CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55: VERBAL TACTICS_1

But in fact, Lance knew that this affair had a touch of the Goddess of Fortune’s favor.

As he had said, this battle was not originally in the plan. When Lance saw Dismas being taken out, he knew something was amiss and, after observing for a while, decisively launched an attack.

Truthfully, he hadn’t intended for those people to escape. He was alone, and the loading speed of his flintlock gun wasn’t fast. Killing most of them was already the limit of his performance, even boosted by his equipment.

He had also been somewhat afraid of disrupting the plan, but to rescue Dismas, he had no choice. He simply couldn’t give up such an excellent and obedient fighter. This particular disruption wasn’t a strong enough reason to make him reconsider.

He had already prepared himself to abandon the mission and make other plans upon returning. But after listening to Dismas’s report, he was in no hurry. These people have played right into my hands! Without this man, the plan could not continue.

Dismas himself didn’t know what Lance was thinking; he only knew that the Lord’s decisions could not be wrong.

"Bring that guy over," Lance signaled, and Reynard brought the man before him.

Laosan, who had been a bit crazed earlier, was now completely subdued, but he was still very curious about the identity of Lance and his men.

"Are you their leader? What is your relationship with those Barbarians? How dare you attack us? Do you know who you’re provoking?"

"Guess?" Lance said, taking off his helmet and revealing a face that was somewhat more youthful than the others.

Now that Laosan had a clear view of his face, his curiosity didn’t fade but grew even stronger.

How could an ordinary young man possibly command three experienced warriors?

The only explanation would be a difference in status. Was this man a noble or some official of the Empire?

But how could a noble or official be in the thick of battle like this? And his attire didn’t seem to fit that either.

Laosan was puzzled for a good while and couldn’t figure it out. "I don’t know..." he finally answered, lowering his head.

Lance, also trying to guess the other’s thoughts, understood something from Laosan’s reaction and began to explain.

"We are following the Lord’s orders to track down the Mercenary Corps of the White Wolf’s Claws. The bounty is only 100 Gold Coins, but if we retrieve that Extraordinary item and present it to the Lord, we could get a bounty of 8,000 Gold Coins."

Upon hearing this, Laosan understood. If they were all retainers sponsored by nobles, it made sense.

However, Reynard and the others were somewhat confused, exchanging glances. But they knew their Lord wouldn’t speak carelessly; there had to be a reason for his words, so they all remained silent.

"Why did you attack us then? We are not those Barbarians," Laosan interjected, carefully observing the young man’s reaction.

Lance laughed. "HAHAHA! You know very well what we intend to do. We’re all smart people, so let’s not waste time."

With these words from Lance, Laosan fell silent, knowing his attempt at probing had been seen through.

Indeed, Laosan had long guessed the intentions of these men. If they truly were just an advance party of three, they would only need to find traces of the Mercenary Corps and report back. Naturally, someone would then come to annihilate those Barbarians and take the item. But obviously, these men were very greedy, not satisfied with the reward for simply reporting the situation; they planned to seize the item for themselves.

However, it was clear that the few of them simply did not have the capability. So, they fabricated the scene and had one person lure their side into fighting, waiting for both sides to suffer heavy losses before stealing the fruits of victory.

The scheme was clever, and what was more terrifying was that Laosan knew this was precisely how things had unfolded.

Caught in a trap...

A feeling of helplessness lingered in his heart.

"Being a bandit isn’t very pleasant, right? You can’t eat well, can’t sleep well, and you have to worry about enemies that could appear at any time," Lance’s voice, filled with amusement, reached Laosan, pulling his attention back.

"What are you trying to say?"

"My point is simple: join us." Lance smiled and began to explain. "Join us. Once the item is secured and the reward collected, you’ll get a share. That’s 8,000 Gold Coins! Just think about it: what could you do with that money that wouldn’t be better than living as a bandit?"

Laosan couldn’t deny the offer was tempting. Banditry indeed had no future, not to mention that life recently had been torturous.

"How much can I get?"

"Six hundred," Lance gestured.

"Two thousand."

"Eight hundred."

"Those are my brothers in arms; you need to add more."

"One thousand two hundred, and that’s my final offer," Lance said bluntly, not wanting to drag on the negotiations. "We’ve prepared for so long. It’s hard for everyone if you suddenly come in and want such a big cut."

Laosan knew his demand for two thousand was just a bargaining tactic; one thousand two hundred already met his expectations.

"Alright, deal."

"So, what should we do now?"

"Wait. Wait until they’re both critically weakened. If your side wins, we’ll take out your first and second in command and support you as the new leader. If the Barbarians win, you’ll step in, rally the remaining bandits, and keep fighting."

"Support me as leader? Aren’t you afraid that once I’m in charge, I’ll turn on you and take everything for myself?" Laosan asked, shocked by Lance’s plan and probing him.

"HMPH," Lance snorted coldly. "There are three more teams who took on this mission; we just found you first. Plus, they’re stronger than us and don’t need to cooperate with bandits. Without us, even if you get your hands on the item, you’ll just be the next target for the Barbarians, waiting to be hunted down."

Laosan immediately understood but quickly had another concern. "Then what if you kill me after you get the item?" he pressed.

"Idiot. I need you to lead those men, to bolster our team and compete with the other teams. Working for the Lord, are you afraid of not getting paid? You have no vision."

Lance’s tone expressed his disdain, revealing a sense of contempt. However, Laosan didn’t seem humiliated. On the contrary, he was quite happy. He knew that associating with a noble was certainly better than being a mere soldier or bandit.

"Bro, I was wrong. I will never ask such stupid questions again," he said contritely.

Dismas and the others couldn’t help but admire their Lord, who could speak so compellingly. And indeed, the bandit leader was persuaded by just a few of his words.

"Now, tell us about your situation. How did you all end up here?"

"Don’t even ask. We were originally an artillery company stationed in the city. After receiving orders..."

Lance listened to his story and understood the gist of it. A severe drought had hit the Central Province of the Empire, leading to crop failure and famine, and this situation was gradually spreading within the Empire.

Where would the refugees go in such a situation?

Of course, they would head toward the wealthy and affluent East.

The refugees, fleeing the famine, had developed into mobs that attacked several towns. However, the Empire remained unresponsive. This forced the Eastern Province to act on its own, planning to use military force to keep the refugees out. And they, too, had been dispatched to the front lines by military orders.