “You’ll understand my power when you see me in combat!”
“I don’t want to!” – Lina refused without hesitation. – “I don’t want to see you stuffing gold up your ass and spitting out magic. I’d rather use that gold to buy magic scrolls or learn magic myself, more economical.”
Zenyo rolled his eyes.
“Don’t think too much about it. That 15% reduction will really come in handy.” – Verna said, trying to end the discussion here.
“You must be very rich to waste money like that.” – Lina nods, but internally she's happy, because she's following two filthy rich idiots.
If they can eat money and shit it all out without blinking, they certainly have a lot of money.
…
After the Arsenal, they went to the Alchemical Warehouse. Space bags were prepared for them with various sets of potions for healing, energy restoration, vigor, etc., everything they could possibly need.
Lina happily accepted and, knowing she could choose two elixirs, she took a look at what was available.
Now, this is what truly interested Verna. When she saw the high-quality potions, she knew that the alchemy technology in this world was superior to her own. She herself had studied the art of alchemy extensively and combined it with her chemistry.
Even with that, and having a beautiful wife specialized in this area, it wasn't enough to match the quality of what she was seeing here.
Then there are the Elixirs, which are rare in her world. Zenyo was also quite surprised by the quality.
Verna looked at the descriptions of the effects. Elixirs that accelerate the development of [Effort] by 100 years; only 1 can be consumed per person, taking a second will have no effect.
Another one that claims to increase all attributes below 20 points by +1, with a small chance, less than 20%, of increasing attributes above 20 points by +1.
Lina was extremely interested in this one, but Verna touched her shoulder and nodded. She looked reluctant, but perhaps there is some method in this world that helps increase attributes, and Verna knows of it, which is why she instructed her not to accept it, or it would be a waste.
And that's not it. Verna has her cultivation techniques and plans to accept Lina as part of her people in the future, so having her consume this elixir would be a waste. Not to mention that in her situation, those points would make little difference.
Aside from attribute-boosting Elixirs, Verna's attention was drawn to Elixirs that unlock Talents, others that claim to enhance specific themed passive skills.
Verna saw this and found it quite interesting. She has a huge list of Talents, some of which could potentially improve some of her own, but… it wouldn't make that much of a difference. She then decided to take a chance and picked up 2 [Body Strengthening] Elixirs. The description states that this aims to improve or even evolve skills or talents related to improving the body as a whole.
Verna has [Martial Body (Lv.5+1)] which she has been neglecting for some years, and also [Diamond Body (Lv.4)] which is another one she could improve, but hasn't. Perhaps it could affect her [Dantian] or even her [8 Trigrams], but she highly doubts it.
So, after choosing, she saw what Lina and Zenyo had chosen, then they went to register and after passing through rigorous supervision to make sure they hadn't taken anything extra, they were able to meet with Elias who gave them the rest.
Naturally, a magical contract was signed, so they can't proceed with the mission after receiving so much.
All of this shows how dangerous it is to harm a Warlord.