War Reparations

The battle on Rising Light Island continued.

In less than a moment, sixty or seventy men from both sides had fallen forever on the battlefield. It was a gruesome sight.

Watching the warriors around him fall one after another, Neil Bergman's heart bled continuously.

These were the foundations he had painstakingly accumulated bit by bit over the past three years. Yet because of his own carelessness, a third of them had been lost in the blink of an eye.

More importantly, his territory was in the Chaotic Sea Domain. If his strength suffered heavily in this battle, his old enemies would never miss this opportunity. They would certainly join forces to tear him apart, just as he had personally destroyed those three small factions in the past.

It would completely sever his path to nobility, leaving him with no chance to rise again.

Unable to endure it any longer, Neil Bergman hurriedly shouted, "Lord on the other side, if we keep fighting, both sides will suffer, and neither of us will gain anything. How about we stop and make peace?"

As his words fell, the situation across the battlefield seemed to gradually ease.

Roland, standing at the rear of the battlefield, frowned when he heard this. His gaze remained fixed on Neil Bergman.

Naturally, he wanted to wipe out these enemies who had invaded his territory. But given the current situation, the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group and Artur's squad truly held no advantage.

Moreover, the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group had suffered heavy casualties in the earlier battle. More than twenty men had died outright, while everyone else was wounded. If they continued fighting, it might provoke resentment among them and lead to unforeseen changes.

The gradually calming battle on both sides showed that the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group had clearly been frightened by the enormous casualties and instinctively agreed with Neil Bergman's suggestion to stop.

Roland had to take this into consideration. After all, the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group was currently the strongest force in his hands. If they refused to carry out his orders, Artur's squad alone would undoubtedly be no match for Neil Bergman.

After pondering for a moment, Roland finally replied, "You brazenly invaded my territory and caused me tremendous losses, yet now you want to stop and make peace? Are you dreaming?"

Hearing Roland's cold voice, an awkward expression appeared on Neil Bergman's face. But with the situation so urgent, he could not afford to care about his pride. He quickly replied, "This was a misunderstanding. I was incited by villains and had no choice but to invade your territory."

"You can see the current situation. If we continue fighting, both our sides will suffer grievous losses. That will do no good for either of our territories, so let us stop for now."

"No choice? How utterly shameless. Did someone hold a blade to your throat and force you to invade my territory?" Roland sneered disdainfully.

"This... I am willing to compensate you for your losses and offer my sincerest apology. How about that?" Seeing that Roland was unwilling to let him off easily, Neil Bergman struggled briefly before finally answering with reluctance.

Roland's heart stirred at this. This battle clearly could not continue much longer, so he might as well secure some tangible benefits. His tone softened slightly.

"Compensation? How will you compensate me?"

"I am willing to pay you one hundred gold coins to make up for the losses I caused you." Seeing that Roland had finally relented, a hint of joy appeared on Neil Bergman's face.

"One hundred gold coins? Are you insulting an alchemist?" Roland flew into a rage.

"An alchemist?" Shock flashed through Neil Bergman's eyes. He finally understood why the other party's territory was so prosperous. The other party was actually an alchemist.

But while he was still stunned, Roland's next words made his expression change drastically.

"All troops, heed my command. Kill one enemy, and you will be rewarded thirty gold coins. Kill a Beginner Warrior, and the reward doubles. An Intermediate Warrior, and it doubles again."

As Roland's words fell, the battlefield, which had been somewhat calming, immediately underwent a drastic change. Upon hearing the reward Roland had announced, the eyes of the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group and Artur's squad instantly turned bloodshot. Their attacks became fierce once more, every strike aimed at their enemies' vital points.

They did not want to keep fighting either, but Roland was simply offering too much.

They were mercenaries. Wasn't gold what they lived for, even if it cost them their lives?

"Stop... stop! Honored Alchemist, name your price!" Seeing the battlefield erupt once more, Neil Bergman hurriedly cried out in alarm.

"Hmph. Two thousand gold coins, three hundred slaves, and thirty tons of grain." Roland opened his Lion's Mouth.

"Impossible! I cannot afford such a price!" Neil Bergman's expression changed drastically.

Roland's terms would nearly drain half his territory. How could he agree to that?

"Then what is there to discuss? Fight."

"No, no. I am willing to pay you five hundred gold coins, fifty slaves, and ten tons of grain. How about that?"

"Fight." Roland had made up his mind. At worst, he would pour all of his income from the next few months into this war.

Roland might be able to endure if they continued fighting, but Neil Bergman clearly could not. Once he lost this elite guard unit, he would be unable to protect his territory. So he shouted again.

"Half! Half! Half is the most I can accept."

"Half?" Roland was faintly tempted when he heard this.

After all, if they kept fighting, he would also have to bear enormous losses. If the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group suffered too badly, the safety of his territory would no longer be guaranteed.

"They must be strong, healthy, uninjured adult slaves, with men accounting for no less than two-thirds."

Upon hearing Roland's reply, Neil Bergman finally let out a huge sigh of relief. Although Roland's terms pained him immensely, he ultimately agreed in order to preserve the guard unit under his command.

Once the two sides reached an agreement, the fighting on the battlefield gradually subsided.

After a great battle, the ground was littered with devastation. Neither side had gained anything, especially Neil Bergman. Not only had his guard unit suffered more than half its numbers in casualties, but he also had to pay a massive compensation. This battle had nearly cost him a third of his entire fortune.

Rising Light Island had not fared much better than Neil Bergman. Artur's squad had lost another three men in this battle. Even including Artur himself, only four remained.

The Loyal Lion Mercenary Group was in an even worse state. Thirty-two men had died in this battle alone, while more than a dozen were seriously wounded. Of the entire mercenary group, only around fifty remained uninjured.

However, Roland did not need to bear the losses of the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group and Artur's squad. That was O'Neal and Leslie's concern. Their relationship was not one of subordination, so Roland did not have to pay compensation for the dead mercenaries and members of Artur's squad.

Furthermore, Roland had obtained a large amount of compensation from Neil Bergman. Instead, this war had left Roland richly rewarded.

After the war ended, Roland had no intention of meeting Neil Bergman. The other party was a Level 8 Warrior, and Roland feared something might happen. He directly entrusted Old Nob with handling everything that followed.

The greatest contributor in this battle was certainly not the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group or Artur's squad, but Old Nob.

If he had not discovered the enemies landing on the island under cover of night beforehand, the battle might have ended long ago. Caught completely unprepared, Roland would certainly have suffered a terrible loss.

Therefore, to reward Old Nob for his merits, Roland directly granted him the authority to negotiate on his behalf.

Meanwhile, after the war ended, Neil Bergman looked at his heavily wounded and dead subordinates with deep sorrow. But when he saw that Deeds, though severely injured, was still alive, he finally relaxed somewhat.

The value of an Advanced Warrior was far beyond that of beginner and intermediate warriors. As long as Deeds did not die, his territory would not face a major crisis for the time being.

However, the coming compensation gave him another terrible headache. One hundred and fifty slaves, all healthy adult slaves. This would practically empty half the adult slaves in his territory. On top of that, there was compensation of one thousand gold coins, which pained him immensely.

After all, not every Pioneer Knight was like Roland, able to earn enormous profits through potions. Neil Bergman controlled an island of more than thirty square kilometers, and after three years of development, his territory's annual income was only around five thousand gold coins.

After deducting the necessary expenses, it would be good if he had one thousand gold coins left each year. Yet now, all of it had to be used to pay war reparations.

But when he saw the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group and Artur's squad still eyeing them like tigers nearby, Neil Bergman could only helplessly accept everything.

Just then, Old Nob, carrying the negotiation task Roland had entrusted to him, slowly approached. The moment he saw Neil Bergman, a shrewd smile flashed across his face.

"Honored Lord, when will the compensation you promised arrive?"

Although Old Nob's words were filled with respect, his expression showed none of it. Instead, he carried the pride of a victor.

Naturally, Neil Bergman was extremely displeased by this. But circumstances were stronger than people, so he suppressed the anger in his heart and replied irritably, "I have already sent people back to my territory to make arrangements. It will be delivered in three days."

"Very good. Before then, I hope that you, honored Lord, will properly restrain your soldiers. You would not want to see war break out again, would you?"

"Hmph, I will." Hearing Old Nob's barely concealed threat, Neil Bergman snorted angrily to express his dissatisfaction.

He knew that Roland would certainly not let him leave before the compensation arrived, so he said nothing more.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Good night." Old Nob yawned, then turned and left without another word.

Watching Old Nob's departing figure, Neil Bergman's eyes darkened like still water, as though he had suffered the greatest humiliation.