Industry Devil Didi Miner! Pay Up!

Li Wei, in his red dragon form, lay comfortably in his warm and cozy lair, eyes closed as he listened to the gnoll's report. The reactions from various parties and the overall harvest were largely in line with his predictions.

He was only slightly disappointed and heartbroken when he heard the capture numbers for the Cavens Rats. Those that escaped were money! If only he had thought of this earlier.

Li Wei was particularly dissatisfied with the number of female rats, as this would severely restrict the progress of his 'Bamboo Rat Farming' grand undertaking.

He had already considered everything. Although the slime creatures had cleared out the riverbank fishery near his original lair before the relocation, he had still instructed them to preserve a good number of fish fry and fluorescent moss seeds. The location of his current lair was chosen precisely to ensure that this highly profitable industry could continue to develop and expand in the Underdark while remaining hidden.

Moreover, he didn't have to worry too much about his identity being exposed. Perhaps it was because his moss-based fish pond was so effective; in just three years, even if it hadn't spread throughout the entire Underdark, at least within a few hundred miles, countless imitations had sprung up. His own establishment was just one of many.

If nothing else, the Black-skinned Long-ears ruling Gershon City, more than twenty miles above their heads, had been vigorously promoting this fishing model in several of their riverside colonies in recent days. In a short time, relying solely on crushed fish bones, who knew how many denizens of the Underdark on the brink of starvation had been saved.

At certain moments, Li Wei even felt like he might be a saintly dragon.

"I wonder what would happen if someone used [Detect Alignment] on me right now," Li Wei mused playfully. "It's not like I'd be a Chaotic Fool like some Heteromorphic Dragon predecessors in novels, right?"

Li Wei didn't pay much mind to his neighbors' imitations. After all, none of them could control the slime creatures, the Fishing Artifacts. Therefore, Li Wei wasn't afraid of his core technology being stolen.

As the saying goes, agriculture in the Underdark is underdeveloped; there must be Remlu!

Initially, if it were just Sawfathead Fish and fluorescent moss, he would have found it somewhat monotonous, as if something were missing. But today, after seeing these creatures that strongly resembled bamboo rats, a flash of inspiration struck Li Wei. This was it!

With the bamboo rat farming industry, the fluorescent moss could feed the fish. Once the fish grew, bred, and were harvested for meat, their bones could be completely ground into feed for the rats, ensuring these cute and beautiful little creatures grew plump and white. Their droppings could then be mixed with fluorescent moss to feed the Sawfathead Fish, increasing their nutrition and yield, forming a perfect virtuous cycle and establishing a true Agricultural, Animal Husbandry, Fishing, and Hunting Complex. It was simply magnificent!

As for the sales of fish and rat meat?

Don't be ridiculous. With the current output, it might not even meet the demand from Zelandia.

In the Underdark, food is always the ultimate product and currency, its purchasing power far more robust than Drow currency. Don't believe me? Try taking Drow gold coins to the Mind Flayer's Iron Melting Fortress to buy a batch of Duergar slaves. It would be considered merciful if they didn't beat your dog-brain out and eat it.

And the remaining rat pelts were also good stuff. To treat them merely as fur for warmth would be a terrible waste. These things could be tanned into leather armor!

Although they weren't as good as Giant Lizard Skin or the like, being slightly thinner, one could simply layer them up. Didn't you see that some poor wretches in the Underdark even used human skin for tanning?

Compared to that, tanning rat pelts was nothing.

Upon hearing Huozi report that "those refugees who were originally observing now strongly request to join the West Mining Area's excavation," Li Wei couldn't help but smile noncommittally, thinking that Huozi, this seemingly honest and upright gnoll, had learned to flatter the dragon.

He could tell with his backside what those refugees, who wouldn't move without seeing a profit, were thinking now.

Although their opening today, with the successful first strike of swiping Cavens Rats, had been quite impressive, it wasn't enough to make these old hands who had been navigating the Underdark for so many years bow down immediately.

At this moment, they were more likely to be inquiring about information regarding this emerging power, considering their options, and also worrying about the Duergar's reaction.

After all, have you ever seen anyone go for a job interview without asking about the company's situation or salary and benefits before daring to sign a contract of servitude?

As for those who were prepared to join without caring about anything else, they were most likely gamblers with weak production capabilities and nowhere else to turn, ready to go all-in.

However, he didn't rush to interrupt Huozi's report. It was only when he heard that Tiger wanted to see him that he nodded.

Li Wei didn't speak. He slowly opened his eyes, which resembled magma, and his deep, majestic voice echoed in the lair, "Huozi."

"Your subordinate is here!" The Gnoll commander bowed his head in obedience, listening intently.

Li Wei said earnestly to the Gnoll leader, "You are already a mature Gnoll commander. From now on, you need to learn to face and handle minor matters independently. After all, as a Dragon, I might often enter hibernation and cannot possibly instruct you on every single detail."

"Huh? Master, how can I..."

The Gnoll Huozi nodded in agreement, then immediately looked up in confusion, as if doubting what he had heard, waving his paws in panic and helplessness.

"Huozi, although you have only been affiliated with me for a few days, I believe in my judgment. I believe you are a Gnoll with brains, and I believe you have the ability to stand on your own. At the same time, you must know that if you are just a sharp blade, you will eventually rust. Do you think an excellent Dragon like me would lack a few such knives?"

Li Wei spoke grandly, but inwardly he felt a pang of regret, thinking that perhaps subordinates like Huozi, who could lead an army and were fearless of death, were indeed in short supply at this stage.

However, to Huozi, it sounded completely different. He couldn't quite grasp his master's true intentions and even worried fearfully if he was falling short of his master's expectations.

Li Wei continued, "Huozi, listen carefully. What I need is not just sharp blades, but Left and Right Arms to wield the blades! Executors who can thoroughly carry out my will! You must believe that today you are only facing miners composed of Refugee Escaped Slaves and a Black Miner Boss who has gathered them. Tomorrow, you might face the Drow Matriarchs of the various families in Gershon City, or even that Shadow Matriarch! Or perhaps the Mind Flayer Governor from Iron Melting Fortress!"

Huozi was so excited that he trembled when Li Wei first regarded him as his Left and Right Arm. But as he heard the rest, he belatedly realized that his master intended to send him as a representative to deal with those savage miners and those cunning Duergar!

Huozi immediately became somewhat apprehensive. "Master! I, Huozi, thank you for your trust, and I also wish to become your Left and Right Arm! To become the executor of your will, but I... I have no experience in this area! I have no idea where to start or how to handle these matters..."

Li Wei smiled again, revealing a mouth full of fangs, seemingly even more pleased with Huozi's attitude.

Why wouldn't he be pleased?

Facing his master's praise without becoming arrogant, only worrying about his own shortcomings. Such a subordinate, possessing both strength and intelligence and willing to learn humbly, was precisely the kind of good employee and manager Hogg Mining needed for the future. After all, he didn't have that much time to deal with these trivial matters.

Li Wei pulled out a tombstone-sized Stone Slab and threw it in front of Huozi with a dull thud. He continued, "None of that matters. What I need are executors of my will, and my current will is: if that Old Dwarf Tiger wants to discuss cooperation with us, unless the Golden Miner Brotherhood is fully integrated into Hogg Mining, then tell them to get lost and we'll go our separate ways. As for the miners who are watching, erect this stone tablet in front of the entrance of our Hogg Mining (which is still a fish stall). Once they see the rewards, someone will naturally try to sign up. We will then fully accept them and wait for the Golden Miner Brotherhood to go bankrupt."

Huozi was stunned when he heard the word "bankrupt." When he propped up the stone tablet and saw the content in the common language, the entire wolf was dumbfounded.

He pointed to the Didi Miner Employment Reward Policy on it, his expression filled with worry. "Master, this is too much of a loss. If we continue to offer these rewards, and the Golden Miner Brotherhood follows suit, we might go bankrupt first."

Although Li Wei felt a twinge of pain, he feigned nonchalance. "You know nothing. What we are offering are just some recyclable food and leather armor. What do they have? That Black Bread as hard as stone? Or the Hallucinogenic Potion from Gershon City? How can they compete with us? As long as the Golden Miner Brotherhood goes bankrupt, we will acquire them. Once we are the sole dominant force, we will drastically reduce all rewards and then charge a thirty percent intermediary fee. Heh, whatever they eat from us, they will all have to return it to me."

Huozi finally seemed to understand the intricacies and couldn't help but swallow, looking at Li Wei with a hint of fear. "But if we do this, won't it cause the miners to resist?"

Li Wei tapped Huozi's shoulder with his fingertip.

"At most, they'll just talk. Don't worry, I've calculated it carefully. Their future living standards will be far better than what they have now. After all, I'm not a devil."

Another new week! Please collect and vote for recommendations!