Everyone asked around and finally found a textile factory in need of workers nearby.

The factory gate was open, with the rhythmic buzzing of textile machines inside, resembling the buzz of mosquitoes.

A tall, skinny man was standing at the door; he was the factory owner, Horace.

His body was as thin as a sheet of paper, dressed in a black suit washed out to a faded white with creases at the collar. His high cheekbones stood out prominently, like two sudden hills, and his small bean-like eyes darted around like abacus beads, radiating shrewdness and calculation, making one reluctant to approach.

This was the last factory "keeping up with the trend," stubbornly resisting the tide of "building dormitories."

If it weren't for the tax officer coming to visit, forcing him to stop feigning ignorance, he would never willingly shell out a penny to build an employee dormitory.

He was eager for all employees to live in the refugee camp, so he could save an extra meal.

[Earth-eating Rich Man] took a deep breath, stepped forward, and politely said: "Hello, boss, we are looking for work. We heard you have a project here?"

Horace sized them up, a subtle smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, like the cold wind of winter, carrying a chill.

"That's right, I'm building a dormitory here, it depends on whether you have the skill to take it on." He said, gently tapping the pillar beside him with his bony fingers, seemingly hinting at something.

[Earth-eating Rich Man] asked further: "Boss, can you tell us more about the work requirements and the deadline?"

Horace slightly raised his chin: "Requirements? Do as you see fit, just make sure you can cram the livestock inside that house behind me. As for the deadline, it might be tight; you only have three months. If you can't finish, I'll lose some money, and you won't see any wages."

Four players were left speechless.

It was the first time they had seen such a careless client with no requirements at all.

[Jade-faced Hand Tired King] couldn't help but ask: "How much do you plan to pay regarding the wages?"

Horace yawned.

"Each person gets 20 copper coins a day, that's already the best I can offer."

Upon hearing this number, [Jade-faced Hand Tired King] almost jumped up.

"What? Only 20 copper coins per person per day? That's too stingy!" [Jade-faced Hand Tired King] glared at Horace angrily, eyes seemingly shooting fire, fists clenched tightly, body trembling slightly with anger.

[Earth-eating Rich Man] kept silent.

Calculating a six-month full-term, fifty people would earn only 18 gold coins.

Though he never intended to earn from these poor devils, this guy really doesn't want them to make a dime...

Even for bargaining, that's just ruthless!

Horace, however, remained indifferent, spreading his skeletal hands: "Me, stingy? This is your first time in Thunder City, right? That's the market rate! You must know I'm covering all the materials! Look around, so many people looking for work, if you don't take it, others will jump at the chance!"

At this point, he added a sentence as if it had just occurred to him.

"By the way, I only have a budget of 100 gold coins total, once used up, it's gone! Don't think about playing tricks with the materials; I'll personally arrange the procurement!"

[Iron-blooded Fatty] almost laughed from anger upon hearing this.

"We've heard the average salary in Thunder City is 2000 copper coins per month; this is practically like giving to a beggar!"

Horace replied without blushing or batting an eye.

"That was last year!"

[Earth-eating Rich Man] took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "Boss, this job isn't easy, 20 copper coins is really too little, can't you increase it a bit?"

He paused for a moment, glanced around, and continued.

"Moreover, I have carefully read Erin Campbell's posted executive order. Don't you think that if it's not built in six months, your loss will be greater?"

Horace's face stiffened, his eyes showed visible panic, lacking the previous confidence that he had them cornered.

Still, he was pretending, forcing a nonchalant smile on his face, he responded in a shrill voice: "Increase the money? Impossible! If you think it's too little, you can look for other work! Heh, don't think I'm scared of Erin's order... I'm running a small business, profits are limited, at worst I'll just add a 10% tax!"

[Earth-eating Rich Man] gave a knowing smile.

"Really? What about the land? The land approved for building the dormitory has not started for too long, won't the Royal Family reclaim it? Unless they're blind, or... can you even bribe Erin Campbell?"

Horace stared at him as if looking at a monster.

How could this guy know Thunder City so well?!

Indeed.

If the 10% tax was just a painful expense, the soaring land usage value truly hit his sore spot.

He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his sweat.

However, just as [Earth-eating Rich Man] displayed a confident expression, the "Adventurers" behind him couldn't sit still.

Tom quickly grabbed [Earth-eating Rich Man], anxiously said: "Boss, 20 copper coins is a lot, back in our hometown, even working hard for a day may not earn this much, let's do it." His eyes were full of sincerity, both hands tightly clutching [Earth-eating Rich Man]'s arm, afraid he'd refuse the job.

"Yeah, boss..."

"This money is already quite a lot!"

Other "Adventurers" nodded in agreement, their eyes full of desire for the job.

In their view, having a stable income was already remarkable, at least for the coming six months, they would have a home of their own.

Their pleading voices reignited Horace's bargaining spirit.

His eyeballs turned slightly, seized the opportunity and said.

"I suddenly feel I should reconsider... indeed, why don't I recruit a batch from the refugee camp? I could actually do this job myself, how difficult could building houses be?"

Looking at those faces turning to despair, he lightly coughed and continued.

"Of course, I'm still willing to give you this opportunity. Also, after careful consideration, I will allow you to enjoy the same treatment as the workers in the factory by eating meals with them. How about that? Go outside and check prices, a loaf of bread costs at least 5 copper coins now! You need to eat two meals a day, right?"

Of course, the bread was made by his own kitchen, definitely cheaper than store-bought, plus he never said anything about the food quality.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding "Adventurers" became anxious, looking pleadingly at their leader and hopefully at the man who could solve their immediate crisis.

[Earth-eating Rich Man] looked at these eager faces, remained silent for a long time, and finally sighed.

"Alright, alright, since you have no objections yourselves, do as you please."

He actually wanted to fight for it a bit more, but he felt his three good brothers were clearly already annoyed.

They had already spent too much time on these NPCs.

If it wasn't for that excess sympathy, if it wasn't for these NPCs looking too human, they would have invested their efforts into the recent updates long ago.

There were many ways to infiltrate the Human world; they could have left these guys at Mist Town uncared.

Including Tom, everyone rejoiced upon hearing this, expressing their heartfelt gratitude.

Horace looked at the nodding man in front, a greedy smile emerging at the corners of his mouth, like a winner in the ring, seemingly already seeing gold coins beckoning to him.

"Pleasure working with you, my friend."

Glancing at Horace's extended hand, [Earth-eating Rich Man] chuckled, did not shake it, and turned towards the grateful "Adventurers."

He couldn't stay here long, there were other matters to discuss with them.

Horace stood awkwardly, shrugged, but didn't care, just glared fiercely at the rude guy, plotting how to settle this grudge over the payment method.

Just wait!

He'll show them who's the real lord here!

At this moment, nobody noticed, a pair of sinister eyes was watching them, like a hungry wolf lurking in the shadows, observing them silently...

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