42 NPC Armed Forces
After the busy farming season, all the villagers found themselves with time to spare. Xiao Bai instructed Li A-san to gather all 187 villagers—excluding Bloodthirsty No. 1—because he intended to select four robust, thick-blooded villagers to form a five-man NPC Bloodthirsty Militia Squad. This would strengthen the NPC defenses of the small village. Although the players of Xiaobai Village were currently powerful enough to protect the settlement, NPC soldiers remained indispensable; certain tedious tasks were best left to NPCs.
He had considered this idea for quite some time, but never found the opportunity. Now, with the farm work finished, he decided to address the matter.
Li A-san assembled all the villagers outside the courtyard, where Xiao Bai, Young Hero of Spring and Autumn, the Disabled Veteran, and a few others waited.
“Master, all the villagers are present. Please have a look,” Li A-san said.
“Very well,” replied Xiao Bai, nodding. “A-san, select those with the highest health among them.”
Li A-san examined the villagers’ stats, quickly identifying over a dozen with notably higher health, introducing each to Xiao Bai along with their attributes such as health and strength. (Certain notable NPCs possess the skill of "Face Reading," which allows them to discern others’ attributes—Li A-san used this method; otherwise, he couldn’t have picked out the healthiest villagers.)
Xiao Bai smiled and asked, “A-san, how many militia members do you think our village needs?”
Feeling honored by the inquiry, Li A-san eagerly advised, “Master, in my opinion, our village’s resources can support five militia members at most. Any more would be a heavy burden.”
Xiao Bai was satisfied; five made a perfect squad. He selected four villagers with the highest strength growth from the robust candidates, converted their roles to Bloodthirsty Militia, assigning them as No. 2 through No. 5. Together with Bloodthirsty No. 1, this formed a five-man NPC squad.
Young Hero of Spring and Autumn grinned broadly. Xiao Bai had called him over to entrust him with the militia. As the swordsman captain, he could now lead five NPC militia members at once.
While they discussed plans for training, a group of players happened to pass by the courtyard entrance.
“Oh! Xiao Bai, are you picking militia members? They look impressive—each one sturdy and strong,” one of the players said jovially, stepping forward and saluting Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai turned and saw it was Passionate Hero, the leader of the Bloodthirsty Clan. Smiling, he went to greet him. “So it’s you, Brother Passionate. Haven’t seen you in days—what have you been up to?”
“What else? Nothing much. Just leading my brothers around to level up. Not nearly as busy as you, Xiao Bai!” Passionate Hero laughed heartily, his eyes warming as he surveyed the neat ranks of villagers. “Xiao Bai, let me ask you something—would you sell me a militia member?”
Xiao Bai was surprised, thought for a moment, and replied, “You want to buy an NPC militia member? They’re a bit expensive.”
Passionate Hero waved off the concern. “I'm the leader of a whole clan—what’s a little money to me? I want one to bolster my clan’s image. Don’t worry, just name your price in cash, and I’ll transfer it straight to your account.”
Xiao Bai chuckled, “I don’t take cash, only copper coins. If you can pay 100 copper coins, I’ll sell you a militia member. That price is more than reasonable.”
Passionate Hero calculated quickly. The current exchange rate was 13.7 yuan to one copper coin, so 100 coins amounted to just over 1,300 yuan—far less than the three to five thousand he’d expected. Delighted, he laughed, “Xiao Bai, you’re too generous! That’s practically giving it away. Why not sell me ten?”
Xiao Bai shook his head, patting Passionate Hero’s shoulder. “It’s not quite a giveaway. Do you know how much food it takes to feed one villager for a month? Don’t celebrate too soon, my friend. I’m short on food myself and can’t supply you. You’ll need to buy fish in the market to feed your militia. A villager eats six fish per day, a level 10 militia eats twelve, a level 20 soldier eats eighteen, plus ten copper coins in wages every seven days. Right now, one fish costs one copper coin, and prices are likely to rise. I’m happy to sell, but I don’t want you to suffer unknowingly. Take your time, calculate how many soldiers your finances can support, then let me know how many you want.”
Once a militia member was transferred to a player, they ceased to be villagers of the small village and no longer required village-supplied food; the player would provide their rations.
Hearing Xiao Bai’s explanation, Passionate Hero was momentarily stunned. He’d focused only on purchasing soldiers, forgetting that NPC troops needed rations. He quickly calculated how many he could support. Even if his clan pooled 10,000 yuan per month solely for NPC soldiers—ignoring price increases—they could afford just one level 20 soldier. The costs were staggering.
“One. I’ll just buy one,” Passionate Hero said, his face flushed. Though he was wealthy—his father ran companies and businesses—there were plenty of other expenses too. Better to start with one soldier for show.
Players of warrior classes above level 10 could only carry one NPC soldier at a time. Level 20 warriors could carry five, level 30 could carry fifteen, and so on. Those who switched to a commander class could carry many more NPC soldiers, even entire regiments.
Xiao Bai selected one of the remaining robust villagers, converted him into a militia member, then handed him over to Passionate Hero.
Thus, Xiaobai Village gained 100 copper coins and reduced its need to feed one villager, to Li A-san’s quiet delight.
Passionate Hero and his clan swaggered around the Xiaobai Village market, causing a stir. Members of the Bloodthirsty Clan boasted, “Look, an NPC militia member—level 13! Besides the village chief, only our clan has such a rare treasure. No other clan or guild has one!”
“Come and see, everyone! Bloodthirsty Clan is recruiting new members. Hurry while spots last—we only accept strong, active players...”
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Sweat—power was out from morning until 6 or 7 p.m., so I rushed to finish this chapter. Sorry for the late update today; hope you can forgive me.
Luckily, I posted a chapter at midnight, or I truly wouldn’t have dared show my face today.