The less than a month he spent in Cecil's territory was the most incredible experience in Scarface Anton's life.
He was born in the gutter of a border village in the Southern Territory's Leslie Territory. He grew up among the hooligans and beggars, mingling with the lowest class of society. He stole, cheated, and worked hard. He fought with people countless times and was beaten so badly that it was unbearable to look at. He learned some mediocre stealth skills from a blind mercenary, but because of his limited talent, he couldn't become a professional in the end. He was once a hired thug for a long time, but later relied on his strength and his shadow ability to become a "superior" in the gutter — he became the boss of a rotten bar.
He boasted that he had seen a lot, whether it was the filth and dilapidation of the lowest class of society or the debauchery of the nobles, he dared not say that he had experienced it all, but he dared to say that he had seen it all — at least from afar.
But in this land, he realized that his knowledge was still too shallow.
The rumbling machines, the well-disciplined army, the spirited people, and the efficient and orderly officials — everything here was so incredible.
And the training he received was equally incredible.
He still remembered that not long ago, he was brought to this incredible place by his former boss, and then locked in a facility that looked like a military camp. Everyone was anxious, guessing what the nobles wanted to do with this group of sewer rats, so much so that they had to lock them in a military camp — if not for the appearance of their boss, these people would have given up on the first day.
After that, it was time for intensive training and … education.
Every day, different instructors came to teach them all kinds of knowledge and skills. High-intensity physical training was just the foundation, and there were also people who taught them how to use swords and magic props — these lessons were taught by people who looked like soldiers. And in the afternoon, there were people who did not look like soldiers, who were said to be night school teachers, who taught them how to read, count, and even some simple social etiquette.
These things were very difficult to learn, and most people did not want to learn at all. They never thought that there would be a day when they would need to learn such knowledge. Reading and writing skills were not necessary for sewer rats — Scarface Anton thought so at first, but in the end, everyone braced themselves to learn.
Because if they did not learn, what was waiting for them was the punitive physical training that would almost drill them to death.
What was more frightening was that Amber would personally supervise them — the majesty of Big Sister made no one dare to raise the thought of rebellion.
Training day and night, learning day and night, exercising, fighting, using weapons, reading and counting, Scarface Anton and his companions gradually adapted to it in less than two weeks. And after adapting, they felt that this kind of life was actually not bad — although the intensity of the training was high, the Lord here ensured that everyone had meat soup and bread to eat every day. No matter how much they could eat after a day of training, Anton and his companions had never been hungry.
There was meat soup, bread, eggs, and everything was provided. There were also new clothes, and the dormitory was guaranteed to be warm. It could be said that the benevolent Lord gave everyone the best living conditions — he only asked everyone to train and learn according to the rules he set. This was quite a good deal, and it was much better than starving to death in the ice and snow.
Therefore, Scarface Anton and his companions persevered and learned as much as possible. Now, those guys who were once useless had learned how to wash their faces, wash their hands and bathe on time, how to dress neatly, and how to disguise themselves to get along with others. As for how to observe and pass on information in the process … that was their old profession.
Of course, the training was far from over. Their reading and writing skills and professional knowledge of covert operations were still half-baked. But with more than half a month of physical training and adequate nutrition, these people could at least stand straight, walk steadily, and calmly pretend to be a merchant, a Knight's apprentice, and a mage's apprentice. This was enough to carry out the first mission.
After the mission was announced, Amber assigned the people to act in batches and the direction they were responsible for. Then, she handed the documents from Duke Cecil of Gwen Cecil to them one by one.
"With these documents, you are decent people who have been entrusted by the Duke to do various jobs in the Southern Territory. You can go in and out of various towns without worrying about being interrogated. But as for how you will bring people back … that will be a test for you." Amber looked at her subordinates excitedly checking the documents in their hands. Standing on the stage, she said unhurriedly, "You will get a sum of money for the operation. This money is enough for you to buy fake documents, forge employment documents, bribe guards, and so on to get people from other nobles' territories. But remember, when you come back, I will check the money you have left. The more money you have left, the higher the reward you will get. But for the ten people with the least money left, I want you to run around the entire Knight Street fifteen times with pumpkins on your heads! Run at noon when the people are the most crowded! Do you understand?! "
Everyone said in unison, "Understood!!"
Scarface Anton and the first batch of trainees from the Military Security Intelligence Bureau took the Duke's documents and set off. At the same time, a large number of merchants carrying "Cecil's Alchemy Potion" had begun to move throughout the Southern Territory. They were originally loose and free merchants, operating in various places without any organization. But under Duke Cecil's efforts, the merchants were bought and persuaded one by one. Faced with the temptation of benefits and the pressure of the Duke's reputation, they signed a contract swearing on their surnames and became the tentacles of the Cecil Chamber of Commerce.
Very soon, the merchants realized that signing a contract with the Chamber of Commerce was not as risky as they had imagined. Unlike other nobles, Duke Cecil did not find an excuse to take advantage of the merchants. He did not embezzle the goods, nor did he come up with any excuses to charge an exorbitant fee. As the representative of the Duke, President Padrick provided every dealer with sufficient and high-quality goods according to the standards stipulated in the contract. Furthermore, when splitting the profits, he did not miscalculate a single copper coin. This was truly a good thing that felt like a dream.
Many members of the chamber of commerce were curious. They were curious as to how those well-packaged, stable, and large quantities of alchemy potions were produced. But this was clearly Duke Cecil's secret. Smart merchants wouldn't try to pry into the secrets of great nobles. Although they were curious, they still carried out their duties as merchants. They focused on thinking about how to exchange these potions for sufficient profits.
Cecil's Chamber of Commerce stipulated the distribution price and distribution method of the potions in the contract. These contents could not be changed at will. But as for how to quickly sell the potions, this was what the small merchants who had been doing business all their lives were good at thinking about.
In Viscount Calor's Territory in the central region of the Southern Region, the merchant Bob placed three bottles of alchemy potions as samples on the counter of the Guild of Mercenaries and explained the origin and effects of these potions to the person in charge of the Guild of Mercenaries. Behind him were several mercenary warriors who had escorted him all the way from Kant's Territory.
A merchant who ran to the Guild of Mercenaries to sell potions had attracted attention. The mercenaries who were waiting for business by the fireplace in the hall turned their eyes to the counter, and this was what Bob wanted to see. Whether the person in charge in front of him was interested in these potions or not, he had succeeded in attracting the mercenaries' attention. This was his original intention.
"I've heard of this potion. It's produced in the pioneering territory in the south, right?" After listening to Bob's words, the person in charge of the guild frowned slightly. "It is said that it is a little worse than the regular alchemy potions, but the price is unbelievably cheap. Is this thing really as good as you say?"
"You can ask the warrior next to me." Bob turned sideways and pointed to a mercenary who escorted him. "He has used the potion before."
"Old Golden Tooth, I can testify that this thing is really good!" The mercenary warrior, who was a head taller than Bob, grinned. "Do you see this new scar under my neck? Without this potion, you would see my name engraved on the wooden board behind you now! "
"Renting a counter in the Guild of Mercenaries to sell potions … No one has done this before." The person in charge of the guild obviously trusted the mercenaries he knew, but he was still a little worried. He looked at the merchant in front of him. "You have to ensure that you can really provide a stable supply, and the quality of the potion is as good as you said. Most mercenaries are bad-tempered. I don't want to wait for them to make trouble and smash your counter. If that happens, I'll have to find someone to dig you up from the ground and throw you out."
"Merchants are trustworthy." Bob took out a supply agreement from the Chamber of Commerce and slapped it on the counter. "Look at it yourself. This is the document signed by Duke Cecil and me. The Duke himself signed it! You should recognize this emblem, right? "
Just like that, a business deal was struck.
Watching the guards he brought with him leave after settling the commission, Bob squinted his eyes. It was as if the entire Guild of Mercenaries was filled with walking silver coins. He began to look forward to the day when he had enough money to buy his own shop in Calore and become a merchant. According to Mr. Padrick's promise, the Cecil Chamber of Commerce would provide extra financial assistance to every dealer who wanted to buy a shop, and would send someone to assist depending on the situation. Bob knew very well that the person who came to help was actually the Duke's informant, who was there to keep an eye on him. But what was wrong with that?
From the day he became a member of the Cecil Chamber of Commerce, Bob knew that he was running the Duke's business. He even knew that he would become part of the Duke's business. Which noble would not send someone to keep an eye on his business?
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
