Chapter 41: The Loan

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Loan

"Raise your shields on both sides."

"Team 1, on my command, thrust at the other team’s shields."

"Team 2, hold your shields tight, brace them with your upper arms, and mind your center of gravity."

"Don’t worry about consuming Durability. Li Zhu and the others are constantly making new ones, and we’re not short on wood."

"Don’t be afraid of hurting the other side. A Wooden Spear thrust can’t easily pierce a Wooden Shield. It will only reduce the Wooden Shield’s Durability, so thrust hard!"

"If anyone gets injured, tell Gu Qing. She will provide Treatment."

"Good. Switch offense and defense."

"Team 2, begin your thrusts!"

"Team 1, on defense!"

On the training grounds, Zhao Chi explained the method for this stationary paired drill.

The benefit of this was that it allowed both the attackers and defenders to simulate a real combat scenario.

When attacking a Shield, the force felt in the hands was different from regular practice.

There would be a strong recoil.

When defending with a Shield, the arms and Body would also absorb a significant amount of force.

More practice would improve their practical combat experience.

The Female Soldiers’ movements gradually became more Proficient.

If Attack Power couldn’t break through Defense Power, it would only damage the Equipment’s Durability.

If Attack Power could break through Defense Power, it would then injure the opponent’s Body. At the same time, Durability would also be lost.

In any case, Durability would be lost.

This attrition came at a considerable cost.

These Female Soldiers were all very smart. After just a few practice runs, the training was on the right track.

Zhao Chi put away his Weapon. "Gu Qing, I’m leaving the territory in your hands."

Gu Qing nodded. "Rest assured, sir. Be careful on your journey."

Zhao Chi nodded and tapped ’Return’.

The scenery before him changed.

In an instant, he was back in his Wooden House in the Great World.

He hadn’t been back in two days. Looking around the room, it felt both familiar and strange.

He pushed the door open and stepped out.

The afternoon sun was intense.

Zhao Chi squinted as he walked toward the village.

It was still a workday, so there weren’t many people in the village.

Only a few women watching their children.

When they saw Zhao Chi pass by, their gazes involuntarily locked onto him.

Immediately after, the sound of whispers arose.

Without looking back, Zhao Chi walked directly into the largest courtyard on the east side of the village.

This was the clan’s public house.

He had come here with only one purpose.

To get money!

He was still an Intern Lord, not an official Junior Lord.

Many permissions were still locked for him.

Much like a minor can’t go to an internet cafe, there were many things an Intern Lord couldn’t do.

For example, he couldn’t pay taxes remotely.

Nor could he take out loans.

He couldn’t get a loan from outside, but he could borrow from the clan.

The person in charge of money in the clan was Zhao Hong, the fourth son of Zhao Chi’s eldest paternal uncle. He was Zhao Chi’s fourth cousin and was 13 years older than him.

Zhao Chi was ranked 13th among his generation, with five younger siblings and cousins after him.

The clan had a good number of people, but none were particularly strong.

Zhao Hong was considered one of the more capable members of the younger generation.

At this moment, he was frowning.

Staring intently at Zhao Chi.

"Say that again. How much money do you want to borrow?"

"15 Gold Coins." Zhao Chi offered a friendly smile.

"You... You know how much 15 Gold Coins is, don’t you? Haven’t you already started developing your territory? The clan should be asking *you* for money by now. Why are you asking for 15 Gold Coins?"

Zhao Chi shook his head. "I’m not asking for money, I’m borrowing it."

"Isn’t that the same thing? What do you need it for? Want to buy a Racial Bloodline?"

"What kind of Racial Bloodline can you even buy with 15 Gold Coins?"

"That’s my point! What do you need so much money for? The clan doesn’t have any spare funds."

Zhao Chi sighed. "Don’t worry, Fourth Brother. You know my character. I’ll definitely pay it back."

Zhao Hong shook his head. "If you were asking to borrow 1 or 2 Gold Coins, I’d just lend it to you. But you’re asking for 15 Gold Coins. That’s a no."

"Why not?"

"You still owe the clan money. The clan has been supporting you for the past two years—your food, your clothes, don’t those cost money? Not to mention your tuition and other school fees. The clan has already fronted a lot for you."

Zhao Chi nodded. "I understand. I’ll pay it back double."

Zhao Hong still shook his head. "Our clan really has no money right now. Just last night, we had to ’pay respect’ to those noble dogs from Zone 7 with a huge sum. On top of that, with the Magical Beast siege coming, the clan needs money to hire personnel and buy Supplies. There’s hardly any money left."

Zhao Chi was silent for a moment.

The Magical Beast siege, nobles from Zone 7 arriving nearby.

Li Ruanyu had just informed him about these two things.

For the Magical Beast siege, the Lords from every family, whether noble or commoner, would definitely have to go to battle.

Going to battle would inevitably lead to casualties.

If they wanted to avoid casualties, they had to be well-prepared, buy more powerful subordinates, and gather more Supplies.

It would indeed cost a lot of money.

And as for ’paying respect’ to the nobles...

Zhao Chi had witnessed it many times.

Zhao Hong sighed. "How about this? I’ll lend you 2 Gold Coins. Your territory is just starting out, there aren’t many Magical Beasts inside, so it’s very safe. You shouldn’t need too many Supplies. Don’t compare yourself to others, let’s just focus on steady development."

Zhao Chi smiled. "Thank you, Fourth Brother, but no. 2 Gold Coins is too little. How about this? Lending me 10 Gold Coins would also work."

"Can’t you understand what I’m saying? No!"

"...Then I’ll pay more interest. For a one-month loan of 10 Gold Coins, I’ll pay back 12 Gold Coins."

Zhao Hong was about to refuse.

But he opened his mouth and said nothing.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "10 Gold Coins for one month? And you’ll return 12 Gold Coins?"

"That’s right."

Zhao Hong thought again, then smiled. "The clan really is out of money, but I have some personal savings. If you’re willing, I can lend it to you privately. However, I’ll need collateral."

Zhao Chi said helplessly, "I don’t have anything. What do you want for collateral? I’ll become an official Lord in a few days. I’ll be able to get a loan then and pay you back."

’That seems reasonable...’

Zhao Hong nodded. "Alright, get on the system and we’ll sign a contract. I’m doing you a favor here, so don’t you go telling anyone else in the clan."

Zhao Chi smiled. "Not so fast. I have one more request."

Zhao Hong looked displeased. "What else do you want?"

Zhao Chi said, "Fourth Brother, don’t you have a ’Self-Selected Medicine Treasure Chest’? Could you..."

"No!"

Before Zhao Chi could finish, Zhao Hong cut him off. "That’s my nest egg. In your dreams."

"I’ll pay extra for it."

"Extra?" Zhao Hong’s tone softened.

"Mhm."

"How much extra?"

"I’m not too familiar with the market price. Fourth Brother, you name a number."

Zhao Hong held out his thumb and little finger. "6 Gold Coins."

"Isn’t that a total rip-off?" Zhao Chi blurted out.

"You’re the one being unreasonable, wanting my nest egg. Of course it’s going to be expensive."

"Fourth Brother, can’t you just buy another one? It’s not like they’re impossible to find, it just takes some time. If you name an outrageous price, I obviously won’t buy it, and then you won’t make any money either."

Zhao Hong nodded. "Fine then, 4 Gold Coins."

He dropped the price by 2 Gold Coins just like that...

’It’s like he’s just messing around.’

But 4 Gold Coins was still expensive.

But of course, buying it from Zhao Hong would be more expensive than the market price. Otherwise, there would be no profit in it for him, and he wouldn’t sell.

However, Zhao Chi had checked the market before, and this item wasn’t currently for sale. He could only buy it from him.

’Expensive is expensive, I guess.’

The most important part was the ’Self-Selected’ in the name. Those two words made it highly likely to activate his Transplantation Talent.

Zhao Chi said, "Alright, 4 Gold Coins it is."

Zhao Hong said, "You don’t have the money to buy it right now, do you? So these Gold Coins also count as a loan. Same deal, 20% interest, to be repaid in one month. Any problem with that?"

"...No problem."

"Excellent. Sign."