The next morning.
Inside a blacksmith's workshop in the sandstone city.
Instead of the expected clanging of metal, there were bursts of snoring.
"Snoring—"
Everyone seemed very relaxed and without any pressure, sleeping soundly until dawn. Even Carter, unusually, didn't get up.
"It's time to get up and get to work!"
Joey got out of bed, stretched, and shook his neck from side to side.
The ore in the inner room was still piled up like a small mountain. Joey smiled and began to stuff it into his pouch.
I must say, this fanny pack is like a burden-free storage space, it's really useful. However, Joey is starting to complain about it now, since there are too many ores and the fanny pack is no longer enough.
It takes several round trips to transport these ores to the tobacco fields.
Joey checked on the others; they were all still asleep.
It's understandable that the bearded man is still asleep because he's exhausted. Carter was so anxious yesterday, but now he's sleeping in, which makes Joey a little resentful.
When did he become the most diligent one? That's not a good sign.
With the still-unconscious Blackie in tow, Joey left the Carter family's workshop.
"This guy seems to be called Joey. He hasn't left the city for a long time. What has he been doing in the city all this time?"
"The city lord ordered that female undead to keep an eye on him, but I wonder if she's actually doing anything!"
The dwarf's small figure was hidden in the alley opposite the workshop. Ever since the city lord gave him three days, he had not left the alley and had been keeping an eye on the Carter family.
Camito, who had been coerced into coming here, did not report any valuable information yesterday. However, he was only given two days. If even he could not get any useful information, then the dwarf would have no choice but to take Camito's family to the desert to feed the ants.
Watching Joey leave, he didn't follow, even though he really wanted to. He knew it wasn't his job, and he couldn't be in two places at once, so he could only continue keeping watch in the alley.
Joey had a smooth journey, and the little black dog on his head remained quiet, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Perhaps Xiao Hei intimidated that female undead yesterday; otherwise, given that female undead's special ability to become invisible, there would be no reason for her to let Joey go so easily.
"Little Black, you're so cute!"
As they approached the gate to the tobacco field, Joey lifted Little Black off his head and kissed it on the nose.
It wasn't that Joey was really hungry, but rather that he was genuinely grateful to the adorable little black cat.
"Meow meow meow..."
Little Black was sleeping soundly when he suddenly opened his eyes and saw Joey's mouth close to his nose, and began to struggle violently.
"Hey, you're shy now! You're so lucky to have won the favor of your master, Qiao!"
Joey chuckled, looking like a thug harassing a respectable woman.
Despite Xiao Hei's struggles, he still did what he was supposed to do.
In the end, Xiao Hei seemed to resign himself to his fate, tilting his head to the side and letting Joey do as he pleased.
There's a saying that goes something like this: when you're powerless to resist, you might as well just enjoy it to the fullest!
Clearly, Xiao Hei understood the true meaning of those words.
Satisfied, Joey put Little Black back on her head after she was done, and Little Black continued to sleep as if nothing had happened.
"Bang bang bang!"
Joey knocked on the door of Tobacco Field.
"Bang!"
The small window on the door opened in response.
It was the same gatekeeper who had shown Joey the way yesterday.
"You're here so early?"
"Yeah, in business, the early bird catches the worm!"
"Uh... what you said makes a lot of sense!"
"Has Lord Leakins told you everything?"
"Yes, like I said, I won't ask questions I shouldn't. My only responsibility is to open the door for you!"
"Good!"
"What?"
"It's nothing, I was just praising your professionalism!"
"Alright, come in quickly. Lord Leggins specifically asked me to keep watch for you. We can't let anyone else know you're here!"
The gatekeeper opened the gate just wide enough for one person to enter.
"Okay!"
Joey slipped inside.
He tossed a silver coin to the gatekeeper and headed straight for the location of the smelting furnace.
Having already spent a large sum of money, Joey didn't care about a few measly coins. He believed that the benefits of this one silver coin would be well worth the expense.
The smelting furnace had not been used for many years; it was covered in rust and a thick layer of dust.
However, Joey didn't have time to clean it up. After taking the ore out of his pouch, he went out again.
He still has several trips to make, so he really needs to hurry.
...
Joey made three trips in a row, and the sun was already high in the sky.
The fourth trip back to the workshop.
"Joey, the ore in the house is gone!"
The bearded man had already gotten up. Seeing that Joey had just returned from outside, carrying two bags of breakfast, he hurriedly reported to him.
"Didn't you keep an eye on things at home?"
Joey was exhausted after a long day and wanted to tease the bearded man to relieve his fatigue.
"I was too tired yesterday, so I slept very soundly!"
"My King of the Hills, what am I to do now? It's all my fault!"
The bearded man was truly consumed by self-reproach.
"Joey, you've worked hard!"
Carter then came out of the house.
He saw that there was not much ore left in the inner room, and realized that it was all Joey's doing.
"It's not hard work at all!"
"This thing is easy to move. Even if you bring me a whole room full of them, I'll still move them without complaining!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
