Mercenary Wars

Chapter 193 The Scroll of Revelation
The two talked for a while.

Gaucano recounted the story Colin had fabricated for him, then turned and left.

Peter did not doubt this.

Moreover, it's conceivable that after some time, even if Peter realizes something is wrong, he might not be willing to investigate the truth, and might even help cover it up.

After all, the Iron Fist Brotherhood is not an organization of brotherhood and harmony. With Lohar and Nils gone missing, Peter became the de facto leader, and from a self-interest perspective, he would obviously want to maintain this situation.

It's fair to say that the Iron Fist Brotherhood is relatively easy to deal with.

However, this does not mean that Gaucano and his two companions can rest easy from now on.

Nils was all alone, but for Lohar, the Brotherhood wasn't everything.

In fact, Lohar had a whole bunch of children with different mothers. He wasn't a good father and was indifferent to the byproducts of his play, but there was no doubt that his women and children had ample motivation to seek him out.

In order to delay the time for the truth to be revealed as much as possible, Gaucano, under the guidance of Colin and Casca, impersonated Lohar again and said goodbye to some of Lohar's wives and children.

Of course, he mainly targeted mothers and children who were not favored and not very familiar with Lohar, so as not to arouse suspicion. He also had to pretend to be drunk, mumble a few brief farewells, and leave immediately.

However, with Gaugano's two successful impersonations, the fact that "Loja and Nils were away for several months" has been known and corroborated by more and more people.

At least for the time being, no one will doubt their disappearance.

During this time, Casca successfully helped Ellie redeem herself, and Colin also made all the necessary arrangements. They then prepared to leave Southshore with Gaucano.

Gaucano, however, did not leave with them.

After all, his travel speed far exceeded that of ordinary people, at least far exceeding that of Colin, Casca, and Ellie. If they traveled together, it would inevitably slow down his journey.

So when Colin and his two companions rented a carriage and prepared to leave, Gaucano simply stood at the town gate to see them off.

"When do you plan to leave?" Colin asked.

“It might be soon,” Gao Jiano smiled. “I might even arrive in the Kingdom of Sein before you do.”

He talked with a few people for a while.

Then it suddenly occurred to him: "By the way, Colin, do you know where Reverend Henry's grave is?"

Colin: "Enrique was burned at the stake, so there was no body, and his ashes are theoretically forbidden to be collected. However, Nils often went to pray at an unmarked grave by the sea. No one knew whose grave it was before, but now it seems that Enrique should be buried there."

"Where is the nameless grave?" Gaucano took out a map and asked Colin to point out the location.

Colin pointed to the map: "On the sea cliff southwest of Southsea Town, there's a crooked tree nearby, that's probably it."

Gaucano nodded, and then the two said their goodbyes. Colin and the other two rode north in a carriage.

A few hours later.

Following Colin's description, Gaucano found an unmarked grave by the sea.

The grave looked ordinary, even somewhat simple, like it was built by a rural farmer and wouldn't attract anyone's attention. The only special thing about it was that the tombstone was smooth and flat, without any patterns or words engraved on it.

Gao Jiano retrieved Nils's body from his storage ring.

Niels' blood had been completely collected, and he had long since become a dried-up corpse.

Even though he was a mummified corpse, Nils's appearance was still very delicate, and he seemed to have died peacefully. Therefore, his features were not as ferocious as those of many war dead. Instead, his eyes were closed and his expression was relaxed.

Gaucano looked at Nils's corpse: "This is the grave of Reverend Enrique, isn't it?"

The corpse didn't respond.

Gaucano said to himself, "If it's not here, it's not my fault, since you didn't even tell me where Enrique's grave is."

After saying that, he dug up the grave and opened the coffin.

There was no body inside the coffin, only some miscellaneous items, a faded priest's robe, and a few charred bones.

This should be the place.

Gao Jiano nodded to himself, then placed Nils's body inside and took out a bottle of powder to sprinkle on it: "Here's a free bottle of 'preservative powder,' and our deal is done."

After sprinkling the preservative powder, Gao Jiano took one last look at Nils's corpse, and couldn't help but recall the words spoken by Nils's clone.

Those words almost completely overturned his ideas.

Niels was not violated by the priest Enrique, nor did he buy Behelit's Oracle Chest, and he might not even be as twisted and perverted as the rumors describe...

"It's really complicated," Gao Jiano shook his head, thinking to himself.

He then closed the coffin again and buried the grave.

Before leaving, he suddenly had the idea to use his spiritual vision, but unfortunately he saw nothing; clearly there were no souls nearby.

This made him wonder: Where does a person's soul go after they die?
Theology and mysticism offer some answers to this question, but they are vague and, at least, insufficient to satisfy Gaucaneau.

With a sense of contemplation about his soul, Gaucano returned to South Beach Town along the coast.

As we passed the port, I suddenly saw a familiar figure getting off the ship.

Lucius.

Lucius seemed a little impatient; before the ship even docked, he jumped ashore. As a level seven warrior, he was still agile, except for his stiff right prosthetic arm, which showed a lack of coordination in his movements.

He landed not far from Gaugano.

He also noticed Gaucano: "Did you just get back from the sea too?"

“No, Commander, I just took a stroll on the beach,” Gaucano said. Lucius nodded, then smiled. “Let’s go back to camp together. I happen to have some good news to tell you.”

“Okay.” The two set off together toward the Gray Eagle camp, chatting occasionally along the way.

"Commander, I heard that Nanhai Town is going to become 'Nanhai City'?" Gao Jiano asked.

“Yes, Southsea Town meets all the conditions for establishing a city, and Mayor Wilson is ready to submit his application to the Duke,” Lucius said, glancing at the streets ahead and on both sides, his eyes filled with reminiscence.

"Gaucano, how old are you this year?"

“Twenty-two years old,” Gao Jiano said.

Lucius spoke almost to himself: "Twenty-two years old, that's about the age I came to Southshore. Back then, Southshore wasn't as bustling as it is today. Wilson wasn't the mayor, just the sheriff. I helped him fight bandits and trolls, and watched more and more people settle here..."

Gaucano: "Back then, Southshore was frequently attacked by bandits and trolls?"

Lucius: "Pretty much. As the town expanded, we needed to constantly compete for troll hunting grounds, reclaim the desolate wilderness, and absorb immigrants and caravans from all over. At that time, the Grey Eagle Mercenary Group was more like a makeshift adventure team. Fortunately, we had an endless stream of business..."

As he spoke, he suddenly burst out laughing: "Do I look a bit like an old man?"

“No, everyone can see that your passion even surpasses that of many young people,” Gao Jiano said.

This is not flattery. At least in the past, Lucius was indeed a passionate and ambitious man, and only such a person could be the leader of a mercenary group.

However, Lucius's self-deprecation was not without reason. Since losing his right hand, he had visibly become depressed, and his former passion was gone.

Especially after the end of the Dibto War, the unprecedented victory and the anticipated long-term peace made Southsea Town increasingly prosperous, but caused the Grey Eagle Mercenary Group to gradually decline.

As they walked along the street toward the Grey Eagle camp, they saw a scene that was gradually becoming deserted.

Against this backdrop, Lucius, as the leader of the mercenary group, inevitably "acts like an old man."

“There’s nothing wrong with being old.” Lucius’s smile faded, and his tone became calm. “Everyone gets old. Actually, I’ve already thought it through. After this mission is over, everyone will be free to decide their own and the mercenary group’s future. You can all find other ways to make a living, and the mercenary group might as well disband.”

Gaucano was surprised and, after a brief silence, asked, "What is this mission?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Lucius said, keeping everyone in suspense before changing the subject. "By the way, go and inform the vice-captains and veteran mercenaries to come to the council chamber."

Upon arriving at the Gray Eagle camp, Gao Jiano summoned several vice-captains and veteran mercenaries to the council hall.

He finally informed Cassandra, and they chatted for a while longer before heading to the council chamber together.

“Lucius is finally back. I thought he didn’t want to be the captain anymore,” Cassandra complained.

"Has he been gone for a long time?" Gaucano asked.

“Yes, he doesn’t even care about the mercenary group as much as he cares about you now,” Cassandra joked.

Gaucano remained noncommittal: "Lucius just said that after this mission is over, everyone will be free to decide their own and the mercenary group's whereabouts."

Cassandra looked surprised, but quickly regained her composure, as if she had expected this.

Gaucano looked up at her: "Cassandra, if the mercenary group disbands, where do you plan to go?"

“I…” Cassandra seemed not to have considered this question.

Gao Jiano immediately suggested, "I'm planning to go to the Kingdom of Sien, would you like to come along?"

"Why do you suddenly want to go to the Kingdom of Sien?" Cassandra asked.

“You know I’ve learned some magic, and I’d like to try my luck at the Ax Magic Academy. Maybe they’ll accept me,” Gao Jiano said. “Not just in magic, but in all fields, the Kingdom of Sien offers more opportunities than Nordanron, and the social atmosphere there is much more relaxed.”

After explaining, he suggested again, "How about it, Cassandra, let's go to Ax City together?"

"Let me think."

Cassandra began to consider it.

At the same time, the two arrived at the Grey Eagle Mercenary Group's council hall, where Lucius and a dozen others were already seated.

Gaugano and Cassandra also found seats.

After a while, when most of the people who were supposed to be there had arrived, Lucius, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

"Gentlemen, I have obtained a scroll of revelation that belongs to me in the Broken Isles." He took out a torn scroll with his left hand and showed it to everyone. "Through it, I have learned the location of a treasure."

Although revelation scrolls frequently circulated in the market as commodities, this did not prevent them from serving as treasure maps, and reliable ones at that. After all, the location of the treasure could only be revealed by tearing open the scroll.

Some voices of discussion arose.

Looking at everyone's expressions, Lucius continued, "The treasure is extremely rich, worth at least several hundred thousand gold coins, enough to make every official mercenary in the mercenary group a fortune."

Upon hearing this news, many people in the room became excited.

"Hundreds of thousands of gold coins!"

"By Mosa, this much money is more than you could earn in a thousand lifetimes of war!"

"Such a rich treasure must be hard to come by..."

Lucius nodded: "That's right, the treasure isn't so easy to obtain. At least, it's almost impossible for me to get it smoothly on my own. Even if I could get it, there's no way I could bring it back."

"Commander, where is the treasure located?" someone asked.

“On an island,” Lucius said, then added, “and it’s a deserted island where almost no ships go by, so we’ll need to rent a boat to get there.”

Then another person pondered and said, "Commander, I think we should do a divination to see if this treasure is really worth going for. If it is, how many people should we send?"

(End of this chapter)