Chapter 498: Mercenaries 4

Chapter 498 Mercenary 4
The officer, who Ferguson addressed as Lord Elvin, raised his hand, shutting up the former Rhino Mercenaries leader who had wanted to continue his verbal output on Doug.

Elvin turned towards Doug and said, “You can address me as Major Jeremiah Elvin, I currently serve on the Arda Army Staff.”

Doug stood his body straight and gave a heavy nod to the major in front of him, “Lord Elvin!”

He knew that Arda didn’t use much of the cumbersome etiquette of noble officers elsewhere in the army.

That’s when he began to take a closer look at the officer in front of him; he had short chestnut-colored hair that was on the darker side, thick, bushy eyebrows, shallow eye sockets, and beady eyes inside — the eyes of the Alda soldiers Doug had seen were very spirited — wasn’t very tall but was very solidly built.

Erwin said, “Let me clarify my intentions in calling you all here. Just now, I only briefly mentioned it to Leader Ferguson, and did not elaborate on the exact reason, so please also ask Leader Fergusa to listen carefully to the following words.”

Ferguson put away the arrogance he had when facing Doug and immediately turned into a picture of a docile schoolboy.

Erwin paced slowly in the office and introduced unhurriedly, “A month ago, a war broke out in Horned Bay, and the two sides of the war were the coastal countries led by the Horned Bay Alliance and the inland countries led by the Horned Bay Church.”

“Oh ho, did they finally fight?”

Ferguson couldn’t help but gloat out loud and ask.

Doug, on the other hand, secretly cursed, why didn’t you guys fight earlier. With his nose for war, he’d felt years ago that certain conflicts would nobly erupt under such high pressure – the mercenaries, of course, were begging for it.

Only the conflict was delayed, so he took over the business of the Northwest Bay, not expecting to turn over the car here.

You guys fought a few years earlier, Doug master I still in the battlefield in the corner of the bay and the flower street fast, as for in this before have not even heard of the place to shovel charcoal every day?
“Before I go on to explain,” Erwin suddenly stopped and looked at the two men and asked, “I need to figure out, if you are still working as mercenaries in Horn Bay, which side will accept employment? Is it the Horned Cove Alliance and his friends representing freedom, or is it the Church and his his servant nations representing faith?”

“Ha, my lord.” Ferguson’s big mouth grinned wide as he snatched at the answer, “Freedom, faith, can those things be food? Of course it’s a war for whoever offers the highest price.”

Ferguson’s answer made Doug wary, it looked like the years in prison hadn’t changed this guy who looked reckless on the outside but had a delicate mind.

In Doug’s own judgment, this Lord Erwin was testing them.

Especially the attitude towards religion.

Doug followed suit and replied, “We are mercenaries, my lord, money is our only pursuit and profit is our highest guide. But ……”

His eyes blinked a few times, not continuing.

“Alright, I understand.”

Erwin continued to pace up and down in front of the two.

“As you should know, there is a very well-developed maritime trade in the Northwest Gulf right now, and Horn Bay is an extremely important node on the maritime trade line. Our government and merchants have a lot invested there – goods, stores, money, etc.”

“But now!” He suddenly raised his pitch, “A sudden war threatens those holdings. Though we are eleven percent certain of the morality of the people of Horn Bay, even the most pristine of folk are not without their black sheep and muckrakers, not to mention that we must consider the worst case scenario – that these riches are plundered by chaotic armies on both sides.”

“Our lord – the far-sighted Lord Paul Gleiman – believes that the Northwest Bay should have the presence of a force of considerable deterrent power in Horn Bay to protect our legitimate property from those outlaws who would coveted and victimized.”

“So!”

Erwin’s eyes rested for a moment first on Doug and then on Ferguson.

“The staff has ordered me to find the right man to go to Horn Bay and build such a force.”

Elvin’s words had not yet fallen.

“My lord, I am willing to serve Lord Graiman!”

“My lord, I am more willing to serve Lord Gleeman than him!”

Doug and Ferguson scrambled to state their positions, and then glared angrily at each other; they had thoroughly regarded each other as rivals.

As soon as Erwin’s words just now came out, Doug and Ferguson understood what they were being asked to do. The Aldoans this was to send them – or some of them – back to Horn Bay to protect their property.

Come to think of it, the Northwest Bay was thousands of miles away from Horn Bay, and how could it be inconvenient for Alda, who was a local power in Aldo, to send his army there, and what better person to do it than a bunch of Horn Bay groundlings who happened to be locked up in their own prisons?

What does this mean?
Freedom!

Once chosen, you could return to your familiar home, to the familiar battlefield!

Wouldn’t that still be birds returning to the sky and swimming fish returning to the sea?
“Don’t get excited yet, you guys!”

Seeing the way the two of them were racing to make a statement, Erwin laughed unabashedly and happily.

“The premise of letting you return to Horned Bay is based on the premise that you must pledge your allegiance to Lord Greymane.”

The two men in front of him immediately jumped at the chance to answer.

“I am willing to pledge allegiance to Lord Gleeman!”

“I am more willing to serve Lord Gleeman than him!”

“My allegiance comes with no preconditions – no territories, no knighthoods.”

“I promise to be more loyal than this guy next to me who is daydreaming and talking nonsense.”

……

The two mercenary group leaders expressed their loyalty to Count Gleiman as if they were betting against each other.

“Two.”

Erwin stopped their speech.

“Loyalty that is merely uttered with the mouth is unreliable, and empty, feeble oaths bind nothing.”

The two said in unison, “We make a pact.”

“Horn Bay is too far away for a covenant to guarantee anything.”

Doug: “And what do you mean, Lord Elwyn?”

Elwyn grins a wide, somewhat impish grin and says, “Use your Horned Cove approach.”

“Our Corner Bay ways?”

The two froze for a moment, then responded, “You …… you mean, give us …… give us …… “

Erwin put away his smile and said in a serious tone, “Yes, branding your bodies with the Lord Earl’s mark is the only way to ensure your loyalty.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

“Uh …… Lord Erwin, can’t this be discussed again?”

“Hmph!” Erwin asked back somewhat mockingly, “Aren’t you all de facto slaves of Lord Greymane now?”

These words were like sharp arrows hitting the two.

It was solidly heartfelt!
(End of chapter)