Mercenary Wars

Chapter 189 I have a friend

After hearing Lohar's offer, Casca lowered her head and pondered for a while.

Gao Jiano also pondered for a moment.

From a purely profit-making perspective, at first glance, the conditions offered by Lohar seem quite good.

After all, Lohar now has a monopoly on Syslon, so there's no competition and no price he can set is considered expensive.

Based on this, boxers can indeed rapidly enhance their strength by using large amounts of Synthron, thereby manipulating the match to some extent and then making huge profits in casinos.

But upon closer examination, it becomes clear that this logic for making money simply cannot withstand scrutiny.

It costs boxers a lot of money, at least several hundred gold coins, to buy medicine from Lohar. They obviously can't afford that amount themselves, otherwise they wouldn't be boxers.

If they want to buy medicine, they can only take on huge debts and accept further exploitation from Lohar.

If they want to make money at the casino, making small amounts is fine, but if they want to make big money, they need to borrow money, and they can almost only borrow from Lohar—no one else will or dares to lend money to a group of boxers who owe Lohar hundreds of gold coins.

By borrowing money from Lohar and then profiting at the casino, it's safe to assume that most of the profits will go to Lohar.

In the end, the boxer can only make a small amount of money, which may not even be enough to pay off the cost of the medicine.

Even more critically, Lohar could turn the tide again simply by giving another boxer more Synthron.

For just a few dozen silver coins, Lohar can make a boxer who was originally in a winning position lose everything, along with his honor and money.

It's fair to say that without Synthol, boxers are just struggling laborers barely surviving.

After drinking the Sithron potion, the boxer became a complete slave, his life, death, poverty, and status entirely in Lohar's hands.

Just look at what happened to Jarrell to understand.

The once-renowned boxing champion died without ever paying off his debts.

If it weren't for the outbreak of war giving him an opportunity, he probably would have worked for Lohar until his death, and his son Jarrell Jr.'s life would have been completely hopeless.

After only half a second of thought, Gaucano realized it was a trap.

After thinking for two more seconds, he realized that this was not only a trap, but a bottomless trap.

But the reason he was able to make the right judgment so quickly was mainly because he knew the true cost of the Syslon drug and was also aware of the fate of the legendary boxer Jarrell.

Casca was clearly unaware of these things.

Moreover, this girl is a bit slow-witted. Gao Jiano had already noticed this in their limited interactions.

After careful consideration, Casca finally said, "Boss, I'm willing to use the Sithron serum!"

Lohar smiled and said, "I knew it. Someone as smart as you would make the right choice!"

Colin chimed in, "You're lucky to have a boss like Lockhart, hurry up and thank him!"

“Oh… thank you, boss.” Casca scratched her head.

Gao Jiano, on the other hand, was starting to have a headache.

Originally, the deal for the Sithron potion formula was only worth 2,500 gold coins to him, and he had no reason to refuse.

But now, he suddenly realizes that his choice will indirectly contribute to the tragedy.

He didn't care much about the misfortunes of strangers.

But Casca was someone he knew, and he couldn't bear to watch her be pushed into the fire.

Just then, Lohar turned to him and said, "Apothecary Taf, now you will demonstrate to Nils how to make the Sithron Potion."

Niels looked at Gaucano.

Gaucano also looked at Nils.

Gaucano had to admit that Nils's stunning beauty had an amazing charm.

He believed that there must be countless people who admired Nils, both men and women, both straight and gay.

Such looks are enough to defeat everything.

Except hatred.

Gaucano harbored hatred towards Niels, so this face, so beautiful that it transcended gender and sexual orientation, not only failed to ignite his passion but also chilled his mind.

Then an idea popped into his mind.

Or... should we take out Lohar and Niels?

If they can eliminate Loja and Niels, all the dilemmas Gaugano is currently facing will disappear.

The 2,500 gold coins are still his, and he might even get more.

Moreover, there is no moral burden involved; it is both revenge and the elimination of evil, making the mindset even more relaxed than when fighting enemies on the battlefield.

The room is also secluded enough with excellent soundproofing; as long as the operation is quick, no one outside will notice.

The biggest problem is that the combat is quite difficult.

Niels is a level six, and his combat strength is not weak.

Lohar is level seven, and his combat strength is unknown, but it should be at least similar to Niels'.

He wasn't afraid of facing one of them individually, but he was confident of victory against both. And if a quick victory was desired, it was practically impossible.

but……

There were two other potential allies in the room, Casca and Colin.

He hadn't had much contact with Casca, but he was certain that once he revealed his true identity, Casca would choose to help him. Unfortunately, the girl's level was too low, and her combat strength was limited; she probably wouldn't be of much help.

Colin was quite strong, but Gaucano had some doubts about his stance. Gaucano used to have a good impression of Colin, but what he had seen in the last few hours made him feel that the guy was a bit obsequious and always trying to curry favor with Lohar.

If he were to fight Lockhart, would Colin really help him?
If Colin chooses to side with him, it will undoubtedly greatly increase his chances of winning.

After all, Colin is quite skilled, and as Lohar's confidant, his betrayal will certainly have a surprise effect.

Gaucano's mind raced.

Until Nils said with a half-smile, "Taft Pharmacist?"

Gao Jiano snapped out of his daze and immediately heard a burst of laughter: "Hahaha!"

Lohar was laughing loudly and patted him on the shoulder: "Dude, Niels is beautiful, isn't he?"

Gaucano then realized that Lohar and Nils had taken his momentary lapse in concentration as romantic infatuation.

This was perfectly normal, so normal that Niels didn't even find it offensive, and even had a smile on his face—a provocative smile.

Gao Jiano felt nauseous.

Dead transvestite!
His thinking increasingly leaned towards going all the way!
Kill that transvestite, kill Lohar!
So he suddenly said, "I have a friend who told me a story. But I'm not sure if the story is true, so I wanted to ask you."

"What story?" Lohar and Nils were both curious.

Gaugano slowly began, “The story of Jarel.”

Jarrell is not a very common name; at least within the Brotherhood of Iron Fists, the only thing most people can think of when they hear this name is that of the boxing champion.

Lohar, Nils, Colin, and Casca were no exception.

Gaucano observed their expressions and continued, "According to that friend, Jarrell used to be a second-rate boxer here until he started using the Cisron serum, is that right?"

“That’s right!” Lohar nodded. “That’s why the Sithron potion is so amazing. It can turn a second-rate boxer into a champion, and at least at the fourth-level competition level!”

Gaucano added, "Indeed, even someone like me who doesn't know much about boxing knows the name Jarrell, which speaks volumes about his record in the ring. But I heard that Jarrell never paid off his debts before he died?"

Lohar fell silent, his smile freezing on his face.

Casca looked thoughtful.

Gaucano paused for a moment, seemingly building up the atmosphere.

In reality, he was just organizing his thoughts, because what he was about to say was mostly just speculation.

He stared at Lohar: "The conditions you offered Jarrell were also to allow him to take out loans to use the Cisron drug and then manipulate the match."

“Jarrell originally thought he could make a lot of money, but in reality, you always got the most profit because the capital he used to bet was all lent to him by you. Moreover, the money you bet alone can significantly affect the odds, diluting the profits of other winners, so that Jarrell can never make as much money as he imagined.”

"So even though Jarel's record was amazing, he didn't earn much money and died with a debt of thirty-five gold coins to you."

"He died in the recent war, and his son was knighted and granted a fief. You didn't miss this opportunity to make money, so you sent your men to collect debts from this poor child..."

Upon hearing Gao Jiano's account, the expressions of the people present changed visibly.

Casca realized that her choice might have been a complete mistake, and a look of realization and anger flashed across her face. She clenched her fists and stared at Lohar, but dared not speak out.

Lohar and Niels's expressions darkened.

Colin, who had been expressionless, quickly adopted a hostile expression after seeing his boss's displeasure, glaring fiercely at him.

"Who told you all this? Little Jarrell?" Niels asked, having already stopped trimming his nails.

Gaucano shrugged slightly: "So this story is true?"

Lohar stroked his beard, his previous politeness completely gone, replaced by a hint of threat as he said, "So what if it is?"

Ignoring their change in attitude, Gaucano continued, "I'm curious, Lohar, do you treat only the boxers this way, or do you treat all your subordinates like pathetic slaves, relentlessly deceiving, exploiting, and draining their resources?"

Niels's fierce tone made his naturally gentle voice turn cold: "This has nothing to do with you. You and we only have a business relationship. Don't meddle in things that aren't your business!"

“I bet Lohar treats you well,” Gaucano said with a hint of amusement.

Unexpectedly, this sentence somehow made Niels break down.

Gaucano could see that the man's face turned pale and then flushed.

Immediately afterwards, Nils flipped his right hand, changing his grip on the knife from a light pinch to a tight grip—clearly the posture of holding a weapon.

The atmosphere instantly became tense as the weapon grip posture was revealed.

Lohar slammed his fist on the table: "What exactly are you trying to say?!"

As Lohar's loyal henchman, Colin quickly pulled out a dagger, staring menacingly at Gaucano, looking like a classic villainous thug from a theatrical gang.

Gao Jiano's expression remained unchanged: "What I want to say is that the friend who told me this story is a brave and upright person. We participated in a thrilling test together, and I also know that he dared to enter the Tide Land blindfolded. He also has a strong sense of justice and is hostile to all injustices..."

Upon hearing this, Colin was stunned, a look of disbelief on his face.

After all, he had only told one person about entering the Tide Lands blindfolded.

Therefore, he quickly realized the true identity of the so-called "Taf Pharmacist" in front of him.

Gaucano.

This instantly extinguished Colin's fierce expression, replaced by shame. His gaze darted away, and his right hand, gripping the weapon, gradually loosened.

Seeing the change in Colin's expression, Gao Jiano continued, "However, he himself is suffering injustice. Like the boxers, my friend also has a terrible boss who wants to get out but is bound by the contract and has to do things he doesn't want to do."

He paused briefly, his gaze meeting Colin's several times: "To be honest, I want to help him out of this situation, but I'm a little unsure if he's willing to help me..."

He noticed that Colin clenched his fist.

(End of this chapter)