Ever since Li Wei drafted the Didi Miner Employment Reward Policy, a document comparable to a Devil Contract, it had been clear that Zelandia wouldn't have a peaceful day.
Since Hogg Mining opened, the queue outside its doors had stretched halfway around the Marketplace in all of Zelandia, and it had shown no sign of shrinking all day.
Some slaves who made their living in Gershon City had even come over after hearing the news, hoping to make a little extra money while these "foolish" gnolls were distracted.
In theory, even twice as many people could have signed up in no time. But Hogg Mining's pack of young wolves insisted that everyone fill out some kind of job application.
The applications asked for basic information like name, age, and species, as well as their work history, Professional Level, and skills.
Heaven help them, most of Zelandia's miners had originally been runaway slaves from Gershon City. Where did those long-eared Drow get their slaves?
About seventy percent came from nearby colonies, such as Duergar settlements, Myconid tribes, and Kobold Tribes.
The Drow collected the Head Tax under any pretext they could find—a real Head Tax, that is: taking able-bodied people by the head to send into Gershon City for various construction jobs.
Of course, people could refuse to pay. But the Drow held coming-of-age ceremonies for their Tribe Members every so often, and that provided the perfect excuse to show up at someone's door and kill them.
Before they fell during the Great Descent, these Drow had been High Dark Elves on the surface, their surnames all bearing the name of Ilisri. Having grown accustomed to the comfortable life of nobility, they naturally didn't take up labor after their fall. If anything, they became even more ruthless than they'd been on the surface. The slaves who naturally multiplied in the surrounding colonies were nowhere near enough to keep Gershon City running.
So the Drow didn't just like raiding merchant caravans traveling between cities. Every so often, they also organized small hunting parties to raid the surface at night and capture slaves. Most of the time, they weren't picky.
Of course, if they had a choice, they preferred Elf slaves.
Watching their once-proud, pure-hearted kin gradually fall from grace under Sensory Training was what gave them the greatest pleasure.
Because of this history, the people queuing outside Hogg Mining could have put on a Species Exhibition of the whole of Coriel.
Huozi had been in the dark until they started compiling the statistics. Then the poor wolf had been left completely dumbfounded.
At least thirty percent of the applicants were Professionals or Former Professionals. Could you believe that? There were enough mages to form a Spellcasting Team!
Of course, they couldn't cast spells in an area covered by the Dark Magic Web.
But Huozi wasn't the only one stunned. The people waiting in line and those who had already signed up but were still hanging around to watch were just as shocked.
At first, they'd grumbled about having to wait in line and fill out applications, feeling that it was keeping them from making money. But as one fascinating story after another came to light, they soon started enjoying the spectacle.
"Sword Coast, Water-Drawing City! You're from Water-Drawing City too! Wait—you're the Silver Fox of the North District, the Ranger Kevin Stephen! Do you remember me? I'm Karelle!"
"Karelle?"
"I'm from the Port District! I was an apprentice in the School of Evocation at the trial academy under Water-Drawing Mountain Castle. Karelle Kanda! You even escorted a mission for Water-Drawing Mountain Castle!"
"Oh! Gwen, God of Tracking, be praised! It's you! Good heavens, weren't you captured by those Psionic Slaves? You're alive! I'm so glad!"
Huozi had nearly gone numb by the time he witnessed the thirteenth reunion between old neighbors. This was nothing. Earlier, a middle-aged male and female Orc had discovered that they weren't from the same hometown but belonged to the same clan. They'd gotten so excited they nearly started a passionate encounter on the spot, and two gnolls had to drag them away before the scene became too much to bear.
Huozi and the other onlookers weren't the only ones enjoying themselves. Li Wei was holed up in his lair too, watching through his True Sight Eye as he chewed on various metal ores and enjoyed the show.
Hogg Mining was the first step in Li Wei's plans for Zelandia, a wonderful place that would serve as their foundation. Its success would also affect all his plans going forward. So even though he trusted Huozi, Li Wei didn't dare fall asleep and leave Hogg to do as he pleased just yet.
"Remlu, take this to Huozi and tell him to keep an eye on all these people. They're all going to be valuable employees for Hogg Mining," Li Wei said, handing the fish-person Remlu a stone tablet with words carved into it.
He watched Remlu struggle to carry the tablet as she trotted off, then went back to spying and enjoying the show. Every now and then, he checked on the workers who had already gone down into the mines, noted any problems, and came up with ideas and solutions.
After becoming slaves, most of these people had hit rock bottom. Some even had Slave Marks branded on their faces, so most chose to hide their names and lie low, living out the rest of their ruined lives in squalor.
They hadn't expected that signing up for a job at Hogg Mining would make their lives feel as if they'd been given a second chance.
Back on Li Wei's Blue Star, people spoke of four great joys in life. If anything could be more exciting than meeting an old friend in a foreign land, it was discovering that the old friend had also fallen on hard times.
And so, in these circumstances, the application process Li Wei had organized naturally turned into a Large Family Reunion Scene—and even a matchmaking event.
Meanwhile, one occupation had suddenly become popular.
That was the profession of application writer.
After all, not everyone in Coriel could read, let alone write. In fact, most people couldn't.
Even some Professionals, such as Rangers and warriors, couldn't write.
So when they were given a chance to earn money quickly and make useful connections, most people didn't mind sharing a little food or coin with the writers as payment.
Most of these hired scribes were mages moonlighting as writers.
They couldn't help it. Mages were a high-brow profession that required literacy.
Most of the time, they had to learn not just Common Tongue but also Draconic, High Elven, Elemental Inscription, Netherese Script, Devil Contract Script, and even the arcane Divine Script, among many others.
After ending up in Gershon City, most mages were assigned to various tasks. Their magical power was used for spell experiments, making scrolls, enchanting weapons, and similar work.
In Gershon City, they were also made to wear Magic Suppression Collars. These marked them as slaves and suppressed their ability to cast spells in everyday life, preventing them from forming factions and defecting.
If that had been all, it wouldn't have been so bad. They had no rights or freedom, but at least they were treated far better than those who ended up as test subjects, Spellcasting Materials, Sacrificial Ritual materials, or Soul Storage Devices.
But the Drow were a Matriarchal Clan with a wildly unbalanced ratio of females to males. After their fall, Drow females had become somewhat indiscriminate, while Drow males were often so badly underfed from childhood that they couldn't even grow up properly. This only made the situation worse.
So the Drow females often set their sights on Humanoid High Intelligence Creatures, with humans as their next-best choice. And mages, brimming with elemental energy, made an excellent option.
That was why mages like Garvin, drained until they were little more than husks and stripped of their dignity, often fled to Zelandia in the Lower City. Mining was hard work, but at least they had their freedom and didn't have to face ravenous Drow.
So don't be fooled by how scrawny some old miners looked. They might have muscles all over once they took off their shirts. Outside the Dark Magic Web, give them a Flash, and every one of them could become a dual-wielding Berserker.
If Li Wei wanted, he could probably even assemble a Tofu Warrior-Mage Group.
In the Silver Dragon's lair, once it was clear that the hiring event outside Hogg Mining had gone smoothly, Li Wei shifted his focus to the Cavens Rat Farm and production in the West Mining Area.
Once hiring ended, a large number of new Didi miners would pour into the West Mining Area. When the Didi Miner Employment Reward Policy took effect, they'd inevitably claim a huge amount of Cavens Rat Meat.
Having come from Blue Star, Li Wei knew all too well that if the Didi Miner Employment Reward Policy succeeded, it would be a license to print money. But before they'd cornered enough of the market and signed up enough employees, it would be a real money sink.
He'd been counting on the adorable Cavens Rats to use their rapid breeding and short growth cycle to multiply a few times before the first wave of rewards came due. But when he looked at the listless rats through his True Sight Eye, Li Wei was instantly worried. I've given you all the food and drink you could want. Why aren't you getting on with the business of making more rats?
When he called Huozi over to ask, he nearly threw up. It turned out the Cavens Rats were not only particular about their nests, but also had a fear of mating in front of others!
Of course, that didn't stump Li Wei, whose way of thinking was unlike that of any ordinary dragon. He immediately told Huozi to find the Zelandian middlemen and buy some Drow Energy Potions in Gershon City.
But relying on Energy Potions alone turned out to be too expensive, and it still didn't solve the root of the problem.
The Cavens Rats couldn't overcome their natural timidity. Everyone knew that an animal's mental state greatly affected the quality of its offspring.
"Do I have to find an illusionist? But illusionists can't cast spells here either! It's not like I can kidnap a Mind Flayer!"
Li Wei was so worried he nearly scratched the scales off his head.
Just then, Garvin's application appeared in the True Sight Eye, and Li Wei's eyes lit up.
It was as if, through layers of mist, he could see the Goddess of Luck, Tymora, lifting her skirt to tease him.
The line about seven levels in the School of Illusion and three in the School of Evocation could be ignored.
But that one level as a Psionics user—
Li Wei could only say, "Young man! No—middle-aged man! You've shown up at the perfect damn time!"
Some might ask, what use was a first-level psionics user?
Li Wei's answer was simple: as long as this level-one Psionics user could brainwash those damned Cavens Rats and get them to make their eggs useful, that was enough!
From today on, Garvin, you're my personal Livestock Officer!
The great task of ensuring the prosperity of all Coriel's species is in your hands!
Thanks to Taiyang for the Hundred Rewards. And a quick update for all the Hogg Mining shareholders: we're currently ranked second among the twenty-four books in the popular category. That proves our combat power is pretty good! Keep those votes coming!
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