Crossing the mountains, The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps came once again to the territory of the Weisbach family.
The villages along the way had almost all declined, with abandoned houses visible everywhere. It was only when they occasionally encountered refugees on the road to Mingxing City that everyone learned that half of the reason was due to a rat plague and the other half due to the ravages of war.
In the villages, an extraordinary mutant meant certain death, whereas at least in the cities, there were other Transcendent (Demigods) for protection. Additionally, the military recruitment officers who came to the villages were so rapacious and capricious, drawing their swords at the slightest provocation to conscript the able-bodied men. They were nowhere near as civilized as the city recruitment officers, who spoke more agreeably...
