After drawing a Blue Rare Death Soldier, Lin Ze summoned him without the slightest hesitation.
Compared to an Ordinary Death Soldier, a Rare Death Soldier required ten times as much Flesh Essence.
That meant this summon cost him a full thirteen units of Flesh Essence.
If he hadn't hunted two Magical Beasts today and bought some Magical Beast meat as well, he might not have had enough to summon one.
"Ten times the cost? Let's see what makes you so special!"
The Rare Death Soldier was of average build and had a rather approachable appearance. The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, giving the impression that he was always smiling.
His appearance alone didn't reveal much, so Lin Ze turned to the Bronze Mirror to check the Rare Death Soldier's skills and talent.
[Rare Death Soldier: Unnamed]
[Skill: Business (Proficient Grade): You have mastered the ways of business and possess a keen commercial instinct. Buying low and selling high is second nature to you.]
[Talent: Affinity (Blue): The way you deal with people puts them at ease and makes them more likely to let down their guard.]
Seeing the Rare Death Soldier's skill and talent, Lin Ze nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed the talent and skill could complement each other.
Together, they could achieve a greater effect.
As for Proficient Grade, it was probably equivalent to more than a decade of honing one's craft.
The Affinity talent would help the Death Soldier make better use of his skill.
It wasn't a prestigious skill like alchemy, but Lin Ze thought business was pretty good, too.
Especially now, with his Death Soldiers constantly hunting Magical Beasts and bringing in a steady stream of goods.
In these circumstances, having a Death Soldier skilled in business could increase Lin Ze's profits by at least 20%.
After all, the merchants who bought Lin Ze's materials were definitely driving down the prices.
Now, with this Rare Death Soldier, he could not only sell his goods for better prices,
but also collect cultivation resources that Lin Ze could use.
Lin Ze glanced at the name field. He'd named his previous Ordinary Death Soldiers rather carelessly.
But since this was his first Rare Death Soldier, he gave the matter some serious thought.
Business...
Seeing the Business skill, Lin Ze immediately thought of the surname Ma.
"Then I'll call you Ma Fugui."
As Lin Ze spoke, the writing on the Bronze Mirror changed to Ma Fugui.
Later, he could even establish a Chamber of Commerce with Ma Fugui at its core and have it gather cultivation resources for him.
Of course, he'd need to think this through carefully.
After all, setting up a Chamber of Commerce was one thing if he kept it small.
But if he wanted to grow it into a major enterprise, then in this Mystical World, without enough force to back it up, even the biggest Chamber of Commerce would be nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Lin Ze gave Ma Fugui the Cultivation Manual and let him cultivate on his own.
He also noticed that the ratio provided by a Blue Rare Death Soldier in the Resonance Function was different.
Every ten Blue Rare Death Soldiers increased his Cultivation Speed by 1%.
That was ten times the ratio of Ordinary Death Soldiers!
"Sure enough, you get what you pay for. Those ten units of Flesh Essence were well spent!"
But even with one Blue Rare Death Soldier added, the Cultivation Speed Bonus provided by resonance was still negligible.
At least, it was hard to feel any noticeable difference.
The next day, Lin Ze sent the three Ordinary Death Soldiers out to hunt Magical Beasts.
That made each team three men strong: one squad in Qingshan Town and six squads in Fire Wolf Town.
Although he had a full six squads, they wouldn't make much of a stir once they entered the forest.
Even so, Lin Ze spread them out as much as possible so they could hunt separately.
The forest floor was blanketed with dead leaves and twigs. The Death Soldier Lin Ze was currently controlling was called A-Eighteen, a relatively high number in the lineup.
But since they hadn't found any suitable prey, Lin Ze had A-Eighteen lead two other Death Soldiers a little farther out to expand their hunting range.
The three walked softly through the forest. It was still hard to avoid the occasional faint snap or crackle from the dead leaves and twigs,
but they were doing their best to keep quiet.
Hunting in the forest meant concealing themselves and striking a lethal blow before their prey noticed them.
Making a racket would scare off their prey and, worse, attract powerful predators.
After all, A-Eighteen and the others were at the very bottom of the food chain in this Primeval Forest!
"Awooo—"
"Awooo—"
Long, mournful howls echoed from afar, one after another, and Lin Ze's expression shifted.
"What's going on?"
Lin Ze wondered.
There were plenty of Fire Wolf Magical Beasts around Fire Wolf Town, and Lin Ze knew that.
He occasionally heard their howls, but never like this, rising one after another without end.
It was as if someone had provoked the Fire Wolves.
And from what Lin Ze could sense, the howls seemed to be getting closer.
Realizing this, Lin Ze didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately activated Proxy State.
He hid the three Death Soldiers in trees, ordered them to stay concealed, then immediately switched to his other Death Soldiers.
This squad was relatively close to the howls, so there was probably no time for them to return.
But the other squads should still make it back to Fire Wolf Town.
After sending the other squads back to Fire Wolf Town, Lin Ze took control of A-Eighteen again.
He immediately heard a rustling sound, accompanied by heavy breathing, drawing closer.
A-Eighteen was well hidden in the tree, and Lin Ze didn't dare move at all. He merely glanced down through the corner of his eye.
To his surprise, it wasn't the Fire Wolves that appeared first, but several figures.
When he got a clear look at one of them, Lin Ze's thoughts stirred.
They were members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group!?
But the Wolf Head Mercenary Group operated out of Qingshan Town. Why had they come near Fire Wolf Town?
The two towns were neighbors, but they rarely had any dealings with each other.
That was because the Mercenary Groups in each town wouldn't allow the other to hunt Magical Beasts on their turf.
So it was certainly strange to see members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group here.
A thought suddenly crossed Lin Ze's mind. Could the Wolf Head Mercenary Group have caused all this commotion?
As Lin Ze's thoughts raced, the figures quickly disappeared into the distance.
Right behind them came one Fire Wolf after another, their fur blazing red as they chased after the fleeing men.
Through the trees, Lin Ze caught a glimpse of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's escape route. It led straight toward Fire Wolf Town!
The Wolf Head Mercenary Group was trying to lead the trouble straight to Fire Wolf Town!
The Fire Wolves probably couldn't breach the town, but they would certainly leave it battered.
Of course, compared to Fire Wolf Town, the three Death Soldiers were in even greater danger.
They had hidden in trees, not in an alternate space.
As the pursuing Wolf Pack moved off, a few slower Fire Wolves passed the trees where A-Eighteen and the others were hiding. They hesitated, looked around, and twitched their noses, as if searching for something.
Seeing this, Lin Ze had a bad feeling. The three Death Soldiers might not make it out of here today!
You've cost me three Death Soldiers!
Wolf Head Mercenary Group, you've sealed your own doom!
Before you continue