Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"Thank you very much," Earl Xinmu walked up to Reslaufer during a break in the banquet and toasted him, saying in a low voice, "You can go and rest in a little while. We'll discuss the remuneration then."

Such reckless use of a barbarian mercenary came at a price. Among the nobility of the Empire, there was a rule: If you can't give them a golden bowl of wine, be prepared to use your own skull instead. Earl Xinmu had never questioned this rule, but it wasn't until he was immersed in the rusty air that he became a staunch believer in the warning.

But fortunately, he is the Earl of Xinmu City. Not only can he afford a golden bowl, he can also afford a whole set of golden plates, golden cups, golden knives and forks - as long as the giant sword with a bent blade is not against his head.

Thanks to the wealth of the organizers, the first banquet after the crisis in Xinmu City ended with both hosts and guests having a great time. However, when Earl Xinmu sent all the guests away and returned to the room, his face suddenly turned gloomy.

A man of unknown gender, wearing a black cloak, stood in his living room uninvited.

"If I remember correctly, you weren't on the guest list," the Earl instinctively wanted to call the guards, but when he saw the white scabbard on the man's waist, he gave up the idea. "Why would the famous 'White Blade' show up in my house at this time?"

"Anywhere a white blade appears, there is no need to report it to anyone except His Majesty the Emperor, Your Excellency." The voice of the visitor, hoarse as two stones rubbing against each other, was indistinguishable between male and female. "I come here on His Majesty's orders."

"Earlier, you claimed that Xinmu City was under attack by demons and could not respond to His Majesty's call. But now, it's time for you to make a choice, right?"

Chapter 92 The Emperor's Dog

"Choice? What choice?"

"My Lord, you are pretending to be confused..."

"Oh? Really? So I was just pretending to be confused?!" Count Xinmu blushed and raised his voice twice as loud as before. "I thought you were the fool!"

"While my subjects and I are fighting for our homeland, I ask you, where are you? Where is the support of our Emperor?!"

"White Blade appears anywhere, no need..."

"Stop the pretentiousness!" The Earl stepped forward, trying to suppress the other party and seize the initiative. "You've been here for a long time, right? You might even be here alone! But when Xinmu City was in crisis, you chose to remain silent and stand by and watch! Is this your attitude? Or is it His Majesty's attitude?"

Bai Ren was silent. He was not the one to answer such a question.

"You can lead your team to meet His Majesty," Bai Ren said slowly, "He will give you a satisfactory answer."

"Lead a team? You said lead a team?" The Earl laughed bitterly. "Are you deaf? Or blind? Three of Xinmu City's four arcane masters are dead! The major guilds have suffered heavy losses, and even one-third of my guards have been killed! What team do you want me to lead?"

Bai Ren's voice remained emotionless. "So, you're going to refuse His Majesty's call?"

"I said, I can't respond!" the Earl corrected him. "And the blame lies with you, the Blades! You stood by and watched under the banner of His Majesty, directly leading to my heavy losses!"

"Look outside, look at the ruins! Those corpses! We are facing unprecedented pressure! And all of this is due to you!"

"Come on! Keep up the lie that you only obey His Majesty?" The Earl snorted coldly, "I can't even spare the men to defend Xinmu City right now. I can't support him at all. Is this what Your Majesty wants?"

"You can recruit those civilians and travelers," Bai Ren reminded him, "Anyone over thirteen years old can be considered a youth, and those over five years old..."

"Snapped!"

Bai Ren responded with a resounding slap in the face: "Sew up your stupid asshole! How dare you manipulate 'my' subjects like this?!"

"I represent—"

"You represent nothing!" The Count punched his interlocutor on the nose again. "I am the Count of the Empire, and you are nothing but a shady lapdog! How dare you speak to me like that? Not even the Emperor's dog!"

"I will convey your words to His Majesty word for word." Bai Ren covered his nose and retreated. He could easily kill the nobleman, but a good dog could not pounce or bite before the master gave the order, and even barking was not allowed.

"Then get out of here! I'll report your disrespectful remarks to the emperor! Just wait and see!" The count beat and scolded the man and drove him out of the room through the window, muttering angrily, "Five years old... It's horrible! You're a monster! I should hang you like a monster too!"

"I'm not sure, should our payment include a noose?"

Outside the door, Reslaufer's voice happened to ring out. The guard who opened the door for the mercenary seemed a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know..."

"It's alright, that bastard's gone," the Earl waved his hand. When he saw five men, led by Reslaufer, enter the reception room one after another, he exaggeratedly opened his arms and gave the mercenaries a half-hearted hug. "Ah, Mr. Reslaufer! Welcome everyone!"

"Everything you have done for Xinmu City will never be forgotten. This city will always be open to you!"

"There's no need for such polite words." Reslaufer and the others had already changed into clean clothes. Although they were still plain compared to the Earl's, they were at least no longer bloody. "Did anyone come here just now? I hope you're not angry with us."

"How is that possible! I was just reprimanding a poorly disciplined dog," the Earl curled his lips. "He actually suggested that I conscript people over the age of five. I've never heard of that! Is there such a thing outside the Empire?"

"In the East Sea, a subterranean, evil subspecies of elves tests their people's poison resistance from the moment they are born," Vondar said, glancing at Reslaufer and waiting for him to shake his head. "But as you said, anyone who suggests such a practice in the Empire should be hanged as a demon."

"Thank you. I will mention this in my official letter of protest to Your Majesty." The Earl nodded gloomily. "It is hard to imagine what will become of our Lord if His Majesty is surrounded by people like this."

Or maybe the emperor of the empire specifically selected such people, Angelita thought to herself.

"Well, are you ready to go to Luoyang with your sword and explain the pros and cons to His Majesty?" The bard raised his hand and asked the question in a crazy way that people could hardly understand.

"I am the earl of the empire, and I am loyal to the empire," Count Xinmu shrugged and said, "Miss Daisy, your question goes too far."

The poet stuck out his tongue and fell silent after realizing that this was not a question that could be answered with a witty answer.

"But besides these questions, I am happy to provide you with all the assistance you can. After all, you are the benefactors of this city, Master Favi, and me." The Earl looked at Leslaufer and said, "Mr. Leslaufer, as long as it is within my reach, please feel free to ask for any reward."

"My weapons are no longer usable, and my armor is badly damaged," the mercenary paused, "I'm afraid it will be difficult to repair."

Of course they can be repaired if necessary, but they are just ordinary items in themselves, and it would be a shame not to take this opportunity to replace them with new ones.

"Of course, of course. The warehouses in the entire Xinmu City are open to you. You can choose any of the merchants' goods and the craftsmen's works. I will pay for you." The count immediately promised. These are all small matters. The most important things for soldiers are weapons and armor. Such a request is reasonable.

"We're staying in Xinmu City because we can't sit idly by and watch the evil spread. So, we'll be setting off in the next few days," Angelita continued. "We need to buy a lot of supplies. From what I hear, it's difficult to find large cities west of Xinmu City."

"Xinmu City is in ruins right now. Food, water, tents, and other things are even more valuable than gold coins," the Earl mused. "But that's no reason for me to refuse Mr. Buddy. We will do our best to provide them."

"But as for the pear wine and rose candy you like... I can only see if I have any in stock, but I personally don't like these two things." Although he didn't know the exact origins of this half-elf named "Buddy Antichi", at least Earl Xinmu still figured out his basic preferences.

Chapter 93 Deserved Reward

“I think I’d better take some money,” Daisy thought for a moment. “My piano may need a tune-up, but that’s not the most important thing. I owe a life and a lot of debts now, and I’d better pay this first.”

The poet's voice was as sweet as ever, and if her words were not mixed with so much sand, one might almost think she was singing all the time.

"I won't let you pay me back so easily," Angelita laughed. "It's not easy to find a singer to accompany you. I can't bear to give up such a pleasure."

"I didn't say I would leave after that..."

"But I can't take that risk, Sister Daisy."

"Three hundred gold coins. I'm not sure which emperors are listed on them, but I can guarantee they are all former emperors." Earl Xinmu walked to his desk, took out a stack of documents, counted them, and finally quoted this price. "I admit that this amount cannot repay you for everything you have done for Xinmu City, but the situation is difficult now, and I am afraid I can't spare more money."

In the count's opinion, this number should be enough to meet the poet's needs, and even the needs of the five people in front of him. But in fact, after seeing the gold brick of Angritta, the three people except Vondar had little feeling about this number - just half a gold pound.

"I need some materials, and I'm also looking to requisition a shop," the dwarf said, making an unusual request. "I promised Miss Daisy that I would help her improve her instrument, and now it's time for me to fulfill part of my promise."

"It shouldn't require too many materials, right?" The Count glanced at the matte, but still confirmed, "I heard that you dwarves have a skill that can melt large amounts of metal into a very small object. I can't accept your use of this method."

The dwarf stroked his beard and said, "Sir, we are not here to rob you. Besides, Xinmu City may not have all the materials I need. These are just some minor 'operations', so there is no need to worry."

Bella deliberately spoke last, but even so, when it was the druid's turn, she still seemed particularly embarrassed.

"My lord," she pursed her lips, "what I want may be a little special, and perhaps you cannot satisfy it, but apart from you, I can't think of anyone else who can do it."

"Regarding the relationship between Xinmu City and the Jingxi Society, and even all the druids around Xinmu City..."

"Tree spirit, mill, Miss Bella." Earl Xinmu was silent for a moment, then uttered two nouns. These were two landmark events that marked the peak of the conflict between the two sides.

"Perhaps you don't like to hear it—you certainly don't like to hear it, but it did happen. Once a rupture occurs, no matter how it is repaired, the crack will always remain. This is not something I can decide, not even for the two of you, the Archdruid and I."

Bella's expression immediately darkened, while Leslaufer, Angelita, and Vondar remained expressionless, because according to their common conclusion drawn from different experiences, the other party was sure to make another turn.

"But," as expected, "everything is constantly changing. The original misunderstanding has now been proven to be the work of a demon. The lumberjack you killed earlier and the guests present are both clear evidence of this. And the suffering caused by the demon doesn't end there—the leader of the lumberjacks' union was killed in the fighting, and the largest trade associations also suffered heavy losses."

"I think I have about a 40% chance of convincing them and getting the voices in Xinmu City to change their views on the druids."

"Forty percent..." the young druid muttered.

"Not much, right? Because like I said earlier, this isn't something I can decide. The hostile voices in Xinmu City have weakened, but what about you druids? Will they choose to forget and reconcile, or will they take this opportunity to raze my city to the ground and let everything 'return to nature'?"

"The Quiet Creek Society cannot represent the entire voice of the three surrounding societies and other loose druid groups..."

"That's not something I can take care of," the Earl spread his hands, "but I can treat people differently. For example, Miss Bella, Xinmu City will treat you as a loyal friend. If your association is willing, we can also treat them equally. As for other organizations, please forgive me for being unable to do anything."

Earl Xinmu's words were sincere and convincing, and Bella admitted that her request was indeed not easy to achieve, so the druid decided to talk to the acquaintances in the association and see if he could do his best to make this happen.

"The Empire's major cities have been practically riddled with demons. This is a terrifying situation. Xinmu City certainly doesn't want another war, and druids, I think you can persuade them to give up their illusions of remaining unscathed in this chaos," Reslaufer reminded Bella. "Whether Xinmu City is controlled by the Emperor, the Grand Duke, or simply another demon, your hopes are completely lost."

With the Earl's promise, Leslaufer quickly found his new weapons and protective gear - in the warehouse of a craftsman's guild, three sets of equipment were found by the boss here.

"Mr. Reslaufer, we simply can't find a greatsword similar to your original one," the leader said with a wry smile, holding an Imperial two-handed greatsword in front of the mercenary. "This is the largest and heaviest we can find."

This imperial two-handed greatsword seemed so simple to Reslaufer that it was impractical. Although it was made of good materials, was about one meter and two meters long, and its weight roughly met Reslaufer's requirements, the decorations and guards on it were unremarkable, as if it were a simple enlarged version of a one-handed straight sword.

"I definitely wouldn't use it to charge the spearmen's line," Reslaufer said, waving it briefly a few times. "But if it's just for travel, it might be of some use."

Its design means that Reslaufer's combat skills will lack many variations in the future, but as he himself said, it can be used only during travel.

The leader knew that this would not satisfy the brave warrior who saved the city, so he quickly took out a replacement for Leslaufer's sword: an Imperial war sword.

Completely different from the two-handed greatsword, this short-bladed straight sword was exquisitely crafted, with double-sided blades and clear blood grooves. What was even more eye-catching was that when Reslaufer swung it, exaggerated light and shadows kept flickering and changing around him.

"This is a shimmering steel weapon, sir," the leader said, taking two steps back, fearing injury from the blade hidden beneath the shadows. "This material is the ingenious creation of a master from the southern empire. Its seemingly smooth surface actually possesses a complex structure, allowing it to slash without staining blood. It also refracts different light and shadows under the light, confusing the enemy. In fact, this piece of magic could be considered a rudimentary magical weapon."

"And this set of armor," the gleaming steel sword said, apparently just to appease Reslaufer's dissatisfaction, because the leader almost immediately began to introduce the half-body plate armor on the shelf behind him to Reslaufer. "I noticed that your forehead was injured in the previous battle, so I specially selected this: the neck guard, shoulder and arm armor, chest and back armor, as well as the belly armor and skirt armor are all complete. They are all made of the finest elven steel (produced in the eastern part of the empire and named after the elves' smelting process), mixed with 36% mithril. But please look at this helmet!"

The leader was so proud that it seemed as if he had forged this set of armor himself. He tapped his knuckles on the nose guard, which was a distinctly different color from the main body of the armor, and proudly announced, "This is a genuine mithril armor!"

"Can you melt this thing down and give me the whole Mithril Greatsword?"

The speaker: “Ah?”

Chapter 94 Recasting

"The armor isn't the point; the weapon is," Reslaufer said, looking at the greatsword in his hand and comparing it with the half-plate armor in front of him with some embarrassment. "If the armor and the sword were equally bad, it wouldn't be a big deal, but now it looks so different."

"But... Mr. Reslaufer, the blacksmith who forged this equipment died in the disaster a few days ago. I'm afraid we can't find someone with his skills now," the leader said with a wry smile. "And even if we did, I'm afraid we wouldn't have the time to reforge it for you."

Xinmu City needs manpower everywhere. The number of carpenters is not so large, but the shortage of blacksmiths is very severe.

"It's okay. Do you still have all these forges?" Reslaufer didn't care much about this and asked directly.

"Well, yes..." The person in charge was a little confused. Could this person be a blacksmith? Are all mercenaries so versatile these days?

But even so, they are elven steel and mithril, especially the latter, which requires quite high skills. Once there is a mistake in the forging process, the consequences will be disastrous.

Reslaufer himself didn't have such a skill, but one of his current companions was a master who had been immersed in this art for many years. Soon, the dwarf craftsman Fengdal was found, and with him was Daisy - Fengdal promised to modify her mater, so she naturally came along.

"I heard there is mithril here? Let me see where it is." The dwarf's loud voice could be heard throughout the room at the door. When Leslaufer turned to him, Vondar Halfhill's eyes passed over the mercenary and immediately fell on the suit of armor on the shelf next to him.

"Elven steel!" The dwarf recognized the armor's material immediately. "You actually mixed mithril into those long-eared crafts? What a waste! A complete waste!"

He ran over, yelling, and snatched off the nose-protecting helmet. "Luckily, you left the big head here, so it's not too stupid—whose masterpiece is this?"

"You probably don't know him. He's a native of Xinmu City," the leader said quickly. "When those demonic minions were wreaking havoc, he was drunk and sleeping on the second floor of his house. When he was awakened, he tried to look for his son, but he missed a step and fell. Now he can't communicate with you."

"But at the time, he proudly said that adding this mithril would make the armor lighter and more agile without sacrificing its original performance..."

"That's why I say it's a waste!" Vondar stamped his foot in frustration. "Don't you know that elven steel is naturally light and strong enough? The craftsmanship of those long-eared people is for their own benefit. Do you think that thin bamboo figure can support a full set of heavy armor and a heavy warhammer? You humans already learned this advantage when you studied their technology!"

"But after adding mithril, the effect of one plus one being greater than two can be achieved..." The person in charge felt that he had not spoken so guilty in many years, but there was nothing he could do about it. He did have a blacksmith family with three generations of single inheritance, but a dwarf alone could replace three generations!

"If only one plus one were truly greater than two. This is mithril! Do you have a mithril mine in Xinmu City?" the dwarf repeated the word about the precious material through gritted teeth. "You're playing a game where one plus ten is greater than two! Is that even worth bragging about?"

"Materials like these! According to our dwarven legends, a set of mithril armor crafted by a mastersmith is all that's needed to open the path to the Crucible City—do you know how difficult it is to replace it with other materials? Even Moradin's chosen ones might not succeed every time!"

Those in this field couldn't possibly be unaware of Moradin. Although the creator god was the primary deity of the dwarven pantheon, just as Corellon, the chief god of the elves, was also worshipped among human wizards and poets, the Father of the Dwarves also had widespread followers among humans. When he was brought up, the nature of the matter inevitably changed.

And when a dwarf says so, the situation is even more different.

"Then Master, what should we do in this situation?" The person in charge could not help but ask the dwarf for his opinion.

"What else can we do? Of course, we have to separate them." Fengdal Banqiu stepped forward and carefully examined every detail on the armor. "Okay, I can separate the mithril from the other parts, but forget about the elven steel. I'm more accustomed to using my own craftsmanship. Old Lei, is this okay?"

"It'd be better if you forge it into the shape of the sword I used before," Leslaufer handed over the two-handed sword in his hand. "The original fighting sword is no longer needed. I think this Imperial War Sword is quite good."

"Sparkling steel weapons..." The dwarf also recognized the material of the dagger at a glance and nodded. "Alright, then I'll make you a set first, just as a warm-up. Reinforcing Daisy's harp is a delicate task, and we can't be careless."

"As for you," Vondar pointed at the boss, "how many years have you been working here? You should be familiar with the most basic rules and instructions. Go get some more raw materials and prepare the workshop. I ask you to do as I say..."

Vondar listed all the necessary conditions one by one, and the person in charge was not vague at all. He didn't even need paper and pen, and could easily recite everything the dwarf needed word for word.

Anyway, the venues are ready, and some of their former users will never come back. It won’t be too much trouble to just mobilize some materials to repair the leaks, and it will be basically no different from the compensation promised by the count.

"It won't take too long," Vondar assured Reslaufer after the leader left. "But Old Lei, do you really need some mithril equipment?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, uh," the dwarf's old face suddenly flushed. "I don't know how much of my nightmares you saw, but in short, I have been collecting various precious materials and advanced forging techniques for many years. Unfortunately, due to the imperial decree, this work is progressing very slowly, and it is difficult for me to find materials like mithril."

“Can I…” “They are all yours.”

Vondar Banchiu's cautious expression was comically plastered on his face: "...You're kidding, right?"

"No," Raslaufer frowned. "Even with ordinary materials, your craftsmanship is much better than the people who made my previous equipment, right? I think that's enough."