Chapter 567: Armed to the Teeth (1/2)

[V6C97 – Sorrow of a Silent Parting]

Qianye arrived smoothly at the command tent after stating his identity. There, he turned right after entering and advanced straight ahead to arrive at a series of warehouses. These warehouses formed a separate camp of its own and were guarded by the Thunderous Cavalry as well as Zhang Boqian’s private army.

Qianye leapt down from the jeep and shot a glance at the warning sign hanging at the gates. There were large, scarlet words on the board that said: “Warehouse Area. Trespassers shall be beheaded.”

An officer walked out upon seeing Qianye’s approach and proceeded to size him up briefly. Then, the man’s expression changed all of a sudden as he said, beaming, “General Qianye, what brings you to the armory?”

Qianye had received the rank of brigadier general after the awards ceremony but wasn’t attached to any army corps just yet. This was done according to convention—the elites from aristocratic private armies could hold an office in the imperial military and enjoy resources from both sides.

Although Qianye’s brigadier general status was still lacking in official documents, this officer was apparently quite discerning and simply wouldn’t stop addressing Qianye as general.

“I’m looking to exchange contributions.”

“That won’t be a problem. I’ll bring you to see General Han.”

Moments later, the officer led Qianye to the office of Armory Manager Han Dezhong. Qianye didn’t engage in lengthy conversations here. He placed the jade tablet directly on the desk and explained his intentions.

Han Dezhong was muttering irresolutely to himself when his aide cut in, “General, the army is on the eve of withdrawing, and all of the armaments in the storage have been sealed. It’s not convenient to bring them out again.”

Qianye’s heart sank upon hearing this.

The rewards for this battle were different from the norm with a fair number of rare items on the list. It was just that Qianye had been planning to save up for an amnesty order, so he didn’t consider them. He hesitated a bit after his discussion with Song Zining before finally deciding to exchange the accumulated contributions for a set of powerful weapons that would aid his massacre in the battle of national fate.

He hadn’t expected the armory to have finished packing up when there was clearly one day left before the designated departure time. Moreover, those superior rewards had to be stored and maintained with special means—how could they be mixed with those ordinary armaments? This aide was either exceptionally afraid of trouble or seeking to cause trouble for Qianye.

Qianye’s expression sank ever so slightly as his eyes grew sharp. He had encountered his fair share of hardships and besiegements during the bloody battle—probably more humans had died in his hands than the dark races. Equipped with such experiences, Qianye was no longer one to be taken advantage of so easily. Moreover, he had the Zhao clan behind him so no one could bully him even if he made a scene.

Han Dezhong scanned Qianye’s face and felt his heart tremble upon seeing the latter’s expression. He immediately turned back and shouted, “What the hell are you saying? A military reward is no small matter! Bring the contribution booklet over. No matter what General Qianye selects, you will bring it to him even if you have to open up a sealed crate!”

The aide was startled, as though he hadn’t expected Han Dezhong to flip out in such a manner. He shot Qianye an angry glare before leaving the tent to retrieve the exchange catalog.

This aide was in his early thirties, and despite being a colonel, he didn’t seem to have much respect for Han Dezhong. This was rather surprising to Qianye.

After the man had left, Han Dezhong smiled wryly at Qianye and said, “I’m truly sorry to have let you witness this sorry joke. As a person of humble birth holding an unimportant post, I can hardly keep those clan scions in check.”

Qianye appeared thoughtful but didn’t reveal anything. “Which clan is that colonel from?”

“He’s surnamed Bai.”

Qianye nodded as he came to understand why this person had wanted to make things difficult for him. This was actually a small matter because there was little the man could do apart from adopting a hostile attitude. He didn’t have the power to deny Qianye from exchanging his contribution.

Moments later, the man returned with a stack of documents and placed it on the table. Qianye wasn’t interested in the ordinary rewards at all, so he just picked up the first-rate reward list. In truth, Qianye had already seen this booklet and had a general idea of the things listed in it.

Qianye had more or less formed a plan after flipping through it once more.

His second-class merit could obtain a standard grade-seven weapon or resources of similar value. Moreover, Qianye had contribution points from killing Sky Demon’s avatar. Adding everything together would allow him to obtain a special grade-seven firearm. This wasn’t a small reward at all because even Zhao Jundu’s Blue Firmament and Zhao Yuying’s Mountain Splitter were only standard grade-seven weapons, albeit the best in their grade.

Those from ordinary low-ranking aristocratic families might not be able to touch a grade-seven weapon in their life. Moreover, those without the right connections would never find such a weapon even if they had the money.

Qianye gave the booklet a once-over and came to a conclusion. He had Han Dezhong confirm his registered contribution points and then pointed at a picture on the last page of the catalog. “I want this one.”