Chapter 91: Human Employees
Chui Shi stepped outside and gathered Hawk and the others.
Molka put down the stone he was carrying, patted the dust off his hands, and said, “Is the boss finally back?”
Over the past few days, Molka had been working and eating with the Highland Tribe. He’d had his fill at every meal and felt life was going pretty well. Honestly, it wasn’t so bad that the boss hadn’t shown up.
“I heard he went out.”
August thought to himself: Chu Feng really is strange. No sooner did he come back than he left again. Maybe he went to buy more slaves elsewhere?
The Highlanders seemed to know where Chu Feng had gone, but none of them were willing to say.
Molka scratched his head. “I wonder what he’ll have us do.”
August pondered: Chu Feng seems to be highly regarded among the Highlanders. They’re really loyal to him. Falling into the hands of someone like that… maybe it’s not such a bad fate.
Chui Shi waved. “Alright, alright, let’s go.”
Manning clenched his fists nervously. The thought of meeting their new master had him on edge.
Chu Feng sat in a chair, looking over the five people in front of him.
Turning slightly, he whispered to Illya, “Do you think they’ve gained weight?”
Illya swept his gaze over them and nodded. “Yeah, looks like they’ve put on a bit.”
August heard this and couldn’t help but blush.
The work here was tiring, sure, but the food was incredible.
He could eat three full bowls of rice with pickled vegetables on his own. As long as you could eat, you could eat as much as you wanted. It was amazing. That sweet potato vegetable was delicious too—he heard it came from the Crescent Moon Village.
August had never known that any tribe in the Golden Hibiscus Forest could grow such an extraordinary crop. This year’s harvest had been poor, and many would likely starve. But this sweet potato seemed high-yield; if it could be widely planted, many lives might be saved.
Shaman Qiu Luo had led the Crescent Moon people to grow a good amount of this sweet potato, and they’d already harvested a lot. Since it spoiled quickly, Qiu Luo had traded it to Chu Feng for grain vouchers. Chu Feng had it shipped to the Highland Tribe as rations.
Whether roasted sweet potato, sweet potato porridge, or sweet potato pancakes—everything was a hit.
Sometimes the Highlanders even made instant noodles: a giant pot of strange noodles with pickled veggies and smoked meat. So tasty you could practically swallow your tongue.
Though, they didn’t make that often. August had only had it once so far.
He was a noble once, but a fallen one. Even before he became a slave, meals were meager. Now, ironically, as a slave, he was eating better than ever. If someone had told him that before, he’d never have believed it.
Eric was hiding behind Hawk, cheeks flushed.
Still a child, Eric wasn’t expected to do heavy labor. Karan didn’t force it. He simply joined in on meals. Previously half-starved and skin and bones, Eric had now filled out and his face looked much healthier.
Manning rubbed his hands awkwardly. He was weak, only doing about a third of what the Highlanders could, yet he still ate quite a bit.
After becoming a slave, Manning had felt totally hopeless about life. But these last few days had made him think: Maybe living like this isn’t so bad. But now that Chu Feng was back, anxiety crept in.
Chu Feng cleared his throat and said, “Sorry about earlier—I had some matters to handle and didn’t have time to assign you roles properly.”
Molka looked at him in confusion. August was a bit surprised too.
Their gazes made Chu Feng feel a little awkward.
Illya nudged him and whispered, “You don’t need to apologize.”
Chu Feng blinked and quickly realized: Right… this isn’t a modern society preaching equality. This world has a deeply entrenched class hierarchy. These people were bought by him—as slaves. Even without slave collars, their upbringing means they wouldn’t dare run away.
Chu Feng flipped through the files in his hand—information on each of them that the previous slave dealer had given him.
But the text was like ancient script to him. He rolled his eyes and handed the documents to Illya.
Although he’d learned to speak some of the language here, he still couldn’t read or write it.
In this world, I’m basically illiterate. Kinda embarrassing, honestly…
He asked in a low voice, “Can you read this?”
Illya blushed. “Not really.”
“You can’t read either?” Chu Feng was surprised.
Illya stiffened. “I learned a little from the shaman, but I had a lot of other things to study. I only know some basic stuff.”
Chu Feng: “…”
So Illya’s illiterate too? He had thought Illya looked like a top student… turns out he’s more like the class slacker.
Then again, Chu Feng realized that studying here cost time and money. Illya used to go hungry—of course he didn’t have the luxury to study. But now that they had time, maybe Illya could learn more.
Feeling embarrassed under Chu Feng’s stare, Illya pinched him.
Chu Feng turned to Hawk. “I heard you used to be a steward?”
Hawk nodded. “Yes.”
Over the past few days, Hawk had probably heard from others that Chu Feng was looking for a steward, so he was mentally prepared.
“I was the steward of the Kaisedes family. I managed various household affairs,” Hawk explained.
Chu Feng nodded. “As you’ve probably guessed, I brought you here for that role. I want your help managing resources and personnel.”
Hawk frowned slightly. “May I ask—who exactly will I be managing?”
Chu Feng smiled and said, “The Dwarves have pledged their loyalty to me entirely. As for the Highland Tribe, not all of them are loyal yet, but most are helping build my palace. The people from Crescent Moon Village… well, that’s a bit more complicated.”
The Dwarves were skilled in weapon-making, the Highland Tribe excelled at construction, and Crescent Moon Village was made up of a mix of people with various abilities—managing them would be tricky.
Hawk looked at Chu Feng in shock. “You want me to manage all those people…?”
Hawk bit his lip. He’d never heard of a slave being put in charge of managing Highlanders or Dwarves. Especially the Dwarves—some were master blacksmiths. Back in his noble days, even the head of the Kaisedes family had treated dwarven artisans with deep respect. Could he really do this?
Chu Feng narrowed his eyes at Hawk. “You think you can’t?”
Hawk clenched his teeth. “I’ll try.”
He glanced at his grandson. After a few days here, he’d learned that working for Chu Feng meant access to resources. Eric was still young and couldn’t work yet. If Hawk failed, life for Eric would get much harder.
Chu Feng smiled. “You have the experience. I believe in you.”
August looked at Chu Feng, lips pressed together, as if wanting to speak but unsure how.
Chu Feng turned to him. “I heard you used to be a noble?”
August gave a bitter smile. “That was a long time ago.”
Chu Feng asked curiously, “What did you do to end up like this?”
A noble turned slave—how does that happen?
August frowned and said nothing. The truth was: the second son of Count Sias had assaulted his sister, who already had a fiancé. Afterward, the engagement was broken, and his sister, unable to bear the shame, took her own life.
In a fit of rage, August killed the man who had ruined her.
Count Sias was furious. August was convicted and enslaved.
Given Count Sias’s power, he could’ve easily had August killed. That he didn’t likely meant he preferred to slowly humiliate him instead.
Chu Feng waved it off. “Forget it. I won’t ask more. Since you were a noble, I assume you can read and write?”
August nodded. “I can.”
“Good,” Chu Feng said. “Then assist Hawk. He’s older, and managing everything alone might be too much.”
He then looked at Molka. “You…”
Before Chu Feng could finish, Molka eagerly said, “I can help with construction!”
Chu Feng nodded. “Alright. Then join the builders. You’ll be treated the same as the Highlanders.”
“Will I get work tickets too?” Molka asked.
“Of course,” Chu Feng replied.
“Great! Awesome!” Molka beamed.
He’d been working and eating alongside the Highlanders, but unlike them, he didn’t receive work tickets. Those were valuable—they could be exchanged for sweets at the commissary.
Molka often saw Highlanders eating candy during their breaks. If he had tickets, he could buy snacks too. If he earned a lot, maybe even a lighter someday.
He’d seen some Highlanders using lighters to start fires and had been deeply envious.
After assigning roles to everyone, Chu Feng sent them off—except Manning, whom he asked to stay behind. Molka walked out in high spirits.
“August,” he asked, “why do you think the boss left Manning behind?”
August shook his head. “No idea.”
Manning was small, quiet, and unremarkable. August didn’t know him well.
But the fact that Chu Feng kept Manning back made August suspect he might be hiding something.
Molka whispered mysteriously, “Could it be… the boss wants to take Manning?”
After all, many human nobles had a thing for men.
August rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You didn’t hear the Highlanders talk? The elves from Crescent Moon Village all want to sleep with Chu Feng—and he got scared off!”
“True,” Molka said. “Boss seems generous. He’s probably a good person. Manning should be fine.”
August glanced at him. Wasn’t this the same guy who didn’t even want the boss to show up? Now he’s completely won over—just because of those work tickets?
