Chapter 9: Cooperation
The Merit Tower was located in a courtyard within the North City Defense Department. When Lu Yuan and the others entered, they found it was already crowded. Clearly, people came here to accept missions every day.
After all, aside from large-scale conflicts, minor skirmishes between Dayong and the Northern Barbarians occurred year-round in these borderlands. The higher-ups were aware of this and, far from stopping it, actually encouraged it.
Although the attrition rate was high, it also served as a way to train the troops.
Dayong hadn’t stationed so many men in so many fortress cities just for defense.
The Northern Barbarians plundered Dayong’s people, and Dayong, in turn, plundered the Northern Barbarians. The two sides had long since become mortal enemies.
Just as they went inside, they ran into an acquaintance. It was Zhou He, dressed in a suit of armor, clearly preparing to accept a mission as well. His eyes lit up when he saw Lu Yuan, and he immediately walked over.
"Heading out of the city?"
"Yeah. I’m broke, so I need to find a way to make some silver."
Lu Yuan said softly.
Wei Yong and Zhang Gun stood to the side with their heads lowered obediently. They knew who Zhou He was—a member of a branch of the Zhou Family and a Centurion’s nephew. He was not someone they could afford to offend.
The last time they had seen him drinking with Lu Yuan, they had assumed the two had just met and that Lu Yuan was trying to curry favor with Zhou He by buying him a drink. They figured the two weren’t actually close.
After all, everyone knew Lu Yuan was a newcomer.
It was impossible for him to know any important people. But now, it seemed the two were quite familiar with each other.
Wei Yong couldn’t help but smile bitterly to himself. ’If I had known, I wouldn’t have been such a troublemaker. Now, not only did I get a beating, but he’s also got something on me.’
"How about we team up? I just found a mission to take care of a group of Northern Barbarian scouts plundering within our borders. I’m afraid my squad isn’t enough to handle it, so I was looking for a partner. Want to join?"
"You’re not short on silver, are you?" Lu Yuan asked, confused.
"Heh heh, I’m not short on silver, but I’m short on merit! To get promoted to Centurion, you need one hundred Merit Points. I’ve already saved up over fifty. If I just keep at it, I can become a Centurion too," Zhou He said with a smile.
His cultivation was already at Bone Forging Minor Achievement, and he was just waiting to temper himself until he reached Great Success before breaking through.
For a promotion, both merit and cultivation level were indispensable.
Lu Yuan looked at the two men. "Have you two ever taken on a mission involving the Northern Barbarians before?"
He naturally wanted to take this mission too. After all, merit could also be exchanged for cultivation resources, and the merit spent on exchanges was not deducted from the total counted for promotions.
For example, if you had one hundred Merit Points and used them all to exchange for resources, you would need to earn new merit for further exchanges. However, for the purpose of promotion, that original one hundred merit would still count.
Therefore, it was basically hard currency within the army.
Moreover, Lu Yuan knew that twenty Merit Points could be exchanged for a bottle of Body Tempering Pills.
It could be said that in Dayong’s Northern Border, as long as you had the strength, you never had to worry about a lack of resources.
"Sir, we’ve never taken on this kind of mission before, but we’ll follow your orders," Wei Yong said quickly.
In truth, he was also quite eager to earn merit.
It was just that their previous Squad Leader hadn’t been strong enough or bold enough, so they could only take on horse bandits. They would usually avoid any Northern Barbarian scouts they encountered.
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Yuan said, "Alright, let’s do it together."
’Since Zhou He, a Centurion’s nephew, dares to take it, it probably isn’t too dangerous.’
"Don’t worry, would I set you up for failure? This group of Northern Barbarian scouts has about fifteen men. With more than twenty of us heading out, it won’t be a big problem." As he spoke, Zhou He pulled Lu Yuan into the crowd.
A moment later, the person in charge at the Merit Tower took out a military order that recorded the objective of the mission. After filling in his name and rank, Zhou He pressed his thumbprint onto it.
Lu Yuan did the same.
The order was made in triplicate. He tucked the military order into his robes.
Zhou He grinned. "Alright, that’s settled. When do you want to head out?"
"Let’s go tomorrow. My men didn’t rest at all last night; I’m afraid they won’t be able to hold up," Lu Yuan said softly. Besides, he also needed to prepare some things, like rations for the journey.
"Okay, tomorrow it is. You guys don’t have warhorses, right? I’ll go to the Military Equipment Storehouse tomorrow and borrow some. We can just return them when we get back.
"The Northern Border might be bitter and cold, but it has its advantages. There’s no shortage of military equipment and no shortage of merit to be earned, provided you have the skills," Zhou He said with a chuckle.
"Alright, it’s a deal then. We’ll gather at the city gate tomorrow morning," Lu Yuan replied.
"You got it." After saying that, Zhou He left.
Wei Yong sidled up to him. "Sir, that Squad Leader Zhou is in charge of military equipment, so that’s a very lucrative position. Plus, he’s related to the Centurion. Since you’re familiar with him, there’ll be plenty of benefits for you in the future."
"As long as you follow orders, I never mistreat my subordinates. Go inform the other brothers. We set out early tomorrow morning," Lu Yuan said.
The two men acknowledged his order and left.
As for Lu Yuan, he stayed in the Merit Tower for a while longer to familiarize himself with the rules before heading back.
On the way, he made a point to buy some dried meat, strong liquor, and cooked food, as well as a bag of fine flour.
’A cultivator can’t afford to neglect his diet. Without Elixirs, if you can’t even get meat, your body will break down before long.’
Buying all these things cost a total of one tael of silver.
Including what he had earned today, Lu Yuan now had a total of ten taels.
Food was the main expense.
Just as he returned to the alley, he saw Xiao Hua. Her face was red from the cold, and she was walking out of a house carrying a basket.
"Yuan, you’re off duty?" the girl greeted him with a smile.
"Yeah, just got back. What were you doing out so early this morning?" Lu Yuan asked.
"My mother’s illness acted up again today. I was taking some of my finished embroidery around to see if anyone would buy it," Xiao Hua said in a low voice.
Lu Yuan frowned. He knew about her mother’s illness—it was likely a lung injury. It wasn’t a major ailment, but she would cough terribly every winter, and it wouldn’t stop without medicine.
"Did anyone buy any?"
"No." Xiao Hua shook her head.
Lu Yuan took out three taels of broken silver and handed it over. "I need a favor. Here, borrow this silver."
Xiao Hua pressed her lips together but didn’t refuse. She took the silver and asked, "What do you need me to do, Yuan?"
However, a coldness and a hint of disappointment flickered in the depths of her eyes, which she hid well as she lowered her head.
"I’m heading out on a long trip tomorrow and need to prepare some rations. Could you help me make this bag of flour into steamed buns for me to eat on the road?" Lu Yuan said slowly.
"Okay, I’ll definitely have them done before tomorrow. Thank you, Yuan." Xiao Hua was surprised at first, then she looked up and said with a grin, sighing in relief inwardly.
’In times like these, no one was willing to lend money, especially not to a widow and her orphan daughter. Even if someone did, it would be with ill intentions. For Lu Yuan to offer silver without making any inappropriate demands was already a great help to her and her mother. It was the first time in her life that someone other than her mother had been willing to help her. Honestly, a moment ago, she had thought Lu Yuan was going to make an inappropriate demand. After all, she was quite confident in her own looks.’
"No need to be so formal. Go on, buy the medicine. I’ll treat you and your mother to lunch." As he spoke, Lu Yuan brandished the meat and wine in his hand.
Then he pushed open his door and went back into his own home.
After putting his things down, he began to practice his techniques. He was heading out of the city tomorrow, so he had to achieve Perfection in his Blade Skill today.
That way, he would have a better chance of dealing with the Northern Barbarians.