Mercenary Wars

Chapter 208 Xiaohei
Talking to animals is not an easy or pleasant process; its biggest drawback is its extremely low efficiency, repetitive nature, and constant chatter.

In addition, you also need to take care of the animals' emotions from time to time. Their emotions are very rich and intense, but their understanding is much more limited, just like that of a human child.

When the purpose of the conversation is to inform the other party of the death of their owner, the process of communication is naturally more strenuous.

After a full few minutes of preparation, Gao Jiano finally told Xiao Hei about Hicks's death.

"You're lying to the bear!" Upon hearing the news, Little Black's first reaction was disbelief, shaking its enormous head repeatedly. "Master won't die, he's never died!"

“I swear to Mosa…” Gaucano realized that Xiao Hei did not believe Mosa, so he changed his words, “I swear to Mother Earth, I am telling the truth, Hicks did indeed die in battle.”

Most bear-type magical beasts have a simple faith in Mother Earth, so Little Black can understand this oath.

Seeing Gao Gano's solemn expression, the black bear's eyes immediately filled with evasion and fear: "Impossible, Master won't die. He said he would give me a whole Okarigan tuna, and he also said he would take me on a boat trip next time..."

“Nobody wanted this to happen, but it’s the way it is,” Gao Jiano tried to comfort Xiao Hei.

But the black bear seemed not to hear, continuing to mutter to itself, and visibly growing agitated, occasionally shaking its head and letting out rapid roars: "Roar—"

After a while, it suddenly raised its head, staring straight at Gao Jiano, and a deep voice came from between its fangs: "You must be lying to me! Human, I'll give you one more chance to tell the truth, tell me that your master is not dead!"

Gaucano felt a headache coming on.

He was about to say something more.

Little Black interrupted without waiting for a reply, saying, "Tell the truth! Roar!"

Gao Jiano was silent for a moment, then took out Hicks' collar: "This is what Hicks asked me to bring to you."

The black bear was taken aback.

It then took a few steps closer, looked around, and sniffed the collar, its eyes gradually widening.

A few seconds later, it suddenly started howling.

"Awooo—Awooo!" The huge black bear lay on the ground, letting out a heart-wrenching howl, while tears streamed down its face, crying like a ten-thousand-pound child.

The deafening howl made Gaucano's ears ring. Luckily, the Hicks' house was in a remote location and it was a busy time of day, otherwise, who knows how many people would have come knocking on the door.

Even so, Gao Jiano quickly stepped forward to stroke his fur and offered various words of comfort.

Little Black ignored them and cried even louder: "Awooo—"

Until Gaucano asked, "Is this ring yours?"

Between sobs, Little Black said haltingly, "Yes, this is the collar I wore when I was little... Later, my owner held a coming-of-age ceremony for me and took it off, so this is my last collar, aww..."

Gaucano nodded, then thought for a moment and asked, "Do you remember what Hicks said to you at the Bear Coming-of-Age Ceremony?"

Little Black continued wailing, "My master said that from now on I'm all grown up... He wants me to be a sensible and strong man... Waaaaah..."

"Did you do it?" Gao Jiano said. "I think a truly strong man wouldn't cry easily, right?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hei's crying suddenly subsided, turning from a heart-wrenching wail into intermittent sobs, and he buried his head on the ground, whimpering.

Gao Jiano breathed a sigh of relief and continued to stroke Xiao Hei's fur.

After a while, Xiao Hei finally calmed down and raised its head: "Who killed the master?"

“I’d like to know too.” Gao Jiano shook his head slightly.

Considering that a black bear is physically strong but simple-minded, he felt it was best not to tell Little Black any information that could be used to seek revenge.

He continued, "Hicks didn't tell me who killed him. I'm not even entirely sure if he died at the hands of someone. Before he died, all he wanted was for me to find you and for you to become an independent and strong man."

"Waaah..." Little Black sobbed softly again, tears welling up in his huge bear eyes with every blink.

Gao Jiano changed the subject: "Besides that, he only mentioned a place to me called 'Sentinel Stone Town.' Do you know what that place is?"

Xiao Hei wiped away his tears: "What town?"

"Shaoshi Town".

"What stone town?"

It took Xiao Hei a full half minute to finally understand the place name Gao Jiano was referring to: "Oh, that's the place! I know it. I even went there with my master when I was little!"

It shook its head: "But that was the most boring place I've ever been. It was full of sand and rocks, and it was so hot it could kill a bear!"

“But Master has a good friend there.” It thought for a moment, “His name is Scarface—because of an old scar on his face. Scarface is the best chef in Sentry Rock Town!”

As he spoke the last sentence, a little drool dripped from Xiao Hei's mouth, indicating that Lao Ba's cooking skills were indeed quite good.

Gao Jianuo thought for a while.

Sentrystone Town is an ordinary place name. When he inquired beforehand, he heard that there were three towns with the same name, located in the Kingdom of Lawson, the County of Asur, and the Kingdom of Norton respectively. He had no way of knowing which one Hicks was referring to.

Now, with the information Xiao Hei provided, he can finally make a judgment.

The town of Sentinel in the County of Asur.

After all, when people mention "sand and stones," this country is the first one that comes to mind.

Asur is a vast country, the largest of all the county states in terms of land area, almost comparable to a kingdom. However, more than 90% of its land is desert, hence it has always been known as the "desert country".

In contrast, the Kingdom of Norton is covered in ice and snow, and the Kingdom of Lawson is crisscrossed by waterways, neither of which matches Xiao Hei's description of "sand and stones everywhere".

Therefore, without a doubt, the Sentinel Town that Hicks mentioned could only be the Sentinel Town in the County of Asur.

Despite confirming the location of Sentinelstone, Gaugano still didn't know Hicks's purpose.

He could only reasonably guess that Hicks wanted him to take Little Black to Old Scar for care.

Thinking about this, Gao Jiano couldn't help but feel a little troubled.

After all, he had no interest in the Asur Desert; it was remote, barren, and deserted, and nobody liked going there.

Besides, we also need to bring a bear along.

Therefore, after some thought, Gaucano simply decided to wash his hands of the matter. He didn't feel any obligation towards it; Hicks's belongings could simply be left to his relatives.

As for Xiao Hei, although it has lost its owner, Gao Jiano believes that it will not have any worries about life.

After all, Blackie was arguably the creature closest to Hicks. Before leaving Southshore, Hicks had asked the Hunter's Guild to take care of it, and someone would come to deliver food every now and then.

Later on, Little Black, as a level six magical beast trained from a young age, would have complete registration information in the Hunter's Guild, and there would definitely be hunters willing to adopt it. Gao Jiano, however, had no interest in raising bears. In fact, he had no interest in raising most magical beasts; according to his observation, many hunters spent almost as much energy raising magical beasts as raising children.

So he told Xiao Hei some everyday stories and inspirational quotes, and then left.

Watching Gao Jiano climb over the wall and leave, Xiao Hei stared blankly for a moment, then turned around, hugged his collar, and started sobbing again: "Awoooooo..."

When Gao Jiano returned home, he rested for a while and then began to pack his things.

"Boss, are you going to Ax?" Darius ran over and asked.

“Yes,” Gao Jiano said as he packed his things, “There’s nothing worth staying in Southsea Town anymore.”

For him now, Southshore is a barren and dangerous place. It's difficult for him to access deeper knowledge here, and the great victory in the Dibto War has distanced Southshore from the war, greatly reducing the opportunities for legal killing.

This place can no longer provide him with resources and opportunities, and may even get him into trouble.

The deaths of Lohar and Nils, and the bloody annihilation of the Grey Eagle mercenary group, made him want to get away from Southsea Town.

Gaucano's philosophy of life also leaned towards travel rather than staying put, a consistent pattern from the countryside to Driftwood, and from Driftwood to Southsea. He believed that traveling far was the only way to find more opportunities.

Upon hearing the news, Daryls was somewhat excited, but then a hint of hesitation appeared on her face.

Gao Jiano noticed her unusual behavior and asked as he put a wardrobe full of clothes into his storage ring, "What's wrong?"

Darius: "Boss, do you still remember that Oracle Chest?"

"You mean Sindragosa's Oracle Chest?" Gaugano suddenly remembered; he had almost forgotten about it.

Daryls nodded.

Gaucano: "You've decided to carry out the oracle?"

Darlis hesitated and said, "I do want to carry out the divine decree, but my power alone is not enough."

"I'll help you," Gao Jiano said, continuing to pack his things.

Daryls replied, "Your help might not be enough, mainly because we need money, a lot of money..."

She wasn't quite sure about Gaucano's net worth.

Especially in recent months, Gaucano's wealth has skyrocketed, with the assets of Loja and Nils alone making him a fortune.

Gao Jiano asked, "Is five hundred gold coins enough?"

“Not enough,” Darlis shook her head. “It might cost one or two thousand gold coins, or even more.”

One or two thousand gold coins.

That's a lot of money.

Gao Jiano frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "I can help you pay this money, but in return, you must work for me for an additional ten years."

Darliss answered without hesitation: "Deal!"

Her attitude made Gaugano even more curious about what exactly was in Sindragosa's Oracle Chest.
Daris clearly guessed his thoughts: "Two thousand gold coins are enough. There are some dangers, but I've already investigated, and the two of us should be able to handle them... If you're sure you want to help me, I'll tell you the contents of the oracle?"

Gao Jianuo nodded.

All Oracle Chests come with a confidentiality clause. Revealing the contents of an oracle to others means that you must carry out the oracle, or you will incur divine punishment.

When Darius saw him nod, she said, "The oracle commands me to awaken the undead—through a necromancy potion and a specific magical ritual."

Gaucano frowned slightly: "Awaken the dead..."

Darius: "Don't be prejudiced against the undead. The undead awakened by the Undead Awakening Potion are all intelligent undead. They are just like people, some are good and some are bad. Look, aren't I a good undead?"

Gao Jiano nodded without saying anything.

Darius continued, "All I need to do is awaken one undead, and I can get what's in the chest: a dwarf transformation mask!"

Gao Jiano was taken aback at first, then looked on in disbelief: "A shape-shifting mask?!"

Darlis nodded emphatically, her tone becoming excited: "That's right, it's a transformation mask that allows me to transform my physical body! As long as I wear it, I can become a real flesh and blood body, and even an eighth-ring magic detector won't be able to detect it!"

Gaucano was also somewhat shocked and greatly interested.

Darius's identity as an undead has always been a question.

In Southsea Town, it's alright. After all, it's a small place where important figures are rarely seen. There are almost no people who can use detection magic of the fourth ring or higher. As long as you keep a low profile, no one will notice anything unusual.

But in Ax City, level 10 spellcasters are not uncommon, and many people can see through Dariss's true form.

To solve this problem, Gaucano originally planned to buy a house for Darlis in the suburbs of Ax or a nearby town. Although there were many inconveniences, it was better than being discovered.

Now he has another option—the Shapeshifting Mask. The Shapeshifting Mask is a treasure coveted by all the undead. With it, the undead can gain an identity that is almost absolutely real as a normal living being, so it's no wonder that Dariss is so eager to obtain it.

In fact, the Blood Magic Notebook records some of the methods for making shapeshifting masks, but due to the high barrier to entry and the scarcity of materials, Gao Jiano never thought he could make a shapeshifting mask.

There is now a shapeshifting mask in the Oracle Chest of Sindragosa.

Although it's just a "dwarf transformation mask" that can only turn the wearer into a dwarf, dwarfs are a legitimate race anyway. With this mask, he can keep Dalisa by his side and doesn't have to worry about appearing in public.

Moreover, in certain situations, he can also use the shape-shifting mask to cause trouble.

This is much more powerful than disguise magic.

Buying a transformation mask for two thousand gold coins, even if it only turns you into a dwarf, is definitely a worthwhile deal.

However, Gao Jiano quickly realized something: "Awakening a necromancer shouldn't cost more than two thousand gold coins, right? At least, as far as I know, the value of a necromancer awakening potion is about the same as a minor potion."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Dariss's face: "It won't cost two thousand gold coins, but what if the spell fails? It's always good to prepare more spell-casting materials."

“Moreover, if I awaken enough undead, Sindragosa will bestow additional rewards,” she added, her tone tinged with excitement. “I might become one of His chosen ones!”

"Okay." Gao Jianuo nodded.

He changed the subject: "Where do we go to awaken the spirits of the dead?"

Darlis: "The Asur Desert, or more precisely, the Southern Asur Desert."

(End of this chapter)