Volume 2: Empire Chapter 199: Lose? Win?
"Of course, of course... Let the butler take you there."
Mrs. Fekochik waved her hand readily and asked the housekeeper to take Baron Sergei and Luke to a spare room to discuss their private matters.
After Baron Sergei and Luke walked out, Mrs. Fekochik couldn't help but smile triumphantly: "Sergei actually sold such a profitable iron workshop, he must have lost a lot of money this time.
Soon I became the richest man in the entire Holy Mountain... no, in the entire Tedega Hills.
Hahaha……"
At the moment when Mrs. Ficochik couldn't help laughing, her back made a "crackling" sound, and the evening dress finally couldn't withstand the force that it shouldn't have to bear, and was torn into several cracks.
In a secluded room, the butler poured a cup of coffee for Baron Sergei and Luke respectively and left.
"Mr. Luke..." Baron Sergei had the upbringing of a hereditary noble. Even though he had something important on his mind, he still said slowly, "When are you going to leave the Holy Mountain?"
Luke took a sip of the coffee and it tasted familiar. It was the tortoise-shell coffee that was popular in Raging Tide City. This coffee had a very mellow color and a sweet caramel flavor.
Mrs. Fekochik is really at the forefront of fashion by being able to drink such authentic Raging Waves coffee in the Holy Mountain!
Luke said to Baron Sergei: "Your Excellency, I still have some unfinished business in the Holy Mountain. I will probably have to wait until the final match of the Hercules Contest is over before I consider leaving the Holy Mountain and continuing my adventure."
Sergei asked, "What are they? Tell me, I have some abilities in the Holy Mountain and may be able to help you.
If this is a secret mission of the Adventurer's Guild, just pretend I didn't ask."
Luke put down his coffee cup and replied, "It's not really a secret mission. On the way to the Holy Mountain, I accepted a commission from an Abyss Priest and completed the mission he issued to the Adventurer's Guild.
There was just a problem when settling the mission bounty. The Abyss Priest did not have enough money to pay the entire bounty, so we agreed to pay it through other means.
Does the Baron need to know the details of the mission? "
This is the same as what Sergei learned in the Adventurer's Guild.
Since the matter was related to the Abyss Temple and involved a high-ranking Abyss Priest, he immediately said, "No, it's not necessary. I'm just a businessman, and I just asked out of pure curiosity.
Mr. Luke...did you know that the Duke of Celtic is planning to set up a city militia brigade?"
"I know a little bit. I also heard that you, Baron, will be the commander of this militia brigade."
At this point, Sergei couldn't help but smile: "Yes, thank you for the trust of the Duke of Celtic and for entrusting me with the task of establishing the human militia brigade.
Although it is only a battalion of one thousand people, it is a beginning, representing that the human army will gradually become another main force of the Tedega Hills military force.
When the human army officially establishes a legion, the officers and soldiers of this brigade will be promoted very quickly! Mr. Luke, I would like to invite you to become a squadron leader. With your performance in the Hercules Arena, you are fully qualified for this position. "
Luke originally wondered why Sergei came to him on purpose, but he didn't expect that he would invite someone with no background in Tedega Hills to join his militia.
The purpose is not pure!
Luke refused on the spot: "I'm sorry, Baron! I'm an adventurer, not a mercenary. I don't plan to stay in the Holy Mountain for too long, so I can't join your militia."
"That's a pity! The various races in the Tedega Hills are influenced by the barbarians and all worship strength. Your strength makes you a star among the Tedega people. If you are willing to stay here, you can easily gain a lot of fame and fortune."
In response to Sergey's invitation again, Luke answered firmly: "This is not the life I like."
Baron Sergei, who was repeatedly rejected, had to make the next best choice: "Everyone has the right to pursue the life they like. If you can't stay in the Holy Mountain for a long time, can you serve in my militia battalion? Just be the battalion's inspector general.
I think all human soldiers would be honored to train under your supervision."
If it's just a name...
Luke thought it didn't matter, and there was no need to open a separate room to discuss this matter . Sergei must have other things to do, and being the inspector general was just a test of the waters, a sweet date first.
"If it's just a simple title, I personally have no problem with it. I hope the Baron will publish this commission as a task in the Adventurer's Association. I don't want to bear the responsibility for no reason."
Baron Sergei could sense that this human adventurer named Luke was very cautious. If it were someone else, they would probably ask for some benefits first and then agree.
If the commission is posted to the Adventurer's Association, the Adventurer's Association has professional liability risk analysts to help adventurers formulate a rigorous commission agreement.
Sergei praised: "Mr. Luke is worthy of being an A-level adventurer. He is always vigilant. Please rest assured that I will never use your reputation to do anything that harms your interests.
Tomorrow I will officially issue a commission to the Adventurer's Association. If you are free in three days, please come to the Canglang Militia Battalion to attend the inauguration ceremony. After the Canglang Militia Battalion is established, it will perform city security tasks. As the Inspector General of the Canglang Militia Battalion, I will provide you with a lot of conveniences. "
This was a privilege forced upon him, and Luke felt that Sergei must have something to ask of him.
The city security of the Golden Shield Empire is under the responsibility of the Public Security Bureau, which is affiliated with the City Government Hall. Most of the public security officers have been trained in professional schools and have relatively high professional qualities.
In addition to the Public Security Bureau, local Secret Service branches also bear some responsibility for city security, so it is common to see the Public Security Bureau and Imperial agents patrolling at the same time.
The situation in Tedega Hills is different from that in the Empire. Barbarians mostly live in tribes and do not need professional city security personnel. Holy Mountain is the only large city in the entire Tedega Hills, and the city's security is mainly the responsibility of the city militia.
In the past, all the city militias were barbarians. Now, as part of the city militias are added to the barbarian legion, humans are recruited to fill the gap.
There are a total of five battalions of the Holy Mountain's urban militia. The human race can occupy one battalion, which can indeed provide privileges and conveniences in many places.
Luke thought about his recent schedule and replied, "I will attend the inauguration ceremony of the Gray Wolf Militia Brigade on time. Sir Baron...is there anything else?"
"Yes!" Baron Sergei felt that he had given a benefit and could make a request smoothly: "I hope that when you participate in the final battle of the strongman competition in the Duke's Castle, you can give the championship to your opponent."
"Oh?" Luke understood what Sergei meant, but pretended not to understand and asked, "Why?"
"For the sake of the human race!" Sergei proposed a grand idea: "In the past, the status of the human race in the Tedejia Hills was very low, which can be seen . There are only seven noble titles that the human race can inherit, and the highest is only the baron, and five of them have no fiefs. The fiefs of me and another human baron are all very barren places.
Now the barbarians have to rely on the human race in their war with the empire. The establishment of a human militia brigade is just the beginning. More measures beneficial to the human race will be promulgated in the future.
This is a great opportunity that the human race has never encountered since they moved to Tedejia Hills. As long as we seize the opportunity, the human race in Tedejia Hills will surely become the main body like the human race in other places and create a prosperous and wealthy Tedejia Hills! "
"What does this have to do with me?" Luke said indifferently, "I am not a human from the Tedega Hills. I may not come here more than a few times in my life."
Sergei knew that big promises would not convince such a well-informed adventurer, so he offered a price: "If you can help the human race of Tedejia Hills this time, we will all be grateful to you. In the future, you will not only be able to benefit from the Holy Mountain, but when our influence covers the entire Tedejia Hills, you will enjoy greater privileges.
Tedega Hills is a place with an ancient civilization. During the ancient civilization wars, many races migrated here for refuge. Now there are still many ancient races living in remote mountains.
There are still many places worth exploring.
The privilege and help we provide will be of great convenience to you in exploring the Tedega Hills in the future.”
Luke knew that Sergei was right. The Tedega Hills were a paradise for adventurers. Almost every hill had an ancient history.
There are so many adventure plots and maps that even the most dedicated adventure players will feel overwhelmed.
It’s just that the barbarians don’t like outsiders wandering around in their territory, so to the players, the barbarians are a kind of wild monster that will actively attack.
However, Luke is not an adventurer in the true sense, and his "adventure" is not about exploring secret places.
"Being the champion of the Holy Mountain Strongman Competition means a lot to me, but coming to Tedega Hill for adventure is an unknown future."
Luke gave this answer, and Baron Sergei analyzed it according to the businessman's thinking...the price offered was not enough.
"I can pay you some money."
"This is not about money."
Baron Sergei made a direct offer: "Ten million Reichsmarks!"
“I am a principled person and a risk taker who values integrity very much.”
"Fifteen million Reichsmarks! The first prize is five hundred thousand Reichsmarks."
"Can you understand how important this championship is to me?"
"Eighteen million Reichsmarks!"
Baron Sergei didn't waste any time and decided not to talk about ideals and just use money to settle the matter.
But his increase in the stakes made Luke very uncomfortable.
Millions and millions of additions are so far from one's psychological expectations. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if one runs out of words while talking?
So Luke decided not to act anymore. He estimated that Sergei's iron workshop could probably be sold for about 50 million Reichsmarks.
So he said directly: "Fifty million Reichsmarks! The result of the game is absolutely what you imagined."
Fifty million!
This is far higher than Baron Sergei's highest price. An iron workshop is essentially given away for free!
"Mr. Luke, you are asking for too much."
Luke said confidently, "Compared to the future of the people of Tedega Hills, fifty million is not much."
"Can it be less? 20 million Reichsmarks is my limit."
Luke smiled and said, "This is about the future of the people of Tedega Hills. How can we let you bear the cost alone? There are still a few days until the final match at the Duke's Castle. It should be in time to organize a fund-raising event."
Baron Sergei somewhat regretted talking about ideals with Luke.
The result of the competition cannot be wrong, as it determines whether the factory restrictions can be lifted.
It seems that I can only bear the pain and bleed profusely.
"Okay, fine... As long as you lose the game, I can raise funds to pay you the money."
"No problem, losing the game is a piece of cake for me as long as the money is there."
Baron Sergei thought to himself: Losing the game would be easy for anyone.
Fortunately, the competition has been settled, and the only thing left is to get the 50 million.
Even after being ripped off, I still have to say thank you.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Luke..."
Baron Sergei thanked him reluctantly, but Luke said at this time: "Baron, do you think it is better for you to lose the game or win the game?"
Baron Sergei's mind instantly cleared out the fifty million, and an epiphany came over him that he wanted to grasp but couldn't.
"Do you have any unique opinion?"
Luke acted like a master: “My opinion is not unique, but you are in this situation in Tedega Hills, and there are some things that outsiders can see, but you can’t.
It’s like a person in the mountains who can’t see the whole picture of the mountain.”
Baron Sergei thought this metaphor was very vivid. He nodded and said, "I would like to hear your opinion on this matter."
Luke then spoke eloquently: "I agree with your view on the rise of the human race in the Tedega Hills. The pressure from the empire forced the Celtic Duke to rely on the human race, and the establishment of the human militia brigade was a start.
If the Baron thinks that this reliance is a charity, he is totally wrong. If the human race in Tedga Hills has no strength, why would the Duke rely on them?
Baron Sergei, do you think your current elevated status was given to you by the Duke, or was it the entire Tedegar race that lifted you up to that position?"
Luke's words seemed to open a door to a whole new world for Baron Sergei.
The reason why he was standing so high now was not because he was lifted up by the Duke of Celtic, but because he had a solid foundation under his feet.
"Mr. Luke, please continue."
Baron Sergei had lost the philistinism of a businessman and listened to the truth as if he was studying.
Luke continued, “Rely on the Celtic Duke, and when you are no longer useful, he can kick you aside at any time.
But if the Tedejia people can truly wake up and get rid of the inherent idea that barbarians are naturally stronger than humans, the Tedejia people can be considered to have truly risen. The human race needs a leader who is truly brave enough to fight for power from the Celtic Duke for their own interests, and this leader needs the full support of the human race, so that what is obtained can last.
You know better than I do what the significance of this final match of strongmen is, and the Celtic Duke knows better than you.
No matter what he promised you, he can take it back if he wants to. What you earn is what you actually have in your hands.
Win or lose?
Should you invest in the short term or in the long term? As a good businessman, you need to consider this carefully.
If you don’t seize the opportunity, it will be hard to come back again.”
