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墨書 Inktalez
The saying "You get what you pay for" holds true!
At this moment, even though Lin Yuan was broke, he felt that spending five thousand Mechanical Coins on a ticket for Interstellar Travel—especially one that could accommodate at least five people—was nothing short of extortion. Moreover, the Troll Captain had been relishing the situation without a hint of remorse.
Lin Yuan believed that if he were in the shoes of that unfortunate Stocking Captain, known as Sva, he would have certainly entertained thoughts of taking down that rat-like creature.
Thus, when Lin Yuan followed the Troll Captain, Thomas, and the Three-Headed Crocodile to the Cabin rented for five thousand Mechanical Coins, he could easily understand just how dreadful the environment was!
This was a Cabin located on the lowest level—narrow, dark, and low-ceilinged. If it also had a foul odor or something akin to foot fungus, it would have been perfect.
Fortunately, neither the Troll Captain, Lord J, nor Lin Yuan were particularly sensitive to smells, allowing Thomas and the Three-Headed Crocodile to let loose without restraint.
However, the issue lay not in the smell but in the cramped space. The Cabin was barely one hundred fifty square meters. For ordinary Earthlings, it might have felt comfortable; unfortunately, there were no "ifs." With Thomas and the Three-Headed Crocodile's bulk occupying space, they took up a significant portion of it. In one corner of the Cabin, about forty square meters was claimed by Lord J's reading area. He had actually spun webs to seal off that section.
Upon closer inspection and with confirmation from the Intelligent Brain Encyclopedia, Lin Yuan discovered that this was not merely instinctual web-spinning but one of Lord J's offensive weapons. In combat situations, he could quickly launch these threads to bind or hinder his opponents' movements. The threads were fine, flexible, lightweight yet incredibly sturdy. They boasted fire Resistance 5, ice Resistance 6, corrosion Resistance 18, dark magic Resistance 6, physical Resistance 41, and energy Resistance 8—quite impressive.
Coupled with Lord J's elusive speed, his combat prowess was evident enough to rank first among Mercenary Groups. No wonder he could occupy nearly a third of the Cabin without needing to consider the Troll Captain's feelings.
In another corner of the Cabin, Lin Yuan spotted another member of the Troll Squad—a Mechanical Lifeform. Unlike Lord J, this one did not arrogantly claim a third of the space; however, his sheer size was a problem. Compared to him, even Thomas—standing at four meters tall—looked like an ant.
From Lin Yuan's initial estimation, this fellow must have stood at least twelve meters tall. Despite the Cabin having an eight-meter height clearance, he still had to sit uncomfortably without doing anything or claiming territory while still occupying nearly thirty square meters. The most outrageous part was the enormous Alloy Shield beside him—it measured six meters wide and ten meters long with a thickness of one meter. Lin Yuan couldn't help but wonder how it had even fit inside.
Since this giant was seated, Lin Yuan couldn't determine his exact form but was certain that he also possessed a Second Form—and a formidable one at that.
What truly shocked Lin Yuan was that this Mechanical Warrior was only at level F6, the same level as him.
This was ridiculous; the difference in effectiveness was immense. This hulking figure could easily take Lin Yuan down in an instant!
After removing the space occupied by Lord J and the Shield Warrior, the entire Cabin was left with just seventy square meters. Subtracting the area taken up by Thomas, the Three-Headed Crocodile, and the large bundle of Parts brought back by the Troll Captain reduced it further by thirty square meters, leaving only a final corner of forty square meters.
Logically speaking, this forty square meters should have been enough for Lin Yuan and the Troll Captain to stand their ground. However, considering that Lin Yuan was merely a laborer while the Troll Captain was the leader of the Mercenaries, he didn’t think he had the right to share it equally.
“Very well, let me introduce you. This is the Honorable, Powerful, Invincible Troll Mercenary Team, all its members. Trust me, you will definitely fall in love with this Mercenary Group and find it hard to leave.”
At that moment, the Troll Captain boomed out his unique voice to introduce Lin Yuan.
“Although I don’t know how tragic your past has been, I won’t concern myself with it. From now on, for the next three years—if you manage to survive—you will serve my Mercenary Group and obey all my commands unconditionally. Of course, I won’t send you to your death. If real danger arises, we will rescue you if conditions allow. But that will depend on your contributions to our Mercenary Group. Listen carefully: if you prove useless, I can’t guarantee that one of our Irritable Team Members won’t use you as a punching bag. Now you need a new Mercenary title. Although you aren’t a true Mercenary yet, you need a codename; I don’t like shouting out that long string of titles!”
“Boss, he hasn’t installed the Language Interaction System yet; I reminded you,” Thomas laughed from the side.
“Damn! How could I forget? I am the wise Troll Captain! Now listen here, you haven’t contributed even a tiny bit to my team yet, but I’ve already paid one hundred fifty thousand Mechanical Coins for you as an investment. You’ll need to pay back with high interest; that means working an extra Mechanical Year for my team before I can install the Language Interaction System and provide basic Weapon Equipment for you. Are you sure about this? Fine, I’ll take that as your agreement!”
The Troll Captain shouted various commands and then opened up that large bundle, revealing a mountain of assorted Mechanical Parts inside. They looked like old goods—various types in countless numbers! Lin Yuan’s eyes nearly sparkled at the sight, but at the same time, Thomas and that massive Shield Warrior both groaned in unison.
“Damn it! Boss, can you stop being so stingy? Buying ready-made equipment wouldn’t consume too many Mechanical Coins! We should have plenty left from our last mission’s Reward! Don’t tell me that what I need—a Gravity Amplification Device—is buried in this pile of junk! As a Heavy Shield Defender, I need a top-quality Heavy Shield that can withstand any situation without budging an inch; only then can I better protect your lives! Now tell me: is this just a pile of junk or is it just a pile of junk? Or—damn it—a pile of junk!”
The Shield Warrior roared, looking extremely agitated.
But the Troll Captain was unfazed, continuing to rummage through the large bag with a clatter. He shouted back, "Bison, pay attention! You're not a Heavy Shield Defender yet; you can only be considered a rookie-level idiot Heavy Shield Defender. Besides my Troll Mercenary Team, which Mercenary Group would need a clumsy, foolish defender like you? Tell me! Damn it! Last time on Yellowstone, the time before that in the Ghost Deep Pit, and the time before that in the Hurricane Nebula—when did you ever fulfill your responsibilities as a Heavy Shield Defender? You should be grateful we haven't gotten you killed yet. So your Gravity Amplification Device can only be second-hand junk!"
With this outburst from the Troll Captain, Bison fell silent, while Thomas also shrank back obediently. Then, the Troll Captain spoke earnestly, "Now, each of you take the parts you need to replace and go find the repair robots at Stocking's place for assembly and repairs. You'll have to cover the repair costs upfront, but don't worry; I'll reimburse you. This trip to g-715 Sub-base is a big deal. I swear by the trolls; we're going to make a fortune! Trust me, a bright future is beckoning us!"
No one paid attention to the Troll Captain's aspirations; such vows had undoubtedly been made countless times before.
Next, Thomas stepped forward to collect a large pile of parts, followed by Bison who also gathered a substantial amount. The Troll Captain took a hefty stack for himself since the three of them were in dire need of equipment replacements. Thomas needed various firearms and ammunition parts along with armor parts, while Bison and the Troll Captain required spare parts for their Mechanical Bodies—there were many.
As the pile of parts dwindled, Lin Yuan could only watch enviously. Even if he could help with assembly, the Troll Captain and the others wouldn't trust him. Moreover, he had never worked with these parts before and would need extensive practical experience. Given that these were likely second-hand scraps that couldn't withstand repeated disassembly and reassembly, it was certain that the Troll Captain would tear him apart if he tried.
Fortunately, he wasn't in a hurry; he believed there would be opportunities.
At that moment, the Three-Headed Crocodile approached cautiously and asked, "Boss, do you have any equipment for me? I don't need armor, but I need a Razor Wing-class gauntlet so I can fight more fiercely!"
"Fierce my foot! You want Razor Wing equipment? Get lost! No way! Go find Stocking; dig through his repair workshop for some scraps and have the repair robots assemble it for you! And remember, you'll have to pay for it yourself," the Troll Captain impatiently dismissed him. It seemed that Three-Headed Crocodile was also not well-regarded.
After most of the parts had been distributed, Lin Yuan still couldn't find the Language Interaction System hardware he needed—undoubtedly another tragedy.
"You'll work for Stocking; thanks to my connections, from our departure until we reach g-715 Sub-base will take at least three Mechanical Moons. That should give you enough time to earn yourself a Language Interaction System. If you're lucky, you might even snag some equipment and weapons for yourself. That's it; you have no choice! Don't look at me; I've spent all my Mechanical Coins—there's nothing left for you! Hurry up, Thomas and Bison! I need both of you to be in peak condition when we arrive at g-715 Sub-base! This is do-or-die; we must work hard. Otherwise, three Mechanical Years from now, we'll all be bankrupt!" (To be continued.)
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