The meeting continued, with Caesar having previously discussed the main directions with Jelson. Now, Jelson was assigning tasks in detail, while Caesar occasionally added supplementary remarks. The meeting went on until nightfall before it finally concluded.
After exchanging greetings with the other squad leaders, Caesar nodded to Jelson and left. As he walked through the camp, he pondered whether everything had been arranged properly for the battle. Unconsciously, he found himself at the camp gate. Tonight, Caesar planned to spend the night at Chassie's place.
"Good evening, sir!" Two sentries at the gate saluted Caesar. By this point, some of the camp's rules had changed for him. For instance, staying out overnight was now permitted for someone of his rank.
When he reached the tavern, the curtains were already drawn, signaling that it had closed. But that didn't faze Caesar. "Bang, bang, bang..." He knocked on the door.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," came Chassie's voice from inside. As she opened the door, she poked him lightly in the chest with her finger, "Why are you knocking so loudly? What if someone hears?"
"What are you worried about?" Caesar scoffed, handing his coat to Chassie. After his promotion to squadron leader, the number of soldiers stationed at the tavern had increased from two or three to nearly ten. The entire town now knew that the Green Palm Tavern was under the care of the squadron leader of Garrel Kingdom's First Squadron.
"You think you're so great, don't you?" Chassie rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.
Seeing Chassie's charming look, Caesar lose control. He panted heavily and picked her up in his arms.
"Hey, don't do this! Let me put my clothes down first... No, no, no, take me to the bedroom..." Chassie struggled, but Caesar's strength was overwhelming.
The two stumbled to the bedroom, and after a long, passionate moment, the tavern fell into silence. It was deep into the night now, and while Chassie slept soundly after their wild intimacy, Caesar remained wide awake. Practicing fighting energy not only strengthened his body but also sharpened his mind. So, the few hours of exertion were nothing to him.
As Caesar lay on the bed, he focused on the fighting energy circulating within his body, lost in thought. Soren had given him a piece of red sea flower with buds, but it couldn't be planted. Although Caesar had been mentally prepared for this, he still felt a bit disappointed. He had noticed that the seaweed did seem to increase the speed of his fighting energy circulation slightly, but by the next day, the buds were nearly dry. He wasn't sure if it would still work once they withered, so he decided not to take the risk and instead followed Soren's advice, grinding the plant into a juice to drink.
Indeed, the juice only lasted for three days, Caesar thought to himself. Comparing the size of his fighting energy whirlpool to when he first began, it had already grown from the size of a rice grain to that of a mung bean, nearly doubling in size. It was clear that Soren's gift was effective. But that was the limit. Caesar had calculated that at his current pace of training, it would take nearly a year for his fighting energy whirlpool to reach the size of Uncle York's mung bean, and to reach the size of a low-tier knight's egg-shaped whirlpool, it would take over a decade.
A person only lived for less than a hundred years, and although Caesar was only 18, he didn't want to live aimlessly. Sir Will, who was only in his thirties, had already become a high-tier knight's attendant. Caesar didn't want to be left behind. He didn't believe he was any worse than others.
Looks like I need to find another way, Caesar thought. Whether it's potions that help with fighting energy training or the blood and flesh of demonic creatures, these were the options Caesar was considering.
Looking at Chassie's peaceful sleeping form, Caesar felt a tenderness in his heart. He had met her husband a few days ago—a sleazy middle-aged man with a mustache. After learning of Caesar's position, the man had immediately agreed to stop pestering Chassie and even gave Caesar a sum of money. Since the squad would be leaving soon and needed stability in the rear, and this man was a local bully, Caesar didn't push the matter too far. He let him off but took 70% of his shady business profits.
The man's business and the money he gave weren't in silver bucs, but in Shiloh's silver coins, which had depreciated severely, so the profit wasn't much. These silver coins were bought up by the Baron's caravan, at an exchange rate of 3:1. According to the man's promise, he would give Caesar 10 silver coins a week, which converted to 3 silver bucs—not a bad deal.
Of course, Caesar wouldn't let him off so easily. The fact that the man was Chassie's husband made Caesar uncomfortable. He planned to find an opportunity to kill him later, for now, he'd let him serve his remaining purpose.
Unlike other squadron leaders who looked down on the defeated Shiloh people, Caesar did not. Some Shiloh people could still live better after defeat, which showed they were not simple. Caesar could be said to be the first squadron leader in his camp to accept tribute from the Shiloh people.
The next morning, Caesar walked through the camp. The squad would be leaving tomorrow, and he had to take care of some matters quickly today. When he reached the supply camp's merchant caravan station, before he could announce his arrival, the caravan steward came out immediately.
"Good day, Squadron Leader Caesar! How can I assist you?" The plump steward greeted him warmly. This steward was from the same family as the squad leader who had been looking for Caesar's approval, and Caesar remembered him. Half of the 20 silver bucs he currently had had come from this person.
Caesar's main reason for visiting was to make arrangements for Chassie. There was no way Caesar would leave her behind in Gisa Town. Although Gisa Town was a territory they occupied, and some soldiers would remain there to guard it as a rear base until Phalanx City was conquered, Caesar didn't feel comfortable leaving her there. He had come to arrange for her to stay with the supply camp's merchant caravan.
The plump steward immediately agreed, slapping his chest proudly. Not only Caesar but other squadron leaders also had women. During long campaigns abroad, many of them had taken women, and since they couldn't look after them during the fighting, they would leave them with the supply teams for safekeeping. Caesar was not the first to make this request, and the steward was experienced in handling it.
"Is there anything else, Squadron Leader Caesar?" the steward asked, his tone especially attentive.
This was understandable. As the head of the camp's transportation unit, the steward's position was not lower than Caesar's. However, Caesar, as a squadron leader, held authority and commanded over a hundred soldiers—his influence could not be underestimated.
Furthermore, his fighting energy training also gave him an aura of dominance. Even the strong Sir Will, despite trying to suppress his energy, still exuded immense pressure.
Finally, Caesar and other squadron leaders were the main benefactors of the merchant caravans. Not only the Baron's caravan but several major merchant families under the Baron's control also had stewards running these caravans. It was only recently that Caesar discovered that the majority of the supply camp's caravans were controlled by local merchants.
Caesar couldn't help but wonder if the additional monthly military supplies provided to his unit by the Baron actually came from these merchants.
"No more issues," Caesar mused. "From now on, any spoils we acquire will be handed over to you for management first." The Baron had stipulated that all private loot or materials obtained from sieging cities should be managed by individual squads, which was meant to encourage the soldiers' combat enthusiasm. After all, they were risking their lives in battle, and without adequate rewards, even nobles couldn't expect them to fight.
"Thank you, Squadron Leader Caesar!" The steward was overjoyed. As a steward for a large merchant caravan in the territory, his daily life wasn't particularly smooth, as he often had to compete with other merchant factions for resources. This opportunity to establish a connection with Caesar was a worthwhile investment.
After leaving the supply camp, Caesar made his way toward Soren's tent. He could have entrusted Chassie to the Baron's merchant caravan, but that would have been using a backdoor, and he didn't want to give the Baron a bad impression. He had asked Uncle York, and most squadron leaders did the same thing.
When Caesar arrived at Soren's tent, he noticed the two soldiers standing guard were also cultivators of fighting energy. Although he could sense their strength, he easily deduced that they were no match for him, their true strength being roughly equal to his before he started training.
The two soldiers immediately felt the pressure from Caesar's presence and promptly notified Soren.
"Come in!" came Soren's lazy voice from inside the tent.
Caesar entered, and after waiting for a moment, Soren walked out from behind the screen. His disheveled clothes suggested he had just woken up. Sure enough, Caesar caught a glimpse of a young woman behind the screen. With the war approaching, only Soren and Baron Kashir had the privilege of bringing women into their tents for such indulgences.
Power truly was a wonderful thing, Caesar thought.