Doomsday Wonderland Vol. 12: New Game Launch [Complete]

1388: Proactively Generating Revenue

Humans are peculiar.

Just by looking at Louisa's expression, Lin Sanjiu could tell that when Louisa first proposed the fee, she felt guilty and hesitant. However, after a few minutes of heated argument with Horst, Louisa's guilty expression vanished. She was now more convinced that she had no other choice, and each of her rebuttals were self-righteous.

Lin Sanjiu pacified both, saying to Louisa, "I give my word that if you're short tomorrow, I'll make up for it. You won't lose anything. Even if the others are unwilling, I'll give you my own output. Don't charge such a high fee for now, but if you become worried, you can raise it again at any time."

Although she hadn't fought side by side with the three new members, they had spent enough time together for them to develop a certain level of trust in her, though it was not absolute. It was more like a lost tour group willing to continue trusting the guide's advice.

For the time being, at least, it was enough to make Louisa back down.

Considering the tax issue, Louisa couldn't fix the tool for free, so she could only continue charging the old price of two food balls. Just as Horst was about to turn around and get the box, Nu Yue stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"Paying," Horst replied.

"That's the leftover public grain," Nu Yue said, tired. "Pay her with the two you produced later."

Horst's face fell. "So, did my work for the last two hours amount to nothing?"

Nu Yue didn't even look at him. "You break it, you pay to fix it. What else?"

Horst, with nothing to counter with, slowly opened his backpack to take out the food balls. "I feel like I've already given up most of my income. Not only me, but all four of us farmers. But why, when there's a problem, do we still have to pay out of our own pockets?"

Nu Yue concentrated on the field without responding, and Louisa just sneered.

Of course, these two food balls could not be directly handed over to Louisa. Jian Sheng, as a tax collector, also needed to prove his worth; he deducted two balls from the farmers' most recent income of eight balls, and then deducted half a ball from Louisa's hand, following the same procedures as last time.

However, this time, after he collected the tax, he did not leave immediately.

"We now have more than eight balls in reserve," he said, watching Lin Sanjiu put the food balls into the box. "It's not unreasonable for me to ask for one more now, is it?"

"Why?" someone asked. "Didn't you already eat three today?"

"Yes, but that's the bare minimum," Jian Sheng replied with a bitter expression, sighing. "You don't have to shuttle back and forth in this room, so you don't know how tiring this journey is. If I can bring one with me when I leave, just in case, it can prevent me from collapsing halfway and not being able to pay the tax."

"That seems reasonable," Lin Sanjiu said. "Does anyone have any objections?"

This was a necessary expense, so even if they were reluctant, no one showed much resistance. They had also considered moving the fields next to the concrete trough to reduce Jian Sheng's hardship and expenses. But first, the act of trekking and moving would mean at least half an hour to an hour of no food production, a loss they couldn't afford; and second, the elephant often went to the edge of the concrete trough to eat. What if it stepped on a field?

"Then I'll take one as well," Horst declared. Lin Sanjiu was realizing for the first time that he harbored a wellspring of ideas beneath that tough facade. "I've put in eleven hours of work today and will be back at it tomorrow. Don't I deserve a little boost?"