Koutao Fishman's Salted Fish Jerky

When the fluorescent moss in the dome stored enough nutrients, it began to emit a faint halo, and countless insects waiting for an opportunity began to collect the dew rich in various trace elements.

Clang! Clang!

As a large iron bucket on top of the only decent building in Zelandia was struck by a Duergar rubbing sleep from his eyes and yawning, it signaled the start of a new day in Zelandia.

Waves of noisy sounds began to break the tranquility of this sinful land.

"Ah! Damn thief! Ahead! Stop that damned Goblin for me!"

"Freshly slaughtered Myconid! Can a leftover leg still grow if planted in the ground!"

"Forming a team to go down the mine! Three months with no accident records, interested miners, sign up quickly!"

"Pfft! Drow Bitch! Where are you splashing your chamber pot?"

"Salted Fish Jerky! Four per ore! Guga!"

Naturally, the stall selling salted fish jerky was lined with long queues. The people queuing included almost all the races in the Underdark, some of whom had been waiting here even before the fluorescent moss started glowing.

Most of these were physically weak Halflings and former human slaves. They generally lacked physical strength, so they could only buy the cheapest and most honest salted fish jerky in Zelandia for the past two years with a basket of standard weight ore, then head to the Golden Miner Brotherhood organized by the Duergar to register for the mine, and start another mining life cycle.

Each person had to pay a basket of standard weight ore as a residence tax per day, and the remaining ore could be used for consumption.

Here, food and various ores were the most popular circulating currencies. Well, the technical services of women might also count, but they weren't that valuable here. After all, supply and demand determined the value of goods, and every so often, some Drow were forced to flee here after losing a fight.

Whether it was luck or misfortune, compared to the chaotic era of Goblin rampages, the rules established by the Duergar after they arrived here were undoubtedly more orderly, but that was only relative.

During the daytime cycle, all creatures generally wouldn't do anything inappropriate to these female Drow by force. And if they didn't gang up on them or use despicable means, they might not necessarily be a match for these eldest daughters of the Drow who were once geniuses.

But in this food-scarce sinful land, no matter how strong you are, you need to eat. And the dwarf law enforcement officers, who had suffered greatly under the Drow, were particularly fond of targeting these new Drow.

As soon as they discovered any theft or robbery, they would immediately enforce justice, and then with 'majestic fairness', they would whip the offender and throw her into the mine. If she didn't pay enough ore as a fine, she wouldn't be able to return to Zelandia.

The Drow, who were accustomed to a life of luxury, clearly did not specialize in physique and strength. Some of them simply chose to disappear into the mines, while more, in order to survive, used their only currency as the price for survival.

Most of them were initially unaccustomed to serving other races. After all, in Gershon City, where females held most of the power, even when they were living adult lives, they were the active and enjoying party. But after getting used to a passive life, their lustful nature often allowed them to live quite well here.

It was even rumored that there was a gifted Drow who, even in such a desperate situation, had not abandoned her faith in the Spider Queen. She was preparing to persuade all the males in Zelandia, and then organize her army of lovers to counterattack Gershon City.

This epic and magnificent plan not only became a joke that every newcomer to Zelandia inevitably heard, but it was also spread by busybodies to Gershon City, and then by the idle priests of the Spider Queen in Gershon City to the Spider Queen herself.

The subsequent development was even more astonishing. That ambitious Drow actually received a divine blessing from the Spider Queen Lolth during a post-coital prayer.

The effect of this divine blessing was unknown, and the Drow did not tell anyone. People only knew that after the Drow received the divine blessing, her progress in persuasion increased daily, leaving every creature she persuaded no choice but to give a thumbs-up to her skills in extreme weakness and exhaustion.

For example, three Orcs who had just been persuaded by other Drow lazily walked out of the foul-smelling cave at this moment. They exchanged four salted fish at the salted fish stall set up by the Koutao Fishman to satisfy their hunger, and then lined up behind the Halflings and humans who were already ahead, preparing to start their day's work.

Since the tax burden was the same for everyone, the daily mining work was not difficult for these physically strong Orcs. The extra ore was enough for them to satisfy their hunger, and they could still have some left to help out the lost Drow technicians, in exchange for some soul-satisfying technical services.

The residents of Zelandia generally labeled Orcs as: a bunch of brown-skinned barbarians who only knew how to eat, drink, fornicate, sleep, and work every day.

However, setting aside these prejudices and the grievances felt when they were beaten, most of the time, they actually preferred interacting with these straightforward giants.

After all, in the perilous mines, these brawny and honest mining companions were often much more reliable than those schemers who smiled to your face but swung their pickaxes behind your back.

Some miners who frequently collaborated with these Orcs saw their core mining buddies arrive and immediately jumped up from the ground, running towards them. They greeted the Orc elder brothers while vigorously chewing on the dried salted fish in their mouths, preparing to get to work after queuing up to enter the mine. When night fell and they returned laden with ore, they would once again become comrades with the Orc elder brothers, rewarding themselves for their hard work during this period.

This was a perfectly normal day for the Zelandia miners.

However, this time, something was unusual.

The one responsible for the Miners' Guild registration was a veteran dwarf named Tiger Bronzebeard, who had worked here for over thirty years. His bare, scarred arms were clad in an ancestral half-plate armor. Although it was evident that the armor had suffered the wear and tear of countless years and was deformed in many places, the old dwarf had polished it, making it gleam. He wore fur pants stained with mine dust and high-top combat boots. Compared to the miners around him, who looked like beggars, Tiger Bronzebeard was like a king of the underground.

And at this moment, he was exercising king-like authority. Facing the long queues stretching deep into the marketplace, Tiger remained composed. He stood on a rusty anvil, holding a hammer and striking a piece of Raw Iron Ore in front of him, sending sparks flying. He roared at the top of his lungs, "Old rules, two hundred pounds of iron ore for the mining tax, the remaining one hundred pounds for three Black Breads. For other ores, check the price board! Don't crowd, come one by one!"

The people living here were long accustomed to the rules and had already formed orderly queues. They walked up to old Tiger one by one, like livestock for him to choose from.

"You, you, you, take the pickaxe and go to work in the mine. Wait! You! No!"

Those named by Tiger breathed a sigh of relief. Those with tools could go directly to the mine. Those without tools had to register at the tool pile nearby, and the rental fee would be deducted upon their return.

And the one Tiger said "no" to was, of all people, an Orc.

The Orc's gaze went from initial bewilderment, to confusion, to realization, and finally to despair, taking a full five seconds. Then, he let out a roaring bellow:

"Why! Why am I not allowed! Look at my arms! I can take on three by myself!" The Orc, as strong as an ox, swung his bear-paw-like arms, striking his anvil-like chest, producing a muffled thunderous sound.

"Exactly! We three brothers have been working here for over ten years! How can we suddenly not be allowed anymore! Tiger! You owe us an explanation!"

This voice immediately drew everyone's attention.

Old Tiger wiped the spit that splashed on his face, pointed at the Orc, and said slowly, "Don't you know you're sick? If I let you into the mine, what if you barbarians, who only have eating, drinking, fornicating, sleeping, and working on your minds, attack my livestock! Sick livestock can easily infect each other. If you all die, who will work for me then? You can go, here, I'm in a good mood today, take a Black Bread and leave!"

"No! I can work! I want to trade ore for food, I have eight children to feed!" The Orc's expression was agitated, unable to accept this.

"It's so tiring to talk to a brainless Orc. Drag him away!" Tiger frowned and gestured behind him.

With a muffled thud, the Orc was kicked flying by an Ogre standing behind Tiger. The other two Orcs, naturally indignant, swung their arms to retaliate. More dwarf enforcers joined in, and the fight was, of course, without suspense.

Muffled thuds of beating soon followed one after another.

Seeing the three Orcs about to be dragged away, the onlookers, who loved to watch a good show, offered sympathetic glances. Just as they were about to continue queuing, a roar from the fish stall not far behind them, even more indignant than the Orc's earlier outburst, rang out:

"Dried salted fish!? I told you to get me more ore, and you're still selling dried salted fish here? And it's four fish per ore! What a sin! Why don't you pickle yourselves!"

An incident at the fish stall, from which everyone had benefited, attracted everyone's attention. They saw a Gnoll, whose frustration clearly outweighed his anger, holding the Koutao Fishman, whose eyes were innocent and bewildered, above his head and shaking it uncontrollably. The entire fish was almost shaken into fish floss.

The recommendation tickets were late due to the network being down~