Mercenary Wars

Chapter 164 Military Merchant Corps
While taking inventory, Gaucano divided the spoils into two parts: one part to keep for himself, and the other part to sell.

In fact, most of these spoils need to be sold, including storage rings. Gao Jiano only kept a few high-level ones and planned to sell the rest.

After tidying up, he left the room and headed to the merchant corps accompanying the army.

An army, especially a large one that is expected to win, is often followed by a sizable "tail"—mainly composed of merchants.

These merchants would be organized and managed in a semi-official manner, forming so-called "military merchant groups" that specialized in buying up spoils of war obtained by soldiers on the battlefield.

Soldiers could sell their spoils of war for money, which they could then use to spend at merchant caravans.

Because the merchant corps accompanying the army included not only merchants, but also various peddlers, craftsmen, and prostitutes.

They huddled together outside the fortress, forming a noisy scene with the soldiers who came to trade. The place was bustling with noise and smog, and the corners were piled with garbage, making it look like a slum.

"We buy all kinds of armor and weapons at high prices, fair prices!" Merchants and craftsmen shouted diligently.

"We buy scrolls and potions with honesty and integrity, regardless of age or gender!"

"One copper coin, cleaning armor only costs one copper coin, don't miss it!" Even child laborers with limited skills hoped to get a share of the spoils in the war.

"We have the best girls here who can comfort every brave warrior!" the brothel owners shouted, trying to drum up business.

"Oh, all our girls are already booked, you can go over there and line up!" However, compared to most vendors, the brothel owners' work was undoubtedly much easier.

After all, there are tens of thousands of men who have just experienced the battles of war, so the demand is bound to be strong. Therefore, even though the venue is extremely simple and sometimes the transactions have to be completed in the nearby woods, customers still come in droves.

This is clearly inconsistent with the various ascetic doctrines of the Mosaic Church, but throughout history, no organization with ascetic tendencies has been able to stop this kind of business. Even in peacetime, the church chooses to turn a blind eye, let alone during wartime.

Gaucano weaved through the dense crowd, occasionally pausing at the stalls along the way to look for suitable buyers.

But it's not easy.

For the winning side in a war, resources will inevitably be in surplus, with supply exceeding demand, so prices certainly won't be very high.

If you want to get a good price, the best way is to go to Saltwind—the closest town to Dubto, where the anxiety of war is raging and the prices of all war materials are skyrocketing, and are expected to continue to rise until the war ends.

However, Gao Jiano really didn't dare to go to the enemy's town to do business, after all, that would put him at great double risk, as both the enemy and his own people would have ample reason to kill him.

Let alone him, most businessmen who specialize in speculation wouldn't have the guts to do that.

Merchants here acquire spoils, either to hoard them and wait, or to sell them to the more distant Mosa kingdom. While the profits are low, the risks are also minimal; the worst-case scenario is simply losing money, and even then, the losses are uncertain, especially for high-level goods, as storage rings significantly reduce storage and transportation costs.

Only the most radical merchants dared to sell war supplies to infidel countries, making huge profits at the risk of losing their heads.

Therefore, after looking around for a long time, Gao Jiano still felt that the prices were not satisfactory.

Then a somewhat familiar voice rang out: "We buy everything, we sell everything, and the prices are fair!"

Gaucano turned his head and saw a man hawking his wares at a stall. The stall was filled with all sorts of goods, including weapons and armor, potions and scrolls, and a large gold ingot that seemed to be used to display his wealth.

He didn't recognize the man, at least not his face, but the man's tone of voice sounded somewhat familiar.

After some observation and thought, Gao Jiano vaguely guessed the man's identity—a black market grocer. The two were old acquaintances, but had never met in person with their true faces and identities.

Gaucano believed the grocer was the kind of person who would do business with heretics, so he took out a weapon, walked over, and asked, "How much do you want for this unenchanted steel sword?"

"Forty silver coins," the grocer said after glancing at the money.

“And this one?” Gao Jiano took out another one. “A fine steel longsword enchanted with ‘Lesser Fortification’, and it’s very new.”

"One gold and fifty silver," the grocer said.

Gao Jiano thought for a moment, then leaned closer and said, "I think I might be a long-time customer of yours."

The grocer, expressionless, asked, "Oh? What have you bought from me?"

“Like these.” Gao Jiano pointed to a few items on the stall, then added, “I remember you also sold certain badges, undead bone powder, and things like that.”

The grocer remained expressionless and said calmly, "You've mistaken me for someone else. I only do legitimate business and never touch those kinds of things."

Gao Jiano knew he wouldn't admit it, but the other's calm tone was hardly different from an admission, so he changed the subject: "I have a lot of spoils, and I can sell them all to you if you're willing to pay a good price."

Upon hearing this, the grocer's expression finally changed slightly: "How many?"

“It can hold at least five storage rings,” Gao Jiano simply said.

The grocer's eyes widened in surprise.

The air was briefly still.

Two seconds later, he put the entire stall into his storage ring, then walked to a quiet corner not far away, saying, "Follow me."

Gaucano followed him to the corner.

As they walked down the street, Gao Jiano became even more certain that the other party was a black market grocer, since not all disguises and disguises could change one's walking posture.

"Let me see your goods," the grocer said.

Gao Jiano took out a storage ring and released its contents, various weapons clattering on the ground: "This ring contains weapons."

The grocer picked up a sword and examined it closely, then picked up a shield and scrutinized it repeatedly.

"The quality is pretty good, isn't it?" Gao Jiano asked.

The grocer nodded: "Are all the items in those five storage rings of this quality?"

“More or less,” Gao Jiano said. Since targets of too low a level could not provide him with experience, he would not waste time on obviously weak enemies unless necessary, and naturally he did not have many low-quality loot, especially equipment, most of which came from Nobles of Level 3 or above.

The grocer inspected the goods for a while longer: "If all your stuff is this quality, I can offer you an extra 20% and buy it all. What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)