Warfare's Ultimate Frontier 1

by Quasar Magellan

  “Heh, senior. I won't ever go back on my word.”

  Madam Zheng smiled. “Good. Now bring out your blueprint, and we’ll announce that you will be under our protection from now on.”

  Baron coughed twice into his hand before responding. “I'm sorry to say that I must have to change our previous agreement. You'll still get your blueprint, don't worry, but instead of protecting just me, you'll have to extend that protection to the faction that I'm starting with Yue Fei. This can possibly turn into an alliance between our two groups.”

  “Absolutely preposterous! I won't have such blatant disrespect coming from someone as young as you.” The first husband practically yelled at Baron.

  Baron motioned with his hand. “Now let me explain first, senior.” Baron said in an attempt to calm down the angry bear. “I don't expect the three of you to provide extra protection for nothing — I have something to trade.”

  “Now you're speaking my language. What do you have for us?”

  Baron put on his best salesman smile. “Oh, I’m sure it’s something you will appreciate. I will give you the blueprint for the basic sea mine as promised, but I will also give you the blueprint for an upgrade to the sea mine.”

  “Oh?” Madam Zheng’s eyes glinted. “You've piqued my interest. What kind of upgrade?”

  Baron hummed for a bit before shaking his head. “I'm afraid I can't tell you anything before you accept my terms. As for why, I have my reasons. Would you like for me to leave the room while you seniors discuss?”

  The second husband stopped Baron before the latter could leave. “No need. I think I can speak for the other two in that we are ready to accept your newest proposal.”

  Baron looked at the two others in the room. The first husband wasn't even looking at Baron while Madam Zheng could only lightly smile towards Baron's direction. Clearly they weren't too happy with the new proposal. This was understandable though, as they’d lose some face when news of this trade eventually leaked to the general public.

  “Well if that's that, you will have the blueprint in a matter of days. Please don’t announce to others the results of this conversation.”

  Madam Zheng nonchalantly waved her right hand. “Worry not, this is not the first time we've had to make such a deal.”

  “Alright then. I'll be off, seniors.”

  Baron quickly exited the room and breathed a sigh of relief. This was just the first step of his plan to become the champion of the Death Match Tournament. As long a road it would be, he needed to constantly remind himself that everything he was doing was for Roxi, the only person who’d ever made him feel truly alive. It was a long shot, but this was his only chance to change his future.

  The next few days were incredibly busy for Baron, Yue Fei, Xu Da, and Ban Chao. Baron was having the other three teach him how to make blueprints. After all, he had the knowledge in his head, but translating it to paper, in a way that others could understand, was a bit more complicated.

  As the sea mine’s blueprint was rather complicated, Baron first practiced on simple weapons, such as bows and swords, before moving up.

  By the time he finished, he had well over two hundred blueprints lying all over the table of where he was working. The three around him were all astonished to see that Baron could manage to create such a numerous amount of blueprints all from memory, and all of them unique too. Granted, most of them were fairly low quality but still impressive nonetheless.

  The days went by more and more blueprints began piling up. Yue Fei had elder business to take care of so he didn't stay, but Ban Chao and Xu Da did. The two continuously pored through the blueprints that Baron was producing, and after the first few, they couldn’t help but feel that they were losing their minds.

  “Scottish dirk? Macedonian long spear? Japanese katana? There are so many different weapons from so many different countries. How did you get ahold of such marvelous blueprints?”

  Baron barely looked up before responding. “Didn't I mention already? Back when I was alive I studied all sorts of strategies and weapons, even non-lethal weapons. After all, you have to understand weapon technology to truly understand strategy.”

  Xu Da tapped the table excitedly. “Do you plan on selling these blueprints to the Chinese community?”

  “Not all of them, no. From what I hear, the most common blueprints here are from China, then Korea, then Mongolia. Based on that, I'll only sell blueprints from those three countries. I would raise too much attention if I sold blueprints from other countries.”

  Having returned, Yue Fei asked, “Are you going to make me sell all of these for you?”

  “Not quite. Not just you, but all three of you will have to sell these for me. Before you go, can you explain the monetary system here to me?”

  Xu Da nodded. “To put it simply, everyone on planet four uses the same currency. Which reminds me. Here, take this.”

  “What’s this, a coin pouch?” Baron looked at the simple pouch in his hand. It was hardly big enough to fit even a few coins into it.

  “Xu Da chuckled. “Not quite. It’s a pouch that can fit an infinite amount of stuff in it. So, it’s quite useful for us here. We use coins as our currency, and coins can get quite heavy.

  “There are two types of coins that we use here on planet four, mainly.”

  One is Gold and the other is Silver. Gold currency is what everyone on this planet uses to exchange goods with one another, while silver coins are for use in one’s own community. You can liken it to the different currencies of each country on Earth. It's different for every community, but can be traded for gold coins.”

  Chapter 23

  Auction

  “So gold coins are universal and silver coins are community specific. Got it.”

  Yue Fei nodded. “That's correct. Now, the value of each community’s silver coin is different. The stronger the community, the higher the value of the coin. Since we are the third highest ranking community, we have the third highest valued silver coin. All silver coins are worth less than gold coins, though. A common weapon blueprint can be sold for about ten of our silver coins. Something a little less common like a booby trap can be sold for a few hundred. The basic sea mine that you sold the Madam Zheng could go for upwards of five thousand coins. It’s just about finding the right buyer.”

  Baron scratched his chin. “What kind of blueprint would be the most expensive?”

  Xu Da responded. “Something that hasn’t come through yet. Something new. But in general, the more modern the weapon, the more expensive. The most expensive blueprint was purchased by someone from another community. It was a top secret purchase, so we only know that it was purchased for over a million gold coins. For reference, that would be close to about five million of our Chinese silver coins.”

  “Wow… I see. So how many silver coins do you all have?”

  “I've got about 5,000. Since I'm an elder I get paid a few hundred every year. I can be considered to be fairly wealthy already.

  Xu Da shrugged. “I've got about 600.”

  "900.” Said Ban Chao.

  “Well, I don’t have anything, so let’s go sell some blueprints!”

  Baron divided the two hundred or so blueprints into three groups. One group would not be sold. The other two groups were to be given to either Yue Fei, or Xu Da and Ban Chao. Yue Fei would be given most of the blueprints.

  As the three of them had connections within the auction house, Baron decided to stay out of it and watch from the sidelines.

  The auction house was a huge hall, and many blueprints would be presented on raised platforms, each with its own description card. The description card would list the seller’s information, the blueprint’s name, the date the bidding would end, the starting bid amount, and a long list of lines for bidders to place their bids.

  Once the period of bidding ended, the auction house would deliver the blueprint to the winner, and receive the payment. The auction house took about 10% of the blueprint’s earnings in commis
sion. Although, the commission rate that the auction house took varied depending on who the seller was. Elders only had to pay 8%, a top twenty elder 6%, and the top two elders only needed to pay 3%. Frequent sellers could have their percentages lowered as well.

  Yue Fei was an elder but hadn't done much selling, so the auction house would take 8%. With this in mind, Baron gave Yue Fei the most, and the best blueprints he had drawn up. The other two were given the rest. Baron had planned everything for them to receive the most profits, and to raise the reputations of the other three. He himself would stay in the shadows for a little longer.

  He wasn't laying low for fear of being suppressed, no. He just wanted to make preparations first. He would start by pushing his allies into elder positions, or if he could, top twenty elder positions. That way, when he finally revealed himself, he would shine just that much brighter.

  Baron tagged along with Yue Fei to see how the auction worked. Baron had given Yue Fei forty blueprints. Among the forty, there were about twenty common weapon blueprints, ten uncommon, and three that could be considered rare.

  To sell the blueprints, Yue Fei spoke with the auction representative with courtesy and respect, as the auction house was not an existence to be trifled with. Once the formalities were completed, the two began to talk business. In the end, Yue Fei's blueprints had an accumulated starting bid of two thousand silver coins. This amount couldn’t be considered to be much, but as people began to bid, the amount of money would increase.

  Baron also tagged along with Xu Da and Ban Chao for their meeting with the auction house, but the difference in stature was evident. The representative only gave short, curt responses. By the end, though, they’d accumulated starting bids of over thirteen hundred silver coins.

  Now, all they had to do was wait.

  Unbeknownst to any of them, one of the rare blueprints that was up for bidding stirred up quite a commotion in the community. This was because it was of the Mongolian longbow. The Mongolian was prized to be one of the best bow designs ever created by mankind, and so many wanted it. It was eventually sold for five hundred silver coins, even after deducting the commission cost.

  Putting all of the earnings together, Baron’s group had made over six thousand silver coins. For them, this would be enough, at least for now. With their newfound wealth, they decided to buy a headquarters for themselves. It was something of a symbol of power to be able to afford one’s own place on planet four, as they were very expensive. Most people just stayed in their community-provided lodgings.

  It had taken Madam Zheng’s group a few decades to amass enough wealth to buy their own quarters, yet Baron’s had managed to do it in less than a year.

  With this new headquarters, they now had a protected area where they could devise their plans and train in complete privacy. This came at a heavy cost, though — the headquarters had cost them two thousand five hundred silver coins and they would have to pay a further five hundred silver coins every year from here on out.

  The initial cost was enough to deter most people from buying their own, nevermind the upkeep. Most people just didn't have the capital to do it. That's why most people just joined an existing faction and went to live in their HQ, or even barracks if the faction was rich enough to afford it.

  The auction had successfully fulfilled two of Baron's wishes. To gather resources, and improve the reputations of his allies. Yue Fei had even been promoted a few ranks higher in the elder rankings. The gains for Xu Da and Ban Chao weren’t small, either.

  Most people wouldn’t sell their blueprints, as important as they were. So, many had the mentality to buy blueprints, but never sell. Due to this, there weren’t many blueprints in circulation.

  With Yue Fei, Xu Da, and Ban Chao selling their blueprints at the same time, the auction hall was a little bit livelier than usual. In a typical week, only about six hundred or so blueprints would be sold. This week though, that number would be increased to seven hundred.

  This event was brushed off by many, but there were a few who took notice and began investigating. Knowing that this would be the case, Baron and his allies laid low for about a year.

  Once a year had passed Baron knew that most spies wouldn't follow them anymore since they had nothing to report about. Within this year, Baron had teamed up with Yue Fei, Xu Da, and Ban Chao to have multiple simulations against others.

  Baron and his allies still needed to lay low, so they couldn't be too outstanding in their battles. Instead what Baron had his team spectate what each other did and give pointers to one another.

  As someone who greatly understood the basics of warfare, he drilled them again and again into Xu Da, and Ban Chao as these two needed more polishing than Yue Fei. Xu Da and Ban Chao may have more experience than Baron in war, however they were vastly inferior when it came to split second decisions. Over this year the four of them helped each other to grow and become better strategists. It was now time to move forward with the second phase of Baron's plan.

  Despite laying low, though, they didn’t laze around. They spent the year drilling the basics of warfare into each other, and used the time to improve their in-the-moment decision making.

  Chapter 24

  Han Xin

  Over the course of the year, Baron and his allies continued to sell their blueprints — but not en masse.

  After discussing matters amongst themselves, they decided to form their faction first, stay in Chinese community for a few years, then venture outside to experience the world. Then, they would return to watch the Death Match Tournament. At least, that was the plan. For now, they had to focus on improving themselves.

  Another three years quickly passed by. By now they’d finally met their fifth member, Yue Fei’s friend. He didn't talk much, but was plenty versed in the art of warfare. His name was Han Xin. The others didn’t seem to recognize the legend, but Baron did.

  Baron wasn't sure why such a legend as Han Xin wasn't an elder, as he had more than enough talent and military know-how to be one. It seemed that everyone just saw him as a fairly decent strategist. Baron felt that he had to understand what was going on, so one day he brought Han Xin into a room to chat.

  Baron decided to be direct. “Han Xin, I think we both know that you’re a great deal more capable than the community knows. What’s going on?”

  Han Xin snorted. “I don't need to tell you anything. I wouldn't even be here if Yue Fei hadn't invited me over.”

  “Look, we need to be honest with each other if we are to work together.”

  Han Xin scowled. “You still stink of your mother's womb, boy. Don't stick your nose into something you aren't supposed to. "

  Baron continued, unperturbed. “Well, we need to understand each other if we are to start a faction together. Am I wrong in what I say?”

  “I understand trust between faction members are important, but you should also understand that this matter is by no means any of your concern.”

  Baron sighed. “Fine, if that’s how you feel. Just make sure to not interfere with our end goals.”

  Baron left the room and returned to his own, If that's how you feel then alright. Just make sure that it doesn't interfere with our end goals.” Baron left after saying this and returned to his own room to contemplate the issues of having someone like Han Xin in their faction.

  He had learned two things from Han Xin just now. The first was that Han Xin was hiding something from them — and this could impact their faction’s future growth. This matter had to be resolved sooner or later, and Baron intended to handle it as soon as possible.

  There were a few possible reasons for Han Xin’s strangeness. One was that he was a spy for another faction. Another was that he just genuinely wanted to keep to himself. Baron could think of many more possibilities, but these two were the most likely.

  Baron decided to talk to the other three members. He began by telling them about Han Xin’s accomplishments from when he was alive, then contrasting them to his current state.

>   He finished off by asking, “Do any of you know anything about this?”

  “Sorry brother. I’m not familiar with him.” Xu Da replied with a bit of worry in his voice.

  Ban Chao mused. “I've only met him a couple of times before, but never chatted with him. I never imagined he was such an incredible person.”

  Yue Fei spoke up. “Well, since I was the one who invited him I do know a bit more than you guys. However, for as long as I've known him, he has been as silent as a snake, and he seems to look at everyone with distaste.”

  “If that's his personality, how did you manage to befriend him?” Baron asked.

  Yue Fei chuckled. “It’s quite an amusing story, actually. One time, the two of us and a few other strategists were teamed together for a tournament. I believe I impressed him, because after that tournament he allowed me to call on him whenever I wanted to. To this day, I think he’s only ever given me this privilege. I’m not sure why, though.”

  Baron shrugged. “I think I know why, but I have no intentions of using such a method to make him accept me. I need to use another way.”

  “Why are you so obsessed with this matter?” Ban Chao asked.

  “Han Xin fellow is a strategic powerhouse. I believe that if he can be truly counted on as an ally, of his own free will, then our faction’s strength will be that much stronger. We also need all the help we can get. The four of us are strong, but Han Xin isn’t committed fully, our overall strength may regress.

  “I understand what you are trying to say. If we can get Han Xin to buy into our goals, our future will be much brighter.”

  “Exactly.” Baron nodded. “Let’s battle against him in separate simulations and analyze his moves. Then we’ll try a team battle and see what happens. Xu Da, go against him first. Try and drag out the battle as long as possible. Our goal here is to see what quirks he has, not to beat him.”