Chapter 96 - 94: Construction Team

Chapter 96: Chapter 94: Construction Team

It was hard to say whether Bai Ya turning the tables like that was out of genuine anger or just a tactic.

But it seemed more like the latter.

After all, she clearly lost her nerve right after shouting, hastily mumbling a bunch of clarifications.

"I know you’d definitely help me if I were in real danger."

"I just thought your voice was a little loud."

"Everyone makes mistakes. I’ll do better in the future, okay?"

"Besides, I was just trying to give you and Furen a surprise..."

And so on.

Then she changed the subject, asking Lu Wei what he and Mirana had done that morning.

But as soon as she heard Lu Wei say they were "discussing poetry," her little face tensed up again, and she muttered—

"What’s so great about that? I can read a few poetry books and do that too."

’What is she even so worked up about?’

’Can’t she channel this competitive spirit into making money?!’

’Look at Mirana! She can casually pull out more than ten Gold Coins!’

’And you!’

’Getting scammed out of two silver coins was your entire net worth!’

’As the only broke person in the Mushroom Squad, have you no shame?!’

Looking at Bai Ya, who was still sulking over trivial matters like romance, Lu Wei began to fume. He felt it was absolutely necessary for her to learn a few skills like [Lock Picking] and [Theft].

Meanwhile, a few streets away in the Silver Needle Grass Clinic, the "very good at making money" Mirana was worrying about Kairos’s medical bills.

"Half a month... In that case, you’ll need to prepay at least 3 Gold Coins."

"After all, we are the best-equipped clinic in all of Heitai Town. Plus, Mr. Kairos’s situation is quite special, so we can’t go any lower."

"Unless you don’t need a full-time caregiver. That would make it a bit cheaper."

In a hospital room much brighter and more spacious than those at Sawing and Sewing, the young woman in a white cloth dress spoke in a gentle voice.

Although her attitude was friendly, the Adventurers of Heitai Town all knew the Silver Needle Grass Clinic was notorious for only caring about money.

With money, you could enjoy the best service and treatment.

Without it, you were told to get lost immediately. They wouldn’t let you stay a minute longer.

They were more heartless than the girls on Pigeon Lane.

"No, I want the full-time caregiver."

"Three Gold Coins. I will be here to pay tomorrow morning."

Glancing at Kairos lying on the hospital bed not far away, Mirana made the promise without a hint of hesitation.

Then she hurriedly left the clinic and headed straight for a tavern behind the Adventurer Association.

It was just noon, and the tavern had only recently opened. There were only a few scattered customers inside.

Standing at the entrance, Mirana’s gaze swept across the room, and she quickly locked onto her target.

She walked straight up to a man who was sitting idly and got right to the point:

"Care to play dice?"

"Or maybe play Gwent Card?"

...

...

After lunch, Lu Wei went to Sawing and Sewing to find Aryan, and then went to see her uncle.

Theodore was a rugged man in his forties.

Although he was the president of the Artisan Association, he still worked on the front lines. As Heitai Town’s best carpenter, both his craftsmanship and character were impeccable, and he was highly respected.

Aryan’s parents had passed away long ago, so she had lived with Theodore’s family as a child.

It was only two years ago, when she became Elder’s apprentice, that she moved into the small clinic.

Still, she came back once a week, and the bond between her and her family was as strong as ever.

In any case, with this connection, a few bottles of fine Dwarven Strong Alcohol as a gift, and the lingering influence of Mr. Undead, Lu Wei quickly secured an extremely low price from Theodore.

Three carpenters, two stonemasons, plus five laborers—a total of ten people for just 9 Silver Coins a day!

Although it was about the same as what Bai Ya had calculated earlier, this price included the cost of all materials, such as lumber and stone!

And Theodore himself would even be supervising the work!

Of course, if they were building a house in town, this price would actually be very high.

But for a project in the forest, it was indeed a very low "family discount."

"Thank you so much! I don’t even know what to say!"

In the small reception room, Lu Wei was generous for the first time in his life. "How about this: if you can finish the work within a month, I’ll pay you a bonus of 3 Gold Coins!" ℴ

"Hahaha, no need to be so polite. We’ll still make a profit on this."

Theodore laughed heartily. "It’s true that the forest is a bit more dangerous, but there are a lot of us. As long as we don’t run into any High Level Monsters, we’ll be fine."

"Besides, it’s much easier to acquire lumber and stone in the forest. All things considered, the costs are actually a little cheaper than in town."

"Is that so... Well, thank you all the same."

Lu Wei nodded, deciding to go with the flow. "In that case, I’ll treat everyone to a grand feast after the work is done."

"Of course, that’s no problem. But don’t forget Aryan."

Theodore looked at his niece beside them and said meaningfully, "She helped you out a lot this time, you know."

"I-I didn’t! I was coming back to visit you anyway."

Aryan’s face instantly turned red. She mumbled shyly, then quickly ran off. "I-I’m going to talk to my aunt!"

"Hahaha, go on."

Theodore watched her retreating back with a cheerful laugh. Although he didn’t say anything more, his hint to Lu Wei was crystal clear—

’My niece has taken a liking to you! You should know what to do next!’

’Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind "accidentally" forgetting a few important load-bearing beams while building the house!’

’Hmm... given Theodore’s professional ethics, he probably wouldn’t do something like that.’

’But that was the general idea, anyway.’

Lu Wei, of course, understood this. He immediately promised, "Don’t worry, I will thank Aryan properly!"

Theodore smiled. "Yes, that’s good. You know, Aryan lost her parents when she was young, so she’s like a daughter to me."

’Who is he trying to threaten?!’

’It’s not like I’m not an orphan myself!’

"Ahem, Mr. Theodore, let’s get back to business."

Clearing his throat, Lu Wei changed the subject. "So, how should I pay you? In advance? Or daily?"

"Normally, it’s paid daily. But didn’t you just say you’re going to be away for the next half a month on a commission? If you trust me, you can give me the money first, and I’ll pay the artisans."

Theodore withdrew his gaze. "Of course, you could also hire someone else to supervise and have them handle the payments."

"Of course I trust you!"

Lu Wei nodded immediately without a second thought.

After all, Theodore was a guild president, and with his connection to Aryan, it was highly unlikely he’d run off with the money.

Besides, he didn’t have anyone else available.

Furen and Bai Ya were both going with him on the mission, and he certainly couldn’t entrust such a large sum of money to Zovir or Anna.

"Then I’ll give you half a month’s payment first. I should be back within half a month anyway."

Taking out his money pouch, Lu Wei quickly counted out 13 gold and 5 silver and placed it in front of Theodore.

"15 days at 9 silver a day comes to a total of 13 gold and 5 silver. Please count it to make sure it’s correct."

"Mm... no problem."

Theodore counted it carefully, then chuckled teasingly, "I didn’t expect a kid like you to have this much money. If the young women in town found out, there’d be trouble."

"The Goddess of Fortune has just been kind to me."

Lu Wei replied humbly and honestly, "I want to establish a career for myself before I consider settling down and starting a family."

Theodore was very pleased. "Very good. Aryan is still young, after all. It’s indeed too early for her to get married."

Lu Wei: "..."

’Here we go again!’

’First of all, I’m not forcing anyone!’

’Aryan helped me of her own free will!’

’Second, while Aryan is indeed wonderful—smart and hardworking—I can’t make any promises right now!’

’You can’t stop me from pursuing someone better, can you?!’

’What if some princess or someone takes a liking to me someday?’

’You never know what might happen!’

’So...’

On How to Be a Qualified Crafty Merchant

5. Women can be utilized, but marriage is, without a doubt, the biggest stumbling block on the road to success!