Chapter 122 - Consequences (6)

Chapter 122

"Good news or bad news?" Billy asked.

"It depends on your point of view," Edward said. "Do you like money?"

"Who doesn't?" Billy frowned.

"Do you want to sacrifice your freedom for it?" Edward asked.

"Hell no," Billy replied.

"Jean will tell you this in person, but he wants to recruit you, naturally, he will pay you a lot of money to train his people, mostly kids around your age," Edward explained. "He is planning to give you many benefits to do that since he was impressed that you defeated dozens of his soldiers instantly and by yourself. He is also probably going to give you the excuse that by doing so, it will quench down the backlash of the previous mission."

"Not that I care, " Billy said. "I am going to refuse it. For the right amount, I can give them some lessons for a week or two, but no more than that and not for so long… I suppose he doesn't know that magic takes time to learn."

"Apparently, he also wants to teach younger recruits how to use many types of weapons,'" Edward said. "So, he was planning to recruit your group to do that and a few others from the other tribes."

"I don't believe the others will abandon their lives here to do that," Billy said.

"Well, it is natural… and that is what troubles me," Edward said. "So many refusals will cause problems for your group. You might not be able to obtain preferential treatment anymore."

"It is a pity, but I suppose it can't be helped," Billy shrugged. "As long as we can use the dungeon, everything else is just a bonus."

Unlike on the beetles' dungeon, they might not be able to use the materials freely right there, but it was fine. They didn't need equipment now… and Billy wanted money. Hopefully, considering all that, those who can sell the trees that bear those special fruits won't refuse to sell them to Billy.

"Still, you should at least listen to his offer in person," Edward said. "It might bother you, but…"

"Got it, don't worry," Billy said. "While I think this is a pain, I understand its implications. I will give him a proper explanation as to why I don't want to become his underling. That being said, it is fine for him to recruit our people like that."

"It is fine, he is only doing that for short periods," Edward said. "Those who have been recruited will only work for him for six months or less. To be honest, that is helping me, since like I told you before, I am having a hard time giving proper jobs to people now."

It was give and take… While working for Hiloh state might be a good experience for Billy, he still wanted to see his siblings grow. Help them when necessary… but in the end, Billy also knew that he couldn't just stay with them forever. They had to develop some level of independence and that won't happen if he stays and always helps them when they find an obstacle.

"Well, I wish you good luck… and I also hope to see my daughter completely fine upon her return, without a single scratch," Edward said.

"Don't be unreasonable… maybe a few scratches will make her give up on this life of adventuring," Billy said.

"I would rather hope that she gives up without suffering any scratches," Edward said.

Like father, like daughter… both of them were too unreasonable. In any case, Billy joined the others and didn't tell them the contents of the conversation. He could fake some surprise when he meets Jean again, but he doubted that his friends could do the same.

"We can depart as soon as possible, but let's take three days to make the right preparations," Billy said.

It would be nice if they could use the carriage that Edward bought, that way, Billy would be able to carry tons of weapons and sell them along the way. If just by using one hundred points of mana, he could make them reach level five and then sell them for five silver coins, then Billy could obtain daily, without doing a single thing, twenty-five silver coins. It would be nice if reality were that simple… Billy couldn't buy and sell them without raising too many suspicions.

"Maybe I should use Louise with that… she feels indebted and she most likely has to manage many businesses in her town…" Billy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "She doesn't have that much loyalty toward the state, even though she is supposed to be working for it… so, she will stay quiet about it if I ask."

Maybe Billy should learn some forging skills, that way, no one will ask or wonder where in the hell he gets so much good equipment. In any case, during those three days, Billy just bought some knives again, enhanced them and trained his Spearmanship. While his father was making things difficult for him to catch up, Billy didn't want to give up. He told everyone to meet up in three days on the exit of the town and not to bother him, but someone still came… It was Sarah.

"Oh boy… are you throwing away your responsibilities as the leader of your tribe?" Billy asked.

"So, you already know why I am here," Sarah said.

"It is stupidly obvious," Billy shrugged.

"As I told you, I need to be an example for my tribe," Sarah said. "Training is helping, but I can tell that there is a large difference between our powers… some real-life combat will help me polish my skills."

"And then use them against me one day?" Billy asked.

"I won't… it might be convenient for me to say this, but I have been thinking about what you said before," Sarah said.. "About the battles and our desire for revenge… I want to forget about that, my sole goal is to make my people keep growing and surpassing their limits."