Bamboo Pole

According to Renard's plan, he was supposed to exterminate that band of kobold bandits this afternoon, but he was stopped by his lackeys.

Ben said with a苦瓜脸 (bitter face): "Young Master, we haven't had a good rest or a full meal in days. We're not in shape right now, our strength is greatly diminished, and I'm afraid we're no match for those kobolds."

Listening to him, Renard's eyes inadvertently swept over Fern, whose face was sallow. He felt a slight pang of guilt, though only a slight one.

He pondered for a moment and tentatively asked, "Then shall we set off tomorrow?"

Ben shook his head again: "Young Master has never truly adventured. How can you know the three taboos of adventuring?"

The three taboos? Renard blinked and said nothing, quietly waiting for Ben to explain.

Ben racked his brain. What three taboos? It was just an excuse he'd made up on the spot to get a couple more days of rest.

He couldn't take the blame himself. While Renard was drinking tea, he tilted his head and gave the lackeys beside him a meaningful look. The message was clear: I can't keep this up anymore.

Tommy understood his intent and was about to speak when a voice with full of vigor came from the side: "The three taboos of adventuring are: do not be arrogant, do not be impatient, and do not be hasty."

"Do not be arrogant: Do not be proud when completing a task, do not be proud when defeating an enemy, and do not be proud when dividing spoils."

"Do not be impatient: Do not be anxious when you cannot complete a task, do not be anxious when you encounter difficulties, and do not be anxious when you lose property or supplies."

"Do not be hasty: Do not be hasty when going out on a mission, do not be hasty when killing monsters, and do not be hasty when encountering opponents."

Everyone looked at the speaker in surprise. It was the newly promoted top lackey, Tracy Hayden.

Renard was also a bit taken aback, completely floored by what he said: "I'm just going out to hunt a few kobolds. Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?"

Tracy said seriously: "Adventuring is not a game. Mistakes can be fatal."

Renard thought for a moment and felt there was some truth to it, so he nodded and said, "Then when do you suggest we set off?"

"That depends on how the Young Master arranges it," Tracy replied with a serious expression. "If we plan to spend the night outdoors, we must prepare tents, food, and drinks. If we are traveling by horse, we also need to prepare fodder in advance."

"When carrying out a mission, the division of labor must be clear: who will be the scout, who will be the main attacker, who will be the main defender, and who will cover the rear. How to compensate for mistakes, how to safely retreat when encountering strong enemies..."

Tracy spoke eloquently for a full half hour, clearly having much more to say: "Most importantly, we don't have any adventuring equipment. We definitely need knives, swords, and armor. We also need to prepare climbing ropes, lighting equipment..."

Renard's eye twitched. He really wanted to say that he was just going to wipe out a small group of kobold bandits, not lead an army into battle. He didn't need all these complicated procedures, and besides, he planned to go and come back the same day.

However, Tracy's line of thought seemed to have opened a new world for him. Since they were going to prepare so thoroughly, why not complete a few more killing missions?

If the lackeys knew his thoughts, they would have beaten Tracy, the big-mouthed blabbermouth, to death.

After a long pause, Renard lost his patience and raised his hand to interrupt: "Stop! You handle the preliminary preparations, and I'll also give you the authority to allocate personnel. Just tell me when we can set off."

Tracy's expression brightened slightly upon hearing this, and the others cast envious glances his way.

After a long silence, he said with great certainty: "Three days. Three days is enough for us to recover our stamina to its peak and complete the preliminary preparations. However..."

He hesitated, clearly finding some things difficult to say.

Renard hated people who beat around the bush the most: "If you have something to say, say it quickly. If you have to fart, let it out."

Tracy nodded and, with a completely uninhibited gesture, spread his hands: "We have no money. Buying supplies costs money, buying equipment costs money, and the amount is not small."

Renard's right eyelid twitched violently, while the lackeys felt their own purses bulging.

Tracy didn't hesitate this time and laid out the plan and budget: "We can find weapons and equipment in the Baron's warehouse. We can borrow warhorses from the guards. Food and drinks can also be sourced locally."

"You're thinking too wishfully. They definitely won't lend them to us," Renard interrupted again. "Not to mention the conflict between me and Wilson, even considering the value of warhorses and weapons and armor, they wouldn't lend them out easily."

Saint Brieuc Fortress was not wealthy. How could Baron Hamilton be willing to pay such a high price for his son's impulsive decision?

Moreover, the territory's warehouse was so empty that a horse could run through it; there weren't enough spare equipment to be found.

Did they have to snatch them from other guards? If Baron Hamilton found out, he would beat them until they flew.

Most importantly, warhorses were a scarce resource throughout the Barren Land. The Baron's mansion only kept ten warhorses, barely enough to form a cavalry squad. Would Baron Hamilton entrust his entire reserve to this group of wastrels?

Renard could even imagine Baron Hamilton's expression and words when he refused: "Nonsense! Not a single one!"

Tracy looked helpless upon hearing Renard's answer: "Then we'll have to buy them ourselves."

Renard rubbed his hands together and asked obsequiously, "How much will it cost at the very least?"

Tracy tilted his head in thought and immediately noticed the gazes from the lackeys around him. He cleared his throat: "The minimum is one gold coin."

Renard's heart felt as if it had been fiercely squeezed. Although he had been mentally prepared, he was still shocked by the figure.

He subconsciously touched his money pouch, where a single, gleaming gold coin lay quietly.

He hesitated for a long time and asked stammeringly, "Can't it be any less?"

Tracy nodded with certainty: "We can prepare the food and drinks ourselves. We don't need warhorses for now, as the distance isn't far. But we definitely need to buy weapons and armor."

He glanced at the few lackeys around him and continued, "The cheapest leather armor costs three silver coins, so twenty-seven for nine people. The worst quality longswords cost six silver coins each, which is fifty-four for nine people. We also need to prepare climbing ropes and lighting equipment..."

He finished by baring his clean white teeth: "One gold coin is the minimum price I've given."

Renard felt his throat dry. The previous owner of this body was a bully within the family and had never adventured. As for himself, he was a gaming otaku in his past life and had never even been on an outing. Now, he could only do as they said.

So, for the sake of his grand ambition to conquer the world, he could only temporarily inconvenience his wallet.

He took out the only gold coin he had left and said reluctantly, "You must treat it well."

Tracy moved swiftly, snatching the gold coin before anyone else could. He bared his neat white teeth and said, "Don't worry, Young Master. We will definitely treat it well."