Louis took a deep breath and said, "It's really dark here!"
Arthur asked, "How much does an army second lieutenant's rank cost?"
The stranger, hugging his knees and smoking, replied, "Taking an ordinary line infantry regiment as an example, the lowest purchaseable rank of second lieutenant costs 450 pounds, while the highest rank of lieutenant colonel goes for 4500 pounds. If you want to join the cavalry or the Guards Corps, you need to pay extra. You might be aware of the Cold Creek Guards Infantry Regiment, right?"
"It's that ace infantry regiment whose motto is 'second to none,' and their rank prices are also top-notch. I heard that recently the price for a lieutenant colonel in Cold Creek was raised to 9000 pounds."