Chapter 73: The Military Ledger

  A week later, they were all back in the forest. Lora had managed to repair her spear; the blade was intact, and only the shaft was broken. The group had been exploring the area for two days, with Petra making long scouting runs every hour or two.

  Emilia had collected an immense amount of bone marrow and heart blood from an exceptionally strong monster, and the results were excellent. She reinforced her own armor first, and then Zevan came and asked her to work on his. Emilia made a few unsuccessful attempts, but because she was working with lower levels of magic, and the enchantment was zero-level, there was no significant risk to the armor. Failure mostly resulted in the loss of the blood and bone marrow they were using as a substitute. The unfortunate thing was that Zevan had not unlocked his mana yet, so he would not be able to reinforce or even control the formation on his armor.

  Finally, Emilia succeeded with Zevan's armor, and everyone came over to examine it.

  "Can you reinforce my shield?"

  "And what about my armor?"

  "Hey, I want my shield reinforced too."

  "I was first. Lora, you are last."

  "Emilia, we've known each other for so long... Let's start with my shield."

  Emilia needed to practice her skills, so she gladly agreed to reinforce all the armors and shields. To avoid arguments over who would be first or second, they drew straws, but then they started arguing again anyway. Boss Titus decided to intervene. First, it would be Lora's and Garrick's shields. They were easier to work with, and besides, the results would show fastest there.

  The group advanced slowly, occasionally fighting ordinary creatures. It wasn't until the fifth day that they were attacked by a Level Two Forest Bull, which had just increased its strength and was looking for a new territory.

  The battle was quite tough because the creature was particularly well-protected by extremely large and durable scales. It belched fire through its nostrils, and when it attacked with its snout, a strange necrotic energy reinforced its strikes and weakened the defenders.

  "We need to break its legs," Lora suggested, and everyone began attacking the animal's legs, which were also quite thick and excellently protected. Emilia often confused it with well-aimed defensive talismans that created barriers and prevented it from maneuvering.

  Finally, Petra managed to surprise it. She had tied a strong rope to the thickest tree, one with a base as wide as a table, and then made a noose. When the bull stepped into it, she tightened the loop and immediately began winding the rope around a thick branch.

  The animal was trapped, and everyone attacked it simultaneously, soon succeeding in taking it down. Unfortunately, the rope had snapped near the end, but Petra simply tied a knot where it broke; they would buy a new one or repair it later.

  In the battle, Garrick had managed to test his improved shield and was particularly pleased. Not only did it block attacks better, but it also wore down slower, meaning it would need less repair!

  Emilia checked it over after the battle and reinforced some lines while explaining aloud.

  "The lines here have worn out. If the bull had damaged them with an attack, the formation wouldn't have been able to transfer the energy. I need to make a few more alternative paths, because your shield will be attacked much more often than armor. That way, even if one of the main lines is compromised, the path will automatically redirect through another one."

  Garrick nodded his head, carefully watching Emilia work.

  The eye of the formation, which was essentially the main energy source, was significantly weakened, and Emilia carefully replaced it with a new one. Since bone marrow was abundant nearby, this cost them nothing.

  Gradually, the group returned to the city twice with wild animals for sale, and by the second week, they finally managed to complete their task and scout the area. Emilia had successfully upgraded everyone's armor and shields, and Big Khan finally healed and returned to the group. He deeply regretted being wounded and missing the opportunity to improve his strength with Abyssal mushrooms.

  However, Varis spoke with Boss Titus and explained that the group was doing excellently with their hunting. If they wished, he could talk to his grandfather and give them a chance to enter the competition for a Level Two hunting license.

  The group currently held a Level One hunting license, restricting them from entering the deeper parts of the forest. Thus, they were forced to hunt mostly Level One creatures, but since they had improved their bodies with Abyssal mushrooms, everyone's strength had increased significantly.

  Now, all that remained was to find better gear. If they performed well in the competition, they would be able to purchase a new license and regularly hunt Level Two monsters.

  Varis promised that Emilia could also participate in the trial on their side, having a supporting role. There was no rule regarding the size of the hunting groups, but it was generally accepted that past a certain number, additional people became more of a hindrance, and it wasn't worth sharing the profit with one or more extra individuals. Therefore, groups optimally consisted of five to six hunters, and sometimes one to three apprentices.

  ---

  Emilia was at home, diligently drawing paper talismans. For every paper one, she also made one from tree bark, which she would use in battles. Before her were three whole shelves of tree bark, ready to be worked on. Emilia had long since stopped using the cheaper, defect-filled barks. Now, she carefully selected each piece of bark and aimed for perfection. This raised the price threefold, but the bark was still significantly cheaper than the ready-made talisman paper.

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  "Emilia, someone is looking for you," Mira called from the kitchen.

  "Who is it?"

  "I don't know, check it out. My hands are busy, I'm kneading bread."

  "Okay, I'm going," Emilia called back. She had just finished a paper talisman and was now examining the bark's surface before starting the necessary calculations.

  A small child waited at the door.

  "Aunt Henrietta sent me. She told me to tell you that Cassian has returned and will be waiting for you in two hours at Hassan's tavern, by the docks."

  "Hassan, the Hassan with the wooden leg?" she asked in surprise. That place was known for gathering sailors from nearby ships, bandits, and dubious types. It wasn't a place a former Captain of the Guard would frequent.

  The child, however, knew nothing more, and Emilia quickly thanked him.

  "What's your name?"

  "Glaucus."

  "Thank you, brother Glaucus." After this, Emilia handed him two copper coins.

  The boy took them, looked strangely at the young girl in front of him, then simply turned and ran back toward the neighboring district.

  "What was that about?" Mira asked from the kitchen.

  "Cassian is back and looking for me. I'll be going out in an hour."

  "Alright, if you have time, buy two cabbages on the way back. We'll be cooking cabbage and chicken."

  "Should we add rice?"

  "Rice? Rice is only for winter cabbage. Fresh cabbage is sweet and doesn't need rice."

  "Okay, I'll get the cabbages. I hope there are some from Master Damian's fields; he waters them directly from the river, and they are always rich in mana."

  "Afterward, help your brother with his letters. You promised to help him tonight."

  "Okay, Mom."

  Two hours later, Emilia was sitting at a table. It was still early, and there weren't many people. A plump waitress with heavy lipstick looked at her assessingly. "What can I get for you, little girl? And you should know, you pay in advance here."

  "Goat milk."

  "We don't have it."

  "Fruit juice?"

  The woman smirked, a few dark hairs bristling above her lip.

  "I'm just waiting for an uncle here. He'll be here in ten minutes. Here are two copper coins, can I have a glass of water?"

  The woman pocketed the coins, walked away, and soon returned with a small glass of water.

  "Girl, this isn't the place to meet various 'uncles.' You'd best go home."

  Just then, however, Cassian approached. He was weary and sleep-deprived. His clothes were rumpled. He sat down immediately, ordered food and a mug of beer.

  "How are you, Emilia? Sorry I'm late, but there was an incredible amount of work. The attacks upriver are becoming more frequent, and I had to place a group of wounded soldiers in the hospital. After that, we had to load a ship with military supplies. They only stopped for half an hour, and I depend on them to send the valuables to the military garrison in Karapelit."

  It was clear things were not going well if even a retired captain like Cassian had to participate in the loading.

  "Now tell me, Emilia, what happened in the village."

  Emilia sighed and began to tell her story once more. Cassian often stopped her and asked many questions. How many satyrs were there? What percentage of them had mana? What weapons did they use? What was their formation? How tall were the village walls? Did they really jump over them in a single leap?

  However, when his food arrived and Emilia started talking about the private space, he simply listened carefully, nodding his head occasionally.

  When Emilia finished, he ordered more food and paused for a moment in thought.

  "That is... quite a surprising story. So young, yet already embarking on the path of heroes." He sighed and took a sip of his beer.

  But this world was different. The Great Heracles had strangled two snakes, sent by the goddess Hera, when he was only eight months old.

  Emilia had often asked about this story. First, Sister Edda, then Pastor Joren, and the librarian Harman. They all claimed it was true. In this world, some children were born with developed intelligence from a young age and possessed the strength of an adult while still children. As the centuries progressed, the old families had developed many methods that relied on extremely fine and mana-rich products to try and allow their children to acquire similar powers.

  The competition among heirs was fierce and often began on the day they were born. Who would be stronger? Who would unlock their mana first? How much did each child react to the voices around them? All of this was a competition, and resources were invested only in the most promising children. They received all the clans' resources, while the rest quickly fell behind.

  "Uncle Cassian, will you help me register my meritorious service with the military and choose the right reward?"

  "That..." Cassian paused for a moment, slowly sipping his beer, while Emilia watched him intently. "Of course I will help you register it, Emilia, but things aren't that simple. Let me explain. You could use your points with the military and receive various rewards... but then you would lose them. Many people choose to accumulate them for a few reasons. The first is to reach even higher rewards. They often save for a legendary item or a noble title and the lands that come with it. Others save for the status these points give them. This status is by no means trivial; for example, if you have enough points, even if you commit a serious crime, a portion of your points will simply be deducted. Or, you will be under the protection of the military, and if something happens to you, they will be obligated to investigate the situation and punish the groups involved. This is an extremely strong preventive measure that can make even someone like the mayor think twice before acting."

  Emilia took a sip of her water and considered. Then, Cassian finished his second portion of food, drank his beer, and the two headed to the military administration office, where they registered Emilia's meritorious service documents. She received an explanatory brochure and a list of items she could obtain.

  "Emilia, my advice is to save your points. You don't have external support, but if you manage to accumulate enough points, the army will protect you. Furthermore, I deeply regret not saving enough and not actively fighting for more points. If I had, I could have purchased a noble title and changed the fate of my entire family."

  Emilia thought about her mother, her father, and her brother Ronan. She thought about herself and her future. What did she want from her life in this new world? Then she sighed and examined the items she could receive.

  There were various earthly treasures, magical items, armors, weapons, time with famous mentors, time in special training facilities, and even private spaces, which were mainly located in the capital and large cities.

  There were numerous opportunities within the army itself, such as a request to change the unit someone was in, or a request for evaluation for promotion in military rank.

  There were also everyday items, such as a heavily enchanted carriage. There was even a griffin egg or a tamed Pegasus. Naturally, the prices for most of these things were quite high, and she could not afford them.

  In addition, numerous permits were present—for example, for the construction of a castle in the capital or a license for certain types of trade. It turned out that not everyone could buy the legendary goods from the Lost Archipelago or trade freely with certain races. Supply contracts with the military were especially valued. The prices there were extremely high.

  Emilia sighed and decided to leave things as they were. She could always return and choose something from the list. Although the few weak earthly treasures she could get immediately strongly tempted her, now she would at least be somewhat protected. If something happened to her, there would be an investigation, and if someone had grossly violated the rules of the game, such as kidnapping her and forcibly compelling her to work for them, the military would be obliged to intervene to avoid losing its dignity as an institution. After all, countless veterans and young geniuses relied on these points for protection. If the army did nothing to protect them, who would choose to work with them?

  Still, everything depended on the points and their number.