Mercenary Wars

Chapter 183 The Mossians' Debt
Gaucano looked around and was surprised to find that the debt collector was none other than Colin.

The person being chased for debt was a child with a very childish face, probably only ten years old, whose appearance was very similar to that of Jarrell, the boxing champion he met in the raid camp.

Without a doubt, this child is Jarrell Jr.

Colin's Brotherhood of Iron Fists is actually a gang—a rather violent one at that. It's clear that a kid can't handle a gang coming to collect debts.

So at this moment, little Jarrell was at a loss in front of Colin, leaning against the wall, his young face showing obvious tension and fear.

Gaucano walked over: "What's going on?"

Upon seeing Gaugano, Colin was taken aback, then looked somewhat embarrassed: "This boy's father, old Jarrell, died in the recent war, but he still owes Lohar a large sum of money, and Lohar sent me to collect the debt."

Gaucano looked at him: "You should know that Lohar's debts aren't exactly clean."

“Of course I know. In fact, few people in Southshore know this better than I do.” Colin sensed Gaucano’s attitude and said defensively, “But what can I do? Lohar is my boss, and even though I hate him, I can’t afford to break my contract with him!”

Gaucano understands Colin's choice.

Lohar is not only the boss, but also a ruthless gang leader, and Colin, as his henchman, certainly doesn't have the guts to go against him.

Gaugano paused briefly: "How much money does old Jarrell owe Lohar?"

Colin took out a parchment debt contract and said, "The principal and interest together amount to three thousand four hundred and eighty silver coins. Actually, there were a few other debts before, but old Jarell paid them off before he died. This is the last one."

He paused for a moment, then continued, “In the recent Dibto War, old Jarel died a heroic death on the battlefield, receiving a knighthood and a decent fief. This boy has inherited everything from his father, and Lohar hopes he will use the knighthood fief to pay off this debt.”

Gaugano stared at the words on the debt contract for a while, then looked at little Jarrell next to him.

Colin then looked at Jarrell Jr.: "I'm not lying to you. Paying back the money now is the best option for you. Otherwise, if the interest on this debt continues to rise, you won't be able to pay it back in the future... You may be young, but I'm sure you've heard of Lohar's style."

Jarrell lowered his head and said, "Well... alright, I'll use my father's fief to pay off this debt."

Colin immediately produced another sheet of parchment that he had prepared beforehand: "Write your name on this—"

Gaucano interrupted him, saying, "Wait."

Colin and Jarrell Jr. both turned to look at him.

Then Gao Jiano took out a money bag, took some gold coins from it, and handed it over: "There are thirty-five gold coins in the money bag. I've paid off this child's debt."

"Why?" Both of them were surprised.

Gaucano simply said, "I know this child's father. In fact, I was one of the participants in the battle that led to Jarel's knighthood and death."

This is not his true thought.

The main reason he chose to help Jarrell Jr. was actually the pseudo-combination agent.

The fake potion earned him his first fortune and indirectly contributed to Jarrell's fate. Although it wasn't necessarily a bad ending, it still made Gaugano feel a sense of obligation towards Jarrell's situation.

Thirty-five gold coins wasn't a huge sum for him, so after a little consideration, he decided to pay off the debt for little Jarel.

Colin was silent for a moment, then nodded.

He took the gold coins, handed over the debt contract, and said to Jarrell, "Now Gaugano is your creditor, you—"

"Rip." His words were interrupted by the sound of tearing paper, and he stopped abruptly.

However, Gaucano casually tore up the debt agreement.

Colin's expression froze as he watched the parchment fragments fall.

Gaucano chuckled. "Do you really think I'd keep trying to collect debts from this kid?"

Colin sighed, his gaze fixed on the parchment fragments that had fallen to the ground: "Sometimes I've thought of doing the same, but I lack the ability, and even more so, the courage... As a warrior of the Duchy, you truly deserve it."

He suddenly looked up, changing the subject: "Gaucano, if you were me, what would you do? Leave the Brotherhood of Iron Fist?"

Gaugano: "I'm not as brave as you think. In fact, I think your choice is reasonable. If it were me, I would also wait for the contract to expire, and then leave safely and completely. Before that, I would work for Lohar honestly and be polite when collecting debts."

“That’s why we became friends, isn’t it?” He patted Colin on the shoulder.

Colin nodded silently.

After a while, he chatted with Gao Gano for a few words, then said goodbye and left, heading towards the direction of Broken Finger Alley.

Gaucano was also preparing to leave.

Jarrell Jr. replied, "Master Gaugano, I will return the money to you!"

Gao Jiano smiled and said, "Don't call me that. You should know that knights have high dignity and are not servants or beggars."

“Oh…” Jarrell scratched his head, “But anyway, I will still pay you back. Could you write me an IOU?”

Gao Jiano: "No need. If you really want to pay me back, just pay me back thirty-four gold coins and eighty silver coins when you have the money in the future."

Jarrell blinked: "No interest?"

“No,” Gaucano said. “In fact, according to the teachings of the Mosaic, it is immoral to profit from the plight of others, so a true Mosaic would never charge interest on a debt.”

Jarrell frowned slightly: "But I've heard that all debts accrue interest!"

“Doctrine is not the same as reality, and shrewd lenders have countless ways to circumvent this already loose doctrine,” Gaucano added. “God and saints have set many noble principles for us, but not every one of them will be followed, much less will everyone follow them.”

Jarel Jr.: "Old... Oh, Lord Gaucanor, you must be the most devout Mosaic in Southshore!"

Gaucano remained noncommittal: “I may not be, but perhaps you can be. By persistently praying to great saints like Saint Rhoden, Saint John, and Saint Laurent, and following their teachings, you may be able to hear their enlightenment.”

"How is St. Christopher?"

"Of course, they are not bad either, but Saint Roden, Saint John, and Saint Laurent are more suitable for you. They are the most exalted leaders, wise men, and knights."

“I understand, sir. I will follow Saint Roden, Saint John, Saint Laurent, and you, and become a devout Mosaic!” Jarrell nodded solemnly.

Gaucano truly never imagined that he would one day be compared to some of the most important saints. After all, he was a materialist. Admittedly, God exists in this world, but the existence of God does not mean that God must be treated specially. To him, God is nothing more than a being, a substance, something that can be traded, tested, changed, and of course, even become.

Therefore, emotionally, he hoped that Jarrell Jr. would also become a materialist, rather than a believer in any god.

But he also knew that asking a Faralo resident to agree with materialism was really asking too much of a question.

Besides, he's just a child.

If he were to promote materialism to Jarrell Jr., either he or Jarrell Jr. would be arrested, which would be purely harmful to both himself and others.

Therefore, based on practical considerations, Gaucano only instructed Jarrell to pray to a few important saints as much as possible, which might increase his chances of obtaining a noble saintly name.

If Jarel Jr.'s first holy name originated from these most important Mosaic saints, and he then entered the Holy Knights Reserve through his inherited knightly title, it would be a foregone conclusion and a locally optimal solution.

He gave Jarrell a few more instructions, then turned and left.

He quickly forgot about it.

Gaucano returned home.

"You're back, boss!" Daryls ran out of the room.

Gao Jiano noticed a feather stuck to her, so he reached out and picked it off, asking, "Is this Little Gu's?"

“Oh, yes.” Daryls remembered something. “By the way, boss, do you have any more Eye Demon jerky? Little Goo ate all of the previous Eye Demon jerky.”

“That’s all,” Gao Jiano said. “I’ll go check on Little Gu.”

He and Daryls went up to the top floor together.

The owl was eating, its food just ordinary meat bought from the market, which seemed to make it look a little sullen—its expression was noticeably more varied than before.

"It seems the Eye Demon jerky is working quite well." Gao Jiano stroked Xiao Gu's feathers. "I'm going to the black market in a few days, and I'll see if anyone sells Eye Demon jerky while I'm there."

"The black market?" Darius was taken aback. "Isn't Eye Demon jerky a contraband?"

Gaucano: "Indeed, but the eyes of the Eye Demon are contraband. People from the church and the Mage Guild sometimes ask, 'Where did this Eye Demon's eyes go?' So it's easier to buy Eye Demon jerky on the black market."

"So that's it."

“If you don’t have Eye Demon jerky, I’ll buy some high-grade monster meat,” Gao Jiano added.

Daryls immediately started scribbling at Little Gu.

"Coo coo!" Little Coo seemed to know that his meals were finally going to improve, and he was overjoyed.

Gaucano: "Before that, I need to stay in the alchemy room for a while. I'll leave my three meals a day to you, Dariss."

"Don't worry, boss!"

After assigning Dariss some household chores, Gaucano immediately devoted himself wholeheartedly to his alchemical endeavors.

He has two pieces of Earth-type Forget-Me-Not Moss, which, if all goes well, can be made into two bottles of Secondary Stabilizing Agent.

He certainly didn't want anything to go wrong.

Therefore, in order to maximize the success rate, Gao Jiano constantly recalled all relevant knowledge in his mind and rehearsed the process over and over again.

Instead of using the "Forget the Moss" technique, he practiced it hands-on, repeatedly to ensure he was proficient.

Of course, there is something even more important—the "alchemical inspiration" of Demeter, the goddess of harvest.

After making thorough preparations, Gaucano offered two herbal prayers to the goddess of harvest and received two [alchemical inspirations] as he wished.

Gaucano has received alchemical inspiration three times so far, but the goddess of harvest has still not sent down a divine decree for him to complete it.

It seems Demeter is quite generous.

In a state of alchemical inspiration, Gaucano began the creation of a secondary stabilizing potion.

However, alchemy is ultimately a complex art.

Gao Jiano was a beginner, and even with the blessing of "alchemy inspiration," he still failed once in his two attempts, wasting a piece of Eternal Forget-Me-Not, which made him very distressed.

Fortunately, it was the first time that it failed, and the only loss was the relatively inexpensive level 6 Earth-type Forget-Me-Not Moss.

Another level 7 earth-type Eternal Forget-Me-Not moss was successfully crafted, becoming a bottle of secondary stabilizing potion, and like the last one, it was level 8.

He drank the secondary stabilizing agent in one gulp.

【Spirit +3】

Feeling a significant increase in his mental state, Gaucano couldn't help but feel invigorated.

One bite and you get three attribute points!
So cool!
So he immediately wanted to find another fortune teller to inquire about the recently opened Tidal Lands.

There are countless Tidal Lands in the world of Farallo, some opening and some closing daily. Based on his previous experience, Gaucano estimates that he will need to spend nearly a month on just one Tidal Land.

Of course, most of this month can be attributed to "waiting"—waiting for the right level of Tidal Land, and waiting for the opening time, so that five pieces of Eternal Forget-Me-Not Moss can be harvested from it.

This should be a typical number, after all, forget-me-nots are distributed fairly evenly in space.

If you exchange five pieces of Eternal Forgetfulness Moss for earth-type moss, you can get at least four pieces. With four sets of materials, even without alchemical inspiration, you can expect to succeed once or twice.

In this way, he could potentially max out his attributes within a few years simply by taking drugs!
Gaucano was somewhat smug.

Until he suddenly remembered that there was one piece of loot he had acquired in the Tidal Lands not long ago that he hadn't dealt with.

It hasn't even been identified yet.

Thinking of this, Gao Jiano immediately took out the ancient stone tablet covered with mysterious characters from his storage ring and examined it carefully.

(End of this chapter)