Chapter 95 Safe House Established
Rong Yuan exerted a great deal of effort to restrain himself from inhaling the eerie blue smoke produced by the burning.
This thick bundle of money contained at least ten thousand ghost coins; he had never had such a terrifying amount in his savings before.
After the stack of banknotes burned, the wisp of pale blue smoke swirled a few times in place before condensing in mid-air, forming a thin ball of light.
Rong Yuan advised, "Boss, even the dungeon boss might not be able to sense all the energy fluctuations in the dungeon. The Empress might not even have noticed you was wasting money here. Why don't I carry you up?"
Fang Zhuo asked, "Really? How much energy fluctuation would it take for her to notice?"
The next second, Rong Yuan saw the boss take out more than ten stacks of ghost money, the same thickness as before, and leisurely start burning them.
Rong Yuan was completely dumbfounded.
No, how much money do we have that can withstand such a burn?
He forcibly and gently covered his mouth and nose to avoid losing control later—what difference was there between that and putting a can of food under the nose of a wild cat that hadn't eaten for three days?
Stacks of money turned to ashes, and the originally thin sphere of light almost solidified into a physical form.
The faint rumble of thunder on the horizon is a harbinger of the dungeon boss's emotional fluctuations. Such weather changes often signal the start of a new round of dungeon penalty mechanisms.
Rong Yuan couldn't help but shudder. Just as he was silently marveling at how the Empress's personality was indeed as aloof as when she came to the casino, he suddenly saw a pair of bare feet appear on the steps.
Looking further up, the hem of the dark red robe trailed on the stone steps behind.
The Empress actually came down by herself?
With her toes touching the sharp spikes on the steps, even the dungeon boss was inevitably slightly injured by the dungeon's terrain penalty mechanism. However, she still quickly floated over thousands of steps and sucked in all the floating orbs of ghost money.
Wait a minute, this doesn't seem quite like the aloof high-level dungeon boss he remembered.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward the moment the entire orb of light disappeared.
Fang Zhuo broke the silence first, shaking the remaining 20,000 yuan in his hand: "Do you still want it?"
The Empress nodded slowly.
She looked to be only a teenager, standing tall on the steps, never making eye contact with anyone, and speaking as little as rumored. If it weren't for her exquisite and elaborate robe, her overall demeanor would even appear somewhat childish, suggesting she entered the instance at a very young age.
Seeing that the other party showed no resistance or aversion, Fang Zhuo also showed his utmost sincerity. He took out ten more bundles of ghost money from his bracelet, piled them on the ground with the two bundles he had left over, and burned them all in one go.
The Empress strode down the steps, squatted in front of the flame, and quickly inhaled all the smoke.
What is your current monthly salary?
Upon hearing the question, Rong Yuan instinctively wanted to stop the boss—asking about the commission rates for each dungeon boss was somewhat offensive. The division of power and profit sharing between each boss and the HR manager were secretly agreed upon in private, making it a sensitive area that couldn't be discussed directly.
However, perhaps feeling obligated to do so, the Empress, after some hesitation, actually spoke up:
"Around 20,000 ghost money."
Fang Zhuo nodded: "I have a job here, with a monthly salary of 200,000 ghost coins. The dormitory is a five-star suite of more than 200 square meters. If you like any furniture, you can just give me a list and I will reimburse you for free."
"However, the nature of the work is somewhat dangerous. You need to ensure the safety of the entire venue and protect each customer from being harmed by the dungeon boss within the paid area."
An extremely complex expression appeared on the Empress's face.
She first tried to expel the smoke she had just swallowed, but after managing to get some out, she stared at the puff of smoke for a while before carefully inhaling it back in.
After a long pause, she honestly replied, "It's not dangerous... but I... I have social anxiety."
She faced directly ahead, still avoiding eye contact with Fang Zhuo as she spoke: "I don't want to communicate with clients."
Rongyuan's mouth was wide open.
So that's why the Empress always chooses the VIP room when she comes to the casino—she simply doesn't want to interact with people?
But she had never mentioned this to anyone before... He even suspected that if the boss hadn't paid her enough, the Empress would never have taken the initiative to explain it.
After all is said and done, money is still the most effective thing.
“It’s okay. You don’t need to interact with the guests. Rongyuan will be the receptionist at the safe house for a while. You can just be a quiet bodyguard.”
Having received the promise, and considering the nearly 300,000 ghost coins she had just swallowed, the Empress no longer hesitated and readily signed the contract.
Compared to having to strain herself to deal with wave after wave of energetic and troublesome high-level players in dungeons, she certainly preferred this simple job with a monthly salary ten times higher.
Moreover, it sounds like she'll be the only bodyguard in this safe house, while the other employee is a pretty but incompetent woman who's just playing the role of emperor in a different location.
I'm satisfied; every detail of my new job is perfect.
Of course, the most satisfying aspect is the salary and benefits.
There are still over a hundred players in the Ancient Dynasty instance. She's quite well-off now, so she paid the HR manager a penalty of 3,000 ghost coins and left the instance that had been with her for over ten years.
Before leaving, she instructed the mermaid to move all the dragon throne and large fan that she had previously purchased at her own expense into the safe house.
The first floor of the safe house wasn't very big to begin with, and the huge, luxurious dragon chair next to the reception desk took up a large portion of the space, so much so that the mermaid had to turn sideways when she went out from the reception desk.
Fortunately, the decor here is very stylish. Although it is very simple, every detail of the decoration reveals a sense of technology from hundreds of centuries ago. She quite likes this new workplace.
Watching the Empress wander around the safe house as if inspecting her territory, Rong Yuan couldn't help but strike up a conversation:
"Sis, did you dream of becoming an emperor before you entered the dungeon? Isn't that a bit too much of an obsession?"
After asking that question, Rong Yuan felt he had made a fool of himself.
If it weren't for Boss Fang's financial power, he wouldn't even have had the chance to be an assistant to a super-powerful boss like the Empress in a dungeon. Now, he's become an equal colleague, and he even has the audacity to joke with her.
The Empress glanced at him with a lingering look.
The next second, his bracelet received a text message:
[I was previously a princess sent for a political marriage, and I was married off three times on the grasslands. Due to border trade disputes and war between two countries, I was placed under house arrest. Is there anything wrong with me wanting to become emperor?]
Rongyuan shook his head like a rattle.
After the Empress finished touring the safe house with satisfaction, she opened the door and entered the Dingtai Hotel. Before leaving, she sent a message to the mermaid who seemed foolish in every way:
[I left a mark at the safe house. Just shout "Yuan Taizong" and I'll come running.]
Rongyuan: [...], Your Majesty.
The door had only been closed for a few seconds when it was suddenly pushed open again.
He saw the boss come in from outside, looking travel-worn, and edit a long list of safe house prices on the computer system. Then, the price list silently appeared on both the inside and outside doors.
The instructions and price list for the safe house are displayed together. A few lines of text on the door glow faintly, and the raised Braille instructions and voice prompts at the bottom are enough for every player to understand the purpose of the place.
After doing all this, Fang Zhuo used the binding on the safe house.
[Investment Target #2: Giant Safe House]
[Initial valuation: 53,000]
Fang Zhuoxin calculated the initial value and found that the amount was exactly the price of purchasing the safe house space link card with system points.
After completing all the basic operations, he instructed Rong Yuan:
"When you've served your fifth client, turn on the live stream. You don't need to design the content specially; just show your daily work as usual. Remember to include your face in the video."
"These are three electronic contracts, each with a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan. You're well-informed, so could you help me find out if there are any suitable people who want to work as receptionists? It would be easier if four people worked in shifts. There aren't many requirements for the position, just someone quick-witted and with good character."
Rong Yuan was shocked and blew out a bubble, wondering if the boss had no concept of the normal wage level in the dungeon world.
Ten thousand ghost coins... This is a salary that only top-level bosses can get, but this is just the simplest and most basic position.
Most people would be so excited upon hearing this salary that snot bubbles would practically pop out of their noses, jumping up and down like the Yuanmou Man who had just emerged from his cave.
Looking at the three blank contracts, Rong Yuan suddenly felt a great sense of responsibility.
He considered each of the possible candidates one by one, found a piece of paper, and deliberately enlarged the two conditions the boss had mentioned and wrote them in the center, then listed a circle of names next to them.
The door closed again, and Rongyuan rested his chin on his hand, writing and drawing on the paper, thinking for a long time.
The thin sheet of paper sat on the table, swirling in the wind.
As the edges began to wrinkle unnaturally, red bloodstains spread from the edge of the cardboard to the center.
The player's heart nearly stopped as he watched helplessly as the bloodstains gradually formed two words: "It's you."
This is the early morning mechanism of the Start of the Convenience Store instance. Each player will receive a card when their shift is about to change. If the words on the card show the time of the next shift, everything will be fine. However, if it says "It's you", then there is only one way out for them: death.
It was still dark outside the convenience store. The player stared intently at the creaking glass door, his eyes wide with rage as he looked at the flashing lights above him.
What to do, what to do?
If he could survive in the convenience store until sunrise, he could escape. However, all his companions who had drawn the same slip of paper died tragically, and none of them even had a complete body.
My legs were trembling with fear, and my brain was working at lightning speed in the face of extreme terror.
Just half an hour earlier, while restocking the freezer, he noticed a few lines of small writing on the storage room door—
[Giant Safe House]
[This safe house provides temporary shelter from all attacks within the dungeon; it will ensure your successful completion.]
[Entry price: Three days' wages]
[The first 15 minutes are free; thereafter, a fee of 5 ghost coins will be charged for each hour of stay. A free bed will be provided for a single purchase of 30 ghost coins or more upon entry (drinks and beverages will be included in this calculation)]
[Note: Prices vary depending on the difficulty of the dungeon; different dungeons have different prices. Please do not file complaints without reason.]
At first, he thought the words were someone's prank, or a new way for the dungeon boss to make money, but when danger actually struck, he couldn't help but start to have doubts—
What if, what if these words are true?
The wind chimes hanging by the door jingled: "Ding-a-ling... The wind chimes swing in the cellar, the fourth child cannot light a lamp. In the darkness, there are cool fingers, gently resting on his neck."
A melodious and light female voice came from the air, followed by a shower of red silk that swept in and knocked over countless goods on the shelves.
The silk ribbons moved with incredible speed, climbing up his neck in a mere second.
The player screamed in fright and saw a grotesque red-clad female ghost floating behind him in the reflection of the mirror on the table.
The face had no eyes; even the eye sockets were completely flat. Instead, there were three eerie, enormous mouths, each filled with a bag of blood.
Without a moment to think, he ran straight toward the storage room like a madman.
He could feel the female ghost following closely behind him, as if she had been starving for too long and was physiologically chasing after tempting prey.
The strong stench of blood sprayed onto the side of the neck, causing the player's adrenaline to surge.
What's three days' wages? As long as I can save my life, everything else is fine.
He prayed desperately, almost painfully hoping that the instructions printed on the safe house door were true.
At the last second, he used his bracelet to open the storage room door—
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