At Rick’s words, strange expressions bloomed across everyone’s faces, all of which Rick seemed to have anticipated, as he smugly declared, “You don’t understand, do you? But I happen to know the matter. It’s classified as a military secret of the Fire Cloud Empire, known by almost no one.”

Hearing Rick speak, the mercenaries indeed looked curious. Mohun, standing nearby, couldn't help but feel amused. This Rick, his demeanor when speaking and when silent were like two different people. Right now, he was the spitting image of a storyteller. If Rick chose to be a shuoshu—a traveling narrator—he would surely become famous. Too bad the Dragon Ascent Continent has no such profession as a storyteller, alas.

Rick glanced around, satisfied with the effect he’d created, and lowered his voice. “The Fire Cloud Empire, despite its superior troop numbers, has suffered repeated defeats against the soldiers of the Proud Moon Empire. The biggest reason is that the Proud Moon Empire possesses a terrifyingly powerful army of heavy cavalry.”

At Rick’s words, a mercenary couldn't help but chime in, “Commander Rick... Aren't the elite forces of the Proud Moon Empire all engaged on the Heavenly Dragon Empire battlefield? How could such a formidable army suddenly appear here?” Rick shook his head. “I’m not entirely clear on the specifics, but it’s rumored that a mysterious heavy cavalry unit appeared within the Proud Moon Empire’s ranks. Their numbers are small, reportedly only about a thousand strong, but their power is immense. Every time the Fire Cloud Empire gained the upper hand, this unit would suddenly appear and completely reverse the tide of battle.”

At this point, no one seemed to believe him. Seeing their expressions, Rick naturally knew what they were thinking and quickly explained, “It is said that every single knight in this unit has reached the level of Sword Master. Moreover, their coordination with one another is exceptionally seamless. Everyone can imagine: if a thousand Sword Master-level heavy cavalrymen coordinate their efforts, coupled with the inherent terrifying charge of heavy cavalry—what a devastating force that would be! I doubt any single army on this continent could stand against them.”

At Rick’s pronouncement, everyone’s complexion changed involuntarily, because if what Rick said was true, the Fire Cloud Empire’s continuous string of losses was no longer surprising. Heavy cavalry is inherently a decisive force on the battlefield; their appearance often marks the crucial turning point that determines victory or defeat. If these thousand heavy cavalrymen possessed Sword Master strength, even a fool could visualize the destructive potential of that army.

Even Mohun’s face paled slightly, as he had never heard this news before. The Proud Moon Empire had clearly not deployed this force when fighting the Heavenly Dragon Empire. If they had sent this unit then, perhaps the Heavenly Dragon Empire wouldn't have been able to withstand their advance. Since the Proud Moon Empire possessed such a powerful contingent, why was it withheld from the Heavenly Dragon front? Yet, Mohun didn't sense any falsehood in Rick’s demeanor; a man of Rick's standing wouldn't invent such things, so his words should carry significant credibility. While the reason for withholding the cavalry then remained a mystery, Mohun believed the truth would eventually surface.

It was then that Rick continued, “Precisely because the Fire Cloud Empire currently lacks a method to counter this heavy cavalry unit, they are forced to retreat behind their city walls, abandoning the external battlefield to fortify their defenses until a countermeasure can be found. Everyone knows that no matter how fearsome heavy cavalry is, they cannot breach fortified city walls.”

“As long as the Fire Cloud Empire holds the ramparts, the Proud Moon Empire, with its current troop strength, absolutely cannot storm the heavily guarded Jite City. However, the Proud Moon Empire cannot sustain two theaters of war simultaneously. If they cannot conclude one war swiftly, they will eventually be forced to withdraw their forces.”

Hearing Rick’s explanation, the mercenaries finally understood why Jite City had issued a sudden martial law. But waiting for the Proud Moon Empire to retreat might take an unknown amount of time—optimistically, a month or two. None of the mercenaries present had that kind of time to spare, and after hearing Rick, worried expressions settled on everyone’s faces.

Just then, with a loud bang, the tavern door was forcefully kicked open, drawing everyone’s attention. Gazing towards the entrance, a squad of fully armed Fire Cloud Empire soldiers strode in. Leading them was a lean officer in his thirties, a man with small, beady eyes set in a face that held a gaze remarkably sharp and keen.

The officer’s eyes swept rapidly across the interior of the tavern, lingering momentarily on Mohun and his companions before quickly retracting his gaze. He then raised a voice entirely disproportionate to his slender frame and boomed, “By the latest decree of the Jite City Lord, during this period of martial law, all individuals are strictly forbidden from causing brawls or disturbances within Jite City. Any violation found will be severely punished without leniency. We expect everyone to strictly adhere to this regulation and avoid inviting unnecessary trouble upon yourselves.”

At the officer’s announcement, a mercenary immediately inquired about the duration of the martial law. Seeing someone take the lead, others quickly followed suit. The officer merely responded coldly, citing the laws of the Fire Cloud Empire: City Lords have the authority to extend the wartime martial law indefinitely until the war concludes or until further orders are issued.

The officer’s words immediately sparked discontent among many mercenaries, leading to murmuring and grumbling. However, the officer seemed deaf to their complaints. Having delivered his message, he departed with his subordinates. The disgruntled mercenaries dared not cause a scene. After all, no mercenary was willing to oppose the entire Fire Cloud Empire—a burden they simply couldn't bear, especially since the Fire Cloud Empire was one of the few great powers on the continent, far beyond their capacity to challenge. Thus, the mercenaries could only vent their frustration verbally, refraining from any actual defiance against the Empire.

Once the military group had left, the mercenaries quieted down. Seeing this, Mohun gained a clearer picture of the Fire Cloud Empire’s general situation. Just as he was planning to find Commander Rick again to pry for more details about the Proud Moon Empire’s mysterious heavy cavalry, the tavern door swung open once more, admitting a group dressed like mercenaries.

Upon seeing this contingent, a faint smile touched the corner of Mohun’s mouth. This group of mercenaries was none other than the same company he had shared a table with in Fila City—the ones led by the warrior named Lick, accompanied by the two cross-dressing female mages. The two female mages, at this moment, were still disguised as men, followed by the remaining warrior and the middle-aged mage. The team composition of Lick’s group immediately drew the attention of the other mercenaries, who recognized the inherent imbalance in their structure.

Indeed, a mercenary company with three mages and only two warriors violated the common sense of professional tactical pairing. It mirrored Mohun’s earlier thought: facing a large enemy force, how could just two warriors protect so many frail mages?

As soon as Lick and his team entered, they scanned the tavern diligently and soon spotted Mohun and his party tucked away in a corner. Upon seeing Mohun, Lick and his companions showed expressions of undisguised joy. However, Mohun’s table was already fully occupied by Mohun, Bai Ling, Liu Yanran, and Little Anli—there were no empty seats. The tables surrounding Mohun’s group were also filled by other mercenary teams. Finding no open tables, Lick reluctantly settled for a table nearest to Mohun’s, though it was still separated by at least three tables.

Mohun knew their objective perfectly well; it was undoubtedly concerning Little Anli. He had expected Lick’s group to seek him out after Fila City, but they hadn't reappeared by the time Mohun left. Still, Mohun understood that once they knew his identity, they would inevitably find him; they had simply arrived a little later than expected.

Little Anli, however, showed absolutely no reaction upon seeing Lick and the others, as if she didn't recognize them at all. This greatly puzzled Mohun. He had assumed that since Lick’s group seemed so concerned about her, they must have known her well. Her current blankness suggested complete unfamiliarity, sparking a sense of strangeness in Mohun.

As expected, once seated, Lick and his team kept turning to look at Mohun’s table. Yet, Mohun acted as if he noticed nothing, continuing his conversation with Liu Yanran and Bai Ling, completely ignoring Lick’s party. Commander Lick, seeing his namesake’s group, began to confer in low tones with the mercenaries beside him. After a few moments, Commander Lick rose and walked toward Lick’s group. Standing before them, Commander Lick smiled and asked, “Judging by your equipment, you must also be a mercenary company?” Lick, sensing the Commander’s unusual air of authority, hastily nodded. “We are indeed. We are the Kayun Mercenary Company. Is there something you require of us, sir?” Commander Lick smiled faintly. “Actually, I came to invite you to join our ranks. We’ve just accepted an A-rank mission, but unfortunately, one of our mages is unexpectedly unable to go. This task absolutely requires the strength of a mage. I see several mages in your group, exactly the professions we need, so I wanted to ask if you might be interested in cooperating with us.”

Lick and his team were stunned by Commander Lick’s proposal. They knew that only mercenary companies of A-rank or higher were qualified to accept A-rank missions. A-rank companies were rare, and running into one here felt like an incredibly rare opportunity. A-rank missions offered substantial rewards and experience points often several times higher than those for lower-tier groups. Lick’s company was currently only D-rank. Accepting this joint mission could very well lead to an immediate promotion to C-rank—a truly exceptional chance. D-rank companies rarely received invitations from higher-ranked groups, as those elites saw little benefit in partnering with groups too far beneath them, reasoning that low-tier mercenaries would be useless in real danger. Lick realized that Commander Lick’s group was only seeking assistance now because their mage had encountered trouble; otherwise, they would never have approached a D-rank team. It was no wonder Lick’s group was tempted.