Overwhelmed with gratitude, [ Clear Soup Master ] had just left the study and arrived at the castle gate when he saw an old acquaintance he hadn't seen in a long time:
"Long time no see, bro. Didn't you do Dungeon today?"
"After training for so long, it's time to come out and test your skills."
The seasoned Dungeon Master [Xiexie Huigu] brushed past [Clear Soup Master]. Seeing the other's confident demeanor, [Clear Soup Master] really wanted to recruit him immediately and make him the first member of a hundred-man mercenary group.
But a couple of minutes won't make a difference, and judging from the direction [Xiexie Huigu] is heading, it seems to be going to find Ed to do something.
That doesn't matter. A battle maniac like that will inevitably head to the southern battlefield sooner or later, so it won't make a difference if he does it a little later.
Thinking this, [ Clear Soup Master ] left the Shattered Castle and returned to the ground in a dizzying, disorienting state. He walked towards the bustling square to issue his summons.
The knight only needs one hundred men, and none of them can be too weak, so...
[ Clear Soup Master ] considered a possibility, but after all, the requirement of one hundred people was the demand of the sandcastle manager, that is, the client, and he had no right to tamper with it, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and start recruiting.
Meanwhile, a few dozen meters away, in the study of the Shattered Castle, [Xiexie Huigu] also pushed open Ed's door:
"Boss~"
"Yes, please sit down. Is there something you need?"
[ Xiexie Huigu ] glanced at the gentle and reserved Ed, then sat down in the chair that [ Clear Soup Master ] had just left:
"Boss, a brother who went south asked me to pass on a message to you."
Ed, who was writing something at his desk, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this:
"Speak."
"Cough cough."
[ Xiexie Huigu ] cleared his throat, recalling the tone of his real-life friend, and said to Ed:
"Boss, boss, we want to do something in the Empire and need to recruit some people... So, won't this affect your grand plan?"
Ed paused, his charcoal pencil faltering, not immediately grasping the meaning of "[Xiexie Huigu]".
What is he doing?
Are you asking yourself a question on behalf of other players?
Isn't that a bit too strange?
When does Soul Returner need their own permission to do things?
They always do whatever they want without ever asking me beforehand.
Even the meeting with [ Clear Soup Master ] just now was because it concerned a hidden side quest.
If it doesn't involve any missions, players wouldn't need to come looking for me at all, right?
However, Ed quickly realized a possibility. He looked up at [Xiexie Huigu] and succinctly revealed the secret:
How many people does he want to take away?
[ Xiexie Huigu ] awkwardly made a "four" gesture.
Forty people.
Ed's brows furrowed:
"What can forty people possibly have to say to me?"
But then [Xiexie Huigu] explained:
"Boss Ed, [ the Practice More If You're Bad ] told me to tell you that he took forty men this time because he's just a centurion; he'll definitely get promoted later."
Ed opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
This time, he finally understood what the player [Practice More If You're Bad], the messenger behind [Xiexie Huigu], wanted to express:
"Boss, if I get promoted to centurion, can you recruit some able-bodied men from our hometown?"
"Boss, if I get promoted to commander of ten thousand, can I recruit some from our hometown..."
"Boss, if I get promoted to general, I can..."
"Boss, if I get promoted to marshal..."
Good grief, this guy's asking for his own conscription permit?!
Ed was speechless for a moment. Looking at [ Xiexie Huigu ] who was recruiting men for the regular army, and thinking of the mercenary leader [ Clear Soup Master ] who had just left, a not good conclusion began to grow in his mind. He even selectively ignored the sounds of a full-blown fight coming from the direction of the square downstairs.
After a long silence, Ed sighed softly and nodded to [ Xiexie Huigu ].
"It's alright, this number of people won't affect the Second Holy See, but you'll need to be self-sufficient."
"Yay! Long live the boss!"
[ Xiexie Huigu ] leaped up from the chair and left the study with cheerful steps.
Behind him, Ed lay back in a chair, his body gradually dissolving as he began to thoroughly review the player recordings from the past two weeks.
Skeleton Alliance, Sand Capital, Council Hall.
Five skeletons, each with a different appearance but all exuding a sense of holiness, gathered together. Ordinary skeletons dressed as waiters delivered the compiled information to the group.
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin today's impromptu meeting."
The skull with Triple Crown- like halo above its head said:
"Everyone, please take a look. There are three things in total."
"Firstly, similar intelligence has been reported from the sixteen sand fortresses on the western border:"
"Large quantities of supplies and provisions are being transported to the border by the Imperial logistics forces. They were easily discovered by our scouts, or perhaps they didn't bother to hide them at all."
"After removing duplicate calculations, it is estimated that it will be enough to sustain an army of 100,000 for three months."
"And this is only the first batch. Although the south of the empire suffered from disasters this year, the north was not greatly affected and still has a huge potential reserve of supplies."
Looking around, the skull with the Crown on its head asked:
"War is a foregone conclusion, and its scale is predictable. The Empire is serious this time. What are your thoughts?"
"Bang!"
A heavy fist slammed onto the cold, gray, massive stone table. A rather "robust"-looking skeleton raised its materialized Psionic Energy arm and looked at the four people around it:
"That human from a few months ago, the one who claimed to be from our great cause, it must be him! He came from the Empire!"
"Lately, it's like you've all been brainwashed by him. Do you really want to carry out that so-called cross-sea operation plan?"
"Shut up!"
The skeleton, clad in Psionic Energy armor, said:
"Don't say anything pointless out of anger. You know how important Authority is to us, and you also know that this is not the ultimate state we can achieve."
The skeleton with a fish tail at the bottom also agreed:
"That's right. Don't tell me you don't want to advance further. At our level, not advancing is regressing!"
"Snort!"
The muscular skeleton with four arms snorted but did not refute, instead turning its head to whisper:
"Give me 20,000 soldiers, and I'll immediately take down all those stockades and burn all their supplies! Let's see how they fight when they have nothing to eat."
"Stop."
The Crown skull interrupted:
"We're just sharing this information for now; there's no rush to make a decision."
"Besides, the empire's blatant transport of supplies must mean they've deployed a large army and powerful warriors to guard it. We shouldn't act rashly without sufficient information."
It glanced around the round table and said meaningfully:
"I don't want to see anyone missing from this table."