C15 Summon My Mercenary

"Good people are my identity, honesty is my duty... Good people, good people, I am a good person..." Liu Xiaobao was in high spirits, humming a tune about 'good people' from his past life as he walked down the street.

Having gained an additional 50 karma points, Liu Xiaobao's total now stood at 152. "Ah! I need 500 points to reach Level 2. I should ask the beggars if there's any good deed I can do."

Liu Xiaobao approached the beggar leader's spot and squatted down, unfazed by the odd looks from passersby. After all, he thought, I'm already seen as a degenerate, so what's the harm in mingling with beggars? Let them laugh if they want.

"Why are you still begging here? Aren't you tempted by the offer of ten taels of silver for a piece of news?" Liu Xiaobao inquired.

The beggar leader replied, "Young Master, this is the Imperial Capital. Where can you find so many opportunities for good deeds? Perhaps you could come back tomorrow? Tonight, my brothers and I will have a detailed discussion about how we can serve you."

"Fine, if possible, see if you can find out whether anyone in other districts is facing difficulties," Liu Xiaobao said dismissively, mocking the idea that begging could be considered a profession, complete with 'closing up shop' for the day.

The beggar responded, "Other districts? Young Master, that's a challenge for us. The regulations of the Imperial Capital prevent us beggars from leaving the East City."

"Can't you gather information from others? Enough talk, I'm off to wander the streets."

Truth be told, Liu Xiaobao had been in this world for three days and had yet to truly take in its sights. The Imperial Capital was vast, not quite as large as the provincial capital from his previous life, but still half its size.

The East City of the Imperial Capital was chaotic, teeming with beggars, thieves, peddlers, and refugees. Yet, the chaos didn't extend to other districts. Northwatch was home to the affluent, inhabited by high-ranking officials and extremely wealthy families. A red brick wall at the very north of Northwatch separated the bustling city from the majestic Imperial City. West City, on the other hand, was a vast yet tranquil district. Aside from two main thoroughfares, eighty percent of West City was the domain of the Imperial Capital Academy. Spanning a thousand square kilometers, the Academy was a microcosm of society, complete with two hills and a meandering river.

South City, the most vibrant district in the Imperial Capital, boasted the grandest hotels, the most lavish goods, and was a hub for the elite. Among its many attractions stood the Mercenary Alliance, a unique establishment in South City. With two major branches, one located in Aeseaba, the Mercenary Alliance here attracted the finest knights and mages from Aeseaba as well as from other nations and races.

Liu Xiaobao meandered through the streets without a particular destination in mind and found himself in South City. To his surprise, he spotted Yan Yongchun on the bustling main thoroughfare.

Yan Yongchun was meticulously examining each shop and tavern, swaying from side to side. Liu Xiaobao approached her and asked, "Butler Yan, are you surveying the area?"

"Yes," replied Yan Yongchun, "Young Master, let's find a quiet place to talk."

They settled into a quaint teahouse with a rustic decor and a panoramic view—a charming spot. Liu Xiaobao ordered the least expensive tea, which still cost fifty taels of silver. Nevertheless, as it was his first time treating Butler Yan, he wasn't concerned about the expense.

Liu Xiaobao inquired, "So, how did it go? Did Butler Yan find any viable business opportunities? Keep in mind, we come from another world. Is there anything we can adapt from here?"

Yan Yongchun responded, "Young Master, this place bears a striking resemblance to our own. Currently, we lack the capital to open jewelry stores, gold shops, or pawnshops. I wondered if a restaurant might be feasible, but I discovered there are over twenty century-old establishments here, not to mention numerous smaller eateries. I considered a hot pot restaurant, but there are already three major chain hot pot restaurants. Then I thought, based on my past experience purchasing tofu with my father, perhaps a unique tofu shop would work. However..."

"What happened with that idea?" Liu Xiaobao pressed.

Pointing across from the teahouse, Yan Yongchun explained, "You see that tofu shop? The server there informed me that they have thirty-two chain stores throughout the Imperial Capital, divided into two tiers. The standard ones are located in East City, while the advanced ones are spread across South City and West City."

"Oh my God, can't they leave us any room to maneuver?" Liu Xiaobao was astonished to find that there were no opportunities for him to engage in business within this society.

Hold on, glass—we could craft beautiful glass. That's been a path to wealth for many transmigrators. But almost immediately, Liu Xiaobao abandoned the idea. It wasn't just the lavishly decorated shops on the streets; even this quaint teahouse used glass for its windows. He quickly searched his memory and realized that glass had been around in this world for a thousand years.

Yan Yongchun eventually offered Liu Xiaobao a promising suggestion. "Young Master, if you're looking to amass wealth quickly, becoming a mercenary might be the only way."

"Mercenary?"

"Yes, with your current abilities, Young Master, you meet the minimum requirements to become a mercenary. Mercenaries simply accept missions, complete them, and get paid. There's no ongoing commitment. And if you can't complete a mission, you just pay a small fee to withdraw."

Liu Xiaobao pondered for a moment. "That sounds like a solid plan. How about we head to the Mercenary Alliance to check it out?"

"There's no need," Yan Yongchun replied. "I've already inquired on your behalf, Young Master. To take on missions from the Mercenary Alliance, one must either join an existing mercenary group or start their own."

"What's there to think about? With my renowned name, I'm certainly going to start my own mercenary group," Liu Xiaobao declared. "Can just the two of us count as a mercenary group?"

"No," Yan Yongchun informed him, "to establish a mercenary group, you need not only ten gold coins but also ten people."

"Ten gold coins? A thousand taels of silver? Might as well just rob someone!" Liu Xiaobao complained, feeling the cost was exorbitant, especially since he only received a hundred taels of silver, equivalent to one gold coin, from the imperial court each year.

"Young Master, I glanced over the missions at the Mercenary Alliance, and they all seem to be priced in gold coins, with the lowest at five gold coins. I believe we should form our own mercenary group. Labino gave me 1700 taels of silver yesterday, which I've already converted into 17 gold coins," Yan Yongchun informed him.

"Are you all set? But we need ten people, and we only have two. What are we going to do?"

"Young Master, why not summon more people?"

"Alright, if Butler Yan has made up her mind, then I'm all in," Liu Xiaobao reluctantly agreed. His level was low, and the summons would be weak. He had hoped to save his Merit Points for leveling up, but now, for the sake of survival, he had to spend them.

"We're at Liu Manor right now," Liu Xiaobao noted. "We can't summon in front of everyone. Suddenly having ten more people would be quite alarming."

Within Liu Manor, Liu Xiaobao had secluded himself in his room.

Cao Yang inquired, "Butler Yan, what's with the Young Master? Why did he rush back and lock himself away?"

Zhao Rong advised her son, "Don't ask too many questions. Just get the courtyard cleaned up."

Liu Xiaobao sat on a stool and interacted with the system, "Open the Sanctum of Invocations."

Host level 1, 500 Merit Points needed to level up, 152 Merit Points remaining.

Proceed with summoning?

"Summon."

Please select the summoning level. Level 1 costs 10 Merit Points.

"Summon Level 1."

Host level 1, 500 Merit Points needed to level up, 142 Merit Points remaining.

Continue summoning?

...

Host level 1, 500 Merit Points needed, 52 Merit Points remaining.

Continue with summoning?

"Exit."

After summoning ten individuals in one breath, Liu Xiaobao snapped back to reality to find the ten newly summoned individuals already engaging in casual conversation around the room.

"Ahem," Liu Xiaobao cleared his throat, "Quiet down, everyone. Please listen to my instructions. Could you all line up in two rows as if on the battlefield?"

Following Liu Xiaobao's direction, the ten individuals formed two neat rows, filling the room.

Liu Xiaobao then asked, "Could each of you heroes please state your names?"

"Tai Chi's Yang Luchan."

"Eight Trigrams Palm's Dong Haichuan."

"Xingyi Quan's Guo Yunshen."

"Versatile Hand Sun Lutang."

"Flying General Shan Xiongxin."

"Master of Taiping, Liang Shitai."

"Han Dynasty's Deng Yu."

"Knight of the Round Table, Lancelot."

"Knight of the Round Table, Geraint."

As the nine individuals introduced themselves, Liu Xiaobao gazed at the two Knights of the Round Table with a perplexed look. "How are you able to communicate with us?"

"Young Master, we're not sure either. Somehow, we can speak just like you?"

"Alright then." Liu Xiaobao turned his attention to the last man, an elegant figure in a long robe, and inquired, "Everyone has introduced themselves. Why didn't you say anything when it was your turn, big brother?"

"I am King Qi, Han Xin. How could my lord lump me together with them?"

"You're Han Xin? The one who unified four nations and defeated the overlord?"

"Indeed, it is I."

"Damn, is there a glitch in the system? It actually categorized you as a level 1 summon!" Liu Xiaobao was in disbelief that he had managed to summon such a legendary figure. "Stay here for a moment; I need to check with the system about this."

"Blessings upon you, Lady Yinyin!"

Reluctantly uttering these six words, Liu Xiaobao ascended to the cloud. He didn't bother Yinyin, who was engrossed in her phone, and instead hurried to the entrance of the Sanctum of Invocations to find Honghong.

Upon seeing Liu Xiaobao, Honghong greeted him with a flirtatious smile and asked, "Xiaobao, what do you think of the ten characters you've summoned this time? Are you pleased?"

"Very pleased, indeed. But Honghong, I have a question. What's the mechanism behind the Sanctum of Invocations? How could I summon someone as significant as Han Xin at just level 1?"

"Well, the Sanctum of Invocations summons are based on the soul's strength. As for Han Xin, despite his intelligence and scholarship, his martial strength only qualifies him as a Level 1 character."

"I see, thank you, Honghong." Having gotten his answer, Liu Xiaobao leaped down from the cloud.

Facing the ten people before him, Liu Xiaobao declared, "From now on, you will address me as Young Master Liu or simply Young Master. As you must already know, the world you now find yourselves in is not the one you once knew. You must follow my instructions—understood?"

"At your command, Young Master," the ten individuals responded, poised for action.