At dawn, the sky was barely bright, and misty rain shrouded the land.
It was not actually raining, but the mountains were heavy with moisture in summer. Especially after a whole night, just as the sun rose, the thick vapor nearly condensed into droplets. At such a time, anyone staying outside would be soaked through before long.
But Li Shan was a mountain man through and through. After decades in such weather, he had long since grown used to it.
At this moment, their group was walking along a newly cut trail. At the very front were two tall armored soldiers clearing the way with long sabers in hand. Though their armor was merely leather, it was imposing enough in the eyes of mountain folk.
The two young mountain men walking just behind them gazed at those battered, old suits of armor with open envy. To young mountain men, such attire was tremendously impressive.
Unfortunately, they were only recruits and had no right to wear armor. They had to become veteran soldiers before they could receive it.
Unless they earned merit, of course. Then they could skip the long wait; once they passed their training period, they could obtain armor.
As for now, never mind armor—even their weapons were made of wood.
Still, they knew that the day they received armor and weapons was not far off.
Because they had earned merit!
At this hour, they should ordinarily have been drilling in the army. But five days earlier, the army had issued a call for worthy talent.
Its general meaning was that the Heaven-Answering Army was in the midst of rebuilding from ruin and badly lacked craftsmen of all kinds, as well as literate people. Anyone with useful skills could receive double military pay.
The Heaven-Answering Army's pay system had