Mercenary Wars

Chapter 188 Truly Dark
A gasp rippled through the audience.

Casca's figure flew out under the heavy blow.

Robert's chest was also bleeding profusely, and he was kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.

But he remained conscious.

It is clear that while Casca's fingers gained the sharpness of swords under the influence of certain spells, they did not gain the length of swords, and were even less than those of daggers.

For a muscular man with an exaggerated build, that length wasn't enough to penetrate his thick muscles. So despite bleeding profusely, Robert was unharmed.

Casca took the blow head-on, letting out a muffled groan as her small body slammed into the light screen, causing it to flicker.

"Bang!" She then fell heavily to the ground.

She tried to get up, but she couldn't steady herself and couldn't even maintain a kneeling position. Painful groans could be faintly heard through her clenched teeth.

Robert couldn't help but sneer upon seeing this.

He placed his hand on his chest, and a little frost quickly covered the wound, stopping the bleeding.

He then walked straight toward Casca.

Casca tried to get up and dodge, scrambling and crawling around the ring, her arms trembling as she braced herself on the ground.

“You’re done for, little girl!” Robert said, while bracing himself for a punch.

"Boom!" His heavy punch struck again.

Casca used all her strength to raise her hands to defend herself.

The result was as expected: the blue beast's heavy blow once again sent her flying into the light barrier.

Casca, already weakened, was now powerless to fight back. She could get up occasionally just now, but now she could only lie on the ground, unable to even support her upper body.

Seeing this, everyone knew that the outcome was already decided.

Lohar looked at Gaucano and whispered, "This Robert is a veteran user of the Sithron Potion. You see how amazing his strength is? Although he is a bit bulky, he can knock down most opponents with just one punch."

Gaucano nodded absentmindedly, expressionless, and continued chewing the fruit in his mouth. His reaction seemed to surprise Lohar and Colin.

Colin said, "Robert's strength wasn't fully realized because his opponent was a woman. If it had been a man, I think..."

Lohar interrupted, "Don't say that. Casca still has a lot of potential—precisely because she's a woman. After all, female boxing champions are much rarer than male champions."

He continued, "She already has so many fans even before she has the strength to compete for the championship. If she can become the first female champion in Southsea Town, just imagine how much popularity and profit that will bring, especially her first breakout fight!"

"Boss's vision is truly admirable!" Colin flattered.

Lohar: "I mentioned the Sithron serum to Casca before, but she hesitated, and the Sithron serum was out of stock for a while, so I didn't give it to her. Now it's about time to train a female boxing champion!"

He casually asked, "By the way, Pharmacist Taf, were you fighting in the Dibto War during the time when Cisron was out of stock?"

“I went to the military merchant corps,” Gao Jiano said casually.

Lohar didn't ask further, but instead said, "Apothecary Taf, although you've sold the formula to us, at least in my opinion, the preparation of Cisron is quite difficult. Could you demonstrate it for our apothecary?"

“Of course, we’ll pay a fee,” he added. “How about one hundred gold coins?”

“Okay,” Gao Jiano said.

Lohar smiled and exchanged a glance with Colin beside him.

Gao Jiano remained expressionless, silently eating his fruit.

The fruit served in the VIP section is very expensive.

But he didn't appreciate its deliciousness.

At the same time, as the situation in the ring became clear, the cheers of the audience quickly changed.

"Haha, I knew it! Robert would win!" the victorious gambler cheered.

"I've made another killing! Today I'm definitely ordering the hottest girl ever! And I'm also going to drink a bottle of Lulabel!"

"Hey buddy, you know Ellie? That prodigy from the entertainment district who claims to have 'more years of experience than her age,' I'm going to call her tonight!"

Losing gamblers, on the other hand, are consumed by regret and curses.

“I should have stopped just now. I should have made two hundred silver coins today, but instead I lost fifty! No, I have to win it back…”

"Pah! What Valkyrie? Women should get out of the ring!"

"Cassica, go find a job in Pleasure Street. Broken Finger Alley isn't for you!"

"That's right, if you go to work at Happy Street, I will always support you!"

Amidst the overwhelming insults and abuse, Casca still tried to get up, her forearms struggling to support her on the ground, her whole body trembling violently.

Her clenched teeth appeared exceptionally white against her wheat-colored skin, until a hint of red appeared between them.

"cough."

Then, with a soft cough, fresh blood gushed from her mouth like a burst dam!

A pool of blood quickly formed, and Casca collapsed in it, completely powerless, only able to breathe weakly.

Robert was about to launch another attack.

The goblin referee quickly stepped forward and blocked him with his hand: "Calm down, buddy. Don't forget your oath before the battle, and don't forget you're a Mosaic!"

"Hmph." Robert snorted softly, but abandoned his plan to attack again. Instead, he turned to face the audience and raised his arms in a shout.

"Robert! Robert!"

"The invincible blue beast!"

Amidst the cheers of the audience, the money and honor were returned to their rightful owners.

The light screen over the arena also temporarily disappeared.

Casca was carried off the arena, and at the same time, a priest stepped forward and cast a spell. Several flashes of holy light quickly roused her from her severe injuries and unconsciousness. The moment she opened her eyes, Casca abruptly rose from the ground and made a dodging motion.

"The battle is over," a deacon from the Iron Fist Brotherhood said calmly.

Casca also realized what had happened, her face turning pale: "I...I lost?"

Yes, you lost.

The pastor added, "You just used a second-circle healing spell, a first-circle healing spell, as well as Restoration and Tranquility... all of which have been added to your debt."

This annoyed Casca: "I told you I don't need Heal or Calm!"

The pastor dismissed it: "Go talk to the chairman."

After saying that, he turned and left, showing no sign of the warmth and compassion that Mosaic doctrine requires of clergy.

Casca was helpless about this.

She just pursed her lips, slammed her fist heavily on the ground, her face full of resentment: "If only I could be faster!"

Just then, a gruff voice came from not far away: "Casca, what's your decision?"

Casca turned around and saw Lohar walking towards her. Behind Lohar were a familiar-looking gangster and a stranger in a cloak.

"What?" She was slightly taken aback.

Lohar didn't find it strange; he simply waved and then turned to leave.

Casca frowned slightly and pondered for a while, then seemed to finally remember something, and quickly followed Lohar, soon arriving at an inconspicuous room.

As she entered, Colin, who had been waiting by the door, closed it.

"Click."

The heavy door clearly had a sophisticated structure, and the sound of it closing was accompanied by a crisp metallic clang.

The room immediately fell silent, shutting out the noise from the boxing ring.

Lohar sat down in a large chair in the center of the room, next to a handsome man with long silver hair—Nils.

Niels was trimming his nails with a small knife, the elegant movement looking more like some kind of makeup application.

He paused, glancing at the unfamiliar Gao Jiano: "Who is this?"

“The creator of the Cisron Potion.” Lohar picked up a bottle of wine and took a few sips as casually as if it were water. “Of course, the potion is now ours, so I’ve asked him to demonstrate how it’s made for you.”

Niels nodded without saying anything, continuing his elegant, almost makeup-like nail trimming, occasionally parting his pink lips to blow a breath.

Gao Jiano appeared to show no reaction, but his heart skipped a beat the moment he saw Niels.

He knew, of course, that Nils was a member of the Iron Fist Brotherhood, but he never imagined that Nils was also a pharmacist.

His next task was to demonstrate for Niels.

After Casca entered, she seemed a little lost and stood there blankly, saying, "Boss."

Lohar said, "I told you about a potion before, the Sithron potion. It can quickly enhance your strength, making you faster and stronger. Do you remember it?"

“I remember,” Casca nodded.

Lohar continued, "The Sithron serum was out of stock for a while, but now the Brotherhood has the formula, and we can have as much as we need. I've given you a good chance to consider it, so what's your decision?"

Casca looked down at the ground not far away, a hint of hesitation appearing on her pretty face.

Colin stood behind Lohar, looking directly at her: "The Sithron serum has the side effect of reducing lifespan, but its effects are powerful enough. Apart from the combination potion, it's almost the only one that can quickly make someone stronger."

"You don't seem to know that your opponent Robert is a seasoned user of Cislon, having consumed a full ten bottles of it!" he added.

"So, he doesn't have many years left to live?" Casca asked.

“You could say that,” Colin said. “But he could earn enough in these few years to last a lifetime, and if he’s willing to drink another bottle or two, he could even earn enough for two lifetimes!”

He then changed the subject: "And you, or rather most people, work hard every day, just to make money."

Casca remained silent.

Lohar said, "To be honest, Casca, I admire you. You could have chosen an easier way to make money, like your good friend. But you're a natural warrior, just sometimes a little slow on the uptake."

He paused for a moment, then continued, “Why not change your perspective? This doesn’t violate your principles. Even the gods allow the use of Sithron Potion in the arena. Only the most pedantic apothecaries and priests would object to it! You are still a warrior, a hero. You can also make a lot of money from this and let you and your best friend live a carefree life from now on.”

Casca's expression finally changed.

After a moment's hesitation, she couldn't help but ask, "Boss, if I choose to use the Cislon potion, how much money can I make?"

“That’s not up to me,” Lohar chuckled. “Think about it, you challenge the boxing champion and bet on yourself to win—and then you actually win, how much money could you make? A thousand gold coins, ten thousand gold coins, it all depends on your confidence! The more confident you are, the more money you can make!”

He continued, "You can bring your friends along, and of course, you can borrow money from me—I'll lend you a large sum. Then you'll win big in both the boxing ring and the casino, making all those gamblers who look down on you lose everything!"

Casca was clearly tempted.

However, having worked under Lohar for many years, she was still somewhat familiar with Lohar's style of doing things.

So after a moment's thought, she asked, "Does the Sithron potion cost money?"

“Of course,” Lohar nodded.

“Just like the training I provide for you, just like the healing the priest gives you, what in this world doesn’t cost money?” he said matter-of-factly.

Casca kept her head down.

Lohar continued, "Fifty gold coins for a bottle of Sithron potion, on your debt."

One bottle costs fifty gold coins!
Upon hearing Lohar's answer, Gaucano couldn't help but open his eyes wide.

Something that costs only a few silver coins to produce is being sold for fifty gold coins.

Many minor potions only cost a little over a hundred gold coins per bottle!
So dark!

(End of this chapter)