Selecting a Side Quest

After watching the soldier leave, Lin Maoxian led Xiao Zhang farther inside.

Once they entered the small camp, they saw more than ten military tents standing on the ground. They had no idea where the Centurion was, so Lin Maoxian had to ask someone who was training nearby. "Hello, I'm a new recruit reporting for duty. Sorry for the trouble, but could you tell me where Centurion Lin is?"

The man glanced at Lin Maoxian. "Come with me." As he spoke, he headed toward the tent in the center, and Lin Maoxian and Xiao Zhang hurried after him.

"My lord, two more new recruits have arrived to report for duty." The soldier who had led them stood outside the tent and called inside.

"More newcomers? Let them in." A deep voice came from within the tent.

The soldier turned to Lin Maoxian and the other man. "You can go in." Then he turned and headed back, apparently to continue training.

Inside the tent, they saw a hulking man of impressive stature sitting in the very center. Lin Maoxian and Xiao Zhang hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, my lord. We are new recruits reporting for duty, assigned to your command."

Lin Wu looked at the two men before him and thought, These two are probably from Earth Village as well. What on earth is going on with that village? Not only are so many of its people joining the army, they even have women among them. The higher-ups have not only allowed these women to take part in battle, they've also assigned everyone from that village to the same company. Aren't they worried they might be Yellow Turban spies who could endanger Pingyang County?

He shook his head, putting those thoughts aside, and addressed the two. "Since you've both been assigned to my unit, you must be from Earth Village. I'm your Centurion, Lin Wu. This company was only recently formed, so aside from my own personal guards, we haven't selected any Squad Leaders yet. If no more recruits join us by sunset today, I'll find some other soldiers to fill out the ranks. Once the company reaches a hundred men, we'll hold a martial contest. Whoever is strongest can temporarily become a Squad Leader. Understand?"

Lin Maoxian looked up, puzzled. "My lord, why would they only become Squad Leaders temporarily, rather than permanently?"

Lin Wu explained, "Because you'll have been selected as Squad Leaders based only on your martial prowess. You'll need to earn enough battle merit to become official Squad Leaders."

Lin Maoxian continued, "My lord, how do we earn battle merit? Can we get it just by killing Yellow Turban bandits?"

Lin Wu nodded. "That's one way. On the battlefield, killing an ordinary Yellow Turban bandit earns you 1 point of battle merit; killing an elite Yellow Turban earns you 3 points; killing a Yellow Turban Squad Leader earns you 10 points; and killing a guard serving a Yellow Turban Centurion earns you 20 points. As for a Yellow Turban Centurion, killing one earns you 100 points, which is enough to become an official Squad Leader right away. Those are the Squad Leaders recognized by the imperial court, and they receive military pay and other benefits."

Seeing how intently the two were listening, he continued, "That's only one way to earn battle merit. You can also take on missions assigned by your superiors or earn merit through other great deeds."

Lin Maoxian did the math. He'd need to kill ten Squad Leaders to earn 100 points of battle merit and officially gain the position. After the martial contest, he'd see what kind of attribute bonuses a Squad Leader got. If they were decent, he'd have to work hard for the position. "My lord, where can I take on missions? I'd like to have a look."

At the question, Lin Wu looked Lin Maoxian up and down. "People from your village really are strange. Why does everyone ask me the same thing? Is it some kind of affliction?" He shook his head in bafflement. In all his years in the military, most soldiers had hoped to have no missions at all. But the people from this village were different. As soon as they heard there were missions, they always asked about them, as if they couldn't wait to take one on.

He casually picked up a bamboo slip from the table and tossed it over. "All the current missions are listed there. You can choose one now, but if you accept it and fail to complete it, you'll be severely punished."

Lin Maoxian paid no attention to the Centurion's warning. He opened the bamboo slip, and a prompt from the space appeared:

"Adventurers may freely accept any of the following missions. The rewards and penalties are listed for each mission. Please choose carefully."

"Side Quest—Probe the Enemy's Plans: Go to the Yellow Turban Army outside the city and find out the exact time they plan to attack. Reward for completion: 10,000 Source Points. Penalty for failure: lose 10,000 Source Points."

"Side Quest—Intercept Supplies: 'Before the army marches, provisions go first.' Seize the Yellow Turban Army's provisions and bring them back to Pingyang County. Reward for completion: 10,000 Source Points. Penalty for failure: lose 10,000 Source Points."

"Side Quest—Slay the Enemy General Before the Battle..."

"Side Quest—Lead a Charge..."

"Side Quest..."

"Side Quest—Slay Officers from the City Wall: During the siege defense, kill at least 10 Squad Leaders, 5 guards serving Yellow Turban Centurions, or 1 Yellow Turban Centurion. Reward for completion: 3,000 Source Points. Penalty for failure: lose 5,000 Source Points."

"Side Quest—Valiant Combat: During the siege defense, fight on the city wall for 12 hours each day or complete an equivalent mission. Reward for completion: 3,000 Source Points. Penalty for failure: lose 5,000 Source Points."

Looking over the long list of side quests, Lin Maoxian decided that only "Slay Officers from the City Wall" and "Valiant Combat" were within his current abilities. Missions like gathering intelligence in the enemy camp or intercepting supplies either required great strength or a large group of people. The "Slay the Enemy General Before the Battle" and "Lead a Charge" missions were even more outrageous. In his opinion, anyone who accepted them now was asking to die. One required an Adventurer to duel an enemy general, while the other demanded that they charge at the head of the army. Neither was something any Adventurer could manage at present.

"My lord, I'd like to accept 'Slay Officers from the City Wall' and 'Valiant Combat.'" As he spoke, Lin Maoxian handed back the bamboo slip. He ignored Xiao Zhang, who stood beside him. Given the boy's cowardly nature, there was no way he'd accept a mission.

Lin Wu took the bamboo slip, somewhat surprised. "Oh? You want to accept two missions? Once you do, soldiers assigned to supervise the battlefield will keep track of your progress. Don't think you can get away with anything."

As soon as Lin Wu finished speaking, Lin Maoxian received a prompt from the space: "Adventurer has accepted side quest—Slay Officers from the City Wall...; side quest—Valiant Combat..."

"I wouldn't dream of it, my lord."

"Good. I've told you everything you need to know. Go find any military tent outside and rest for now. After the martial contest at sunset, we'll formally organize the company, and you'll be assigned a permanent tent. You can leave now." Lin Wu waved at them, signaling that they could go.

"Yes, my lord!" "Yes, my lord!"

Once they were outside the tent, Lin Maoxian said to Xiao Zhang, "You did well, kid. You didn't say a word in there. In a little while, we're going to meet some of my 'fellow villagers.' They're not exactly decent people. You'd better do as you did just now: don't ask anything and don't say a word. Understood?"

Xiao Zhang replied, "Understood, my lord."

"Good. As long as you understand. Let's go." Lin Maoxian set off with Xiao Zhang toward the other military tents.

Lin Maoxian chose a tent at random and lifted the flap. He saw eight people sitting inside, then turned to Xiao Zhang. "Kid, wait outside for now. If anything happens, just shout and I'll come out. Also, my 'fellow villagers' aren't ordinary people. If anything seems off, shout right away. Don't wait until you've been beaten too badly to call for help. If you do, all I'll be able to do is bury you."

"I... I understand, my lord!" Xiao Zhang was clearly a little nervous after hearing that. He glanced around, as though danger might strike at any moment.

Ignoring Xiao Zhang's reaction, Lin Maoxian walked into the tent and took a seat.

Seeing Lin Maoxian enter, a middle-aged man smiled. "Another Adventurer. There really are a lot of Adventurers in this mission world!"

The young man beside him added, "Tell me about it. From what that Centurion said, there might be a hundred of us here. I wonder how many people will choose the Yellow Turban side."

"Probably not many, right? When we were assigned, we were all sent near Pingyang County. And the Yellow Turban Army is the one attacking the city, so I doubt any Adventurers would choose that side." The speaker was a young-looking woman. She wasn't especially beautiful, but she had a pleasant appearance.

"Who knows? Maybe someone will want to take a gamble for a big reward," said the middle-aged man who had spoken first. Then he turned to Lin Maoxian, who was sitting off to one side. "I'm Tiger. The one beside me is Eel, and this beauty is Shasha. The others are Belcha, Wumu, Laser Machine, Stationery, and Biscuit. What should we call you, brother?" Tiger introduced them one by one, then asked Lin Maoxian his name.

Hearing their strange names, Lin Maoxian replied, "You can call me Adventurer. How long have you all been here?"

Tiger shook his head. "We only got here this morning, so we arrived just a little before you did, brother Adventurer. For now, everyone's gathered in the tents, waiting for the martial contest at sunset."