Chapter 129: Transaction (2)

Both parties were very satisfied with this transaction.

After settling on the time and location, the atmosphere became very friendly.

The banquet grew even livelier. The Halfling Frodo was very interested in the two Centaurs. Mishen, after learning that the delicious food was Frodo’s creation, warmly invited him to visit the Centaur Tribes.

But Su Lun stopped this immediately. No way, he finally got a great chef, he couldn’t let someone just take him away.

After some conversation, Su Lun also learned some information about the Centaur Tribes and the Orc Tribe they were fighting. The Samal tribe had a population of over six thousand, with more than two thousand Warriors. The rest were women, children, and the elderly.

Of course, this was relative. In fact, the females of this race were also very strong. They could truly be called a nation under arms. In a crisis, the entire tribe would take up weapons. Furthermore, this Centaur Tribe had Priests. Su Lun didn’t know the exact number of Priests, but it was definitely no less than three.

Compared to Wizards, Priests were more suited for the battlefield. If timed correctly, these Priests with Divine Magic could turn the tide of battle.

The armor Su Lun sold to the Centaurs was not Plate Armor. After all, low-carbon steel Plate Armor was not cheap, and their body structure wasn’t suitable for wearing plate pieces anyway. So what he traded to them was a type of mail armor.

The Blacksmith Shop in Northguard Keep had a hydraulic forging machine, making it very simple to forge these iron armor plates. These iron armor plates were also twice as large as ordinary ones, making them even easier to make. One hammer strike produced one armor plate. Combined with the ample iron supplied by the Blast Furnace, they could produce enough plates in one day to assemble several sets of this Iron Armor.

After devouring all the delicious food on the table, the two Centaurs burped with satisfaction. As a nomadic race, the Centaurs’ diet was predictable. Most of the time, it was roasted and sprinkled with some salt, or stewed in a pot with some wild vegetables.

The food here at Su Lun’s place was fried, deep-fried, steamed, and stir-fried, with a great variety. Add in desserts like fruit salad and Ice Cream, which could be considered luxuries, and it was arguably the best food they had ever eaten in their lives.

After eating their fill, Su Lun started talking with them, hoping to get more information about this Wasteland.

“I heard you are fighting with Orcs?” Su Lun asked.

“Yes, it’s an Orc Tribe trying to take our land,” Mishen said. “We have been at war with them for a long time. But with this batch of equipment, we are confident we can drive them completely out of our pastures.”

“How strong are those Orcs?” Su Lun wanted to understand the Orcs’ strength.

“They are fairly strong. Individually, they are a bit weaker than us, but they have greater numbers, and they also have Shamans!” Mishen’s expression turned serious when she mentioned those Shamans, clearly holding them in high regard.

“Those scoundrels use elemental power to wreak havoc on nature. It’s a desecration of the Earth Mother!” Mishen said sternly.

Su Lun gained a rough understanding of the conflict between the two sides. It was likely that both sides wanted the same pasture, and neither would back down. The Orcs, relying on their numerical advantage, seized the initiative first. The Centaurs wouldn’t accept that. Add to that the different doctrines followed by the two tribes’ beliefs, and coexistence became even harder. They could fight over the smallest matter, let alone a large, fertile pasture.

This concerned the future development and expansion of the tribe. With more pasture, they could raise more livestock and support a larger population. In the Wilderness, to survive, you must fight – for pastures, for territory, for more living space.

Through Mishen, Su Lun also learned some information about the surrounding Wasteland. North of the Centaur Tribes, there was a Troll Tribe. Following the Red Sand River south, there was a swamp where some Lizardfolk tribes lived. Further than that, these Centaurs didn’t know.

Actually, the tribes the Centaurs told Su Lun about were all major tribes. There were many more smaller tribes scattered across this Wasteland. There were simply too many of these tribes, and they might be annexed at any time, so nobody bothered to count them all.

…

After seeing the Centaur envoys off, it was already evening. They agreed to trade again after some time, which suited Su Lun as the armor needed a few days to prepare. After this transaction, Su Lun would have three hundred warhorses and one hundred Longbows. The formation of cavalry and Archers could now be planned.

He went to the Military Camp. The new recruits in the camp were still training. Twenty Archers were training their arm strength. Twenty Spearmen were thrusting their wooden spears at straw dummies. Constable Harrison was also training the Militia soldiers.

“Harrison.” Su Lun waved at him.

Harrison, who was training, had the squad leader continue the drills before walking over to Su Lun.

“Lord, you called for me?”

“Yes. In a few days, the Centaurs will deliver a batch of fine horses. Pick thirty for the Militia and teach them how to ride,” Su Lun said.

“Don’t worry, Lord, I will train them well.” Harrison was very excited to hear that thirty horses were allocated to the Militia. Previously, the Militia only had two horses, used only for carrying messages. Often, they couldn’t arrive in time to handle emergencies.

“Also, go recruit some more people from the Refugees and train a cavalry unit,” Su Lun continued.

Among the Heroes in the Territory, while many knew horsemanship, only Harrison could train cavalry. Only he had served in the army of Florentia and knew the methods for training cavalry. Of course, he only knew how to train basic cavalry; training elite cavalry or Heavy Cavalry was out of the question.

“As you command, Lord!” Harrison gave a serious military salute.

“Alright, continue training. As long as you earn enough merit, I will reward you with money, land, or even a title.” Su Lun patted Harrison on the shoulder and then continued his tour of the Military Camp.

Harrison was overjoyed by Su Lun’s promise and felt even more motivated. He started drilling the soldiers even harder. “You brats, did you not eat? You’re so weak, even women are stronger than you!”

“Tell me loudly, are you men?”

“Yes!”

“Louder, I can’t hear you!”

“YES!” everyone roared.

“Then train with your heart!” Harrison bellowed.

“Watch carefully, this is how you slash! Look at the pathetic stuff you’re doing! Everyone, practice five hundred more slashes today! No one eats until you finish!”

Watching the soldiers being driven into a frenzy by Harrison, Su Lun smiled slightly to himself and then left the Military Camp.