Animals like Thorn Rat, which can survive the cold winter, always have the instinct to hoard food. After various grains and fruits are scattered on the snowfield, Thorn Rat begin to wake up from their light sleep and follow their instincts to hoard more food for themselves.
Soon they all entered the cages behind the half-dragons, and their stored food was collected by these terrifying humans as bait for the next wave.
Three hours later, all three cages were filled with Thorn Rat.
A half-dragon asked [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] with some confusion:
"Boss, what do you need so many rats for?"
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] honestly shook his head:
"I don't know either, but if someone offers a price, someone will try to catch it; that's normal."
The half-dragon nodded and said:
"Okay, boss, I just wanted to remind you that if too many Thorn Rat gather together, they'll turn into those big fleshy balls. Please be careful."
Having done his homework beforehand, [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] calmly shook his head:
"You mean the ' Rat King '? We have done sufficient research to show that the appearance of Rat King requires two conditions: one is the gathering of a large number of Thorn Rat in a small area, and the other is sufficient food."
He gave a terrifying smile to the rats whose expressions he couldn't decipher:
"Anyway, they only said they were alive, not that we should feed them, so we can just let them go hungry for now."
Seeing that their boss was so knowledgeable in this area, the two half-dragons said nothing more and headed back to the Greenhouse with their cages full of goods.
[ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] stared at the hundreds of Thorn Rat in front of him, speechless for a moment before finally asking hesitantly:
"Did any of you... switch to Druid?"
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] waved his hand:
"I can withhold the trade secret information for now; just convert it to cash as before."
So [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] and [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] started counting the Thorn Rat one by one, while the two hired half-dragons picked up shovels and began to expand the large pit used to hold the Thorn Rat.
Beside the pit lay three Deadwood Vine, too full to move. Clearly, the rats had been restless and had been trying to escape this plant prison.
After handing over two gold coins and a large pile of silver coins to [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ], even [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ], one of the wealthiest players, felt that something was amiss.
Although this was essentially funded by Ed's approved budget, she still felt that a normal program shouldn't require so many Thorn Rat.
Has Fir City really grown that big?
Besides, didn't [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] say before that he only owed one gold coin?
Why didn't he choose to repay the debt when the settlement amount was significantly overdue this time?
A somewhat frightening thought arose in her mind; the freshman recalled certain points from one of her courses...
No way?
She immediately sent messages to [Pond Fish and Old Abyss], [Dark Archmage], and [Zhong Lele] in the player system.
Unfortunately, it was currently the three nuns' working hours, so all three were outside the coverage area of Root Network.
There's no other way; we'll just have to wait for one of the three of them to go offline before we find out.
So what time is it now?
[Time: 15:00, December 28th, Year 908 of the World of Disorder Calendar; 60 hours remaining until the Thorn Rat bounty ends.]
[ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] Looking out the window at the sun just beginning to set, I silently prayed that the day would end quickly...
The two Dragonborn finished their work with heavy breaths and followed [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] out of the Greenhouse.
They thought [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] would take them back to the wilderness to catch rats, but unexpectedly, the temporary shopkeeper in front of them started walking in another direction, which seemed to be... Bright Future General Store?
Why is the boss going to buy groceries again?
The ones I prepared beforehand weren't broken at all; they should still last a long time, right?
One of the Dragonborn, filled with doubt but sensing that the Soul Returner wasn't someone difficult to talk to, mustered his courage and asked:
"Boss, where are we going?"
The man walking ahead, [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ], suddenly turned around and, instead of answering their question, asked them a rather serious one:
"How long can you work continuously without compromising your health?"
The two half-dragons exchanged a glance. Was the boss going to... renew the subscription?
The two immediately began rubbing their hands together excitedly.
"Thank you for being considerate of us, boss. If it's not the most strenuous work, as long as we can drink some water and eat something in between, working for two days and two nights is not a problem."
Upon hearing this, [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] asked a second question:
"If I pay you three times the normal wage, would you be willing to work overtime for me?"
The two half-dragons immediately revealed knowing smiles, and one of them leaned down and said:
"I'm willing to serve the boss!"
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] nodded happily and asked the last question:
Did you go to sleep last night?
"She's asleep."
The two Dragonborn had already developed considerable anticipation, and at this moment, they shouted out the answer without hesitation.
"Very good."
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] checked the system time; he still had three hours of online time remaining for the day. Having already figured out the ropes of the mouse-catching business, he couldn't let the entire system shut down just because he logged off. A blueprint, a business plan backed by an official contract, was gradually taking shape in his mind...
He put his arm around the shoulders of the two Dragonborn and asked earnestly:
Do you remember what your current hiring fee is?
A Dragonborn answered quickly:
"Working eight hours a day will earn you one silver and fifty copper coins."
The other Dragonborn nodded in agreement and added:
"If it's heavy physical labor, you can probably earn close to two taels of silver."
This is the current situation in Valhalla, or rather, the Second Holy See. Players can earn three silver coins by completing randomly refreshed daily tasks. Locals, however, are stuck on the resurrection aspect and cannot adapt to all positions, resulting in slightly lower salaries. But overall, as long as they work diligently, they can still earn one to two silver coins per day.
Looking into the half-dragon's sincere, large eyes, which seemed like those of a milk dragon, [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] gave his offer:
"I will employ you all for all of your time today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, each of you..."
He gritted his teeth, strengthening his resolve:
"Thirty silver coins!"
Upon hearing this, the two Dragonborn instantly shed their rustic simplicity and transformed into the demeanor of bandits and thugs. The more quick-witted Dragonborn asked in a low voice:
"Boss, who are you going to kill?"