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Chapter 121 A Glimmer of Hope After the War
Chapter 121 A Glimmer of Hope After the War
The wind on the highlands gradually subsided.
The clamor of battle receded like the tide, replaced by another sound: the groans of the wounded, the clash of weapons, and people talking in hushed tones.
Xiu Qi stood at the edge of the high ground, looking down at the battlefield below, which was soaked in blood.
The corpses of demons piled up like mountains.
The sludge-like remains of the Primal Demon gleamed eerily black in the morning light, the gray-green bodies of the Fearful Demons were scattered everywhere, and the dark red figures of the Lesser Demons stood out conspicuously among the pile of corpses.
The corpses of the three Thorn Demons were placed separately to one side—this was Captain Cade's special instruction, to facilitate the subsequent inventory and calculation of the bounty.
"101 Primal Demons." Cade's voice came from behind. The Shield Captain held a wooden board with numbers densely written on it in charcoal. "65 Fearful Demons, 43 Lesser Demons."
He paused, then looked at the three Thorn Demon corpses: "There are still 3 Thorn Demons left."
Allen walked over. The ranger captain had already sheathed his longbow and replaced it with a blood-stained cloth to wipe the dirt off his face. He moved slowly, clearly exhausted.
"I've almost finished the count here," Allen said. "Squads 31 and 32 have killed a total of 30 Primal Demons, 20 Fearful Demons, and 12 Lesser Demons."
""
He looked up, his voice trembling with barely concealed excitement: "These low-ranking demons alone are worth 403 silver coins—20 gold and 3 silver!"
This number echoed across the battlefield, and everyone stopped what they were doing.
20 gold and 3 silver.
For an ordinary adventurer, this is almost a year's income.
For the young members of teams 31 and 32, this was an enormous sum of money they had never seen before.
Blake's mouth dropped open, his face beaming with barely concealed excitement.
Lynn's fingers trembled slightly as he gripped the crossbow, his thin face filled with the satisfaction of his hard work.
Tom leaned against a rock, the young shield warrior's eyes glazed over, as if trying to process what the number meant.
But soon, they realized something.
The bounty of 403 silver coins was not distributed equally.
Cade cleared his throat, his voice ringing out clearly in everyone's ears: "Distributed according to kill contribution. Squad 33, 50 kills."
只原魔、30只怯魔、25只小劣魔，赏金总计210银币即10金10银。」
「31和32小队合计击杀30只原魔、20只怯魔、12只小劣魔，赏金总计154银币即7金14
silver."
He looked at Xiuqi: "Captain Xiuqi, this is calculated according to the allocation plan you proposed earlier."
Xiu Qi nodded without saying a word.
He certainly knew what that number meant.
210 silver coins.
According to his consistent principle of distribution, Ado and Link each received a quarter, while he himself received half.
In other words—
Link received 52 silver coins and 10 copper coins, as did Ado.
He himself will receive 105 silver coins—a total of 5 gold and 5 silver.
This is only the bounty for a lower-level demon.
The profits from the Thorn Demon haven't even been calculated yet.
Cade walked up to the three Thorn Demon corpses and carefully examined these low-level demon elites who were challenge level 2.
"The Guild doesn't have a standardized bounty for Thornfiends," he said. "It's usually calculated individually based on the actual threat level and the value of the loot. But I estimate..."
He pondered for a moment: "At least 10 gold coins per unit."
"10 gold coins?" someone exclaimed.
"A conservative estimate," Allen added. "I remember three years ago, a team of professionals killed a Thorn Demon deep in the Gray Forest. The guild gave them a bounty of 15 gold coins, plus 3 gold coins for the loot."
Everyone's breathing became rapid.
Three Thorn Demons, each worth at least 10 gold coins—that's a minimum of 30 gold coins.
These 30 gold coins will be distributed according to the kill contribution.
The first Thorn Demon was killed by the princess alone.
The second Thorn Demon was killed by Winter Wolf Frostfang, who traded his life for it.
The third Thorn Demon was killed by the combined efforts of the four captains and Max.
"The bounty for the Thorn Demon will be calculated by the association after the mission is over," Cade said. "But based on battlefield contributions, the first one will undoubtedly belong to Squad 33, the second to Squad 12, and the third... can be allocated through negotiation among the participating parties."
He looked at Xiu Qi, his eyes questioning.
Xiuqi was silent for a moment, then spoke: "The third Thorn Demon, all four captains and Max participated in the battle, and the spoils were divided equally according to their contributions."
This proposal is fair and reasonable, and no one objects to it.
Glenn leaned on his warhammer, the dwarf captain looking at Xiuqi with his cloudy blue eyes, a grotesque smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Kid, do you know how much bounty your 33rd squad will get after this battle?"
Xiuqi did not answer.
Of course he knew.
Lower-ranking demon: 210 silver - 10 gold 10 silver.
The first Thorn Demon costs at least 10 gold, and the third one will also receive a share if divided equally.
In addition to the basic rewards for completing the task....
After this wave of demonic energy, his personal gains will definitely exceed 30 gold coins.
The entire 33rd squad will earn more than 50 gold coins.
This is an amount that an ordinary adventurer would take two years or even longer to earn.
But Xiuqi's expression remained calm, as if this was just an ordinary income.
"Treat the wounded first," he said, his gaze sweeping over the 12th Regiment members lying in pools of blood. "We'll talk about the bounty when we get back."
The crowd then snapped out of their shock and began to get busy.
1
On the other side of the highlands, the horrific scene silenced everyone.
Of the original eight members of the combined squad of 34 and 35, only five remained, barely able to stand.
Those who were standing were also covered in injuries.
Glenn's left arm was completely numb, the charred skin extending from his shoulder to his elbow. His right arm had been slashed open by the Thorn Demon's tail, leaving a half-foot-long gash that, despite being simply bandaged, was still bleeding.
The dwarf captain leaned against the rock wall, breathing heavily like a bellows. His meticulously groomed reddish-brown beard was now covered in blood and dirt, and the copper rings at the ends were crooked.
Alfred's condition is slightly better, but only relatively speaking.
The paladin captain's chainmail had at least a dozen holes, and his left shoulder guard was completely shattered, revealing a deep wound that exposed bone.
His face was terribly pale, but he still stood at the front of the line, as if he wanted to use his last strength to protect his companions behind him.
Old Jack the archer lay in a pool of blood ten paces away.
The taciturn old archer, after firing his last silver-plated arrow, was struck head-on by a small fireball from a lesser demon. A large section of his leather armor was burned through, his chest and abdomen were covered in charred burns, and his breathing was so faint as to be barely perceptible.
Lily, a female vagrant, leaned against the rock wall. The ulcer on her right leg spread from her knee to her ankle. Although the wound on her abdomen was bandaged urgently, she was confused due to excessive blood loss.
Her lips were pale, her eyes were sunken, and she looked like she might faint at any moment.
Tom, the silent sword and shield warrior, has closed his eyes forever.
His body lay on the edge of the camp, his young face still bearing the ferocious expression of battle. The wound on his chest, pierced by the Thorn Demon's tail, was gruesome, the dark red blood already congealed and blackened.
Another archer died.
His body lay beside Tom, with at least seven or eight wounds, the most fatal being the bloody gash on his throat, slashed open by a bone blade.
Another young soldier died on the slope below the high ground. His body was torn to pieces by demons, and Captain Allen led his team down to retrieve it.
Five people survived, and three died.
This is the price the 12th Regiment paid.
Selena knelt beside old Jack, her white robe stained with blood and dirt, but she didn't care.
The young pastor placed her hands on the wound on Old Jack's chest, closed her eyes, and began to chant a healing prayer.
"The light of dawn dispels the darkness; the breath of life heals wounds..."
A soft white light emanated from her palm and slowly seeped into old Jack's charred skin.
The burns began to heal and the charred black residue fell off at a visible speed, and new pink skin gradually took shape in the holy light.
But Selena's face grew paler and paler.
Casting healing spells repeatedly has taken a heavy toll on her mental energy. She has already saved too many people today, and her magic power is nearly exhausted.
When old Jack's breathing finally became steady, Selena swayed and almost fell over.
"Selena!" Allen quickly helped her up.
"I'm fine..." Selena said weakly, but her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
She pulled away from Allen's hand and staggered toward Lily.
The female vagrant was more seriously injured.
Although the bleeding from the abdominal wound had stopped, excessive blood loss was causing her vital signs to weaken. The ulcer on her right leg had begun to turn black, a sign of impending necrosis.
Selena took a deep breath and began to chant again.
This time the prayer was longer, and the light was dimmer.
She practically squeezed out every last bit of magic.
As Lily's wounds finally began to heal, Selena's body went completely limp, and she collapsed onto the grass.
"Take a break, son!" Cade said softly as he approached. "You've done enough!"
Selena shook her head, struggled to sit up, and walked toward Winter Wolf Frostfang.
The giant, silver-white wolf lay beside Sylvester, its icy blue eyes half-closed, its breathing so faint it was almost imperceptible.
Its injuries were more severe than those of any human.
The deep, bone-revealing laceration on her left foreleg had completely ruptured due to repeated forced combat, exposing the white bone underneath. The area of corrosion and ulceration on her right hind leg was even larger than Lily's; the flesh was blackened and necrotic, emitting a putrid odor.
The wound on his neck, slashed by the Thorn Demon's bone blade, was so deep that the bone was visible, and it almost severed the artery.
There were at least three penetrating wounds in his abdomen, left by the thorns of the Thorn Demon's tail. The muscles around the wounds were blackened, a sign of the toxin spreading.
Most fatally, Frostfang unleashed a power beyond its limits at the last moment, sacrificing its life to kill the Thorn Demon. That outburst nearly exhausted its life force.
Selena struggled to sit up, looking at the giant wolf with a hint of pity in her eyes.
She stretched out her hands again and began to sing.
But this time, the white light went out as soon as it appeared.
Her magic has been completely exhausted.
"Let me do it."
A weak but clear voice rang out.
Everyone turned their heads.
Silves woke up.