BXBX NOVEL Chapter 116 - 116: Employment
Watching a once serious discussion gradually derail, Song Jian felt somewhat vexed. As everyone discussed whether the “Golden Gun Pills” were effective or “Vitality Boosting Potion” was better, Song Jian reluctantly switched off the radio.
Through the radio, Song Jian learned that even in the apocalypse, many people were still living well. The concept of nations had faded away, replaced by city-centered dictatorships. Even for ordinary people living in these cities, basic rights were protected. If they dared to hunt monsters and became professionals, their lives would be even better—hardly any worse than before the apocalypse.
However, many people couldn’t pass the city-citizenship application process and had to voluntarily form their own Gathering Areas in the wilderness. The security of these Gathering Areas was not guaranteed. Some Gathering Areas disappeared overnight, and this was no longer news, nor was it a common topic of conversation. Such incidents were far too commonplace.
As for the clues about the mailbox, Song Jian had gleaned this information from the hodgepodge of radio chatter. As long as he built a safehouse, he could apply to the system. However, applying for a mailbox required a large sum of money, which many people couldn’t afford.
He opened the manor’s creation list and scrolled all the way down to a “More Features” option. Upon selecting it, several sub-options appeared: “Add Friend,” “Form Alliance,” “Join an Organization,” “Hire,” and “Apply for a Mailbox.”
Song Jian began investigating each option in turn.
The “Add Friend” feature allowed adding like-minded friends who also had built safehouses, but the friend request needed to be accepted. After adding a friend, he could check their online status and set up a private chat channel.
“Forming an Alliance” was akin to creating a guild. If ten players owning safehouses responded, an organization could be formed. This organization was initially capped at a hundred players, and completing certain tasks was necessary to increase that cap. But in the current game, the number of players who successfully built safehouses was small. Forming an alliance would take considerable time.
“Join an Organization” was for joining an already established organization, which could be player-created or NPC-created, like the “101 Gathering Area” Song Jian previously encountered. But his relationship with them was hostile, so he couldn’t join their organization.
“Hire” was for employing a character akin to a butler, who would manage the safehouse when he was offline or not there. A level one to level three safehouse could only hire one person. After upgrading to a manor, three could be employed.
The hiring cost was considerable. In the hiring list, the aptitude, attributes and skills of each hiree differed. Hirees with higher aptitude, attributes, and more skills costed more to hire; and a monthly salary was needed after successful hire.
Song Jian was interested in the “Hire” function. Fiana, the bartender from Li Ke’er’s Sunflower Bar, had left a deep impression on Song Jian. He hoped to hire someone similar, but among the dozens of potential hires, their professions were all different;
“Robin (White), Profession: Gardener, Aptitude: Low, Attributes: Weak, Skills: Watering, Weeding, Bug-catching, Plant care; Hiring cost: 50 Doomsday Coins; Monthly salary: 5 Doomsday Coins.”
“Suma (White), Profession: Chef, Aptitude: Below average, Attributes: Slightly weak, Skills: Basic cooking; Hiring cost: 80 Doomsday Coins; Monthly salary: 10 Doomsday Coins.”
“A gardener, chef, farmer, cleaner, maid… what is all this?” Song Jian exclaimed, shaking his head at the low-quality hires. He was not satisfied.
It was not until he scrolled to the end of the list that he found an employee of green quality.
“George (Blue), Profession: Butler, Aptitude: Average, Attributes: Normal, Skills: Basic Elocution, Intermediate Management, Basic Defense Spells. Hiring cost: 150 Doomsday Coins; Monthly salary: 20 Doomsday Coins.”
“A basic defense spell? How does a butler have such skills?” Song Jian raised his eyebrows and curiously opened the description of the skill;
“It can increase the safehouse’s defense by 30%. Awesome! My manor’s current defense is eight thousand, so thirty percent of that is an addition of two thousand four hundred.” Song Jian lit up with joy;
“Hire George!” Song Jian clicked on George and selected to hire him.
A hundred and fifty Doomsday Coins soon disappeared, and George was removed from the hiring list.
He waited a while, and George didn’t appear. Just as Song Jian was feeling puzzled, he noticed a shabbily dressed man walking towards his manor from the street outside.
The man, pallid from hardship, had green text floating above his head.
“LV1 George, Vitality Points: 80/80, Employer: Song Jian.”
“Is this the butler I hired? He looks so weak.” Song Jian frowned, then teleported to the manor’s main entrance.
“Sir, 1 thank you for your employment. If not for you, 1 fear 1 might starve in the slums!” The moment George saw Song Jian, his eyes welled up with tears of excitement. He bowed deeply towards Song Jian and said;
“George, from now on, I am entrusting my manor to you. 1 hope you will not betray my trust,” Song Jian muttered to himself in his heart.
Compared to Fiana, George was far from impressive, causing some disappointment in Song Jian. But as he was already hired, he’d have to wait and see if George could manage the manor well. At the least, George had a basic defensive spell that could boost the manor’s overall defence by 30%.
“For this basic defense spell, it’s worth spending 20 Doomsday Coins a month!” Song Jian tried to console himself.
“Sir, 1 will manage this manor to the best of my abilities.” George said gratefully.
“Alright, come in then.” Song Jian disappeared, reappearing on the third floor of the castle.
Watching George enter, he first inspected the several vacant Spirit Fields around the castle and then entered the castle itself, wandering around.
Seeing George enter the castle, Song Jian turned his attention back to examining the next feature and said,
“Apply for Mailbox. This is what 1 need. 1 already own a manor, so my application should be easily accepted.” Song Jian muttered to himself as he selected the option “Apply for Mailbox.”