Chapter 151: Preparing for the Great Cleanup

Chapter 151 -147: Preparing for the Great Cleanup

The sun was brilliant, the breeze gentle and warm.

In the “food court” outside the general store, three large iron pots were giving off a rich, fragrant aroma.

Chunks of meat, root vegetables, and wild mushrooms bubbled in the piping hot stew. Served with crackers and bread, it was the most delicious meal Theodore and the others had eaten in over ten days.

Meanwhile, the Mushroom Squad had completely run out of the food they’d brought with them on this trip.

“This really is good…”

Glancing at Bai Ya, the tasty meal made Theodore see her in a slightly better light.

He was, however, still on guard against this potential rival for his niece’s affections.

But the other craftsmen didn’t care about any of that.

They just kept praising Bai Ya’s cooking while showing immense interest in the white fluffball at her side.

“Tsk tsk, I’m forty years old, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a Fur Ball.”

“I saw one a few years back, but it was dead. A goblin was using it as a seat cushion.”

“The little thing is so cute. My daughter would love it. Maybe I could buy one for her as a toy.”

“Dream on. Do you have any idea how much one of these costs?”

“Huh? They can’t be that expensive, can they? They’re the lowest-level monsters, after all.”

“They’re Low Level Monsters, sure, but they’re too rare. In Kalin Port, they sell for at least 3 Gold Coins.”

“Hiss… That expensive, huh…”

Hearing that a ball of fur could actually sell for 3 Gold Coins, everyone looked astonished.

This, however, reminded Theodore of something.

He swallowed a mouthful of bread, turned to Lu Wei, and said with a very serious expression:

“Right, a few goblins came looking for trouble last night. We drove them off.”

“Oh?”

Lu Wei paused. “Was anyone hurt?”

“No, just Old Kent got a scratch on his arm. I put some medicine on it, and he’s fine now.”

Theodore waved a hand dismissively. “I’m worried about long-term security.”

“After all, we’ll be heading back to town once our work is done. You can’t possibly just leave Anna and Zovir here alone in the future.”

“Besides, this isn’t the town. You need people here at all times.”

“Otherwise, the goblins and Kobolds will sooner or later steal you blind.”

“A house can keep out the wind and rain, but it can’t keep out their claws.”

Holding his wooden bowl, Theodore’s brow was tightly furrowed. He clearly considered this a very tricky problem.

Lu Wei had actually already considered this.

Hiring more people was a given, but he didn’t have any suitable candidates at the moment.

Unless the entire Mushroom Squad gave up adventuring for good to run the general store.

But that would only be a temporary solution.

Because he would definitely need to expand his business to more High Level Adventurer’s Lands in the future; he couldn’t stay in Gelan Forest forever.

So, he had to train a trustworthy “manager” before then.

Of course, it wasn’t an especially urgent matter.

The construction wouldn’t be finished for another half a month or so. He just had to solve the issue of hiring new employees before then.

However, since monster attacks were already happening, he could first conduct a simple “big sweep” to clear out as many of the surrounding monsters as possible.

“Uncle Theodore, I’ll take care of this.”

“By the way, have you guys been back to town at all these past few days?”

“Not yet. We were originally planning to send a few men back tomorrow.”

Theodore shook his head. “After all, we’ve almost finished the food we brought, and we’re running low on nails and such. We need to go back and resupply.”

“I see… In that case, how about this.”

Lu Wei thought for a moment before suggesting, “Since your supplies are almost gone and you haven’t been back in a while, why don’t you all head back this afternoon?”

“Get a good rest, bring back more supplies, and you can also let your families know you’re safe so they don’t worry.”

“Huh? All of us?”

Theodore was taken aback. “Then what about this place?”

“The few of us, plus Anna and Zovir, can stay behind.”

Lu Wei said with a smile, “It won’t be too late for us to return to town after you’re back. It’s just one more night.”

“Hmm… All right then.”

After a moment’s thought, Theodore nodded.

He then put down his wooden bowl and announced loudly to the excited gazes of the craftsmen:

“Everyone, eat up! When you’re done, we’re heading back to town!”

“Oh, and you’ll still get today’s pay!”

“…”

“That’s great! We can finally go back! If I didn’t go back soon, my wife would think I was dead.”

“Yeah, my daughter must miss me too.”

“Little Lu Wei is a great guy, even giving us paid time off…”

Hearing they could go home that afternoon, excited chatter immediately erupted around the stew pots.

Only Lu Wei was left staring, wide-eyed and utterly baffled.

‘Wait, when did I say they’d still get paid???’

…

…

After the meal, Theodore and his workers quickly packed their bags and departed.

He promised they would be back by tomorrow evening and wouldn’t take too much advantage of Lu Wei’s generosity.

Leaving with them was Mirana, who was in a hurry to turn in her quest.

Counting from the day she set out from Heitai Town, today was already the thirteenth day of the quest.

Although she still had two days left, the matter concerned whether Kairos would ever walk again, so she didn’t want to delay any longer and asked to return to town with Theodore.

This way, she could turn in the quest first thing in the morning, and even if something unexpected happened, she would still have a full day to spare.

Lu Wei had no objections to this and even let her take the Giant Troll Eye with her.

“Thank you.”

Accepting the glass bottle containing the eyeball, Mirana promised in earnest:

“If I don’t have enough points and need to use this to make up the difference, I will reimburse you for the 3 Gold Coins.”

“Don’t forget the original two Gold Coins from the bounty.”

Lu Wei reminded her with meticulous precision, “That’s five Gold Coins in total.”

“Of course. Well then, I’ll see you when you get back to town.”

Mirana nodded, waved to Furen and Bai Ya, then turned and followed Theodore’s group.

Soon, the forest swallowed their figures, and the sound of their footsteps gradually faded away.

“And they’re all gone~”

Bai Ya sighed in a lighthearted tone. “It’s just the three of us again~”

“There’s still Anna and Zovir,” Furen reminded her.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot…”

Pulling back their gazes, the two chatted as they followed Lu Wei back into the general store.

Neither of them cared much about returning a day or two late.

Although Furen was indeed anxious to get back for his date with Clara.

And Bai Ya was dying for a nice, comfortable hot bath.

But considering that Lu Wei was doing this to let the craftsmen, who had been working nonstop for over ten days, reunite with their families, both of them were more than willing to stay behind and watch the store.

However, Lu Wei hadn’t done this just so Theodore and his men could rest… at least, not with pay!

Damn it! Just thinking about it made him mad!

Fuming, Lu Wei walked into the general store, turned to Furen and Bai Ya, and issued his command.

“Rest up. Get your stamina back to peak condition before nightfall!”

“Tonight, we’re going on a killing spree!”