Chapter 165: Employment and Departure for the Nest of Fate

The officer was a professional class holder named Wang Tao, an intermediate professional knight at level 42. Pointing to the sign on the wall beside him, he introduced enthusiastically:

"We have the bravest soldiers here. For just a small price, you can hire them to fight for you."

"I believe in the bravery of the soldiers."

Chu Cheng nodded, his gaze falling upon the signboard.

Standard 5-person squad: 1 level-25 elite captain, 4 level-20 ordinary soldiers. Hire price: 50 silver / 1 day; buyout price: 15 gold.

Standard 10-person squad: 1 level-30 elite captain, 1 level-25 elite vice-captain, 8 level-20 ordinary soldiers. Hire price: 150 silver / 1 day; buyout price: 30 gold.

Standard 20-person squad: 1 level-30...

Elite 10-person squad: 1 level-35...

Elite 20-person squad: 1 level-35...

Elite 50-person squad: 1 level-40...

"This pricing..."

Chu Cheng rubbed his chin and looked at Fang Xi.

"I think we should hire an elite 10-person squad. The ordinary template dies far too easily."

Fang Xi nodded and said, "Agreed."

Chu Cheng turned to the officer and said, "We'll buy out an elite 10-person squad."

"A wise choice!"

The officer gave a thumbs up and said, "The 10-person elite squad includes 1 level-35 elite captain, 2 level-30 elite vice-captains, and 7 level-25 elite soldiers. The buyout cost is 100 gold."

"Follow me."

With that, he led them into the barracks behind the castle, explaining as they walked:

"Once you buy them out, these soldiers belong to you entirely. They come equipped with standard weaponry, but you are free to spend your own money to purchase better gear for them. Furthermore, if you feel they show exceptional bravery in combat and possess cultivation value, you can provide them with professional credentials to advance them into professional class holders."

He patted his own chest and smiled.

"I used to be an ordinary soldier myself. Because of my valor in battle, I was granted the favor of the Lord to become a professional, serving the Lord and garrisoning this place."

Chu Cheng raised an eyebrow and asked with extreme surprise, "You can directly advance into professional classes? What classes are available? Are there any restrictions?"

"Generally speaking, you can only advance into foundational classes—melee shield warriors, weapon warriors, knights, archers, and so on. You cannot advance into magic-casting classes, nor can you become hero classes."

"In addition, only elite soldiers can undergo advancement, and their level will drop by 50% upon promotion. A level-30 warrior becomes a level-15 professional after advancement. An exceptional warrior—meaning a terror template—gets an extra +5 levels, while lord templates do not lose levels upon class advancement."

"Our Lord has standard professional credentials in stock. If the two of you are interested, you are welcome to purchase them at any time."

"Well, let's talk about that after I finish this mission and return."

For now, this proposal was of little use.

Perhaps one day, if he chanced upon a highly valuable domain, he might consider conquering it and establishing his own territory and army, but that time was certainly not now.

Building a territory and maintaining an army of thousands or even tens of thousands to garrison it required an unknown amount of material and human investment—at the very least costing tens of thousands of gold. Being as poor as he currently was, he simply could not pull it off.

Wang Tao led them through the city gate to the barracks behind the castle, where many soldiers were in the middle of training. Wang Tao stepped forward to chat briefly with the barracks supervisor, and shortly afterwards, a squad was led over, forming three neat rows before them.

"There are three elite squads here. You may choose one of them."

Chu Cheng glanced over them. All three were largely identical, featuring the standard configuration of three shield bearers, three spearmen, and four archers.

"We'll take this one."

Without examining them closely, he picked one at random.

Next, the barracks supervisor gave a brief speech to the soldiers and finally retrieved a military tally, handing it over to him.

The military tally represented command authority over this unit—specifically command authority—allowing him to issue standard tactical orders.

With the payment of 100 gold, the combined funds remaining between Chu Cheng and Fang Xi dropped to less than 20 gold.

Following that, they spent a few more gold coins to purchase a large quantity of food as supplies for the soldiers, and finally spent 10 gold to buy a moonlight lantern before the team set off.

Fang Xi carried the moonlight lantern, its illumination piercing the surrounding gloom and resisting the ubiquitous corrosive power of the Twisted Nether Abyss.

However, when purchasing it, the merchant had warned him that the device had limited power and could only be used in the shallow layers of the domain. If they ventured deep into the Twisted Nether Abyss, the moonlight would be overwhelmed by the shadow energy and rendered useless. Should they fail to escape in advance by then, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Those desiring greater safety could purchase the far more powerful sunlight lantern.

It cast light much further and possessed greater strength, but it cost 50 gold each, which he could not afford.

Having made their preparations, the squad left the castle and entered the Twisted Nether Abyss.

Ten elite soldiers made up the force: the captain and two vice-captains served as tanks moving in the front; two spearmen and four archers flanked them on the left and right; and the final tank and spearman brought up the rear—a standard marching formation.

The twelve-person squad advanced through the Twisted Nether Abyss. Around them, black miasma thick as ink twisted frantically within the circular perimeter of the light, terrifyingly resembling countless fiends and monsters.

An ordinary person walking through this place would have long since been paralyzed by fear, unable to move a muscle.

Fortunately, these soldiers had long lived side by side with this darkness, having slain who knows how many nether abyss monsters; they were long since accustomed to it and felt nothing at all.

The journey was unexpectedly safe. Although the surroundings were gloomy, terrifying, and chillingly quiet, they did not encounter a single monster along the way.

The squad moved much faster than a merchant caravan, marching breathlessly for over seven hours until a massive outline appeared ahead.

Half an hour later, the view suddenly opened up, and the group had passed through the darkness, stepping into another domain fragment.

Treading upon the desolate earth, surrounded by withered and twisted trees shrouded in a faint gray mist, the land was utterly devoid of life.

This domain fragment had already been attacked by nether abyss monsters; all indigenous life within had been wiped out, and with the invasion of the twisted nether abyss energy, the entire fragment was slowly undergoing a process of abyssification.

Domain fragments undergoing such abyssification had been assimilated by the Twisted Nether Abyss, allowing abyss creatures to enter and survive here without restriction.

"Everyone be careful, it's not safe here."

The squad stopped here for half an hour, partook in a simple meal of dried rations, and then resumed their march.

Cutting straight across the desolate wasteland, as they approached the center of the domain fragment, they spotted a vast expanse of ruins ahead, which looked like an abandoned small town.

Chu Cheng climbed up to a high vantage point, surveyed the area for a moment, and shook his head.

"Let's take a detour. There are shadow monsters inside."

Judging by the appearance, the numbers were quite substantial—presumably a gathering place for some shadow-dwelling race.

"Take the right path."

During his earlier observation, he had noticed the terrain on the right was relatively smoother.

Giving the town ruins a wide berth, they managed to avoid detection by the shadow monsters within, successfully exiting this domain fragment without mishap and re-entering the Twisted Nether Abyss.

However, less than ten minutes after stepping back into the Twisted Nether Abyss, Chu Cheng suddenly snapped his gaze toward a certain direction with a look of alertness. Listening intently for a moment, he raised a hand and shouted, "Halt."

Frowning and hesitating slightly for a fraction of a second, he suddenly opened his attribute panel, fixed his gaze on perception, and poured 30 free attribute points directly into it.