Eli's persuasion

After comprehending the archery skill, Jake's archery proficiency underwent a qualitative change. Moreover, now, every time he shot an arrow, he could increase his proficiency a bit. The proficiency required to advance from beginner to intermediate level wasn't very high. Jake believed that with his practice both in the game and in reality, he should be able to elevate his archery skill to the intermediate level before the team set out. By then, his archery skill would experience another significant improvement.

After shooting ten sets of arrows, Eli didn't have Jake continue. Instead, he led Jake to an open area behind the camp, where a horse was lowering its head and snorting.

"Today, I'm going to teach you how to ride a horse," Eli said as he approached the horse with Jake.

"Ride a horse?" Jake exclaimed in surprise.

It's important to note that in this era of melee warfare, cavalry was considered a luxury and a formidable asset. Especially in the open field, encounters between infantry and agile cavalry units often resulted in significant casualties. Cavalry not only had the capability to charge into battle but also played roles in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. In fact, the impact of cavalry on the battlefield was sometimes even greater than that of modern tanks.

However, maintaining a cavalry unit was quite costly. The expenses to maintain a light cavalry unit could probably sustain three or four regular infantry soldiers, and the cost would be even more staggering for heavy cavalry. The resources required to support a heavy cavalryman could maintain over ten regular infantry soldiers.

Despite the high cost of maintaining cavalry, due to their strategic importance, they were still trained, albeit in limited numbers. This scarcity of cavalry training led to a scarcity of soldiers skilled in horsemanship and mounted combat.

Jake hadn't expected that Eli would know how to ride a horse, and it seemed that he wasn't just familiar with basic horse riding; he was a true cavalryman. Someone with good archery skills and proficiency in horsemanship, how could they end up here, leading a logistics unit like theirs? Wasn't that a waste of their talents?

"Captain, how did you end up being assigned here?" Jake couldn't help but ask, "I don't mean to belittle you, but with your abilities, I feel you shouldn't have been assigned to our logistics unit."

"Curious, huh?" Eli didn't seem angry; there was even a hint of a smile on his face.

"Yeah," Jake nodded.

"I offended some people," Eli said, "Actually, it's not bad here. Those people who look down on this place won't pay any attention to you miscellaneous soldiers. Being here, I can do as I please without interference."

Eli spoke nonchalantly, even with a smile, but Jake could sense his reluctance. Jake could understand Eli's feeling of not wanting to be here. Any ambitious person wouldn't want to remain in a miscellaneous unit like theirs, given that the unit could disband at any moment. Even Brenton knew that if you wanted to achieve success and recognition, you needed to join a regular army unit.

Eli's strength was evident, and he surpassed the current Brenton. How could he be content to stay here? However, it seemed that he had offended some powerful figures, which forced him to continue staying.

"I see you have decent strength, and you're quite talented in archery. How about it? Have you ever thought about joining the regular army and becoming a true warrior? Although I've been assigned here, I still have some connections, and arranging for you to join the regular army isn't a difficult task," Eli asked Jake.

Eli had a high opinion of Jake, and he didn't want Jake's talents to go to waste in this miscellaneous unit. Jake should be in a regular army unit where he could truly shine.

Initially, Eli thought that Jake would be delighted after hearing his words. After all, the treatment here and in the regular army were completely different. In the regular army, the equipment was better, the pay was higher, and promotions were easier. However, here, one could only serve as a logistician.

However, who would have thought that after hearing his words, Jake didn't show a happy expression at all. Instead, he shook his head nervously and refused, "No need, I'm not interested in joining the military. If it weren't for a special reason, I wouldn't even have come to serve here."

Joking aside, serving in this miscellaneous unit for three months a year, for ten years, was something Jake couldn't bear. Once he became part of the regular army, that would be a lifelong commitment. Professional soldiers couldn't leave the military system unless they were incapacitated or retired. How could Jake possibly be willing? He still wanted to go back to farming, earn money from agriculture. Didn't that sound appealing?

Eli, who had been smiling, suddenly turned serious and asked, "Isn't being a soldier a good thing?"

"Sir, my aspirations lie elsewhere. I don't like the rules and constraints in the barracks. I value freedom," Jake explained.

"Freedom? Where does freedom come from in this world? Without strength and status, it's difficult to survive in this society. Even if you manage to scrape by, you'll encounter numerous difficulties," Eli said.

Thinking of people like Brenton, Jake realized they led difficult lives, and even joining the military seemed to be their only way out.

However, Jake viewed his status in this world as a means to support his real-world development. He didn't really care about how well he fared in this world. After all, his roots weren't here. He just wanted to make use of the resources available.

"You're fond of money, aren't you?" Eli seemed to grasp Jake's thoughts.

"Well, yes. Who wouldn't like money?" Jake didn't deny it.

"True, everyone likes money," Eli said, "But without sufficient status, even if you earn a lot of money, you won't have the power to protect it. Those bigwigs can wipe out your entire family with a single word. They can take away everything you've accumulated, and even your life won't be spared. In such a scenario, no matter how much money you have, what good will it do?"

There was a moment of silence from Jake. While this world wasn't his foundation, he still needed to develop here to support his real-life endeavors. If he couldn't even guarantee his basic rights here, how could he support his real life?

Jake thought about the things he had discovered on the back mountain of the hermit village,whether it was the metal wall, the rare creatures in the forest, or the precious wood. Each of them was invaluable. But if others found out, could he protect those things? Clearly not.

"To elevate your status, there are only two paths: the imperial examinations and the military. Do you think you have the aptitude for studying, a potential top scholar?" Eli continued.