Finding a Job

He poured with great care, letting the liquid medicine drip evenly over every dish. His expression remained just as calm.

Once he was done, he tucked the small bottle away, quietly slipped out of the kitchen through the back door, and went outside.

He watched as two slaves soon carried out all the remaining dishes.

At dusk, Aoduo's family laughed and chatted merrily in the dining hall, with two slaves waiting on them nearby.

Meanwhile, Dole watched quietly from the side. Only after they had nearly finished eating did he silently climb along the courtyard wall. Reaching the wall of the neighboring yard, he cast one distant glance at Aoduo's luxurious dining hall, then jumped down from the wall without looking back, slipped into the neighboring house, and quickly vanished into the common district.

As he walked, he removed his gloves and tucked them into his pocket. Dole returned to the slums, his expression utterly calm.

Though it was his first time killing someone—and he had not even made contact himself—the truth was that he had indeed killed them. The three would not survive half an hour. He had used a massive dose, enough to make the hearts of two oxen burst.

Dole had originally wanted to watch the two men die, but with the two slaves present, he abandoned the thought.

They were as good as dead.

Back in the slums, Dole did not meditate that night. He slept exceptionally soundly.

Early the next morning, he was waiting at the mouth of the alley. Before long, Supervisor Harley came out of his house.

Seeing Dole, Harley was still somewhat unaccustomed to it. This was another face, yet it truly was Dole, exactly the same as yesterday's face.

He stood before Dole, his heart filled with countless questions. "Have you finished what you needed to do?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Dole smiled without giving a direct answer. "I need a job now."

Harley shrugged. He had no desire to concern himself with what Dole had done. Beckoning, he said, "Come with me. The city's been repairing roads these past few days, so there's a huge demand for all kinds of tools. The smithies have been working shifts and overtime and still can barely keep up. You've come at just the right time. Oh, right—do you have the strength of an intermediate warrior now?"

Dole nodded. After using the Strength Potion and Agility Potion, he should be about there. He had been so busy scouting these past few days that he had forgotten about it.

Harley nodded with satisfaction. "Blacksmithing demands a great deal of strength. The stronger you are, the more force you have, and the easier forging becomes. You're using a Number Three hammer now. Once you can handle a Number Four hammer, you'll be able to forge second-grade ironware with ease. If you get the chance, buy some potions from the Ability Society, though they'll be expensive."

Most potions on the market came from the Ability Society. Only people with a discerning eye like Old Mi could spot wild wizards hidden among ordinary people and obtain part of their supply.

Dole nodded. "I will."

Harley glanced at him and teased, "Your disguise is pretty good."

Dole did not take the bait. "I want to rent a house. Ha, do you have any connections?"

Harley gave a chuckle. "You've come to the right person. I own ten properties. I can rent you one—how about ten silver coins a month?"

Dole's eyes lit up. "Sure. Deal." What he was really thinking was, This guy is that rich?

The two strolled down the street and soon reached the end of Duomeng Avenue, near the city gate. There stood a fairly sizable smithy named Montuo Smithy. The moment Harley entered, the blacksmiths and helpers around them began greeting him one after another. Clearly, he carried considerable authority as the manager.

They went into the back and entered a room, where they saw an old man in his fifties or sixties. He was tremendously burly, his blood and vitality abundant. Sitting there, he seemed like a small furnace.

"Red Array, this is a first-grade blacksmith. Help me keep an eye on him these next few days," Harley said bluntly.

Red Array glanced at Dole's attire and blinked. "Him?"

"A first-grade blacksmith. I've seen his skill myself, and the things he makes are good. He used to work over at Old Ke Smithy, but something happened."

With Dole's current appearance, aside from not carrying Bal, he wore plain clothes and had a bow on his back—the standard outfit of a hunter. If someone claimed he was a blacksmith, no one would believe it.

After Harley said that, the old man immediately nodded. "Call me Uncle Red. Come on." He rose and headed outside.

"Hello, Uncle Red." Dole went along with it smoothly. After greeting Harley, he followed him out.

Montuo Smithy was slightly larger than Old Ke Smithy. Outside, the clanging of hammers rang out amid a blazing bustle of activity. It looked as though they had no shortage of orders.

As they walked, Uncle Red said casually, "Since you were introduced by Manager Ha, I won't test you. We have three forging furnaces free here, and spare apprentices as well. Pick a spot first and help forge various tools. They're mining in the mountains now, and all kinds of mountain-breaking tools are urgently needed."

Dole looked outside. That was indeed the case. Even the second-grade blacksmiths were listlessly forging ordinary tools like pickaxes, hoes, and rakes. It was clear just how immense the demand was.

They came to the forging furnaces, and Dole casually picked one. Uncle Red called over a young helper, who was slightly older than Dole.

"Anderson, you'll follow this one—"

"My name is Lin Rui."

"You'll follow Lin Rui and assist him. He's a first-grade blacksmith."

Anderson nodded. Following anyone was fine, as long as he got paid. He looked curiously at Lin Rui. He was younger than Anderson himself, yet already a first-grade blacksmith? His face showed envy.

First-grade blacksmiths were contracted blacksmiths with guaranteed minimum wages, paid at least in silver coins. They were far better off than helpers like them.

"Hello, Lin Rui."

"Hello, Anderson. Let's get started right away. Everyone looks pretty busy." Dole did not bother with pleasantries and prepared to get straight to work.

He and Anderson began bustling around the forge—sorting out tools, lighting the fire, selecting materials. Everything proceeded in perfect order, as though he had been doing this for many years.

Only then did Uncle Red relax. This was clearly an old hand, not a novice.

Having made the arrangements, he turned and headed toward the back. He was only responsible for assigning people; Manager Ha handled the actual matters.

One more person in the smithy made no difference at all. Everyone was too busy to pay attention to this side. Every so often, someone glanced over, casually sized him up, and asked who he was. That was all.

Uncle Red came to the back, where Ha had already poured himself some water and was sitting comfortably in a chair, looking even more at ease than Uncle Red.

"Ha, how long has it been since you last came here?" Uncle Red asked irritably.

Harley smacked his lips and chuckled. "Isn't that why you're here? What do I need to come for? I just need to collect the money."

Uncle Red snorted twice and sat down beside Ha, clearly somewhat displeased.

"All the young masters of the Link Family came out this time to fight for a share of the mining rights. How much did you get?"

Harley took a drink of water, then glanced at Uncle Red with apparent nonchalance. "It was all decided in advance. The Ability Society kept a tight grip on things, and with another first-rank wizard showing up, neither the Link Family nor the other two families dared go too far. So the shares were divided evenly. We only got ten percent."

Uncle Red chuckled. "That's not bad either. Ten percent is still an income of tens of thousands of gold coins."

"Exactly. The Ability Society is full of rich people. Money like this would be a waste not to earn."

"Yeah. When it comes to wealth, the wizard lords really are loaded."

"But that depends on what kind of wizard you mean. Wild wizards are so poor they're practically selling their trousers."

Uncle Red burst out laughing. "There aren't many wild wizards left these days. They either get absorbed into an organization or travel far from home to other empires. Here in our Northern Kingdom, they wouldn't dare act recklessly."