Chapter 103 - 101: Special Service

Chapter 103: Chapter 101: Special Service

After leaving town, they rendezvoused with Zovir, Anna, and Theodore’s engineering team, who were waiting by the roadside. Then, the group set off for the Dome Pillar.

As previously agreed, Theodore had brought ten men with him this time: five artisans and five laborers. Each of them carried a huge backpack.

Aside from sleeping bags and food, they were also carrying all sorts of construction tools.

Add to that Lu Wei and his friends, who were also carrying as much as they possibly could... and the massive, seventeen-person party was rather conspicuous.

Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought they were off to slay a dragon.

Assuming, of course, that Gelan Forest actually had any dragons.

"Excuse me, are you all heading out to clear the Lost Basin?"

They had only just entered the forest when a team of newcomers approached them with this question.

"No, we’re going to the Dome Pillar."

Lu Wei, never one to miss a promotional opportunity, responded enthusiastically, "A general store just opened up there. You can buy supplies, or just stop for a meal and a rest."

"Oh, right, we’ve heard about that place."

The brown-haired young man with a longsword on his back nodded. "They say the owner is a real swindler and that his goods are ridiculously expensive."

???

’Who is slandering me?!’

"Who did you hear that from?"

Lu Wei took a deep breath and asked through gritted teeth, "What’s his name? Can you tell me?"

"Ah, I just overheard two people talking about it while I was eating at a tavern."

The brown-haired youth said apologetically, "I don’t know their names."

"I see. Then which tavern was it?"

"I think it was... Sunken Ship Bay."

’What a crappy name. It sounds unlucky just hearing it!’

"Alright, I understand."

Lu Wei silently made a mental note of this tavern called "Sunken Ship Bay," then smiled at the young man.

"For the record, I have nothing to do with that general store. I’ve just bought things there a few times."

"In my opinion, not only is their service excellent, but their prices are also low. The goods are only a tiny bit more expensive than in town."

"But it’s deep in the forest, after all, so I think that’s completely understandable."

"More importantly, all customers who purchase something get a ’special service.’"

"A ’special service’?"

The young man’s eyes widened, his expression immediately turning into a mixture of shyness and anticipation. "M-may I ask what that entails, exactly?"

"That’s something you’ll have to find out for yourself."

Lu Wei gave him a "you know what I mean" look and added in a low voice, "I can only tell you that this service is provided by a beautiful young lady."

"Ah, well..."

The young man’s face turned a little red, and he looked quite embarrassed.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he hurriedly said his goodbyes and walked off with his companions.

It was foreseeable that they would show up at the Dome Pillar within three days.

’I’m working myself to the bone. I’ve single-handedly won back four customers.’

Watching them leave, Lu Wei nodded in satisfaction and called Anna over.

"From now on, if a customer who buys something asks for the special service, you’ll sing them a song... Half a song is fine too."

"Huh?"

Anna looked bewildered. "Mr. Lu Wei, you mean singing?"

"Yes, if they ask for it."

"But I only know songs that praise the Slave Masters, like ’Merciful Whip’ and ’The Kindest Person’..."

"That’s fine. Anything you sing will do."

"Okay..."

"Alright, that’s all. You can go back now."

"Oh, okay..."

Anna nodded dazedly and returned to Bai Ya’s side.

At this moment, Furen, who had witnessed the entire exchange from the side, finally couldn’t help but ask:

"Lu Wei, my friend, I don’t quite understand."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Won’t doing this just ruin the general store’s reputation?"

Furen asked in confusion, "Even if that team does go and buy something, once they realize they’ve been tricked, they’ll definitely go back to town and badmouth the store, right? Isn’t the loss greater than the gain?"

"Heh heh, Furen, my friend, thinking like that just shows you still don’t understand human nature."

Lu Wei said confidently, "Believe it or not, not only will they not badmouth us, but they’ll even help promote the store for free."

Furen looked astonished. "Why?"

"Because once a person experiences a certain kind of suffering, they’ll want more people to share that same suffering."

Lu Wei, posturing like a master psychologist, explained with a smile, "It’s a weakness of human nature. It’s unavoidable."

"Take you, for example. Being a Magic Dullard has caused you a lot of trouble, so you must have had a thought like, ’Wouldn’t it be great if everyone were a Magic Dullard?’"

Furen’s jaw dropped. "Huh? I haven’t."

Lu Wei gave him a tolerant look. "Furen, my friend, there’s no need to hide it from me."

"But I’m not hiding anything. I really haven’t."

"...Ahem. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s only human nature to think that way."

"I’m not ashamed, because I’ve really never thought that."

Furen didn’t understand why Lu Wei was so insistent. He scratched his head in confusion.

"If I had to say I hoped for something, it would be that no one else ever has to become a Magic Dullard."

"..."

"Fine."

His expression suddenly froze on his face. Lu Wei muttered something, then turned his head away and fell silent.

Furen looked at him, very puzzled. He felt like Lu Wei was a bit flustered and exasperated, but he didn’t know what he was upset about.

’Weird.’

’Is it wrong for me to hope that no one else has to go through the same suffering I did...?’

「...」

"I see. So, we’ll build an inn and a bathhouse in the rest area, a restaurant in the food court, and a brothel and tavern in the entertainment district. Is that right?"

After the little discussion about "human weaknesses," Lu Wei stopped paying attention to Furen and ran off to discuss the construction plans with Theodore.

He had pulled an all-nighter the day before to draw up a simple "master plan," which roughly laid out the different functional areas.

He didn’t know anything about actual architecture, so he could only sketch the exteriors.

But it wasn’t like they were building a castle or a royal palace. It just needed to be good enough.

In any case, Theodore only needed a few glances to completely understand his requirements.

And so, the group traveled in fits and starts. The large number of people slowed their pace considerably, and it wasn’t until after nightfall that they finally arrived at the Dome Pillar.

This mission had a half-month time limit, so Lu Wei’s group of four wasn’t in a hurry. They planned to rest for the night and set out again first thing in the morning.

So, Bai Ya and Anna cooked up three huge pots of mushroom soup. Paired with the fresh bread and sausages they had brought, everyone enjoyed a wonderful, hearty meal.

There was no way they could start work at night, so after eating, the ten artisans and laborers crawled straight into their sleeping bags and went to sleep.

Lu Wei and Theodore, however, took up torches and did another circuit around the Dome Pillar, discussing more detailed construction plans.

Things like where to build the houses, where to divert the stream, which trees could be cut down, and which needed to be preserved.

These details sounded simple, but because they had to consider factors like convenience, aesthetics, and practicality, the actual planning was no easy task.

After fussing about for nearly two hours, the two finally reached an agreement on the "Phase One plan."

"Uncle Theodore, you should get some rest too."

On the west side of the Dome Tree, Lu Wei watched Theodore return to the artisans and laborers, then walked around the trunk toward the east side, planning to wash up and get to bed himself.

But while still a good distance away, he saw Furen and the others gathered around a campfire, doing something.

He saw Bai Ya and Mirana sitting on opposite sides of a rock, holding some strange things in their hands, both with pensive expressions on their faces.

Meanwhile, Furen, Zovir, and Anna stood nearby, watching intently.

It gave him a strong sense of déjà vu, like a childhood memory of two old men playing chess on the street while a crowd gathered around to watch.

’What are they up to?’

Walking closer with a puzzled look, Lu Wei was just about to ask.

But just then, Bai Ya suddenly threw down the small card in her hand and clutched her head in agony.

"I lost!"

"I can’t believe I lost 12 points of Intelligence!"

"..."

’What?!’

’You can gamble with attribute points?!’

Lu Wei’s eyes widened in utter shock.

After all, no matter how he looked at it, this was clearly a scene of group gambling.

And Bai Ya had just lost 12 points of Intelligence.

’Seriously? Are they playing for such high stakes?’

’Doesn’t that mean Bai Ya’s Intelligence is now zero??’

Staring blankly at Bai Ya, who was holding her head in frustration, Lu Wei racked his brain but couldn’t find any information about "gambling attribute points" in his predecessor’s memories.

Just then, Mirana noticed him too.

"Hm? You’re back?"

"Wanna play Gwent Card?"