The Task of the Village Elder

Because of the generous rewards, Jaxon was eager to complete the task. However, it was clear that the more generous the task rewards were, the higher the difficulty of the task would be. Completing this task would not be easy. He didn't even know if Tianshan existed, let alone where it was located. He was also unaware of the dangers involved.

In summary, although the task rewards were rich and Jaxon was eager to complete it, he couldn't rush, because rushing would be of no use.

After bidding farewell to Apothecary Li, Jaxon had planned to leave the village, but he was called over by the village elder.

"Village elder, what do you need me for?" Jaxon looked at the village elder with some confusion. Except when he first arrived here and the village elder had given him a task, it was usually Jaxon who took the initiative to find the other party. Today seemed to be an unusual day.

"There is something, and it's good news!" The village elder said mysteriously.

"A task?" Jaxon was delighted. What kind of day was today? Normally, it was hard to get a task, but today he had encountered tasks one after another. There were only a few people in the village, and usually, Jaxon could understand not being able to get a task. He didn't expect to receive two tasks in one day.

"Task? Something like that," the village elder said. "You should know about the demonic energy invasion, right?"

"I've heard you mention it before," Jaxon replied.

The village elder nodded and said, "The Demon Realm is actually a world similar to ours. They have their own civilization, but their world is filled with demonic energy, which makes the people and animals there extremely bloodthirsty and violent. Since last year, some of the demonic energy has leaked into our world, causing some animals to mutate and become abnormally bloodthirsty. There are such animals infected by demonic energy in the forest in front of the village."

Jaxon nodded. The first monster he had killed in this world was a Demon Rabbit, a rabbit infected by demonic energy.

"The situation has become more serious recently," the village elder continued. "Not only has the demonic energy leaked over from the Demon Realm, but also people from the Demon Realm have come over. They have established cities in our world and are trying to expand further."

"What does this have to do with me? You're not asking me to attack the cities occupied by the people from the Demon Realm, are you? Even if I wanted to, I don't have the ability," Jaxon said. He was very clear about his own strength. He was just a level-three novice. The animals infected by demonic energy were already so dangerous, let alone the people from the Demon Realm who had lived in an environment filled with demonic energy all their lives. They would be at least level tens of "monsters," which he couldn't contend with at the moment.

"Of course I know you don't have that ability," the village elder said with a look of disdain at Jaxon. "That's something the imperial army should do. However, because of the invasion from the Demon Realm, the strength is constantly increasing, and the imperial side wants to conscript soldiers."

"You want me to enlist?" Jaxon pointed at himself. "Isn't that still going to make me fight against the people from the Demon Realm? I won't go."

Jaxon wasn't foolish. He currently had no real strength. Going to the battlefield would be like being cannon fodder. It was better to stay here, farming and killing monsters, to support his real life.

"You have no choice! I've already signed you up," the village elder said with a smile.

"What? How could you do this without even consulting me? If you're going, you go. I won't go," Jaxon said.

"If you don't go, then I won't rent the back mountain to you. You haven't paid the rent anyway, so it's up to you," the village elder said leisurely.

"You..." Jaxon was furious.

The back mountain was very important to Jaxon. It not only grew various vegetables, fruits, and meats that he could use in real life but also had the invaluable "Metal Wall." Jaxon would never give it up.

The village elder seemed to have taken advantage of Jaxon and wasn't afraid that he wouldn't agree. "The imperial decree states that one person should be conscripted from every ten households. Our village has less than ten households, so we'll count it as ten. Therefore, we must send one person to enlist. You look around, besides you, are there any other young people in our village? If you don't go, who will?"

Jaxon thought about it. The situation in the village was indeed like that. Besides him, there were no other suitable candidates for conscription. However, he was very reluctant to be forced into the army.

"There's no need for that look on your face," the village elder said. "Soldiers like you, who haven't had much training, won't be sent to the battlefield. At most, you'll be a logistics soldier, transporting supplies and doing manual labor."

"That's still dangerous, you know. It's much more comfortable and safe to stay here," Jaxon complained.

"You're also representing our village in fulfilling the military service. We won't treat you unfairly," the village elder said. "I'll allow you to defer the rent for the back mountain. You can pay within half a year, and the annual rent will be reduced to 2500 gold coins. Moreover, before you leave, I'll have Blacksmith Sun and the others prepare a set of equipment for you to ensure your safety."

"Really?" Jaxon's face lit up with delight. The rent for the back mountain was halved, and the payment deadline was extended, which reduced the pressure on him to pay. Moreover, Blacksmith Sun was a master blacksmith. Even if he just made some ordinary items, they would be considered top-notch for Jaxon. Although Jaxon could forge items himself and had done so quite a few times recently, the quality of his work was far inferior to that of Blacksmith Sun. If he could have a set of equipment made by a master blacksmith, his safety would be much better guaranteed.

"Of course, do you think I would deceive you?" the village elder said.

Jaxon hesitated for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll go. When do I leave?"

In reality, when the village elder used the back mountain as leverage against Jaxon, he had no other choice but to go. Now that he could also gain some benefits, it was worth it. More importantly, as a "player," he wouldn't really die. This trip would still be profitable.

"Report to the county office in three days," the village elder said.

"Okay, I got it," Jaxon said. "How long will this military service last?"

Military service like theirs, which was temporarily conscripted, was not a professional army. There would definitely be a set time limit. Once the time was up, they could return.

"Three months," the village elder said. "Of course, there might be some changes during this period. The time could be extended or shortened."

"Three months? That's manageable," Jaxon said.

Three months was neither too long nor too short, and it was acceptable. Of course, at the moment, he had no other choice but to accept it.