Originally, the Purple Rat Race fellow had only made a sarcastic remark, mocking the Mushroom People for refusing to leave.
Unexpectedly, the Mushroom People leader chuckled. "Since you've invited us, sir, we're not opposed to considering it. We just heard what these brothers are being paid, and it sounds pretty good."
They said you couldn't hit someone who was smiling, and since they were all in business, personal grudges didn't matter much. The Purple Rat Race fellow was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help asking, "Are you serious?"
The Mushroom People leader said, "If your offer is fair and you pay our wages on time, we're willing to consider it."
The Purple Rat Race fellow's expression grew complicated as he sized up the Mushroom People leader. He clicked his tongue and sighed. "You Mushroom People really are something. They say you know when to bend and when to stand firm, and it seems they're right. But I heard you say earlier that you'd applied for a two-star mission. The reward is three hundred silver coins."
"Heh. Split three hundred silver coins among us, and we'd only get a few dozen each. And there are at least five or six teams applying for any one mission, with only one reward. We're hardly guaranteed to be the first to complete it. If those three brothers joined us, we'd have enough people to give it a shot. The six of us don't have much of an advantage, and our chances aren't great. We'd be better off earning steady money."
Even if they took on a two-star mission, each person would get only fifty silver coins. That was still worth more than three months of work at this job.
And a two-star mission usually took no more than a day.
In terms