Chapter 84: Considering a Butler
Chu Feng hired several Highland Tribe members to help move his belongings to the castle construction zone.
Illya’s house was so packed with items that the movers were astonished.
Piece by piece, they loaded the items onto a cart outside.
“You’ve got carts now too? That makes things easier,” Chu Feng noted.
Illya nodded. “Yeah, the villagers made them. Sterling built the first one. Now a bunch of people can make them.”
Chu Feng: … That tiger? Sterling? Turns out he’s a talented carpenter. Impressive!
“Boss Feng, everything’s here,” said Chui Shi.
Chu Feng nodded. “Alright.”
Illya stood with arms behind his back, watching Chui Shi leave.
Chu Feng looked over, puzzled. “What are you thinking?”
Illya tilted his head and gave him a sidelong glance. “While I was gone, Chui Shi wanted to find two Highland Tribe maidservants for you?”
Chu Feng blinked. Who tattled?! “Who told you that?”
“Shaya did,” Illya replied.
Chu Feng: …That dumb bear? I can’t believe he’s a snitch. “Well, yeah, it’s true. But I turned it down.”
Illya continued, “I also heard the dwarves want to assign you a maid. Apparently, there were too many candidates, so they decided to be selective. But before they picked anyone, you had already moved out. Now that you’re back, Hughes might come to discuss it.”
Chu Feng: …Seriously? I didn’t even know any of this.
“You sure about dwarven maids?” he asked. “There are way more men than women among them—usually only one in three men gets a wife. Their women are precious, with very high status.”
Illya grinned. “You’re lucky. Everyone’s fighting to work for you.”
Chu Feng gave a stiff smile. “They’re not coming for me. They want the supplies I bring.”
Illya strolled through the newly built castle and commented, “Not bad at all. The castles I saw in Windbreak Ridge were much worse than this.”
Chu Feng thought to himself: In this world, some nobles live well, others not so much—some only slightly better than commoners. The Highland Tribe clearly has strong construction skills, with Dwarves providing the technical know-how and Elves handling the aesthetics, resulting in impressive architecture.
“Greetings, Boss,” Hughes approached respectfully.
Chu Feng nodded. “Hughes, good job.”
Chu Feng had just arrived and already received a completed pistol. The Dwarves had acted faster than he expected—they not only used the blueprints he provided but also made improvements.
Scratching his head, Hughes said, “Thanks for the praise, Boss! It’s all thanks to your blueprints. By the way, could you get us plans for something like an aircraft carrier or a rocket?”
Chu Feng: …This guy dreams big.
He replied earnestly, “You have to take things step by step. Rockets and carriers are military secrets—not easy to come by.”
Illya chimed in, “We really owe you, Hughes. Without the weapons you made, we wouldn’t have gotten out so easily.”
Hughes smiled humbly. “It’s nothing—Illya, you’ve always been strong. Weapons are only useful in skilled hands.”
Hughes eyed Illya and secretly wondered: Since he’s so close with Chu Feng, should I call him ‘Madam Boss’?
Then he asked, “Illya, is it true your tribe wanted to send Chu Feng a maid?”
Hughes blinked nervously. Was Illya interrogating him? The dwarves had spent forever debating whether to send Chu Feng a maid. Eventually, they decided to go for it—figuring that if Chu Feng accepted, their tribe would benefit, especially with access to more alcohol. Some nobles were known to be swayed by pillow talk, and Chu Feng’s favorable treatment of Crescent Village—thanks to Illya—was a case in point.
After they finally agreed to send someone, they couldn’t settle on who. By the time they chose, Chu Feng had already left. Then just as they finalized it again, Illya returned.
Hughes thought, Is Illya mad about it?
“We actually decided to cancel that plan,” Hughes said cautiously.
Illya simply nodded, “Oh.”
Chu Feng added awkwardly, “There’s too much going on now. Let’s skip the maid for now—but I do need a butler.” He glanced meaningfully at Illya.
Illya blinked. “Why are you looking at me like that? I can’t be a butler—I’m bad at math.”
Chu Feng crossed his arms. “If you’re not willing, I’ll have to look elsewhere. Things are getting too chaotic.”
Illya tilted his head. “What kind of person are you looking for?”
Chu Feng said, “Ideally a human, experienced, and loyal.”
He blinked thoughtfully—he’d been here a while and met all sorts of non-humans, but very few humans. Sooner or later, he’d need to interact with them too.
Illya frowned. “That kind of person isn’t easy to find,” he admitted, though he didn’t oppose Chu Feng’s idea.
Chu Feng nodded. “We’ll take our time. If we can’t find someone, we’ll manage.”
“I might know someone suitable,” Illya offered.
Chu Feng looked at him curiously. “You do?”
Illya nodded. “I used to spend time in human society. I knew a man who sold flatbreads—nice guy, always gave me a discount. He used to be a noble household’s butler. After that family declined, everyone was dismissed, and he left.”
Chu Feng raised his eyebrows. A noble’s former butler? Sounds experienced.
“Is he still running his shop?” Chu Feng asked. “If he’s doing well, he might not want to work for me.”
Illya shook his head. “No, he lost the shop. It was doing fine, but then the young master from that noble family accused him of stealing money.”
Chu Feng blinked. “And then?”
“The noble took the shop from him,” Illya said, cheeks puffing angrily.
Chu Feng frowned. “Did he show any proof?”
“No,” Illya replied. “But he’s a noble, even if fallen. That title still counts.”
Chu Feng: …Same old story—ordinary people can’t fight the powerful.
“Are all nobles like this?”
Illya nodded. “They’ve got lots of privileges. That’s why everyone wants to become one.”
Chu Feng: …No wonder nobles are so hated sometimes.
“What happened to that guy afterward?” Chu Feng asked.
Illya shrugged. “No idea. But if you want, we can try to find him.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Let’s do that.”
Chu Feng and Illya rode a giant eagle to Fallen Leaf Ridge.
The place was somewhat desolate, with many people busy preparing for the approaching winter. The eagle remained outside the town as backup while Chu Feng and Illya entered.
“This is the place?” Chu Feng asked.
Illya nodded. “He used to be here. I don’t know where he is now.”
After some asking around, they learned that the former flatbread shop owner, Hawk, had fallen on hard times. He had once been begging, but now he was a slave in the local slave market.
Chu Feng frowned. “He’s become a slave?”
“Yeah,” Illya confirmed.
Chu Feng sighed. “How’d it come to this? He used to be a shop owner.”
“Maybe he did it on purpose. Being a slave at least guarantees some food,” Illya reasoned. In hard times, even begging might not be enough to survive. Selling oneself as a slave could be the only option.
Chu Feng muttered, “So food really is that important…”
“Since he’s a slave, we can just buy him,” Illya said. For half-elves like Illya, humans were usually hostile. Convincing a human to come with him would’ve been difficult—unless they were a slave, in which case their life and rights belonged entirely to their master.
“How much does a slave cost?” Chu Feng asked.
Illya thought. “Pretty cheap. One gold coin could buy five.”
Chu Feng was stunned. One gold coin equals 100 silver coins… that’s 20 silver per person?
“They’re that cheap?”
“It’s almost winter,” Illya explained. “Slave owners still have to feed them. Too skinny, and nobody wants to buy them.”
Chu Feng: “…You make them sound like livestock.”
“I heard from Shaya that a wild boar sells for 50 silver coins,” Chu Feng said.
“Of course,” Illya replied. “Especially adult ones.”
Chu Feng: “…So people are worth less than pigs?”
