Chapter 95 prohibits slacking off; it refers to gathering, not scavenging.
When the group returned to their territory, it was already getting dark.
Lin Nanxing stood next to a pile of sorted materials and said, "First, return the straw hats to Da Rong, then line up and come over to collect your wages for today and the materials you are entitled to."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ai was the first to step forward, handing the bamboo hat back to the banyan tree spirit's roots without hesitation, and then walked up to Lin Nanxing.
Lin Nanxing glanced at her, transferred two hundred game coins from his system account to her, and then pointed to a small pile of berries and tubers that had been separated from the pile: "These are yours. Do you need me to provide the tools to store them?"
"No need, I have bags to put it in."
Seeing this, other players followed suit, handing in their bamboo hats and queuing to receive their share of supplies.
When it was the turn of one of the tall, thin male players, he carefully checked that his wages had been deposited into his account. He took the small handful of berries assigned to him, then glanced at the much larger pile of materials at Liu Ai's feet. His expression instantly darkened, and he raised his voice, saying, "This isn't right! Why does she get so much, and I only get this little? This isn't fair!"
His shout drew the attention of the surrounding players. They glanced at their own supplies and realized that they were indeed different from each other. In a group, the problem is not scarcity but inequality. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Lin Nanxing raised her head, glanced at the angry man, her face expressionless, and said coldly, "Why did you take so little? Don't you have any self-awareness?"
She paused, her gaze sweeping over him and then over the other players whose eyes were darting around: "When we were picking berries this morning, who was dawdling and only picking the sparsest spots? When we were digging sweet potatoes this afternoon, who was taking a break after digging a couple of times, as if afraid to put in any effort? My magical plants were with us, and they know better than anyone how much you picked."
Do you think no one will see you cutting corners?
She didn't name names, but the tall, thin man and the other two or three players she was watching instantly turned ashen-faced, opened their mouths, but were speechless.
Indeed, they thought no one was paying attention and secretly saved some effort, but they didn't expect the employer to know everything and even divide the items clearly.
“Here, the more you work, the more you earn; the less you work, the less you earn. It’s very fair.” Lin Nanxing stopped looking at them and turned to the next waiting player. “Next.”
The tall, thin man shut his mouth sheepishly, clutching his meager share of materials, his face turning pale and then red, no longer daring to complain about the unfairness.
After everyone's wages were settled, Lin Nanxing glanced at the crowd and pointed at a few people: "You, you, and you, if you want to continue working tomorrow, meet at the same place at the same time."
After Lin Nanxing finished speaking, without waiting for everyone's reaction, she turned and left with her team of magical plants, her figure quickly disappearing into the deepening twilight.
Those present, having been enlightened by his words, understood that their employer knew exactly how much effort they had put into their work that day. Seeing that she had singled out those who had visibly worked hard, they dared not voice any objections.
Liu Ai was one of the people who was called to stay behind. Watching the girl's departing figure, her heart pounded, and an uncontrollable joy welled up inside her.
Does this mean I'll soon have a stable job?
This job is fantastic! Although 70% of what we collect has to be handed over, the efficiency is just too good to pass up.
Even if she only gets 30%, it's still two or three times more than what she could collect by going out all day on her own, without worrying about safety, not to mention she gets paid.
It's safe, secure, and the returns are stable.
For a player like her, who has a family to support and no combat ability of her own, this is a dream come true.
When Liu Ai returned home with her day's harvest, it was already completely dark. When she arrived back at the cluster of tents where the residents of Qianyunpei Town lived together, her husband was waiting by the door in his wheelchair.
"You're back?" A weak voice came from inside the tent, carrying the characteristic weakness of someone who has been ill for a long time.
"Yes, I'm back. Good haul today." Liu Ai stepped into her tent in a good mood.
"Why did you come back a little later than usual today? Did you encounter any danger while you were out? I heard that a large number of monsters attacked the territory last night, so it's probably not peaceful outside today either."
When she came in, the man's gaze swept over his wife from head to toe as usual, trying to make sure she was alright. But when he looked closely, he was stunned.
His wife was clean, and there wasn't a single tear in her protective suit. Although she looked tired, there were no new injuries on her face. Seeing this, the man felt even more worried.
Every time his wife went out to gather resources alone, she would come back with some kind of injury, either cuts from thorns or bruises from falling while dodging monster attacks. In the worst cases, his wife would need to be treated by a priest.
But his wife would take care of all of this before she got home, so he would only ever see his wife looking relaxed. Therefore, he would habitually check if his wife's clothes were torn.
The place is so clean and unharmed today, could it be that you suffered a serious injury and went to a priest for treatment?
"Don't worry, I didn't encounter any danger today." Liu Ai's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement. She quickly walked to her husband's side, held his thin hand, and explained, "Today I joined a gathering team. We have magical plants protecting us closely, so those monsters can't get close at all. We just need to focus on gathering things; it's very safe."
"This job is amazing. I get 30% of what I collect, plus 200 game coins as wages, and even a free lunch. Today is like Lady Luck has smiled upon me."
Liu Ai became more and more excited as she spoke, taking out the rice bowl she had left over from lunch from her backpack.
Time seemed to stand still inside the backpack. The lid of the takeout rice bowl opened, and the rich aroma of braised pork mingled with the steam from the rice, instantly filling the air.
The man, however, had no time to pay attention to the tempting aroma of meat. He carefully examined his wife's unharmed arms and cheeks once more.
Only after confirming that she was truly unharmed and uninjured did his furrowed brows relax. "It's good that you're alright. I'm relieved that you're alright."
"Don't worry, the employer appreciates me a lot, and I can continue working tomorrow." Liu Ai pushed the man to the simple dining table, her tone very firm: "I have to keep working hard tomorrow and try to get the employer to keep me on for a long-term job."
Seeing how excited she was, the man couldn't bring himself to say what he had been hesitant about.
Seeing his expression, Liu Ai knew what he was thinking and emphasized again, "Don't worry, this job is really safe. You have no idea how powerful those magical plants protecting us are. Before the monsters even get close, they just disappear. We are all surrounded in the middle and are safe and sound. It's so much better than if I went out on my own."
As she spoke, she pushed the lunchbox that had already been placed on the dining table toward her husband: "Quick, eat it while it's hot, I specially saved it for you."
The man looked at the glistening, tempting chunks of meat and white rice in the lunchbox, his Adam's apple bobbed, but he withdrew his hand: "You eat. You've been running around all day, and you've used up a lot of energy. I'll just eat the nutritional puree; that will fill me up."
"How can that be?" Liu Ai was unusually firm, shoving the chopsticks into his hand. "You need nutrition more, so eat quickly so you can get better. I don't feel at ease eating alone."
The man couldn't resist her, nor could he resist the aroma that was so close at hand. Finally, he shakily picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth.
Rich yet not greasy, it melts in your mouth, with a savory aroma and a perfect touch of sweetness—a familiar yet unfamiliar deliciousness that explodes on your tongue.
Ah, the long-lost taste of meat! In an instant, the man's throat felt like it was blocked by a wad of cotton; he simply couldn't swallow the meat.
Liu Ai watched her husband eat a piece of meat, then hurriedly shoveled down a couple of mouthfuls of rice before putting down his chopsticks. She was taken aback: "Why aren't you eating anymore? Is it not good?"
The man shook his head, a weak smile on his face, and pushed the lunchbox toward her: "It's pretty good. I've tasted it. It's enough to satisfy your craving. You can eat the rest. You work hard outside, so you need to eat more to have the strength."
Liu Ai felt a pang of sadness. How could she not know what her husband was thinking? He wanted to save the best for her, feeling that he was a burden and didn't deserve to eat such good food.
Liu Ai wanted to persuade him again, but seeing her husband's determined expression, she finally listened to his idea and finished the bowl of red-braised pork rice, not wasting a single grain of rice.
The next morning, Lin Nanxing arrived at the meeting point just in time and found that all the players she had called out the day before were already waiting there. Although they were still a little reserved, their eyes were full of enthusiasm.
With the addition of the newly recruited people, today's collection team has a total of thirty people, standing in a large, imposing crowd.
Lin Nanxing wasted no time. After concisely introducing today's arrangements and rules, he had the banyan tree spirit distribute the bamboo hats. Then, with a wave of his hand, he led this much larger group out of the territory gate in a grand procession.
The same thing happened for the next few days.
None of the veteran team members who were left behind left, and with Lin Nanxing posting recruitment ads every day, the size of the data collection team grew like a snowball.
A week later, the team had grown from twenty people to one hundred.
Over the past few days, Lin Nanxing has also figured out the situation. With the abilities of the magical plants under her name, it would be more than enough to lead two hundred people out to collect them.
So, after finishing work and returning to the city on the tenth day, Lin Nanxing called Yuan Chengping over and asked him to introduce a few trustworthy and skilled combat players.
"Starting tomorrow, you will arrange for someone to lead these people, along with Da Rong and the others, to be responsible for leading the collection. The rules will remain the same, and safety will be the top priority." She handed Yuan Chengping a list of the collection team and gave him a very concise explanation.
Yuan Chengping was somewhat surprised: "Nanxing, aren't you going yourself? Haven't you been quite keen on scavenging outside lately?"
Upon hearing the word "scavenging," Lin Nanxing's face darkened, and he immediately corrected her: "What are you talking about! Who's scavenging? I was leading a team out to collect and stockpile strategic materials, you know."
Faced with Lin Nanxing's accusations, Yuan Chengping shrugged, his expression saying, "You're just being stubborn."
The wild fruits and tubers that randomly spawn outside are scattered and their yield is not as stable as the planned farmland in the territory. When you're unlucky, the income is even less than the resources dropped by monsters when you go out to hunt.
To this battle maniac, wasn't this just like picking up trash and trying his luck?
His dismissive expression was so obvious that Lin Nanxing didn't bother with further words and snorted coldly, "Fine, you don't believe me? Come with me."
She turned and walked towards the villa's basement. Yuan Chengping, seeing her confident demeanor, followed her without understanding why.
Lin Nanxing led him down the stairs to the entrance of the underground warehouse, and pushed open the door while ignoring Yuan Chengping's questioning gaze.
Behind the door was an expanded, extremely spacious underground warehouse. Under the bright lights, the sight left Yuan Chengping frozen in place, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.
Inside the warehouse, food, neatly categorized, was piled up to the brim, almost reaching the ceiling.
On the left are neatly stacked bags of various grains and beans, each plump and full. On the right are piles of tubers and root crops, almost overflowing. Further inside, there is a large freezer containing a large quantity of still fresh fruits and vegetables.
This is far beyond what 'scavenging' could produce. Judging from the signs of use in the warehouse, the food was clearly only placed here in the last few days.
"This... these could all be...?" Yuan Chengping finally found his voice, but he still stammered, pointing at the mountain of food with his eyes wide open.
"These were all brought back by my scavenging team these past few days." Lin Nanxing emphasized the word "scavenging" heavily, speaking in a sarcastic tone, yet with a hint of triumph.
"There are far more resources in the wild than you can imagine. They refresh regularly every day. You don't need to hire anyone to help you plant them, you don't need to use fertilizer, and you don't need to spend any labor costs. It's much more cost-effective than growing them yourself, okay?"
Yuan Chengping looked at the warehouse full of goods again, then at Lin Nanxing who looked calm, and said with admiration, "I was short-sighted. As expected of the lord, you think further ahead than us."
However, seeing this harvest, Yuan Chengping was even more puzzled: "Since the harvest is so good, why don't you continue going out? Why do you need to ask someone to help supervise?"
Lin Nanxing leaned against the door, a rare look of ease on his face: "It's my turn to take the lead. It's okay to work hard. Now that things are all sorted out, the results are in, and the people are trained, it's time to let professionals do professional things. I am the lord, and my most important thing is to eat, drink, have fun, and relax, okay?"
As a lord, all you need to do is set the direction, establish the rules, and step up when it matters.
Doing everything yourself isn't diligence, it's foolishness.
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