Putting down the battle report, Qian Ye fell into deep thought. From the current state of the battlefield, he could discern the distinct traits of each aristocratic family.
The Zhang family, as always, exuded an aura of dominance, claiming the Xuan Guang theater entirely without inviting any other families to assist. The Bai family, with their ambitions as lofty as the heavens, followed a similar path, taking the Rocky Desert theater alone, without seeking allies from other houses, only issuing bounties for free hunters like Qian Ye to supplement their forces.
However, the Eternal Night army’s offensive was far fiercer than expected. Even the mighty Zhang family was struggling, barely holding the line. The Bai family fared even worse, losing their front-line fort in a decisive clash.
In contrast, the Song family, sheltered behind the Bai family, aggressively recruited troops and invited other families to join their ranks. Evidently, they were still counting on gold to pave the way and carve out a domain for themselves.
The Zhao family’s actions were particularly intriguing. This time, they surprisingly did not compete with the Bai family. Not only did they yield the strategically vital Rocky Desert theater, but they also occupied the most remote theater and, contrary to their usual aloof stance, invited several powerful families to join them, including the high-ranking Yin and Wei families.
Moreover, after landing, the Zhao family did not rush to advance but instead busily constructed three large forts, clearly intending to hold their ground.
As for the Imperial House, they selected the labyrinthine caves beneath the central floating land and the Loxia Bay, which harbored strongholds of the dark races, shouldering the two most arduous theaters. There was profound meaning in these choices.
The Li family of Jing Tang chose a complex theater, the Misty Forest, which surrounded the central cave maze and bordered almost all other theaters. The unique environment made it difficult to deploy large armies but was a paradise for skilled hunters. As the current empress’ maternal relatives, the Li family’s ambitions were on full display, inviting numerous powerful families and individuals, amassing a formidable force that, on paper, even surpassed the Zhao, Bai, and Song families, second only to the Zhang family and the Imperial House.
Looking at the current situation, Qian Ye felt a sense of unease. Pessimistically, if the dark races maintained their momentum, the Xuan Guang theater would inevitably fall, and the Moon Gazing Plain, with no natural defenses, would likely be lost. The imperial army might then be pushed back to the Zhao family’s theater, leading to a war of attrition. The Misty Forest and the central cave maze would become natural battlefields for the strong, possibly lasting until the end of the war.
Letting out a breath, Qian Ye handed the battle report back to the female officer and asked, “Where can I exchange my military merits?”
“Please follow me,” the female officer said, rising and leading Qian Ye into the back area. At the entrance of a warehouse, several officers were seated, responsible for counting and registering the military merit proofs submitted by the warriors.
There were well-established rules for military merit vouchers in the army, so Qian Ye didn’t need to say much, handing over the backpack on his back, filled with vampire fangs and insignias proving his achievements.
After a short while, the military merits were counted. The colonel in charge handed over a list and said, “It totals six baron-level merits. Please check if this is correct.”
Qian Ye waved his hand, “No need to check, that’s right.”
The military merits he had given to the Li family were from his hunts in the Misty Forest, primarily from his early days on the floating land. Compared to the intense battles in other theaters, the Misty Forest had been unusually quiet recently, with Qian Ye encountering only a few reconnaissance units and no significant dark forces.
“Would you like to keep the merits or exchange them now? According to regulations, if you exchange them now, you can get supplies worth two fourth-class merits.”
Qian Ye had already made up his mind. “Exchange them all for Mithril bullets, half for sniper rifles and half for pistols.”
“No problem.”
Behind the military merit registration area was the storage, and Mithril bullets, though valuable, were not particularly rare. In a moment, four boxes of Mithril bullets were placed before Qian Ye, containing ten sniper rounds and twenty pistol rounds.
After counting the bullets, Qian Ye was quite satisfied. The Li family provided high-quality Mithril bullets, significantly better than the standard imperial ammunition, with a market price at least 20% higher. This difference effectively boosted his military merits by 20%. It seemed the Li family was truly determined to make a significant impact.
Just as he was about to put the items away, a sinister voice suddenly sounded behind him, “Oh! Isn’t this Lord Qian Ye? You’ve returned as well? I’m sure you’ve had a good haul. Mind showing me your trophies?”
Without turning around, Qian Ye recognized Du Li’s voice.
At that moment, Du Li was walking into the military merit exchange area with several others. The auras of the people around him hinted at three or four origin vortexes. Du Li’s origin power cultivation was not bad, but his position on the periphery indicated his low status within the group.
Apart from Du Lu, Qian Ye had never seen the others. With the vast empire and its numerous freelancers, it wasn’t surprising, but the strength of this team was noteworthy.
Du Li’s eyes fell on the bullet boxes, and he smiled, “Oh, Lord Qian Ye, am I seeing things? Are these refined silver bullets?”
Mithril bullets and refined silver bullets were entirely different, easily distinguishable by their packaging. For long-term storage, some refined silver bullet boxes contained mithril. How could he mistake them?
Qian Ye, unperturbed, put the mithril bullets back into his backpack and glanced at Du Li, “Do you need me to teach you how to distinguish between types of bullets?”
Du Li’s smile froze, and anger surged, “Qian Ye, don’t get too cocky! It’s been nearly a month, and you’re here to exchange a mere fourth-class merit? Have some shame! We’re all in the same theater. If you can’t handle it, leave. We don’t need useless people!”
Qian Ye’s gaze swept over the group, particularly noting their bulging backpacks, indicating a significant haul. It seemed these five had formed a team and operated together.
Having sized up the situation, Qian Ye looked at Du Li, “How I fight is my business, not yours to meddle with.”
Du Li’s face turned ashen, and he couldn’t hold back. He stepped forward, blocking Qian Ye’s path, their noses almost touching.
Du Li’s eyes burned with murderous intent, while Qian Ye remained calm, a faint, chilling smile on his lips.
In the standoff, Qian Ye said coolly, “Are you looking to die?”
Du Li’s face flushed with rage, but before he could scream, a burly man in the group grabbed him and pulled him back.
Despite having the same level of origin power, Du Li was helpless against the man, who handled him like a chick.
In the team, the burly man initially didn’t stand out, but as he looked at Qian Ye, his eyes flashed like lightning, blinding those around him and causing many to step back in fear.
Qian Ye stood unmoved, his expression unchanged, his eyes glowing blue like the depths of the ocean. The lightning-like light vanished into the deep sea without a ripple.
The burly man was clearly surprised, his gaze becoming more serious as he scrutinized Qian Ye, “With your combat power, it’s a bit strange that you’ve only managed such a small amount of merit in nearly a month, don’t you think?”
Qian Ye met his gaze, and the burly man felt as if he were being seen through, causing a chill to run down his spine.
The blue in Qian Ye’s eyes faded, and he said, “How I fight is my business. Just take care of yourself.”
The burly man’s eyes flickered with murderous intent, “Very well! We’ll meet on the battlefield. Be careful.”
“Same to you,” Qian Ye replied, then left. As he passed Du Li, he glanced at him, then walked away.
Du Li watched Qian Ye’s retreating figure, feeling something was wrong. Suddenly, he realized Qian Ye had looked at him as if he were a dead man.
Realizing this, Du Li wanted to yell, but the burly man’s glance silenced him.
Leaving the military merit exchange area, Qian Ye mentally reviewed the open facilities of the base and headed to a corner of the camp. This area was noticeably different, more relaxed and noisy, with bars, restaurants, and even a brothel and a fighting arena, clearly meant for the entertainment of the freelancers.
Qian Ye strolled into a bar, ordered a bottle of wine, and slowly sipped it, waiting for nightfall and his next sortie.
Not long after, a female warrior, Zhu Huan, sat down in front of Qian Ye.
“I heard you provoked Lu Sha. Why?” Zhu Huan asked directly.
“Lu Sha? Who is he?” Qian Ye had never heard the name.
“You don’t know Lu Sha? Ah, I see, Du Li must have done something underhanded!” Zhu Huan slapped the table.
“Really? Who is he?” Despite Zhu Huan’s serious tone, Qian Ye’s question was casual.
“Lu Sha has been famous for a long time, a notorious mercenary and bounty hunter, cruel and vengeful. Once, because of a small argument in the market, he spent four months hunting down his opponent and killed his entire family,” Zhu Huan said, her eyes showing clear fear.
She grabbed Qian Ye’s wine glass and drank it in one go, “Join forces with me. Together, even Lu Sha would hesitate.”
Qian Ye smiled, called for another bottle of wine, and added a glass for Zhu Huan, “No rush. First, tell me more about Lu Sha.”
Zhu Huan didn’t hesitate, recounting everything she knew.
Lu Sha was the burly man Qian Ye had just encountered. His territory was vast, covering various border battlefields, especially the Evernight territories. As Zhu Huan mentioned, Lu Sha was a cold and ruthless mercenary and bounty hunter, but also very powerful.
His past records showed frequent overpowered kills. What made him more troublesome was that he wasn’t alone; he led a team that had been together for over a decade. In the last ten years, they even had a record of killing a baron. Barons were rarely killed in normal battles, making such a feat impressive.
Du Li was part of the team, a regular member. However, both his past accomplishments and Du Li’s recent attitude indicated that Lu Sha’s actual combat strength far exceeded his nominal origin power level.
Zhu Huan spoke at length, but Qian Ye remained calm, his eyes slightly hazy from the wine, as if he didn’t care.
She was taken aback, slamming the table, “Do you even know what you’re getting into?”
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