Chapter 20 New Attempt (Part 2)
Having the cicadas make tofu was certainly a novel experiment, but Jiangyou had more plans. Back at the workshop, she chose a blank wall and had Andrei fetch a neatly shaved wooden board. She hung it on the wall, then carved a few prominent characters across the top: [Task Board].
In the most obvious position in the middle, Jiang You pinned the first task note with a thumbtack:
Soul Fire Recruitment Order:
Want to be the first to try out their newest creations but don't want to wait in line? Want to try their pricier dishes but can't afford them? Why not give this promotion a try?
Simply offer a Soul Fire of positive emotions like happiness and contentment to enjoy a free limited-edition dish of the day! For specific dishes and redemption details, please contact the store manager.
＊Don’t worry, I won’t take away all your emotions! 】
"Limited-edition dishes in exchange for soul fire?" Andre was a little surprised, but he also felt that the idea was very reasonable. "That's a good idea."
Not everyone can accept the idea of a lich hooking out their soul fire, and many people even regard it as a very terrifying black magic. In fact, in the history that Andre knew, in the darkest era, the lich was indeed an evil and terrifying black magic creature that everyone wanted to kill.
As long as the lich has malicious intentions, it can instantly take away the entire soul of a living person and eat it cleanly. Then, it can put on the skin of the dead, disguise itself as the dead, return to the dead person's home, and cheat more souls and skins.
Liches cannot generate soul energy on their own, so they need to absorb soul energy from the outside world to replenish their ability to move. Many greedy liches therefore slaughter villages and cities and hoard many souls until they are attacked by angry people.
While a lich can survive as long as its phylactery remains intact, the body it inhabits can still deteriorate. Without replenishing soul energy, its flesh will dry out and decay, necessitating a replacement. Scholars refer to this process of seizing and replacing a lich's body as "possession," and numerous advanced techniques have been developed to detect and prevent lich possession.
Of course, not all liches are obsessed with killing and taking souls. Many have simply achieved "immortality" through magical accidents, yet their hearts remain with humanity. These liches tire of being hunted and forced to hide, and simply wish to live their lives in peace. Furthermore, to replenish their soul energy, they don't need to draw from just one person; they can easily gather small amounts of emotional energy from many people, harmless enough to affect them—just as Takumiu is currently doing.
Therefore, they proposed to actively limit their own power and help humans identify and find those evil liches in exchange for the [Black Magic Charter] as proof of their membership in the [Good Lich] faction.
It is with their help that scholars have been able to invent advanced spells to deal with evil liches.
In Andre's eyes, Jiang You, with his license and upright conduct, could indeed be considered a good lich. However, the customers outside might not see it that way. If he directly asked for soul fire, who knew if they would run screaming out of the shop and never return.
But now that the brewery's reputation has spread, there will always be brave and unprejudiced customers who will muster up the courage to try it just to get a taste of the delicious flavor. With the first person successfully trying it, the following customers will follow suit, and once everyone knows that this is safe and feasible, there will naturally be no bad rumors.
"Not bad," he commented, "you can try it."
Jiang You chuckled and nailed another notice:
【Task Collection：
Are you in trouble and need professional help? Are you a professional who is still worried about finding clients?
You only need to pay a ball of soul fire as an intermediary fee to obtain permission to publish your task on this task board. Whether you are looking for helpers or looking for customers, the Lich Shopkeeper will do his best to facilitate your transaction.
Please consult the store manager for specific details.
＊The store manager is only responsible for conducting basic verification of the tasks posted by both parties and then publicizing them. He does not guarantee the credit, background, or transaction security of any party. Please make your own judgment! 】
Seeing this note, Andre's pupils couldn't help but tremble.
Honestly, this intermediary behavior was a bit risky, but it was also a very bold attempt. As a lich, Little Bone could judge the authenticity of the customer's needs from the soul fire he collected. With the dragon clan and himself, a kingdom knight, in charge of the store, safety was basically guaranteed.
The brewing workshop has a huge flow of people every day. In addition to nearby residents, there are also many guests coming from far away. Through these visits, news can be passed on and more and wider connections can be established.
Not only that, Andre also saw new opportunities in it.
Although he had assured Little Bone before that there was nothing he couldn't handle, the fact was that the Baron, in his bad mood, had indeed caused him a lot of trouble in the past few days.
First, he was asked to dig a grave for the Baron's son, then he was given a group of young apprentice knights and ordered to lead them to capture the robbers roaming around the city...
Furthermore, after Winston left, the spy who took over didn't cooperate with him as well as Winston did. Seeing the Baron's constant tricks, he sent him away...
The mission was obstructed and no progress was made, the intelligence was not smooth, there were no available men, and the funds were burning all the time... These trivial matters combined into various unsatisfactory things, making Andre very depressed.
However, Jiangyou's task board reminded him: the Baron was on high alert and it was difficult for him to take action, but there were so many ordinary people in the city who had lived here for generations. It was possible that someone's relative, friend, or neighbor was the one working for the Baron in secret... There is no wall that is impenetrable. As long as you put out enough bait, there will always be fish to bite the hook.
"I'd like to issue a quest," Andre said. "I'm soliciting clues about the 'robber' from the public. If the clue is verified or helps us catch the robber, I'll reward the clue provider with three limited-edition dishes. I'll pay."
"Huh?" Jiang You didn't expect someone to show up so soon. "Sure!"
She picked up the pen, considered her words, and quickly wrote a note and stuck it on the blank space.
[Kingdom Knights Clue Collection:
Anyone with clues about the robbers can write down the clue, pseudonym, and codeword on a slip of paper and drop it in the clue box at the bar. If the robbers are apprehended, the Kingdom Knights will reward the clue-giver with a coupon for three limited-edition dishes from the Brewing Workshop.
*The list of winners will be announced after the robbers are apprehended. If participants see their pseudonyms on the list, they can use the corresponding code to claim their prizes.
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