Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios
“Master, your current strength is still too far off of your plan.”
Gillian held a cup of hot black tea while she sat on the sofa leisurely, moving back and forth. Was no one of the beast race able to sit in the chair obediently? Not just Anne—right now, Gillian was also swinging her body left and right like a daruma doll.
“With your current strength, it will be difficult for you to face the group of idiots sent by the Country of Light, let alone face the Four Great Generals.”
“I know.”
Although Gillian’s words were quite sharp, Rhode did not mind. To the contrary, he was very happy. Because this was the first time he could share his plan completely ever since he transmigrated here. Since Gillian was once his subordinate, she understood what was would happen to this world. She wouldn’t be like Marlene and others who thought he was just having a nightmare. In other words, even if the Country of Darkness’s invasion could prove his prophecy right, it did not necessarily mean that his subordinates would worship him because the matter was simply too strange. One step out of line and it would lead to suspicion and restlessness. However, there was no pressure when he spoke with Gillian because he was able to speak freely and did not have to think much about how to explain his thoughts. He just had to say what was on his mind.
It was really relaxing to him.
“And I think we can’t just rely on a few magic weapons for the Midsummer Festival. Also, do you really believe that Old Dwarf?”
The Old Dwarf Gillian mentioned was the person who currently responsible for the blacksmith shop. If he brought the forging table to the stronghold, then that blacksmith shop would turn into an ordinary shop. For Rhode, it was also a way for his Starlight mercenary group to make money. Originally, the blacksmith shop was selling weapons to make money; then, they handed over most of their income to the Keller family to get their fixed remuneration. Now that Rhode had taken over the shop, the blacksmith shop only needed to hand over half of the money to the mercenary group and the rest could be distributed among them. Rhode gave the blacksmiths a contract similar to the one he have his mercenaries; that way, they would be very enthusiastic.
Of course, there was also someone who disagreed. As the former owner of the blacksmith’s shop, he was very displeased at Rhode, who was trying to take away the magical forging table without authorization and change the way they distributed the income. He even refused to sign the contract agreement. Rhode simply drove him out and went to find Old Walker, hoping that he could provide him with a respected and capable blacksmith to deal with the affairs here.
Old Walker also did not disappoint him and quickly recommended a person Rhode was familiar with. It was Barf, the dwarf who he had met when he followed the Jade Tears mercenary group deep undergound. Based on what Old Walker had said, Barf was a famous blacksmith from Deep Stone City and had taught many students. There were a lot of blacksmiths in the Paphield region who were taught by him. His dream was to have his own blacksmith shop. However, because the people on the surface had a deep prejudice against dwarves, they did not think dwarves were qualified to be leaders despite being good blacksmiths. They would be greatly respected if they were just an ordinary blacksmith, but as the owner? No way.
The continuous failure made Barf feel frustrated, which was why he decided to return underground and never mentioned the matter again. So when Old Walker heard Rhode’s request, he quickly recommended Barf to manage the shop.
As a player, he was not racist like the NPCs here. He did not care whether Barf was a dwarf, goblin, or even Dark Elf as long as he could work, so he quickly accepted Old Walker’s offer and told him to persuade Mr. Barf. There was nothing that couldn’t be solved with money.
Rhode felt that it had been a very wise decision to recruit Old Walker. It was very easy to find who he wanted through him since he was a well-connected NPC character in Deep Stone City. As an old mercenary, Old Walker had lived here for decades, so he was very familiar with everything and everyone here. The biggest reason as to why Rhode chose him was because Old Walker was able to provide the human resources he wanted, so he did not have to waste time and look for people by himself like before.
“Although he’s not trustworthy, I think he is still relatively good compared to other humans.”
“I knew you would say that.”
Hearing Rhode’s answer, Gillian’s lips twitched. Soon, she revealed a warm smile.
“I also have to admit that the dwarves’ are indeed amazing at forging. Since you are interfering, do you intend to maximize his potential, Master?”
“Do you have an idea of how to?” Rhode’s eyes narrowed. Gillian proudly grinned while looking at the man before her.
“Very simple. There’s a type of equipment that can help you mass-produce in a short period of time and improve your own strength. You must have heard of it before, Master?…”
“You mean, a Composition Adornment?” Rhode’s eyes lit up when he heard it, but he quickly shook his head. “But it was something that appeared later in the game during the Devil’s War.”
Composition Adornments were a type of mass production magical equipment that appeared later in the game. It was a metal armor made of ancient craftsmanship and could be shrunk and expanded. The Composition Adornment could be attached to the user’s arm like a shield, so it did not occupy any space. In the battle, it could expand into full body armor in a very short time, transforming the user into a fully armed warrior. The Composition Adornment itself did not have any attributes; it would change based on the user’s weapon and would be able to increase the user’s strength, defense, and agility. In the Devil’s War, the Composition Adornment was the basic equipment of players and NPCs. Without it, it would have been very difficult for them to fight against the Devil’s Army. In the game, when a player’s forging and archeology skill reached a certain level, they would learn the formula and be able to create their own, unique Composition Adornment. However, the Composition Adornment only appeared later in the game when Country of Light and Country of Darkness were destroyed. That was why Rhode did not keep it in mind.
But now, Gillian actually had a different opinion about it.
“Of course, but you should also know that there has always a process from discovery to research to large-scale production. You should also remember that the Composition Adornment wasn’t national research, but rather found by the archaeologists… and now, we have a very good opportunity to find it.”
Gillian smiled as she said this, and putting down a notice, she smiled.
“This…”
“A group of scholars is hiring guards. They were going to the Unicorn Peak for research. Master, this is a three-star mission, and…” Having said that, Gillian narrowed her eyes fiercely. “These scholars come from Ophenia.”
“The country that produced the Composition Adornment?”
Hearing Gillian’s words, Rhode frowned. He took the notice and read it carefully. After that, he closed his eyes and thought for a while.
“… What do you think?”
“It may or may not be a coincidence. However, I don’t think we need to worry about that. If it’s as we expect, then we just have to steal it, right? Your mercenary group has a high success rate in completing missions, there should be no problem with failing once or twice, right? Or…”
Having said that, Gillian pointed a finger while revealing a charming smile.
“We can complete the mission, but deliberately undermine their research results. After all, to those four-glasses idiots, mercenaries are just a group of barbaric people who won’t understand what they’re saying, right?
“But the Composition Adornment is a magical equipment from an ancient era, the text…”
“Please leave it to me, Master. This is not a problem.”
“If we get exposed?”
“I think this is also not a problem …” Hearing Rhode’s question, Gillian slightly laughed. “A group of weak scholars died inside a ruin to satisfy their curious minds. They did not listen to the mercenaries. That will be a reasonable alibi. With Master’s ability, I believe you will be able to act according to this script perfectly.”
“Very well.”
When he heard this, Rhode no longer said anything. He picked up the notice on the table and put it in his pocket.
“Now, we can go and visit those commissioners… I hope they won’t let me down.”
