"Really? That's great, Mr. Alexander. To be honest, the offers from slave traders have been getting lower and lower recently. I wonder which bastard is maliciously driving down the prices of the captives," Duke Ferdinand said with a hint of anger.
Little did he know, the bastard right in front of him, named Alexander, had been wiping out bandits everywhere and then selling the captured prisoners in bulk, which caused the prices of captives near Lisbon to drop.
"Ahem, of course. We're old friends, after all. Helping you deal with this troublesome bunch is a piece of cake, Your Grace," Alexander said calmly, completely ignoring the fact that Ferdinand was cursing him, himself. If necessary, he would even curse along with Ferdinand.
Ferdinand asked somewhat worriedly, "Those troublemakers are one thing, but you just mentioned wanting to buy a portion of the prisoners from me. You should know, those fellows are either vicious criminals or elite soldiers of the Empire. I'm afraid you..."
Alexander waved his hand and said, "It's okay, Your Grace. I have my ways."
The two quickly came to an agreement. Alexander, relying on the money from selling the warehouse and training ground, plus some savings, bought a batch of prisoners from Ferdinand. In addition, Ferdinand, under the guise of exile, packed a group of unemployed troublemakers into Alexander's team.
Finally, they managed to put together a group of more than fifty people. This team, composed of thieves, swindlers, drunkards, gamblers, murderers, and defeated soldiers, was supervised by Alexander and twelve others as they headed to the village of Caris.
These guys also had to carry a large amount of purchased supplies.
The unfortunate thing now was that when Alexander opened the system panel, he found that his wallet was empty again.
[Level]: 9
[Strength]: 13
[Agility]: 10
[Intelligence]: 8
[Charisma]: 10
[Available Attribute Points]: 0
[Experience]: 22600/25600
[System Coins]: 0
Suppressing the pain in his heart, Alexander urged these guys once again to speed up and return to the village of Caris as soon as possible.
As for why Alexander would buy this batch of criminals and prisoners?
Well, despite them being societal troublemakers, from a different perspective, these guys were all "talented" individuals with unique skills. It just depended on whether he could put them to good use.
As Alexander led his motley crew of "social elites" towards his territory, Marshal Hoover, stationed on the northern border, had arranged a meeting with the large army of the Kingdom of Veed. They had chosen a peculiar place for their encounter: Misery Beach, a northern beach in the Kingdom of Saint Martin with an extraordinary history.
Long ago, the ancestors of the first batch of Veed people landed here, attempting to conquer the Kingdom of Saint Martin from north to south. However, they encountered the well-armed cavalry of the Kingdom of Saint Martin during its zenith. To the northeast, Saint Martin had driven the indigenous people of the Barrow Mountain Country back into the mountains; to the southeast, they had halted the westward expansion of the equally powerful Karad Empire. To the south, they had recaptured cities occupied by the Sannala Tribal Alliance.
During that period, the Kingdom of Saint Martin was flourishing, and many ancestors of Saint Martin's noble families rose to prominence. The result was predictable: the Veed people had barely landed and had not yet begun pillaging when they were nearly driven back into the sea to feed the sharks—had it not been for the timely arrival of their longships.
But the valiant and skilled Veed warriors also left a deep impression on the people of Saint Martin. They too paid a heavy price, sacrificing countless heroes of Saint Martin to achieve victory in battle. Consequently, both sides coincidentally referred to this beach as Misery Beach.
Why did Hoover choose this place? It was obvious: to blatantly slap the Veed people in the face, to show that if his ancestors could drive them off, he could too.
The Veed people were also incensed. You little runt dare to mimic your ancestors? Today, I will teach you a lesson at Misery Beach. You've disgraced the honorable name of "Veed."
With that said, let the battle begin!
Misery Beach, under the cold gusts of wind, was unexpectedly cold, with even ice chips mixed in the seawater.
On the shore, the Kingdom of Saint Martin had already formed their ranks, a full 800 strong. Among them, there were 200 cavalry alone, lined up in two rows at the back of the formation. The lances in their hands gleamed with a cold light, making the Northern winter seem even colder and more biting.
As the first rays of dawn sunlight touched the coastline, the ancestral longships of the Veed people broke through the waves at sea level. Their longboats were not large, each capable of carrying only twenty or thirty people, but every Veed was a skilled sailor. Even in rough seas, they maintained stability on board, with some occasionally standing up to survey the situation on the shore.
Around thirty longships charged straight for the beach. The brave Veed warriors leaped directly from the ships, forming ranks under the command of their respective lords. There were approximately 700 warriors in total, and it would take some time for them to complete their formation.
Throughout the entire process, the forces of the Kingdom of Saint Martin watched silently, refraining from launching an attack while the Veed's organization was still in disarray. Even after the formation was complete, the Veed marshal gestured to Hoover, indicating their readiness.
Indeed, warfare was to be conducted with decorum. These nobles, with their refined manners, exchanged greetings and engaged in several minutes of friendly conversation before the battle commenced.
On one side, the Saint Martinians vividly described how they had chased down the ancestors of the Veed. On the other side, the Veed mocked how Hadser was hammered to the ground.
The Saint Martinians, unwilling to appear weak, called the Veed a group of uncivilized savages with inherent intellectual deficiencies. In retaliation, the Veed labeled the Saint Martinians as descendants of shameless traitors.
Such courteous exchanges only solidified each side's determination to defeat the other. Both commanders simultaneously issued the charge command. War horns sounded from the hands of their respective messengers, and the chilling wind howled as Saint Martinian soldiers, already frozen like dogs in the cold wind, clashed fiercely with the exhausted Veed warriors who had crossed the seas.
However, there was a slight difference: the Veed Royal Guards and mounted raiders chose to charge directly at the Saint Martinian infantry, throwing their formation into disarray.
Hoover, on the other hand, relinquished command of the entire army, handing it over to another Saint Martinian lord. He personally led all the Saint Martinian cavalry, charging into the center of the melee from one side.
To be precise, he didn't charge directly in; instead, he began circling the battlefield's edge, much like peeling an onion, gradually diminishing the Veed's fighting strength, whether archers, infantry, or lone cavalrymen.
All the Saint Martinian cavalry needed to do was twofold: continuously shrink the encirclement and kill all enemies within range—an ancient cavalry tactic passed down in the Hoover family.
Because this tactic resembled peeling an onion, Hoover and his knights were nicknamed the Onion Knights.