The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

The group was naturally the Blood Axe Mercenaries, who had previously joined Ryan and Theresa on a mission in Nord.

Boris is a very common name in the Empire, ranging from high nobility to commoners, and there are many people named Boris, just like other typical names in the Empire such as "Muller," "Thomas," "Miller," "Klaus," etc. Calling out these names in a village might get dozens of responses.

Boris is one such name. Historically, there have been emperors of the Empire named Boris. It's common for Boris, the leader of the Blood Axe Mercenaries, to share his name with Boris Toddbringer, the Elector Count of the White Wolves.

Seeing this, Ryan struck up a conversation with Boris. Over time, the Blood Axe Mercenaries, recognizing Ryan's now elevated status, spoke with utmost respect, hardly daring to look him in the eye directly.

The Blood Axe Mercenaries were not doing well.

After a series of incidents six years ago, the Blood Axe Mercenaries suffered heavy losses, dwindling from dozens to just a handful of members. Additionally, they were swindled by the great alchemist, Gailt, plunging them into a dire situation.

Eventually, Emilia "sold herself" to Ryan, helping them overcome their difficulties.

Afterward, the Blood Axe Mercenaries worked for Gailt twice, earning a small sum of money. Boris, having recovered in the Winter City, sold the headquarters there and decided to move to the more prosperous and densely populated southern Empire, seeing more opportunities there. Perhaps the severely depleted Blood Axe Mercenaries could find some chances here.

It took Boris and Vilt two to three years to rebuild the Blood Axe Mercenaries to about forty members. Thanks to their connections with the Imperial Royal Wizard Academy, the mercenaries now primarily operated in the Rike province, sustaining themselves by taking on missions.

The southern Empire, being affluent and densely populated, meant that both residents and nobles preferred to employ mercenaries or seek the church's intervention to handle security issues outside the cities. Initially, the Blood Axe Mercenaries, through Gailt's connections, secured a few missions and made some money. However, as Gailt's strength grew rapidly, he no longer regarded Boris and his men, leading the Blood Axe Mercenaries to take on jobs from the nobility of Rike province, combating bandits and small beastman tribes.

"Ryan knows these mercenaries?" Emperor Karl-Franz asked Sulia.

"Yes, six years ago, Ryan left the capital of Nord to pursue the fallen hunter, Bert. He was accompanied by the witch, Theresa, who had hired the Blood Axe Mercenaries," the lady knight explained gracefully and courteously.

Recently, a paladin named Calard began his Grail Quest in Rike province, invoking the name of the Lady of the Lake. Mounted on his pure-blood elf steed, Gallipar, and wielding the blessed sword, Durandal, he roamed Rike province asking locals about evil presences.

In a month, Calard eliminated two cyclopes, five trolls, one beastman chieftain, a beastman warband, a night goblin shaman, a zombie dragon from the Grey Mountains, a gibbering beast, a four-armed minotaur in the Rickwald Forest, and then left to the south with a large bag of bounty coins, leaving only his legend behind in Rike province.

"Lord Calard is a close friend of Ryan and me. He started his Grail Quest right after attending our wedding," Sulia said politely, smiling at the emperor: "I'm glad to hear about him; he's always been a faithful servant of the Lady."

"Lord Calard is indeed a brave and resolute man. After hearing about his deeds, I wanted to meet him, but Lord Calard declined. He headed southwest," said Emperor Karl-Franz, somewhat regretfully.

The personal valor of the Bretonnian knights is truly formidable, as is the case with Ryan and Calard. The Grail Knights often resolve small conflicts single-handedly, and even in larger wars, the presence of such knights can decisively influence the battle's outcome.

As is well known, the charge strength of a knightly order often depends on the first knight leading the charge. If the knight at the front is strong and brave enough, the knights following him will charge fearlessly.

(Ready, charge!)

Such powerful individuals are rare in the Empire, and Emperor Karl-Franz, who often leads charges himself, particularly feels this. This is also a key reason why the Empire's knights are not as formidable as those of the Kingdom of Bretonnia.

After chatting with Boris for a while, Ryan casually asked, "Captain Boris, what are your plans for taking on work? Isn't the Feast of Winter Veil

 approaching?"

"Ah, speaking of which, it's really unlucky, Lord Ryan. To be honest, the mercenary company is facing some difficulties," sighed the mercenary leader. "Recently, a paladin named Calard arrived in Rike province. He took many jobs, and being incredibly strong, he disrupted the market. With him taking many of the available tasks, and the nobles and merchants taking advantage of the situation to push down prices, the opportunities for us have dwindled, and we've decided to take one last job before the Feast of Winter Veil, facing ruthless price-cutting by some unscrupulous merchants."

After listening, Ryan chuckled internally. Paladins like Calard indeed disrupt the market order since they don't take on bounties and notices for money but just to sustain their living expenses during their quests.

In harsh terms, no matter how much a paladin can eat, how much does it really cost to get by and maintain equipment?

It's the mercenaries who suffer. After Calard left Rike province, the mercenaries were left in a lurch as nobles and merchants seized the opportunity to push down prices aggressively. The tasks available on the market diminished, shifting from a buyer's to a seller's market, forcing the Blood Axe Mercenaries to take on tasks, as the mercenary leader mentioned they wouldn't be celebrating the Feast of Winter Veil this year.

It's a bit tragic, Ryan thought. He considered the aftermath of Theresa's decision to hire the mercenaries and wanted to offer some help within his means. However, remembering this was the Empire, not Bretonnia, he could only smile wryly and shake his head: "I have to leave for now, but may we meet again if fate allows."

"No worries, Lord Ryan, you go ahead with your business," Captain Boris promptly responded, noticing the Rike guards and the Emperor behind Ryan, and quickly nodded in agreement: "It's no trouble at all."

Leaving the Mercenary Guild, Emperor Karl-Franz expressed his interest: "You actually know those mercenaries. In Rike province, there might be a thousand such mercenary companies, and you just happened to encounter them upon your arrival. Truly, a blessing from the Lady of Luck."

"No, actually, encountering me and Theresa was the worst luck for that mercenary company," Ryan shook his head repeatedly. "Back when we were chasing the fallen hunter, my companion, the witch Theresa, had hired them, leading them into a terrible disaster, leaving only a handful of them alive by the end."

"Sometimes, luck is a disaster. If one cannot bear it yet stubbornly proceeds, a precious opportunity may indeed become a call to destruction," Emperor Karl-Franz paused, his gaze lifting to the gloomy sky above.

"...," Ryan and Sulia felt there was more to the Emperor's words.

"Tell me, Ryan, from a human perspective, is Lord Tigris's arrival a precious opportunity or a dreadful disaster for the Empire?"

"This..."

The second update might feel a bit short, but I assure you, it's just an illusion. There's actually a lot of content and it's quite substantial (for sure).

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