The Garrison Town

True to his word, Wuying brought the other two to the town, where he led them to a rather large workshop, close to the cross-junction of the two streets. The ones who were working on weapons and armor at the front took one look at their officer uniforms and shouted for their supervisor.

Wuying wasn't sure if it was the fact that they were officers, or if it was the state of the same uniforms that had the old grey-beard laughing, the moment that he showed up.

But he quickly led the trio back into one of the buildings behind where everyone was working, and seated the trio down in some rather comfortable chairs around a somewhat moderately sized table, before he waved at the three of them to bring out their gains from the night before:

"Most new White Tiger Guards won't bother to wait, and show up here as soon as they get their hands on the Shadow Crystals. So I am thinking that you won't be very different. Just realized that you need more than the usual armor and gear to fend them off, didn't you?" he said with a broad smile, as he watched Junhe, their so-called treasurer, pull out a rather respectable looking purse.

But his eyes went as a wide as teacups as soon as Duman Junhe upended the same, spilling their gains onto the table between them!

The Crafter laughed as he surveyed the stones in front of him. "Oh, you must have surprised the Captain with your report indeed, when you returned with all of these! And all in one night at that. By the Heavens! I have not seen anyone achieve this sort of success in all of my time here!"

Then his demeanor turned a little more serious as he reached to touch one of the smaller pieces - what Duman Junhe had said was dropped by the Dog-like Shadows the night before. "These are common enough. The soldiers used to be able to bring in two or three of them each time that they go down into the Old Trade Town. They either sell them to the Gray Robes, or they hand them over to us Crafters. We pay roughly five gold pieces apiece, the same price as the Gray Robes, so you can understand why they were more than happy to do so!"

Five gold pieces for one stone? That more than surprised Wuying. So Lieutenant Ah Man had been correct! They could earn close to twenty or more gold pieces each time that they go into the Old Town! And that's if they only hit one site! And share their gains with their men! Judging from the expressions on the faces of his companions, they were similarly shocked. But Junhe, with all of his merchant instincts, was quick to respond.

"That is good. That means that we had quite a haul then, last night," he said with a smile, "I trust you are offering the same for these?"

The old man laughed and nodded. "I am. But here, you forgot about this," he continued, switching to the fist-sized piece of glowing rock, that had been dropped by the Wolf-shaped thing, "This is much rarer. And all those who find them are quick to sell them to us too. You see, we use these stones - even the smaller ones, to craft powerful armor and weapons. Some as powerful as the Captain's sword! They are highly sought after, although they are rare. We usually offer a high price for them, but that sort of depends on the market. For now, they are worth close to two hundred gold pieces. That's the official price that we are offering for them at present."

"Two hundred in gold?"

Wuying's eyes felt as if they were popping out of his head. That was four times a new lieutenant's salary every month! Was that small piece of stone really worth that much?

But Duman Junhe seemed to recover more quickly from the shock than he did, and give voice to the questions that the three of them shared. "So, it is worth that much, hmm? What can they be used for? You mentioned that they can improve our weapons and our armor, did you not? I trust that you are talking about these then?" he asked.

"Oh, the smaller stones can also be used for augmenting your weapons. They can grant the same the ability to pierce even metal armor. Well, a stone tile or a piece of turtle bronze armor, at least. I have seen that happen. That makes it rather useful for you lot, when you go up against the Beasts. I have seen the Lieutenant's - Ah! I mean Lieutenant Ah Man! His armor has been reinforced using some of these lesser stones. The claws of the Shadow Beasts can't penetrate that! Perhaps you should consider something similar?"

He waved a hand at Wumu Qian and Wuying then, at the torn sleeves of their uniforms. Both of them sighed at that, while the Crafter laughed. "Oh, do not be so concerned. You should have spare uniforms, and you can afford to hire the tailors here to repair those for ordinary duty. That's what most of the regulars here do," he told them, "And the cloth is thick, so that they protect you from the claws. Well, at least a little."

Qian nodded back. "That is good to know. But what about the large stone? What can that be used for?" he asked, pointing at the palm sized glowing rock.

"Well, it's larger than the lesser stones, so we call it a greater stone. As for what they can be used for ... Well, you've seen some of the magic that is used in the Garrison Block, yes? The lights and the various heating fixtures in the common rooms? They use these stones to create them. And so extend the life of the magic that the sundry mages are able to work into the same," old Ying revealed then.

"But that's besides the point here. Now, you three are looking for armor, I think. Your first experience in the Old Trade Town should have warned you that you'll need it. Well, I would suggest a cuirass, at least. Something like what Lieutenant Ah Man has. One of those leaf armor breastplates," he told them, as he waved a hand over the smaller pieces of stone, "It will cost you about ten of these for each one."

"Oh? And these will be the ordinary armors then? Un-augmented?"

The Crafter laughed. "If you want them augmented, they will cost you about five times more! But it will be worth the trouble, I should think. You are soldiers, and soldiers always want something better when they go up against the Shadows. I tell you what. If you sell the greater stone to me, I can make you a far better suit of armor than the Lieutenant's. That will be worth your while, no? Here. Take a look at this."

The old man stepped back from his bench to pick up a coat made of rough cloth and metal from another table behind him. It looked heavy, and made a weighty sound as he put it down in front of the trio.

"This is canvas and leather for the base, but I've added pieces of metal into the weave. Some are meant for the protection of the vitals, and they overlap. But there are other portions, around the joints, that are not so tightly constructed, so that it will still give freedom of movement. I can supply you three with something like this, for the large stone."

Duman Junhe poked at the suit with a finger. "It seems tough," he said at last, "So how long is it going to take?"

"For all three suits? Between five to six days. I have some apprentices that can fit some of the simpler pieces together but it will still take time. We'll rush the order, of course. And we'll need to fit you for the armor."

Then the old man sighed. "There is one more condition, I am afraid. The armor has to be paid for in advance. Apologies, but that is how the business here is conducted. There is a risk that you won't be back to collect the gear, you know. Now I guess that the Captain is probably going to let you lot rest a day or two after your success last night, but you'll be out there against the Shadows again. And you have already had a taste of how dangerous it is."

Wumu Qian looked a little annoyed at that, but Junhe stepped in quickly, before he could say a word. "Well, I can understand that. But we are looking for only two suits, I think. I am basically better at archery, after all, and ...."

"One suit, not two," Wuying chipped in then, as he set down the half-made armor back onto the table. He smiled at the pair as they turned to look at him in surprise. "It's a bit too heavy for me. And that might affect the way that I fight. I'll take vambraces to to keep my forearms protected, but I think I will forgo the body armor for now."

"Oh, just one suit then?"

The Crafter looked a little disappointed then, but Wuying pointed at the larger glowing stone before he could say anything else. "Yes, what kind of armor would you be able to craft that costs this stone here. The best that you can do, of course."

The old man's eyes came back to life at once. "You would offer me that, for just one suit? Why, I can easily have it augmented as well! Not to the level of Lieutenant Ah Man's, of course. But I can set one of the lesser stones into its crafting. That should be enough to satisfy you. And I'll throw in the vambraces as well. Two sets! They are light enough that they should suit an archer as well. They will be laced with turtle-bronze plates so they should keep your forearms safe from the Shadows' claws!"

"Done! And that will be ready in six days time?"

"The vambraces we can finish in a day. You can collect it tomorrow if you wish. That should allow you to try it out in the field. The armor will be ready a little later."

Wuying smiled as he turned back to the slack-jawed Qian, and shrugged at the shorter man. "It looks like you'll be playing in the rear again. Well, at least until your armor is ready. And I'll test out our tactics like we had planned. If it all goes well, you'll have a chance to take over, the next cycle," he laughed.

But the younger man shook his head. "What is this? What about your share of the stone? We won that together! Why are you ...?"

"Because we are brothers in arms! The stronger one of us is, the stronger all of us are! Besides, we are still working together, aren't we? What is a few shards like this between us? If we work together, we'd be likely to earn a lot more. And who knows, I may need your help in the future!"

Wumu Qian nodded at that, before he rose to his feet and bowed, formally, to the taller man. "If you have anything that you need help with, just ask, brother Wuying! Wumu Qian shall not disappoint! You have my thanks, brother!"

"Well, since you two have already decided something like that, I suppose I'm stuck with it," laughed Junhe then, as he turned back to the stones that were laid out in front of the Crafter. "Now, what can we do about the smaller stones? Do we sell them to you, or do we craft something out of them?"

The older man laughed at that. "Ah! It is a pleasure doing business with you! It is not often that we have such a haul! Even at the prices that we shall be paying out, there is enough here to craft enough enhancements to fill a small country estate! But come! Let us get this out of the way, and the measurements too! Unless I am mistaken, you three need to get some rest, after your work in the field last night!"

*

"Well, that went better than I had expected. But we still need to wait a while to get a proper spear for brother Qian. And I'll need more arrows," Duman Junhe sighed as they left Crafter's Hall together, "And I think we've used up a good part of our soul stone shards already. This is becoming more costly than I had anticipated."

Wuying smiled at that. "Oh, I wouldn't be too worried. The sergeants mentioned that the Guard will cover the arrows and other consumables used in the missions. But we'll still have deal with the tailor's bill for our uniforms. Fortunately, the men have promised to introduce us to the seamstresses that they use. And I doubt the Captain's going complain about our torn sleeves," he laughed.

"True. And I'll need a new spear, like Junhe xiong said. The Captain's loan should be more than useful while we are still in the trial stage, but I would like to get one of my own," added Qian as he walked beside the pair, "And the Crafter Ying mentioned that it would take some time to get it ready. Besides, I feel bad about this. It seems like I am taking up most of the stones."

"That's because we are still new here. And you shouldn't be too worried. You'll be up in front once you get the armor properly fitted! And we are almost done with the Bridge too. That means the fights are only going to get tougher. Remember what the Captain told us? Well, there will be more Shadow Creatures in the Old Trade Town then," Junhe sighed.

Wuying nodded. They still had about a third of the Bridge to go, before they got there, however. And if they could repeat what they managed the night before, they would be clear of the same by the time their probation was over! Then they will start to sweep the Old Trade Town! Which should prove more challenging, if the Captain was right!

"There are other sorts of creatures there too, according to the Captain, and he had read all of the accounts in the annals. We are going to have to be careful. That Wolf-thing was more difficult than what we had imagined, hey? So let's not make any promises about how many zones we are going to clear, hey?" Junhe told the silent pair then, "Let's not bite off what we can chew."

That was true, Wuying thought. He could still remember the almost reckless way that the Shadow Dogs had ran at them, the night before. They had barely managed to keep things under control there. He did not wish to imagine what it would be like if he had to do the same all over again, on his own.

"Well, we still have some time to go, and I've got the Captain's spear for now. But I'll take every advantage that I can get. We'll need to work more cautiously once we are leading the patrols on our own, so we might as well take the opportunity to learn more about the enemy now. What do you say? Do we head over to the Smith's Corner now? Or do we do that tomorrow?" Qian asked.

"We might as well go now. I have a good sword already, by Henligong of Phoenix Town, but I don't mind ...," Junhe's voice suddenly ran down, and he froze in his tracks, leaving the other two to stare at him. And their eyes soon followed where he was gazing, to see what had silenced the man.

"I say. This was not mentioned in the briefing."

Wuying nodded back at what Duman Junhe was staring at. He blinked in surprise himself. He had never bothered to move to the ends of the street, so he had not known that there was such a place there himself. The red lanterns and the gaudy decorations that adorned that corner of the street made it rather obvious just what it was too!

"A whorehouse?" asked Wumu Qian, his own surprise obvious in his voice, "I did not think that there would be one here. And on a main street, no less."

Junhe smiled as he turned to his companions. "Well, I suppose it makes sense. All these men here, not counting the soldiers themselves. It would see a substantial bit of business, considering what is being done here. And the Guard would make it a lucrative operation as well, with all those unattached men. I would also presume that we would find some of the better wines in there as well. Along with the best of the local beauties," he chuckled.

Qian, on the other hand, frowned at that. "Well, I am not inclined to spend my coin frivolously, in a place like that. Besides, I need to save up for weapon of my own, remember? And we should have a word with Lieutenant Ah Man too, before we visit it. Who knows what sort of rules the Guard has concerning the same?"

Junhe nodded, although he deflated a little as he began to walk. "It's as you say. We'll need to find out more about the rules of the place. Very well, we'll come back for a drink another time, after we have done questioning the Lieutenant about the place too."

*

They caught Lieutenant Ah Man in the cookhouse when they dropped by for a meal before they headed up to their rooms. The man had a large bowl of plain noodles in soup before him, which he was almost done with when the three new lieutenants appeared. And Junhe wasted no time asking about the whorehouse, once they were done with the usual greetings. The Lieutenant laughed when the man brought it up.

"Ah! You have seen the House of Widows then?"

"The House of Widows? That's what's it's called?"

Lieutenant Ah Man laughed again as he shook his head at them then. "No, no. That's what it is. Local legend has it that it was started by the widow of one of the guards who perished in the Old Trade Town. And it has supported the local association of widows too, so the name isn't that far a stretch. It has been around for longer than I have been here, to tell the truth," he admitted, "There have always been men who die, serving outside the Wall. And you three have just seen the dangers that we face. There are always some who do not manage to last long enough to get treatment at the hands of the Gray Robes.

"At least, that was how it was like, back in the old days."

"So legend has it that the whorehouse was started by one of the wives who lost her husband in the Guard then? Is that it? Ah, that is a depressing tale."

The Lieutenant scratched his head as he chuckled at Junhe's comment. "Well, that might be how it started. But it is very different now. There have been other women - I mean from other parts of the Kingdom, coming here to join the House ever since I've been here. And it has been around for far longer than that! The House was started almost twenty years ago, I think. When we started to reclaim this place."

"And the Captain is alright with that? That there is such ... an establishment here, in the town?" asked Qian then, looking a little puzzled.

"The Captain agrees that the men need some form of release, and that the House - the Purple Peony House, to give it its proper name. It offers a place for them to ... Well, sex is ...It helps, somewhat, with all the stress across the Wall. So he's been more or less agreeable to it. He says that forcing the men to bottle it up would lead to trouble. And they are more likely to cause problems for the nearly villages too. And that is something that he wants to avoid."

"I see."

Wuying could understand the reaction of the Northerner. Qian had always been strict with himself, and he had a rather strong sense of honor when it came to women. This was something that made him uncomfortable, and more than a little put out.

But the Lieutenant had more to say about the subject. "Besides, the Captain has set some rather strict rules, for the rest of the men, to keep us and the House from causing any problems here in the Garrison Town. So we are good. After all, there are no rules in the Guard that bar us from whoring, as you know."

Qian nodded at that. "That is true. Not to worry. I will not cause any trouble. At least, not for those who know how to keep themselves under control."

"Oh, I don't think you need to worry about that! There are four or five old hands that have switched over to being bouncers that the Peony hired after they retired from the Guard. They are more than enough to deal with the boys!"

Then the Lieutenant's face darkened. "Which can be more than can be said about some of the transients that come here. The Peony has had more trouble from the travelling traders than our boys, to tell the truth. The last month alone, before you got here, there has been three incidents involving those idiots! They came here hoping to make an easy profit based on some rumor that they heard. Then, when they realized that they couldn't, they tried to take out their frustrations on the girls!"

Much to Wuying's surprise, it was Junhe who grew angered at once. "What?! That is atrocious! Which company were those rascals from? I'll have a word with my brother and destroy them! How dare they cause trouble for helpless women?"

"Ha, ha, ha!" The Lieutenant held out a hand, palm outstretched towards Junhe then, as he laughed away. "Oh, I wouldn't call them helpless women! Besides, the bouncers thrashed them well and good. And the Magistrates down in Kongmin Town dealt with them rather harshly too! The House of Widows has contacts among the powerful, it seems."

"Ah, I see. That makes good sense. It does appear to rake in a significant income-flow, judging from what I have seen. And the women won't stay young and pretty forever. They must have made arrangements to manage their coin then. And roped in friends in high places to make sure that they can retire in relative comfort."

That made a lot of sense to Wuying, although Qian and the Lieutenant looked a little surprised at Junhe's pronouncement. It was clear that they had never thought of it that way before. But now that the merchant brat had mentioned it, it did make a lot of sense.

"And they are affecting the supply and demand in the town as well. No doubt, the supply of food and drink in the Purple Peony are also of higher quality than elsewhere in this place, and the profits that they derive from this goes into the other projects and businesses too. Perhaps to prepare for a time when they have to leave this line, this place? That makes good sense," the man added quietly.

For a moment, the other three at the table said nothing. Then, to everyone's surprise, Qian agreed quietly. "I think you are right. From a business angle, setting up here does drive up their profits, and lowers their risks. After all, soldiers are people too. And they have needs, much like other people, especially on the edge of the sword. They should be more willing to spend their coin on ... such pleasures. And with the Captain's rules keeping everything civil, things should be easier on them as well. Fewer jealousies and arguments, no doubt."

"Which means that they are good to go after five to eight years or so. Or even twenty, if you are one of the Long-lived," Junhe pointed out then, "Judging from the customer flow here, and the rates of the operation, a woman would be able to buy a small townhouse, or a medium-sized shop in one of the smaller cities. It seems that someone has gone through some trouble to make things comfortable for these women."

* * *