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墨書 Inktalez
Lu Fei Fan remembered that history books once recorded that during the period known as the Great Catastrophe, following the meteorite impact, humanity faced severe resource shortages. This led to a grim reality where people resorted to killing each other, resulting in horrific instances of cannibalism. In their struggle for survival, individuals were compelled to plunder and slaughter their own kind for scarce resources. Moreover, humans had to contend with numerous mutated and formidable monsters, making survival an even more arduous task.
It wasn't until the Guardian Lighthouse was activated that this brutal situation began to ease within human society.
In the era of Lu Fei Fan, the human civilization surviving on islands in the sea was not technologically advanced, but at least they had sufficient resources to sustain themselves. Under the protection of the island lighthouses, people gradually developed methods to domesticate and train various monsters for hunting marine life, keeping them as pets, utilizing them for transportation and entertainment, and even employing them in battles against other monsters.
Conversely, humans also became prey for various ferocious Sea Beast Monsters. Once at the top of the food chain, their position was no longer secure; they could be toppled by the vast Ocean's Beast Horde at any moment. These creatures could drag humans down from their lofty perches and turn them into hunters themselves. A moment's carelessness could lead to a plunge into the abyss and extinction.
However, domestication and hunting of Sea Beast Monsters became one of the lucrative ventures for various mercenary groups, noble families, corporations, and guild alliances. Many Sea Beast Monsters were not only valuable for their meat but also for their bones and organs, which had numerous uses—some could be refined into potions, others could be used to manufacture weapons or for research purposes. Thus, hunting monsters became a primary means of wealth accumulation for many Fusers, hunters, and mercenaries since it offered substantial monetary rewards or resources.
Yet many individuals lost their lives in this pursuit or ended up as delicacies for the monsters.
After hundreds of years of hunting and domestication, some known herbivorous Sea Beasts or monsters became excellent allies for humanity. For instance, Flying Beasts could serve as transportation tools or transport aircraft. Some herbivorous creatures even became sources of meat, significantly alleviating humanity's food shortages while improving their physical health. After mutation, many aspects of these monsters proved beneficial to humans; higher-tier monsters commanded greater bounties and were essentially moving treasure troves. This naturally led to the emergence of private workshops like the slaughterhouses where Lu Fei Fan worked.
Recently, business had been somewhat slow at the Slaughterhouse; hence there weren't many customers around. The factory manager was notorious for being an Iron Rooster—relying heavily on Lu Fei Fan, A Teng, and Niu Dali—three young and strong laborers—to handle everything from cleaning to processing on the slaughter line. The main advantage was their low cost; they were fed and paid a few hundred Federal Coins each. Hiring other contract workers would cost thousands and strain the Slaughterhouse's finances.
Although these three sometimes acted shamelessly without limits, they still worked diligently. The idea of advertising—a rather lowbrow promotional tactic—was also concocted by these three rascals. After all, if the Slaughterhouse went under, it wouldn't benefit any of them; they would struggle to find stable jobs afterward and might end up doing menial work instead. In such a competitive environment, they might not even outcompete those charming ducks in labor markets. With little savings to speak of and living paycheck to paycheck, they certainly didn't want Bawang Slaughterhouse to close down.
Every afternoon after tea break, following standard operating procedures, the three exhausted workers cleaned up the Slaughterhouse before returning to the break area. They sprawled out in chairs with their legs crossed, relishing a brief moment of respite.
At that moment, Iron Rooster walked in wearing his work uniform. His signature bald head gleamed brightly under the light while his sides boasted a thick mane of hair resembling barbed wire. With a rugged face adorned by a scruffy beard and an ever-present drunken leer that made him look like a peculiar blend of an odd uncle and a perverted wolfish character, he held a large bottle of liquor in his hand.
Despite his seemingly intoxicated demeanor, he was meticulous when it came to finances—calculating expenses down to an absurd degree—and his notoriously stingy nature left even someone as audacious as Lu Fei Fan in awe. Lu Fei Fan firmly believed that even if Iron Rooster was indeed a rooster made of iron, he would be one completely devoid of feathers!
Moreover, it was crucial to note that Iron Rooster had an exceptional fondness for alcohol. The three had once wagered with him: if he got drunk during their drinking session, he would unconditionally raise their wages threefold; however, if they lost the bet, they would go without a wage increase for three years.
As fate would have it, after several rounds of drinks where they were already swaying like reeds in the wind, these three confident drinkers with over a decade’s experience failed to outdrink Iron Rooster’s seemingly bottomless capacity. They ended up nearly having to pawn their underwear due to losing; thus began three years without any wage increase—a thought that made them regret deeply every time they recalled it. They silently vowed that next time they drank with Iron Rooster; they'd cut off their hands or worse!
Naturally, Iron Rooster earned unanimous recognition from Lu Fei Fan and his companions—being voted unanimously as "the Perverted Barrel" following his title as Iron Rooster!
As soon as Iron Rooster entered and saw these three layabouts sprawled out like noble lords slacking off amidst poor business conditions, he couldn't help but feel displeased.
“Are you all done with your tasks?” he asked, squinting his eyes, half-drunk and hazy.
“Of course! We work efficiently. When are you going to raise our salaries? We’ll work even harder, like killing pigs and offering sacrifices,” Lu Fei Fan boasted, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, waving his hand dismissively.
“A raise? Hmph,” Tie Jiu Tong scoffed. He then put away the bottle he was holding and pulled out a dirty, crumpled notebook from his pants. Wetting his finger with saliva, he flipped it open and began to read while pointing at the pages.
“Lu Fei Fan, you were late thirteen times this month and left early four times. That’s a deduction of two salaries…”
“Juhua Teng… Ugh, every time I hear that name, it makes me shudder. Why would you name yourself something that sounds like ‘butt pain’? Anyway, that’s a total of sixteen times late or leaving early, so I’ll deduct one salary.”
“Niu Dali, no records of being late or leaving early this month… hmm…”
Niu Dali listened with a smug expression, secretly admiring his punctuality. But when Iron Rooster shot him a glance, the playful glint in his eyes made Niu Dali tense up. It was clear that Iron Rooster wasn’t going to let him off easily. Iron Rooster licked his lips and poked at the notebook, narrowing his eyes as he began to fabricate baseless accusations.
“Niu Dali, no records of tardiness… but you’re just too ugly, which affects our slaughterhouse’s business flow. I’ll deduct one salary to compensate for the losses.”
Instantly, the office erupted in wails that rivaled the sounds of slaughtering pigs. The most wronged was undoubtedly Niu Dali.
“Boss! Why should my ugliness result in a salary deduction? I refuse! I want to protest! Woe is me…”
But Iron Rooster remained unmoved. He happily tucked the notebook into his clothing and smugly declared, “Protest again and I’ll double the deduction! Hmph.”
With that, he took another swig from the bottle. Letting these slackers’ salaries get deducted meant he could buy himself some good liquor again. Just thinking about it made him feel much better.
Ignoring the complaints from his fellows, he left with a parting shot.
“Get up and scrub the bathroom and lobby ten times each! After lunch, I’ll check. Miss one time and I’ll deduct half a month’s salary!”
Immediately, the office was filled with curses directed at him. However, Iron Rooster hummed a tune as he walked away, treating their insults about his ancestors as mere background noise.
The disinterested Factory Chief of Iron Rooster wandered around the Slaughterhouse and eventually found himself at its entrance, where he unexpectedly received a lucrative business proposition.
The visitor's appearance was quite peculiar. The thin face was painted with a large, colorful mask, and only the eyes were adorned with vibrant powder. He wore a baggy yellow outfit and a triangular hat that hung down, resembling the attire of a circus clown.
"Are you open for business today?" the clown asked with squinted eyes and a smile.
"Y-yes, of course," the Factory Chief stammered, taken aback by the clown's strange appearance.
"'Bawang Slaughterhouse,' huh... that name has a certain ring to it," the clown said, still grinning unsettlingly with one hand on his hip, making the Factory Chief feel a chill run down his spine.
"Um... may I ask how I can assist you?" The Factory Chief felt uneasy about this unexpected visitor, sensing that he was not an ordinary person.
"Well, I have fifty low-grade Sea Beasts that need processing. I’d like you to help me process them and sell them afterward. As for the price..." The clown paused for a moment before adding, "Let’s say one thousand Federal Coins per beast."
"This..." The Factory Chief was stunned. Fifty Sea Beasts at one thousand each amounted to fifty thousand Federal Coins. After deducting labor and other costs, the profit would be substantial—a truly profitable deal.
"Hmm?" Seeing the Factory Chief hesitate, the clown maintained his smile and asked, "What’s wrong? Not interested?"
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