Part-time Boss
Chapter 60 - 60 60 Tavern Gossip

60: Chapter 60 Tavern Gossip 60: Chapter 60 Tavern Gossip It was not until the crowd had dispersed that only the lord known as Count Adalian stood there, cursing and muttering to himself, before Mo Fei approached.

Count Adalian glanced at Mo Fei, his face immediately showing an expression of speechlessness.

Mo Fei quickly extended his hand in a gesture, indicating for him to go first, which noticeably improved the count’s expression.

He nodded at Mo Fei and said to the garrison commander, “Henry, I need fifty sword-and-shield infantrymen, forty kingdom crossbowmen, and ten mountain rangers.

Those snow trolls to the east have started stirring again, and I must clean out their camps as soon as possible to prevent any chaos.”

The garrison commander nodded, took out a logbook, and started to check, “I apologize, my lord, but we have no mountain rangers left,” he said.

“Then replace them with scout cavalry.”

“Yes, my lord.

Here is your troop token.

When you leave the city, you can go to the barracks outside to collect these soldiers.”

Count Adalian took the troop token and stepped aside.

“Your Highness, what troops do you need?”

Mo Fei, who was deploying troops for the first time, asked, “Could you introduce me to the different types of troops available for selection?”

The garrison commander replied, “Of course, currently all units of level four and above are gone, and of course, with your command level, Your Highness, you wouldn’t be able to lead units above level four anyway.

The troops still available in the barracks are as follows—”

Level one troops include Light Infantry, conscripted spearmen, and conscripted archers.

Level two troops include sword-and-shield infantry, kingdom crossbowmen, Altland hunters, and light cavalry.

Level three troops include highland warriors, kingdom heavy crossbowmen, Altland rangers, and scout cavalry.

Which troops would you like?”

Mo Fei currently has a total of 35 command points, meaning he can lead a troop of 35 personnel.

(The title of Prince adds 20 to command, 10 points of charisma attribute equals 10 points of command, 100 Prestige equals 5 points of command)

The level of the troops also corresponds to the number of command points required.

After careful consideration, Mo Fei decided to form a force centered around ranged weaponry.

“I want five sword-and-shield infantrymen, ten kingdom crossbowmen, two Altland hunters, and one Light Infantry.”

The sword-and-shield infantrymen are standard frontline troops, armed with longswords and shields.

Altland, being economically backward and with infertile land, lacks metals; hence the shield of the sword-and-shield infantrymen are large round wooden shields in Viking style, and they wear thick leather armor, looking like bears and giving a sense of security.

Highland warriors, although level three troops with certainly stronger combat capabilities, are not equipped with shields but wield battle axes with both hands.

For holding the line, they might not even be as effective as sword-and-shield troops.

After all, not much damage output is expected from the front line; it is the kingdom crossbowmen who are the main damage dealers of this squad.

Kingdom crossbowmen use heavy crossbows as weapons, which not only deal high damage but also possess armor-piercing properties, making them extremely cost-effective.

In contrast, the level three kingdom heavy crossbowmen, while featuring improved armor and an additional melee weapon, do not offer much of an increase in damage and also occupy one more personnel slot, making them quite uneconomical.

As for the Altland hunters, although their damage isn’t remarkable, there is a 50% chance of receiving a hunting dog upon recruitment, which has the ability to spot hidden units, so recruiting two provides a precautionary measure.

Having determined his troops, the garrison commander swiftly wrote the troop deployment order.

“Your Highness, this is your troop token, please keep it safe.”

As Mo Fei was about to leave with the document, he noticed that Count Adalian had not left but instead was waiting there.

Knowing what the other party wanted to discuss, he walked straight up to him, and together, they headed outside.

“Ah, Prince Aidan, it’s been a long time.

I remember the last time I saw you was on the battlefield fighting the trolls.

Are you still honing your swordsmanship in the Northwind Knight Order?”

“No, I have officially started serving my father the King.”

“Hmm, it’s about time.

Sigh, if there were more polite young folks like you around, that would be wonderful.

Your brothers were quite adorable when they were little, but as they grew up, each one became more arrogant and domineering, completely disregarding us old-timers,” he lamented.

Mo Fei silently nodded.

He didn’t have much to say, but found it amusing inside.

He had always admired this game’s attention to detail—despite having just created his character, these NPCs acted as if they had known him for a long time.

His character background was automatically integrated into the game without any sense of incongruity.

“Ah, please forgive an old fellow’s ramblings.

I guess you must be bored by now.”

“Not at all, it’s precisely because of pillars of the nation like you, my lord, that the kingdom stands strong and unassailable,” Mo Fei replied.

“Haha, I didn’t expect you to start flattering too.

Oh right, you don’t have a Guardian Knight yet, do you?

Although your swordsmanship is brave, a Deputy Officer is still needed.

If you can’t find a suitable candidate, come to me.

I know quite a few brave warriors, and I’ll help you host the knighting ceremony,” he said.

After speaking, Earl Adalian waved his hand and turned to leave.

[System Notification: After a conversation, Earl Adalian’s favorability towards you has increased by 1 point.]

Not bad.

Although it was a small increase, to gain favorability through casual conversation was an unexpected gain.

It seems the RPG spirit still has its significance.

By the time Mo Fei arrived at the tavern, the place was already filled with Princes.

The tavern is another important place for Princes to gain combat power.

Here, you can recruit mercenaries or simply issue quests to have a group of Adventurers serve as cannon fodder.

Of course, this all costs money: mercenaries require a commission, and Adventurers need quest rewards.

Back in the early days, players didn’t realize that the game’s heroes and citizens could also be played by players, so many who played hero archetypes pretended to be NPCs, issuing all sorts of deceitful quests with extremely high difficulty and pitiful rewards.

After helping to slay dragons and demons, they’d just give some junk common equipment and experience points.

The specific method was to divide the quest into several parts, waxing eloquent when issuing the quest to hook the Adventurers’ interest, only to find out at the very last step that the reward was garbage.

This led to Adventurers becoming more worldly—without a clear reward, they simply refused to take on the task.

Moreover, they would test the person issuing the quest in various ways to ensure they weren’t players before accepting the quest.

Of course, as the game developed to this point, there weren’t as many shenanigans.

Usually, everything was priced transparently; the price was negotiated beforehand, and issuing a quest was just a formality, a matter of fairness.

Mo Fei wasn’t necessarily set on hiring Adventurers, but since this was his first visit, it was necessary for him to go through the motions and familiarize himself with the process.

As soon as he entered, he saw a room full of golden exclamation marks, shining brightly and illuminating the entire tavern.

These Princes were looking to recruit Adventurers for their weekly quests, each with their own way of issuing quests.

Some sat at the tables drinking, sighing deeply.

Victor (Prince of Altland): “Alas, this time the convoy has to pass through Death Valley, where they say Undead roam.

Alone and unsupported, what am I to do if danger arises?

If only there were brave Adventurers to help me, I would surely not be stingy with rewards and titles!”

Others stood at the entrance, loudly calling out.

Prince William (Prince of Altland): “Brave Adventurers, I am Prince William of the Kingdom of Altland.

I am about to venture into the mountains to hunt fierce yetis.

Who among you brave souls will join me and fight side by side to rescue the innocent girls captured by the yetis!”

These were the ones who carried the RPG spirit, infusing a sense of ceremony even into issuing quests.

But most Princes were more direct.

Teacher Ma (Prince of Altland): “Mission to clear out a bandit hideout—looking for level 40+ experts.

I need two tanks and four magic damage dealers.

The more healers the better, bonus for those who can cast group heals.

Payment in gold coins or cash.

Hurry up and sign up if you’re looking to make some serious money.”

Prince Darksaide (Prince of Altland): “Mission to hunt Frost Spiders—looking for level 30+ adventurers of all classes.

I’ll let you have all the loot; I just want the mission completed.

Frost Spiders are rare elites with powerful drops.

Those in the know, come forward.”

Indeed, many Adventurers went over to accept the quests, then set out to prepare.