BXBX NOVEL Chapter 1242: The Appearance of Three Flowers
“If 1,000 spirit crystals are converted into a million large spirit stones, it’s about a billion small spirit stones,” Luther Carden noted, his eyes brightening as he delved into the accounting.
However, these taxes alone couldn’t support the cultivation needs of the Northern Army soldiers.
“Chaka Hlongwane was more lenient; the tax on these aboriginal merchants was only five percent of their turnover,” Luther explained. “We’ll raise the tax rate to 50 percent. If the merchants refuse to pay, we’ll deal with them mercilessly.”
Luther’s eyes glinted with determination.
The tax rate for all merchants in Jaa’ku was increased to 50 percent, and those resisting or evading taxes would be met with swift punishment.
Skylar Neal, maintaining a calm demeanor, cautioned, “If we do that, it might incite a rebellion among the aboriginal martial artists. With the daily consumption of one million soldiers in the Northern Army, Jaa’ku will not last even a year. Braydon plans to stay in Jaa’ku for a year and, during this time, launch an attack on Machusa city.”
Luther’s eyes lit up, recognizing Braydon Neal’s intentions.
Among the Northern Army lieutenant commanders, Luther knew Braydon the best.
Luther was well aware that if Braydon dared to conquer Jaa’ku, it meant he would inevitably make a move on Machusa that was less than 80 miles away.
The Northern Army’s cavalry would soon trample over that aboriginal city.
Skylar suggested softly, “Increase the tax rate by 50 percent. Although it carries a sense of aggression, we can quickly amass resources in the short term to bolster our soldiers’ strength.”
Turning his attention to another matter, Luther inquired, “Have you found the Cloud-treading Spirit Rhinoceros?”
Almost all the ten lieutenant commanders of the Northern Army advocated for the formation of an iron cavalry.
The warhorses in the northern desert could not be brought to the South Pole Island.
Even if they were brought in, the ordinary horses would be scared to death when they smelled the scent of the spirit beasts.
Thus, if he wanted to form an iron cavalry, he could only hunt for mounts in the wilderness.
“Yuri found the Cloud-treading Spirit Rhinoceros with his men. There are about 10,000 of them,” Skylar replied.
“A first-level Cloud-treading Spirit Rhinoceros possesses a single horn on its head, a horse’s back, and four hooves that tread on clouds. It’s four meters long and can travel 10,000 miles in a day and 8,000 miles in a night. It’s the best mount out there.”
Luther had already organized a substantial amount of information, recognizing that the Cloud-treading Spirit Rhinoceroses were the most suitable mount for the Northern Army.
However, capturing and taming them in large numbers, along with the necessary training, required a considerable amount of time.
Nonetheless, despite the time-consuming nature of these tasks, they were imperative.
In the event of a large-scale army battle in the wilderness, the side with cavalry would hold overwhelming combat power.
Cavalry could expertly pierce through and take down aboriginal armies on the ground, swiftly disrupting formations.
Luther, overseeing the city lord’s mansion, managed daily affairs while the other nine lieutenant commanders ventured out daily to hunt the Cloud-treading Spirit Rhinoceroses.
Meanwhile, Braydon was busy in the small courtyard of the city lord’s mansion.
In addition to refining transcendent-grade spirit pills, he also produced a batch of Body Tempering Pills—a versatile elixir suitable even for pinnacle martial artists and those below the pinnacle realm.
Within Braydon’s courtyard, powerful vitality fluctuations were a common occurrence, signifying breakthroughs to the pinnacle realm.
Almost every day, there were at least seven to dozens of individuals, experiencing the opening of a door in their bodies—a symbolic step to convert spirit into blood.
Where did the Northern Army find so many kings?
The answer lay in the black-robed guards who constantly accompanied the commander.
The 3,000 imperial guards of the Northern Army were elite soldiers with battle merits comparable to regimental commanders.
With the assistance of Braydon in the city lord’s mansion, they progressed rapidly.
Over the course of three months, all 3,000 imperial guards had advanced to the pinnacle realm.
Simultaneously, all the regimental commanders of the Northern Army had entered the pinnacle realm.
Outside Jaa’ku, a legion of 100,000 soldiers assembled, clad in black armor, armed with reforged cold swords, and riding black warhorses—spirit beasts in reality, though referred to as warhorses.
For three entire months, every ounce of the Northern Army’s might was devoted to the quest for the Cloud-treading Spirit Rhinoceros, a first-level spirit beast in high demand.
The relentless pursuit witnessed armies in action, capturing virtually every Cloud-treading Spirit Rhinoceros within a thousand miles.
However, this achievement came at a high cost, with thousands of lives sacrificed and perilous encounters in the wilderness to secure this batch of prized mounts.
The first legion was the initial beneficiary of these efforts.
Luther, utilizing Jaa’ku’s resources, spent three months crafting black armor—level two spirit artifacts—and matching battle swords for the first legion.
Despite this accomplishment, nine other legions, comprising a total of 900,000 soldiers, had yet to receive equipment upgrades.
Draped in a snow-white robe, Luther stood at the city gate where almost all the other nine lieutenant commanders had gathered.
Joshua Mandor approached, whispering, “Luther, there’s another disturbance in the east street of the city.”
“Deal with it,” Luther replied calmly.
The ten lieutenant commanders present understood the cause of the merchants’ unrest.
Luther had unilaterally increased taxes tenfold with a single sentence, raising the original five-percent tax to fifty percent.
This left the merchants with negligible profits, compelling them to surrender half of their spirit stones to the Northern Army.
Luther’s ruthlessness wasn’t without reason.
To forge the black armors and cold swords essential for the Northern Army, uncompromising measures were indispensable.
In the unforgiving environment of the ruins, the martial artists of the outside world and the aborigines were embroiled in a relentless war.
Compassion for the aboriginal martial artists was a luxury the battle-seasoned lieutenant commanders of the Northern Army couldn’t afford.
After all, these lieutenant commanders had faced a myriad of brutal battles and were well-versed in the harsh realities of warfare.
They grasped a fundamental truth – in the context of war, achieving victory often demanded ruthless methods.
Incompetence from a single general could translate into adversity for the entire triad of armies.
While the soldiers might harbor compassion, the general could not afford such sentiments.
A soft-hearted general issuing commands would undoubtedly impact millions of soldiers, potentially leading to the sacrifice of countless heroic lives.
In the face of the aborigines and the soldiers from the Northern Army, Luther and his counterparts didn’t waver in their allegiance to the Northern Army.
The decision was straightforward, requiring no contemplation.
Yuri Qualls shared a concern, saying, “We can likely hold on for another month. Jaa’ku is on the verge of collapse. During this period, we’ve gathered various resources, including ores and materials for crafting armor and swords, as well as spirit herbs. Almost half of the city has been emptied.”
Luther, maintaining his composure, responded, “What about the remaining half?”
Yuri’s slight frown betrayed his understanding that when Luther adopted a ruthless stance, he could be more unyielding than even Braydon.
Luther seemed willing to use the lives of millions of aboriginal martial artists in Jaa’ku to sustain the Northern Army.
With less than ten aborigines on average to sustain one Northern Army soldier, the burden was immense.
However, Yuri offered a soft reminder, “Continuing like this might lead to the economic collapse of Jaa’ku. The disparity between supply and demand is significant. I’m afraid a substantial number of aboriginal martial artists might start to cause trouble.”
“No need to worry!”
Skylar reassured, endorsing Luther’s approach.
With a million elite soldiers from the Northern Army stationed, he believed everything would be fine.