Because Murphy had made arrangements with Master Minx and the Steam Lords to establish an airship route to the Origin Lands before setting out, the halflings had long since prepared the necessary transport.
The first convoy of airships from Chardo Port to Origin Port consisted of fifteen vessels, packed with excited players and a group of native mercenaries who had followed them in hopes of getting a share of the spoils and making a fortune. With the situation on the Genoa Peninsula so unstable lately, there were quite a few of these hard-bitten fighters.
Naturally, the combat strength of native mercenaries couldn't be measured by the same standards as players. But since the natives only had one life and couldn't afford to take crazy risks, most warriors who had reached the Black Iron rank were genuinely skilled.
Their combat strength wasn't much of a concern. The only problem was that no one should expect these men to fight for "justice and righteousness."
The only thing driving them to the Origin Lands was the legendary treasure of the Sea of Sand.
However, the players had already prepared for that.
The mercenary company leaders had been summoned to the dining hall of the first airship. They were a diverse bunch: humans, barbarians, half-elves, dwarves, and even a shadow elf.
Only the leaders of mercenary companies with more than fifty members had been invited. The lone wolves who worked on their own had already scattered throughout the twelve airships, while ordinary players had seized the opportunity to hire the tough-looking mercenaries as companions.
The leaders were all fierce, with none looking easy to mess with. But the person speaking with them was Five-Spoke Wheel, the "commanding general," so the mercenaries were fairly respectful.
These men were very good at judging who they were