HCB Chapter 164 Lost City
Chapter 164 Lost City
"I'll just take Todd into the city, and all the rest of you will go to Locke Town, ten kilometers away, to rest. Remember, if there is food there, try to buy it back for me, the more the better." Alpha only took Todd, Darwin and three bodyguards, and everyone else stayed behind.
"Lord Apollo, isn't it very dangerous for you to do this? Even if you go to purchase supplies, I'm afraid you won't be able to bring them back!" Liv asked worriedly.
"I'm afraid that Rimuru's situation is special, and anyone who goes in will not be able to get out. If there are fewer people, we can go in and out easily. As for supplies, I can ask mercenaries or laborers to help, so don't worry about that." Alpha sighed again. This mission was a serious loss, and even if all the family wealth was spent, it might not be enough.
"Okay, that's it. Remember to keep a low profile when you go to Locke Town, and try to settle everything with money." Alpha instructed again.
Alpha led Todd and the Guards to enter Rimuru City cautiously. The situation in the city was extremely strange, with crowds of people, shoulder to shoulder, and extremely lively. However, there were many shops on both sides with a variety of products, but there were only a few people buying things. The pedestrians had no expression on their faces and were indifferent to everything.
Alpha took Darwin and Todd with three guards to handle their own affairs. Alpha planned to check the situation in the city and found that there were many shops on both sides of the street, but they were not very practical. They were basically industrial products with expensive prices.
While walking, Alpha saw a familiar sign and chose an inn to stay.
"Lord Apollo, you are finally here." As soon as Alpha checked into the inn, Ito Mii came up to him. Alpha touched her all over until he saw the monkey, then he let Mii leave.
"Monkey, are these women obedient?" Alpha didn't quite trust these island women.
"Lord Alpha, they didn't do anything illegal. But those women want to stay and don't want to follow that guy Guromas." The monkey was referring to the five women who had been handed over to Guromas before.
"We'll talk about this later." Alpha didn't want to offend Guromas because of a few women, so he would send them to Tasli.
"I think the situation in the city is very special. What happened?" Alpha was a little confused.
"There are three forces in the city that are secretly competing. They are the old feudal aristocracy, the emerging capitalists and the revolutionary army. There are many conflicts among the three parties, and they are almost irreconcilable." Monkey has not been eating, drinking and having fun these days, but has gained a basic understanding of the forces in the city.
"Emerging asset merchants actually have conflicts with the revolutionary army?" Alpha was a little surprised. Logically, the merchants should unite with the lower-class people to overthrow the feudal aristocracy. Only in this way can the people be liberated and the merchants can make more money.
"Yes, the merchants have a large number of goods, but the people are not buying them, so the merchants bribe the nobles, and the nobles require the people to buy goods every day. The merchants pursue profits and drive up prices. The nobles take the opportunity to collect more taxes, and the prices of goods become even higher. The people are miserable. At this time, the revolutionary army unites with the lower-class people. Now all it takes is a fire, and Rimuru City may fall into chaos." Monkey found out a lot.
"Which side is the strongest now?" Alpha needs to prepare in advance.
"Rimuru has one thousand cavalry and two thousand infantry, of which eighty percent are controlled by the old nobles, and the rest are family cavalry controlled by emerging merchants. The revolutionary army is a group of unarmed civilians. Their only advantage is their large numbers and covert actions." Monkey explained.
Alpha was surprised by the complex situation in the city, but at the same time he was full of confidence, because he knew that only in a chaotic situation could he better exert his wisdom and talents.
With the introduction of the monkey, Alpha had a deeper understanding of the three forces in the city. He clearly realized that the old feudal nobles were the most powerful, the emerging asset merchants also had certain strength, and the revolutionary army was in the weakest position, but also the most potential. Alpha decided to use his intelligence to provide support and help to the revolutionary army.
So, Alpha began to contact the leaders of the Revolutionary Army and tried to establish a cooperative relationship with them. However, this was not an easy task, after all, he could not find the other party's boss, and even if he found him, the other party would not pay attention to him. Alpha now needed to become famous, and then let the other party come to him for cooperation, after all, those who came to his door were not worth much.
"Monkey, check where the Mercenary Association is. We'll go there together later." After Alpha and Ito Mii stayed in the room for an hour, they came out with a smile on their faces. They followed Monkey with satisfaction to the Mercenary Association to recruit people.
"Lord Alpha, the three largest teams in the Mercenary Association right now are the Black Dragon Mercenary Group, the Jiuyuan Mercenary Group, and the United Mercenary Group.
Among them, the Black Dragon Mercenary Group is the strongest, and the nobles have repeatedly recruited them but they have all been rejected. The Jiuyuan Mercenary Group is basically a union of various mercenary groups. There are a lot of people, but the quality is mixed and very complicated. The United Mercenary Group is a group of bankrupt farmers and dock workers who have joined together and will do any work they can. They are more like a group of laborers than mercenaries. "Monkey explained.
"Is it possible that they are a force of the revolutionary army?" Alpha guessed.
"It's hard to say. The revolutionary army is very hostile to nobles and businessmen, but this group of people will fight whoever pays them." Monkey didn't know whether these people really did this or they did it on purpose for people to watch.
"What is the salary standard for recruiting mercenaries here?" Alpha asked. The mercenary group he led was one of the high-paying ones, with a basic salary of 3 gold coins. The combat income was distributed according to the benefits, and on average, 5 gold coins were rewarded for each battle, which was a high salary.
"It depends on the specific situation. The Black Dragon Mercenary Group charges a very high price, and they won't take the job without 3 gold coins. The United Mercenary Group will go out with just 1 gold coin." Monkey already understood the market situation.
"Okay, let them all put up signs. We, the Sky Mercenary Group, are recruiting mercenaries. The basic salary is 1 to 3 gold coins per person. We will recruit anyone who is willing to come." Alpha urgently needs to expand its manpower at the moment.
"Lord Alpha, we are now trapped in the city and cannot leave. If we want to go out, we must pay 2 gold coins, and we are not allowed to carry weapons, equipment, supplies, horses and other items. The soldiers will not tell you these when you enter the city, but they will be confiscated when you leave the city." The relevant situation had already been figured out by Monkey, who was in the know.
"Recruit people first. With manpower, we will have bargaining chips." Alpha closed his eyes and began to think about countermeasures.
Monkey obeyed the order and posted notices at the best recruitment points in the city within an hour, and directly interviewed and recruited people at the Mercenary Association. The more people the better.
The three major mercenary groups have not made any moves yet. They are unclear about Alpha's situation. The sooner they act now, the lower the price will be. Everyone is waiting for the best price.
"Lord Alpha, the president of the Mercenary Association is looking for you." Suddenly Meiyi lay on Alpha and reported.
"What does he want from me?" Alpha handed the recruitment work to Monkey and followed Meiyi into the Mercenary Association.
"Captain Apollo, right? I heard that you are very rich and need to organize a knight group of a thousand people, right?" Although the fat man opposite was talking to Alpha, his eyes never left Meiyi's body.
"You go out first, I have something to say to President Baru." Alpha knew about Meiyi's existence, and it was impossible for Baru to talk about things in peace.
"President Baru, please be frank if you have something to say! I want to recruit people. Can you give me any advice? Of course, I will not treat President Baru unfairly afterwards." Alpha is not a person who will tolerate any mistakes. He will give every bit of what is due.
"Captain Apollo is a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush and get straight to the point." Baru retracted his gaze and focused on the negotiation table.
"I believe everyone is aware of Rimuru's current situation. At this time, only the army is the most important thing. Money may not be of any use. Now I have people and you have money, we can cooperate." Baru seemed confident and had Alpha in his sights.
"How do we cooperate?" Alpha does not reject cooperation. The key is how to distribute the benefits.
"We have people, you have money, you pay, and we will protect your safety." Baru narrowed his eyes, as if waiting for Alpha's choice.
"Isn't that just like being a mercenary? What position do you hold among them? Do they all listen to me?" Alpha was a little puzzled.
"The current situation is chaotic. Even if you have money, you may not be able to recruit capable people. Even if you can recruit some people, they are just bankrupt peasants who cannot protect our safety. Therefore, real mercenaries will not be hired." Baru saw through Alpha's thoughts, but this was also a fact.
People without skills can only go with the flow, while people with skills can ride the wind and waves. In this era, the value of real mercenaries is also infinitely raised.
"Who will be in charge then?" Alpha knew the truth. Alpha had been recruiting for two hours and had only managed to recruit over thirty ordinary people, who were basically just enough to have food to eat. He hadn't even managed to recruit a mercenary with a commission of two gold coins.
It’s not that there are no capable people, but that they simply disdain and look down on Alpha’s small commission.
"Of course I'm in charge." At this time, it was impossible for Baru to give up power. Only by keeping these people firmly in his hands could he survive in this chaotic situation.
"Then President Baru, what is our purpose in gathering so many people? In other words, what are we going to do?" What Alpha needs is to take advantage of the situation rather than go with the flow.
"Captain Apollo, in this world, being alive is the greatest asset. Even though the revolutionary army is coming in full force, they will eventually be suppressed by the nobles. We should either support the nobles in suppressing the revolutionary army or concentrate our forces to protect ourselves. Don't do anything." Baru was amused by Alpha. Did he still want to use these people to get to the top? It was impossible.
"Forget it, I have money, but I also want power, so we have different ideas and cannot work together." Alpha rejected President Baru's proposal. If he just wanted to live, this idea would be easily dispelled, and Alpha would not come to wade into this muddy water.
"Oh no, Lord Apollo, there's a fight in the city." Meiyi's shout suddenly came.
"What? Did the Revolutionary Army take action ahead of schedule?" Baru was obviously in contact with the Revolutionary Army, but he did not expect that the riot originally scheduled for three days later was brought forward. This completely broke Baru's expectations, as the several major mercenary groups outside had not yet reached an agreement.
"Let's go, we have to leave this city." Alpha needs to jump out and not stay in it, because danger may happen at any time and the chaos will blind you.
"Meiyi, let Monkey pack up and take them to the inn. We are getting ready to leave here." Alpha needs to gather everyone and leave before the chaos spreads.
"My Sky Mercenary Group recruits all those who want to survive, want to make achievements, and want to rise to prominence. I'll be waiting for you in Locke Town." Alpha shouted to the mercenaries present.