Chapter 146: System Mercenary Function

“Young Master, you said that in the initial Trade Alliance recognized by the System, you were the initiator. And both Mr. Bruce and Mr. Andrew were part of it, correct?”

Lei Yaotian nodded.

Receiving Lei Yaotian’s confirmation, Wangcai looked curious and continued asking, “Then why didn’t you tell Mr. Bruce just now? Knowing his life was in danger, he might have joined forces.”

Hearing this, Lei Yaotian curled his lips.

“I wanted to use this chance to see what kind of person Bruce truly is. After all, who knows if we’ll face another sudden crisis? Friends matter, but friends who could entrust their lives to each other matter even more.”

“But that means Mr. Bruce will now face System Elimination.”

Lei Yaotian silently nodded.

At that moment, a prompt from the System suddenly appeared:

High-level Sci-Fi Merchant Bruce… Having disregarded loyalty by abandoning the Trade Alliance, the System hereby delivers severe punishment…

The punishment terms in the prompt were exactly what Lei Yaotian expected.

The System also stated that half of Bruce’s confiscated assets would be seized, while the other half would flow into Lei Yaotian’s account and Andrew’s account.

“Such a thing exists?” Lei Yaotian stared wide-eyed at the System prompt.

Wangcai’s eyes widened too. Even he hadn’t known the System could do something like this.

Lei Yaotian slapped his thigh, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“Aha!”

“That guy Bruce must be absolutely weeping right now.” Imagining Bruce’s current state filled Lei Yaotian with pure delight.

“Young Master, that guy Bruce really had a ridiculous amount of Credit Points. Over sixty billion Credit Points just appeared in your account! This is totally…” Wangcai struggled to describe it.

“So many Credit Points?” Lei Yaotian was startled too. He hadn’t expected the System to give him a quarter, and Andrew a quarter as well.

Now, he had even more Credit Points available than before.

Preparations for the Dimensional War were about to get much easier.

“Ha ha ha ha!” Lei Yaotian burst out laughing. “Bruce, ah Bruce, never would I have thought! Never would I have imagined the System’s punishment would actually help me! Over sixty billion Credit Points should be plenty to buy powerful weapons in high-level planes!”

Lei Yaotian felt supremely satisfied at that moment.

Wangcai thought for a moment, then walked to Lei Yaotian’s side. “Young Master, with so many Credit Points now, what kind of weapons do you plan on buying?”

Lei Yaotian answered, “Highly destructive ones! Wide-area effects! The stronger, the better.” Lei Yaotian was determined to make any enemy pay dearly, even if he lost.

“Young Master,” Wangcai suggested thoughtfully, “perhaps you should use these Credit Points to hire some Merchants as help?” He vaguely remembered such mercenaries existing among Dimensional Merchants during his previous Master’s time. While they dealt no goods, their combat strength was immense.

Desperate for Credit Points to pay System Tax and avoid Elimination, these cash-strapped Merchants sold their services as mercenaries in others’ Dimensional Wars. Their prices were sky-high, putting them far beyond the means of small-time Merchants.

These mercenaries only surfaced in the massive Dimensional Wars triggered by the wealthiest merchants or consortiums. The conflicts of low-level Merchants almost never featured such figures.

But Lei Yaotian was the outlier, amassing Credit Points at an astonishing speed. Thanks to Bruce’s energy trade, he’d raked in enormous wealth. If all those points hadn’t been spent on metal to build his Planet, Lei Yaotian’s account would easily have held over a trillion Credit Points.

Now Bruce had been eliminated. That meant Lei Yaotian held a monopoly on Energy Crystal sales, promising profits at least double what they’d been. The Sweet Potato trade had halted for over half a year anyway.

Once fully cultivated on his Planet and shipped off, Sweet Potatoes promised even vaster income. Combined with energy sales, both items had the power to propel Lei Yaotian to Fifth-Rank Merchant status without lifting a finger.

“Mercenaries?” Lei Yaotian stared at Wangcai, shocked. It baffled him that Merchants could earn Credit Points by fighting instead of trading.

Wangcai nodded earnestly. “Yes, mercenaries. It just came to me. Serving my previous Master, a friend’s Master mentioned something like this.”

“Tell me more! If such warriors exist, maybe I won’t need to buy weapons myself—I could hire specialists instead!” Lei Yaotian grew highly intrigued.

Seeing his interest, Wangcai eagerly continued, “Young Master, you know most Merchants within the System earn massive profits selling goods native to their Worlds. But inevitably, some Merchants hail from Worlds with nothing remotely sellable to outsiders.”

“Unable to sell means no income. And no income means impossible Tax payments. That equals facing System Elimination—something no Merchant wants to experience.”

Lei Yaotian agreed: “Quite right. In that situation, I’d fight tooth and nail to scrape together points too, just to survive. But how do they learn of and connect with Merchants who need their services? That part seems vague.”

“How do these battle-focused mercenary-types even find potential employers?”

Wangcai’s eyes gleamed, his expression turning mysterious.

“Young Master, excellent question. I’ve been confused about that too. From what I gather, the Merchants offering themselves as sellswords find patrons through the System itself. How exactly… remains unclear. Why the System even has this function baffles me.”

“Through the System?” Lei Yaotian grew more perplexed. “Something like my current search filter?” He gestured to the actively scanning dialog box.

Wangcai vigorously shook his head. “No, no, not like that. The mercenaries signal their availability by signing a specific contract with the System. Then, the System uploads details about their race and warfare capabilities onto a dedicated service function announced precisely ten hours before any Dimensional War begins. Participating Merchants get notified and asked if they require such services.”

“The System has that kind of function?!” Lei Yaotian was astounded.

Wangcai nodded. “Indeed, it does. Weird, isn’t it? It seems the System will manifest bizarre options if it means intercepting Tax.”

Lei Yaotian pondered briefly. The System’s nature was weird; he knew this firsthand.

“How much Tax does the System charge these mercenary-types?”

Wangcai’s eyes widened dramatically, “A lot! Basically, they surrender half their blood-earned pay to the System.”

“Utter robbery!” Lei Yaotian muttered under his breath.

Wangcai couldn’t agree more, responding vigorously, “Absolute highway robbery!”

“That’s life-and-death fighting pay! These mercenaries brave fatal risks for earnings… and pay the System half?! No words convey how predatory this thing is,” Lei Yaotian sighed.

“Though those survivors enjoy comfortable lives,” Wangcai added. “Wealthy super-Merchants employ them, meaning even after handing half over, they pocket considerable sums. Provided they survive the job to spend it, of course.”

“What skill level are these mercs generally? What’s the going rate?”

“They serve the super-rich. Naturally, their price tags reach sky-high levels. Easily why low-level Merchant wars don’t feature them. As for particulars, you must check inside the System. My previous Master never hired them.”

“Well, let’s take a quick look. Fingers crossed I can afford someone.”

Lei Yaotian shrugged, halted his search field, and typed terms related to mercenaries. Instantly, numerous listings populated the screen.

Skeleton King – Necromancer troop commander, High-Tier Undead Entity. Hiring Price: 300 billion Credit Points…

Clicking one mercenary’s profile made Lei Yaotian recoil at the astronomical figure displayed.

“No wonder low-level Dimensional Wars never see outside help! Such numbers are insane! A mere High-Tier Skeleton King commands three hundred billion?! Robbery seems cheaper.” Lei Yaotian closed the profile immediately, complaining to Wangcai.

Wangcai countered, “But think of the stakes, Young Master. True, they’re costly. However, Dimensional Wars are typically winner-takes-all, losers-lose-all battles. Facing elimination if defeated, Merchants consider every spent Credit Point justified. What use is hoarding wealth if you’re dead?”

Lei Yaotian found Wangcai’s argument deeply persuasive.