Rewards

Lodan's words gave Old Buck a jolt of energy. Although Lodan didn't explain anything, Old Buck was willing to believe what Lodan said, as the highest-ranking officer he could meet.

Old Buck breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, "Thank you, sir. I'm all right now. May we go?"

Seeing Old Buck's reaction, Lodan suddenly smiled and said, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Old Buck said somewhat dejectedly, "This is the first time my brothers have killed anyone. They might not be able to handle it. I'm planning to take them back so they can get some rest."

Lodan nodded in satisfaction. James and Michael had both mentioned this Old Buck to him before, saying that he was trustworthy. Today, after meeting him, he was indeed impressed.

Old Buck has come to see himself and the Southern Marching Legion as a whole, hoping that the Southern Marching Legion and the Viscount will win. At the same time, although he is only of serf origin, he is strong, decisive, and cares a lot about his subordinates. He is indeed a good prospect and may very well be able to make a name for himself in the territory.

Lodan lowered his head and thought for a moment, "Then don't worry. Professional armies have ways to deal with this kind of situation. I'll give you a note. You take these brothers to our Medical Department, and someone there will help you solve these problems."

After saying that, Lodan picked up a piece of paper and started writing. He stopped after writing a few words and called out a few times to the outside of the tent, which brought back the captain named Mendepo who had brought them there.

"Mendepo, take them to the Medical Department, give Minister Isaac my note, and also take them to Ramos to collect the supplies."

After saying that, Lodan scribbled a few lines on the paper and handed it to Mendepo.

Mendepo bowed to Lodan, then took the note, walked up to Old Buck and Eagle Eye, turned his head and said, "Come with me!" He then walked out of the tent, and Old Buck and Eagle Eye quickly bowed to Lodan and followed him out.

Mendepo led the two men to meet his men, and the group went straight through the entire camp to an open space, which was filled with piles of goods covered with tarpaulins.

There were also special troops guarding the area, and when Mendepo was seen, the guards immediately stopped him.

"Please call Ramos for me. I'm here to collect supplies on Lord Lodan's orders."

After saying Mendepo showed them the note in his hand. The soldiers saw it and immediately ran away, seemingly to find the man named Ramos.

Mendepo said to the two people behind him, "Ramos is the manager of this freight station. He is in charge of this entire freight yard, which stores the vast majority of the supplies for the Logistics Department."

After saying Mendepo didn't say anything more and stood there quietly waiting. Old Buck wasn't a talkative person to begin with, so he followed Mendepo's example and stood there waiting. Eagle Eye, on the other hand, wanted to talk. He walked up to Mendepo and waved to try to get Mendepo's attention, but Mendepo completely ignored him.

A few minutes later, a man ran over with the soldier from before. Old Buck and Eagle Eye noticed that the man only had a left hand; the sleeve of his right arm was empty and swayed in the wind as he ran over.

"Mendepo, what brings you here? What supplies did Lord Lodan send you to retrieve?"

Ramos greeted Mendepo, but didn't look at Old Buck and the others, as if they were insignificant.

Mendepo didn't say anything, but simply handed the note to Ramos.

Ramos took it and looked at it with a slightly surprised expression. He quickly glanced at Old Buck and the others, then nodded to them. "Wait a moment, I'll arrange it right away!"

After saying that, Ramos waved to a squad of soldiers, "Go to Sector Three and get one unit of tin cans, then go to Sector Number Five and get..."

Ramos counted the guards behind Old Buck and his men. "There are 12 men in total. Bring 12 sets of equipment for each of them, according to the standards for main force troops."

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers accepted the order and left.

Ramos walked up to Mendepo, pointed at Old Buck and Eagle Eye, and said, "Aren't you going to introduce these two to me?"

"The captain of the prisoner-of-war camp."

Mendepo said something very concise.

Ramos rolled his eyes after hearing this. Mendepo was still the same as ever, incredibly quiet.

He simply walked up to Old Buck and asked politely, "What's your name, brother?"

Old Buck was surprised by the man's politeness. He knew that this officer named Ramos was in charge of this warehouse and was definitely not a low-ranking officer. He quickly saluted. "Lord Ramos, my name is Buck. I am the captain of the prisoner-of-war camp. I used to be Serf Soldiers in the Blacklin territory!"

Old Buck made no attempt to conceal his status as a serf. He had been there for several days and had spoken with the soldiers stationed at the prisoner-of-war camp, learning about the policies of Viscount Golden Sunflower in governing the Two Rivers Territory.

Knowing that many serfs had escaped their serf status by joining the army and even becoming officers, he wanted to take them as role models, but he didn't know what to do.

At this moment, Eagle Eye quickly added, "Sir, my name is Pliff. I used to be a soldier in the Blacklin territory, and now I am a guard in the prisoner-of-war camp."

Ramos smiled at Old Buck after hearing what he said, and simply nodded to Eagle Eye.

Ramos then continued chatting with Old Buck, ignoring Eagle Eye, which frustrated Eagle Eye, who wanted to get closer to Ramos.

He really wanted to get involved with this Lord Ramos, after all, with such a large cargo yard, he could make a fortune if he just let him drop a few items.

Although Ramos was a disabled man with one arm, he was very good at communicating. In a short time, he managed to extract most of the information about Old Buck, including his two sons, his former identity as a tamer, and even Old Buck's desire to join the army and become an officer to escape his and his sons' status as serfs.

Eagle Eye, who was listening in, was very surprised. He didn't expect that this honest and kind Old Buck with thick eyebrows and big eyes would have such great ambitions. But after saying so much, aren't you afraid that this big man will laugh at you for overestimating yourself?

However, after hearing this, Ramos did not make fun of Old Buck. He smiled and said, "Buck, we are about the same age and even have similar experiences. It's just that I didn't get married as early as you. My child hasn't been born yet."

I was also born a serf in the Golden Sunflower Territory. Later, I joined the army under the selection of Lord Victor and followed him to the Northlands to develop the land. During that time, I fought bravely and was freed from serfdom early on. I even freed my parents and brothers from serfdom as well.

He later became an officer and was selected to attend Lord Victor's officer training class, where he learned to write and calculate. However, he lost his right hand in a battle to wipe out Barbarian Tribes.

I thought this was how my life would be, that I would retire and go back to farming. Actually, I was already quite content. After all, I had accumulated 60 acres of land through my merits, plus my officer's disability allowance, which was enough for me to live comfortably.

But to my surprise, Lord Lord Lodan found me and put me in charge of the Logistics Department's supplies management, so I've been doing this job ever since.

Old Buck, I'll call you that too. Our Lord, Viscount Victor, is the most remarkable man. He will never hesitate to reward you if you have the ability to achieve great things.

So do your best; this is the best opportunity of your life.

Ramos patted Old Buck on the shoulder with his left hand and said his last words in a serious tone.

Old Buck was deeply moved. The man before him was his best role model. Seeing him reminded Old Buck of the bright future he and his two sons would have. At that moment, he even wanted to catch up with the army that had already left the camp and fight alongside them against the enemy, so that he could gain merit and realize his dream.

Ramos could tell what Old Buck was thinking just by looking at his expression. "But everything has to be done slowly. Don't do things you can't do. For example, you're just a guard captain now. You can do this job well with just your strength."

But going to the battlefield is different. As a soldier, you also need to hone your combat skills and be able to understand the officers' orders.

If you become an officer, you will also need to learn how to command, how to lead your soldiers to change formations, and there is still a lot for you to learn and a long road ahead.

But you don't need to be too anxious; you're actually on the right track.

Ramos' last sentence was quite meaningful, but Old Buck didn't quite understand. What did he mean by "already on the right track"? I haven't even started yet, have I?

Just then, the group of soldiers who had run off to collect supplies returned, carrying several large boxes in groups. When they reached them, the soldiers put the boxes down. Judging from their actions, it was clear that the contents of the boxes were not light.

"Here's what you wanted. Come with me!"

After saying that, Ramos led the group to the box.

Ramos crouched down next to one of the wooden crates, drew a dagger from his waist, and pried along the edge of the crate. Soon the wooden planks were pried open, and he took out an iron can from inside.

Ramos picked up the jar, looked at it, and muttered, "It's an apple jar, I thought it was a pear jar!"

After saying that, he handed the iron can and the dagger to Old Buck. Old Buck took the two items and was a little confused. The only thing he could confirm was that the can was very heavy, weighing more than a kilogram, and it seemed to contain water.

Next, Ramos instructed Old Buck to pry open the jar with a dagger. Although Old Buck had never seen this kind of thing before, he quickly figured out the trick and opened the jar in no time.

The moment the can was opened, Old Buck smelled a sweet aroma, a hint of apples. He looked down and saw water inside the can, with several peeled apple chunks soaking in it.

Seeing Old Buck's astonished expression, Ramos laughed heartily. He took the dagger from Old Buck's hand and stabbed it into the fruit in the tin can. A piece of crystal-clear apple flesh was then picked out. Ramos handed the dagger and the fruit to Old Buck, gesturing for him to try it.

Old Buck hesitated for a moment, but he trusted Ramos wouldn't harm him, so he stuffed the fruit pulp into his mouth and started chewing.

In an instant, Old Buck felt as if he had ascended to heaven. Although he was a serf, he had eaten apples before. Although they were all rotten fruits used to feed pigs, they were still edible after removing the rotten parts.

Those apples were a rare delicacy even for serfs like them, but none tasted as sweet as this. The sweetness was even sweeter than the wild honey he had secretly discovered when he was young. The moment it entered his mouth, the fruity aroma and the extremely rich sweetness swept over Old Buck's tongue, even making him feel a little numb.

Ramos looked at Old Buck, who was completely absorbed in the moment, and burst into laughter. "This is a specialty of our territory called canned fruit, created by our great Viscount."

These tin cans can be stored for at least three months, and the tins are very sturdy, making them ideal as supplies for the army. They are very popular with our soldiers, who call them the Viscount's delicious gift.

You can try the soup in the pot; it's delicious too.

Old Buck tried picking up the can and taking a sip. Just as Ramos had said, it was so sweet and delicious that he felt instantly full of energy.

Ramos pointed to the dozens of cans in the opened wooden crate and said, "This crate contains 45 cans and weighs 50 kilograms including the crate. This was approved by Lord Lodan as a reward for you loyal guards of the prisoner camp, on behalf of Lord Victor."

"It's all yours, Old Buck. You're in charge of distributing it."

Old Buck looked at the large box of canned goods and stammered, "These, are they all for us?"

"Yes, they're all yours. You can distribute them as you like, or you can keep them all for yourselves."

Old Buck was stunned after hearing this. The wonderful experience he had just had deeply stimulated him, and after hearing Ramos's words, he really wanted to keep the canned food for himself.

But Old Buck quickly shook his head. These were rewards from Lord Lodan, how could he keep them all to himself? At this moment, he glanced at Eagle Eye, who was swallowing hard beside him, and his eager subordinates behind him.

He handed the can of fruit directly to Eagle Eye. "Pliff, you should try some too. Have a piece, and then share the rest with everyone so that everyone can taste this fruit preserve. It's a gift from Lord Victor to us."

Eagle Eye quickly took the jar after hearing this and began to taste it. Following Old Buck's instructions, he passed the jar to the other guards in turn so they could taste it together.

After hearing Old Buck's words and seeing the scene before them, Ramos and Mendepo's gazes towards Old Buck became even more friendly.

"It's not over yet, Buck, look at these," Ramos continued, pointing to the other boxes.

"Is this also canned fruit?"

"No, this is another gift."

Ramos gestured to the soldiers to open the boxes, which were then opened to reveal their contents.

What Old Buck saw were rows of brand-new, metallic-looking armor, sets of black linen uniforms, iron shields, and gleaming one-handed knives.

"From today onwards, you and your guards will be Auxiliary Troops of our Two Rivers Territory, and you will serve as their squad leader."

"I've told you, Buck, you're on the right path. Your achievements will never be forgotten, and Viscount Victor will always be watching you."