Strengthening the Desert Iron Mercenary Group

"Eldest brother, second brother, that's the end of my story. What about you? You've been out tempering yourselves for so long, you must have something to show for it, right?"

Xiao Yan stared intently at them, his face full of anticipation as he asked excitedly.

Xiao Ding gave an awkward smile. "..."

Xiao Li scratched his head and gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Haha, Little Yanzi... how should I put this?"

"We have accomplished something. We formed a mercenary group here called the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, but it hasn't made much of a name for itself yet, so..."

By this point, their meaning was already clear.

Compared with Xiao Yan's achievements, what they had done was practically a waste of time.

The young man nodded slightly, understanding their difficulties.

After all, he had come two years early, so it was understandable that their territory and influence had yet to take shape.

But now that he was here, they would no longer have to struggle on their own for so long.

At that thought, Xiao Yan quickly beckoned to the city lord beside him and said,

"From now on, I'm taking over this city. You don't object, do you?"

The city lord froze, then hurried forward, scrambling to put on a smile as he nodded.

"I wouldn't dare, young master. Please do as you wish. This city is yours from now on."

He was only a Da Dou Shi, while Xiao Yan had ten Fifth-Order Magical Beasts behind him. There was no way he could afford to offend him!

Seeing how sensible the city lord was, Xiao Yan patted him on the shoulder in satisfaction. He then took ten jade bottles from his Storage Ring and tossed them into the man's arms, saying casually,

"These are ten third-grade Bone-Growing Pills, part of the compensation I'm giving you. If you're willing to join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, I can give you more."

The Desert Iron Mercenary Group was still weak and needed more people to join and bring in fresh blood.

The city lord was a promising prospect, worth nurturing.

And given his influence in the city, his joining would likely set off a chain reaction, encouraging many more people to take part.

Thinking about it that way, there were quite a few benefits.

The city lord's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he accepted the jade bottles and said gratefully,

"Thank you for your reward, young master. I'll go take care of it right away!"

As he spoke, he pulled the stopper from one of the bottles and sniffed the medicinal fragrance inside. His face immediately took on an entranced expression.

Clearly, it did contain a Bone-Growing Pill, and one of exceptionally fine quality at that.

Even if he were gravely injured, he could probably recover completely within a day after taking this Bone-Growing Pill.

In the Tagor Desert, mercenaries often had to battle harsh weather and Snake-People who appeared and vanished like ghosts. Injuries were inevitable.

As a result, the price of healing pills had always remained high, and the Bone-Growing Pill was among the finest of them. A single pill could sell for as much as a hundred thousand gold coins.

Yet even with a markup of more than double, the Bone-Growing Pill remained highly valued on the market, with demand outstripping supply.

Now he had ten of them. His wealth was easy to imagine.

Behind the city lord, the city guards watched the scene with envy in their eyes.

With their pay of a few hundred gold coins a month, even ten years of labor would not earn them a fraction of the price of a single pill.

Now that they thought about it, they had to fight the Snake-People either way. Joining the Desert Iron Mercenary Group seemed a better choice than serving as city guards.

At least when it came to compensation, the difference was like heaven and earth!

At that moment, the city lord walked slowly up to Xiao Ding, sizing him up with a sharp gaze.

A Nine-Star Dou Zhe barely met the threshold to lead a mercenary group, but he was still far below the city lord's Five-Star Da Dou Shi cultivation.

The thought of serving under Xiao Ding from now on naturally made the city lord a little uncomfortable.

But holding the jade bottles, the city lord gritted his teeth, bowed, and asked with a broad smile,

"Leader Xiao, might someone of my abilities become your companion and serve you?"

Hearing the newcomer pledge his allegiance, Xiao Ding turned to Xiao Yan, seeking his opinion.

Xiao Yan stomped his foot, and the giant stone beast behind him let out a roar before shooting into the sky and circling overhead.

The surrounding scenery was swept up by a fierce gale. Sand, gravel, and even some furniture and miscellaneous objects from the street beside them flew about across the ground.

Xiao Yan snorted coldly and said with disdain,

"Eldest brother, as long as you're strong enough, you don't need to worry about traitors betraying you."

"I have ten magical beasts here. Just pick five to command. Don't stand on ceremony; consider them a gift to mark our reunion."

Seeing Xiao Yan's generosity, the city lord immediately bent even lower, not daring to raise his head and look the young man in the face.

Whoever I go against, I must never go against Xiao Ding!

The city lord thought to himself.

Seeing this, Xiao Ding looked up at the ten magical beasts and pondered for a moment before speaking to Xiao Yan.

"Since you're so generous, third brother, I would be rude to refuse."

"I'll take those five: the Blazing Flame Horse Beast, Shadow Phoenix, Golden Demon Illusion Deer, Spectral Night Tiger, and Wind Blade Wolf. They're all quite suited to the environment of the Tagor Desert..."

Xiao Yan did not refuse. He simply waved his hand.

Five giant beasts immediately descended from the sky, precisely the five magical beasts Xiao Ding had named.

Once their Dou Qi cultivation reached the Dou Wang level, magical beasts possessed intelligence no inferior to that of humans.

Although they did not understand human language, they could still understand human thoughts through tone, movements, emotions, and soul perception.

Now, having heard Xiao Yan and Xiao Ding's conversation, they instantly understood what was happening.

Xiao Yan wanted to send them to protect Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, and look after the Desert Iron Mercenary Group as well.

"Hiss~"

The city guards who remained and the mercenaries who had crowded in behind them exchanged glances at the sight. Every one of them swallowed, their hearts filled with shock.

In other words, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group now had five Dou Wang magical beasts guarding it.

What did that mean?

The Snake-People Empire in the Tagor Desert had only eight Dou Wang leaders aside from Medusa, a Peak Dou Emperor expert.

In other words, as long as the Desert Iron Mercenary Group did not fall completely, it was bound to become the second overlord of this desert in the future.

At that moment, everyone looked at Xiao Ding with deep envy in their eyes.

But immediately afterward, they surged forward, scrambling to surround him and eagerly calling out to join.

"Leader Xiao, I want to be the second to join!"

"Get lost! A mere Dou Zhe dares join the commotion? I'm a One-Star Dou Shi. Me first!"

"Tch, as if you're the only Dou Shi here. I'm the greatest warrior in Stone Desert City. I want to be the third to join..."

For a time, the scene was utter chaos, with clamor rising on all sides.

Almost everyone on the entire street abandoned what they were doing and flocked to Xiao Ding.

Some dropped their luggage, some gave up on the Magic Cores they were bidding for, and some even came to blows, all to secure a place in the mercenary group.

After all, whoever joined a force with such vast prospects first would become a veteran member.

Later on, they would naturally be able to compete for more resources.

Compared with the trifling profits they earned now, joining the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and conquering the desert was the better long-term plan.