Mercenary Wars

Chapter 186 Boxing Arena
One thousand gold coins!
Without a doubt, this is a large sum of money.

Gaugano had not previously realized that the Blood Elf's pseudo-potion—or rather, his arbitrarily named "Sithron Potion"—could generate such astonishing wealth.

So when Lohar announced the number, even with the promise of a hundred gold coins as a meeting fee, Gaugano was still somewhat surprised.

He then paused to consider it.

The reason he previously chose to no longer participate in the Sithron potion business was mainly because Jarel's death had affected him, giving him a new understanding of the speed and risks of Sithron potion's popularization. He was worried that if the impact was too great, it would attract the attention of the Apothecaries Guild and the Church.

But now we're not selling medicine, we're selling the formula.

One-time deal.

He also made the most thorough disguise.

He will have no responsibility, or at least no direct responsibility, for any risks that may arise from the Cislon drug in the future.

Even in the worst-case scenario, Gaucano could easily take a portion of his thousand gold coins to have someone perform divination to interfere with his life and completely eliminate the possibility of being discovered.

A few hundred gold coins should be enough at most.

Oh wait, maybe it doesn't even cost any money.

Gao Jiano quickly realized that it was highly unlikely that others would find clues about him through divination—unless the diviner was suicidal.

He realized for the first time that the enormous cost of divination was not without its benefits.

It is certainly difficult for him to profit from divination.

However, it is difficult for others to harm him through divination.

Selling the formula yields high profits with low risk.

From a business perspective, this is clearly a worthwhile deal.

Of course, morality is also a factor to consider.

However, Gaucano was never a noble person. His moral requirement for himself was simply "not to be a villain" and to occasionally do some good deeds within his ability, nothing more.

When faced with the prospect of a thousand gold coins, Gaucano could clearly distinguish which moral principle was more important.

Therefore, after a brief consideration, he decided to sell the formula.

This decision made him feel a little ashamed.

After all, he had once felt a sense of self-satisfaction regarding his "retirement" from the criminal world, but now...

No, you have to pay more!

Many thoughts raced through my mind, both rational and irrational.

However, thanks to his relatively high intelligence, these considerations didn't take much time.

So, two seconds after Loja made his offer, Gaugano gave his reply.

He remained expressionless, shaking his head as he said calmly, "Too little."

Lohar didn't seem surprised: "How much do you want?"

Gao Jiano: "There are four types of Sithron potion, each costing about a thousand gold coins, so it's four thousand gold coins."

Lohar frowned: "The intelligence-enhancing Sithron potion isn't even worth a hundred gold coins, and almost everyone who's tried it never drinks a second bottle."

Gaucano: "But the Strength-Enhancing Cisron serum is very popular, isn't it?"

As a mob boss who probably had dwarven ancestry, Lohar clearly had no interest in haggling.

He immediately waved his hand and said in a somewhat impatient tone, "Two thousand gold coins, take it or leave it!"

After staring at Lohar's expression for a second, Gaucano said, "Two thousand five hundred gold coins. Besides the formula being yours, I can also guarantee that I will never sell Sithron Potion again."

He never wanted to make Cisron again, so he took this opportunity to make another quick buck.

Lohar stroked his beard, seemed to consider for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, deal!"

He then took out a scroll from his storage ring: "This is a vow scroll. Let's make a vow."

"it is good."

For such shady and anonymous transactions, commercial contracts are clearly useless; oath scrolls are the best option.

Lohar did not produce a "secondary oath scroll" with low deterrent power, but a standard oath scroll.

There are still quite a few who dare to disobey minor oath scrolls, after all, the gods rarely pay attention to such insignificant vows. The likelihood of consequences from a minor oath scroll is said to be even lower than the fatality rate of some everyday activities. For example, for an ordinary person without a holy name, the probability of an accidental death during a long trip is significantly higher than the probability of triggering divine punishment for disobeying a minor oath scroll.

Few dare to disobey the standard oath scroll.

Of course, in terms of specific probabilities, the trigger rate of the standard oath scroll is still not high, reportedly only about one in ten, and there are loopholes to exploit. Overall, the average effect is not necessarily higher than that of the law and contract, and the cost-effectiveness is visibly low.

This is understandable, since mortal judges receive salaries, and the gods' "salaries" are naturally only higher. According to some mystical scholars, oath scrolls are actually a kind of offering, so their effectiveness is closely related to their production cost. The higher the cost of an oath scroll, the more the gods value it, and vice versa.

Holding the oath scroll close to their chests, Gaucano and Loja took their oaths one after the other.

“By the God I believe in, I will sell the formulas for the four types of Sithron potions to the other party for a total price of two thousand five hundred gold coins, and from this day forward I will never sell Sithron potions or their formulas again… I will follow the natural principles of commerce…”

"I swear by the God I believe in, I will purchase the formulas for four types of Sithron potions and the exclusive rights to them for a total price of two thousand five hundred gold coins... I will follow the natural principles of commerce..."

Once the oath was made, a flame immediately rose from the center of the oath scroll, burning the scroll completely in an instant, like burning cotton wool.

Then the ashes drifted away and disappeared without a trace.

"All right."

Lohar took out a storage ring and handed it to Gao Jiano: "There are exactly two thousand five hundred gold coins in here. Please count them."

Judging from his words, it was clear that this storage ring was also given to Gao Jiano as a bonus. But it was nothing special; it was just a level one storage ring, insignificant compared to two thousand five hundred gold coins.

After counting, Gao Jiano confirmed that there were indeed 2,500 gold coins.

With the huge sum of money in hand, he readily handed over the formulas for the four types of Sislon potions to Lohar.

The money and goods were settled immediately, and the two shook hands to show that the cooperation was pleasant.

At the same time, Lohar asked, "To be honest, I'm a little curious, where did you get these recipes from? I may be a rough man, but my intuition tells me they have an unusual origin."

“A treasure,” Gao Jiano said casually.

"A blessed treasure?"

“Yes.” Gaucano nodded.

He didn't actually make it all up entirely.

After all, this was precisely one of his guesses about the origin of the Blood Elf Chronicles—Pastor Green might have obtained this ancient blood elf book through a treasure blessed by the Holy Name. The two chatted casually as they opened the door to the private meeting room and walked out.

As soon as Lockhart appeared, Colin immediately bowed respectfully.

Lohar was clearly very satisfied with his performance, nodding and introducing him with great interest: "This is Colin, a very capable young man!"

Colin smiled politely at Gaugano: "Hello, Pharmacist Taf."

"Hello," Gao Jiano said.

“By the way, Colin, I remember you’re a level 4 rogue and a level 4 hunter, right?” Lohar said again.

“Yes, Chairman,” Colin said respectfully.

Lohar praised him again: "What an ambitious young man! He has never taken the Synthron drug, but almost none of the fourth-level boxers who have taken the Synthron drug can beat him."

Gaucano certainly knew that Colin was quite skilled.

However, as a Taf, he still had to feign surprise, and immediately said with a moved expression, "So amazing!"

Colin humbly replied, "It's all thanks to the president's excellent guidance."

"Hahaha." Luo laughed loudly.

The three chatted for a while.

The conversation mostly consisted of polite pleasantries.

Gaucano's only impression was that Colin's working-class manners were truly profound, and he showed respect and flattery to Lohar almost every moment.

He knew he could never do that.

He even couldn't help but wonder if Colin's extreme dislike for Lohar in private was psychological compensation for this kind of workplace strategy.
Colin said, "President, there's a boxing match coming up later. Let's invite Pharmacist Taf to come along. He probably doesn't know how amazing the effects of Cisron are in the boxing ring."

Lohar thought for a moment, then looked at Gaucano: "There is indeed a boxing match about to start. Do you want to go and watch? It's free."

"Okay." Gao Jiano thought for a moment and then agreed.

He genuinely didn't know the effects of the Cisron serum in the boxing ring, and was somewhat curious.

He had never even been to Broken Finger Alley, let alone watched a Brotherhood of Iron Fists boxing match.

The three then left the black market together and headed towards Broken Finger Alley.

They don't need to go through the surface—the Raven Inn's black market and the Iron Fist Brotherhood's underground boxing ring are connected.

In fact, the three main streets of the slum—Crow Street, Broken Finger Alley, and Pleasure Street—all have underground areas that are interconnected.

From the black market to the Iron Fist Brotherhood's underground fighting ring, all you need to do is pass through a passage that is neither narrow nor long.

Soon after, Gaucano arrived at the underground boxing ring with Loha and Colin.

The boxing ring was much more lively than the black market.

Even before crossing the passage, Gaucano could hear a cacophony of voices, a noisy and bustling scene.

"Mosa, who can lend me some money? I have a feeling I'll win the next bet!"

"Hurry up and open the betting market, I want to win back the money I lost in the last game!"

"If I win one more bet, I'll go home! I've hit the jackpot today!"

As Gaucano passed through the passageway, he saw a crowd of enthusiastic spectators, their faces flushed red.

They came from all walks of life, from the poor to the rich, and their numbers were far greater than expected.

In the middle of them was an arena—enclosed by a magical barrier resembling a ring of faith duels.

A large crowd had gathered under the boxing ring, everyone was shouting, and the air was thick with the smell of sweat and the clatter of gold and silver coins in purses.

Of course, there was also a faint smell of blood.

This environment caused Gaucano to frown slightly.

However, as Lohar led him to the VIP section, the noisy and dirty experience immediately disappeared.

Lohar smiled slightly: "A magic circle has been set up here, and its effect is somewhat similar to that of a private meeting room. It can isolate most of the sound and all smells."

"Of course, to allow our VIPs to also experience the unique atmosphere of the boxing ring, our magician deliberately withheld some of the sound," he added.

Gaucano nodded.

The VIP seating area was indeed just right, with no unpleasant smells and appropriate sound retention.

The seats were spacious and comfortable, and beautiful, scantily clad maids would come over from time to time to serve tea and water.

Not long after Gaucano took his seat, a referee walked onto the previously empty ring amidst increasingly loud cheers.

To his surprise, the referee here, just like the one at the black market auction house, was also a goblin.

Moreover, it seems to be the goblin auctioneer at the auction house—who also works as a referee in the boxing ring outside of auctions. However, due to the face blindness among different races, Gaucano is not entirely sure about this.

"The next match is about to begin!" the goblin referee announced loudly. "The two players are familiar to everyone: Valkyrie Casca and Blue Beast Robert! Those who haven't placed their bets yet, hurry up!"

Before he finished speaking, the audience erupted in cheers.

"Blue Beast! Blue Beast! Smash that bitch's head!"

"Casca! Casca! The Valkyrie is invincible!"

Compared to the audience's fervor, Gaucano's expression became somewhat unnatural.

Casca?

He immediately recalled the short-haired girl he had met in the Land of Tides.

The two boxers entered the ring.

One of them was the young girl Casca.

Casca looks much the same as she did a few years ago, the only difference being that she has become much stronger, with more defined muscle lines on her arms.

But compared to her opponents, she was clearly too thin.

"For Mosa!" Robert, with his blue hair, stepped into the ring, swinging his thick arm and roaring. His muscles were incredibly exaggerated, and his frame was almost twice as wide as Casca's.

"The blue beast will win!" Many spectators cheered, bringing the atmosphere to a new high.

(End of this chapter)