Chapter: The Assignment
In the office, Barney sat at his desk, holding his chin with one hand, frowning.
He wanted Cheng Yu to help him make authentic Nine-Turn Large Intestine, but Cheng Yu hadn't brought the ingredients.
The Northern Fortress kitchen didn't have offal ingredients like pig intestines.
After thinking for a while, Barney's eyes suddenly lit up. "I remember there's a third-tier monster—a Black Armored Pig—in the deep forest seven kilometers east of the fortress. That third-tier Black Armored Pig usually behaves itself, so the Northern Fortress hasn't sent troops to hunt it down."
"Then what?" Cheng Yu asked.
Barney smiled. "You go kill that third-tier Black Armored Pig. Then you'll have ingredients, won't you?"
Haha, old man, you're really something. Telling me to kill a third-tier monster? Why don't you fly to heaven!
Cheng Yu complained internally, then said, "Alright. Five thousand gold coins."
"Five thousand gold coins? Are you serious?"
Five thousand gold coins converted to Chinese yuan was roughly equivalent to 50 million—a considerable sum of money.
Barney hadn't expected Cheng Yu to ask for so much.
"I'm a weak chef. I have to risk my life to kill a third-tier monster first, then take out the pig intestines to cook for you. Five thousand gold coins is already very low."
"I wasn't being thoughtful. Forgive me."
Barney said sheepishly. It really was difficult to ask a chef to kill a ferocious third-tier monster.
"How about this—I'll send you a helper."
Barney clapped his hands. The office door opened. A messenger came in.
"General, what do you need?" the messenger asked.
"Go call Joyce from the Magic Corps."
"Yes, General."
The messenger left the room.
Ten minutes later, the messenger brought a young man to Barney's office.
Barney introduced him to Cheng Yu. "This is Joyce Oranto, eldest son of the Oranto family. A genius from the Imperial Magic Academy who became a third-tier mage at a young age. He has unlimited prospects."
The Oranto family was a well-known major family in the Black Sun Empire.
The Oranto family patriarch and Barney were old friends. He'd asked Barney to help train the younger generation of the family.
Joyce was probably in his early twenties. Not very good-looking—with a pointed, snake-like face, triangular eyes, deep eye sockets, bulging brow bones, more whites in his eyes, small pupils, a mouthful of uneven buck teeth, and a sinister, fierce expression. He didn't look like a good person at all.
This guy looks pretty abstract.
This was the first time Cheng Yu had seen someone with Joyce's appearance.
"Don't be fooled by Joyce's appearance. In fact, Joyce is kind-hearted and compassionate."
"Really?"
Cheng Yu looked at Joyce's snake-like face and tried to imagine Joyce looking compassionate—but failed.
This was as difficult as imagining Lu Zhishen reciting poetry and composing literature.
"General, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Joyce stood straight, full of military bearing.
Barney treated Joyce differently than Cheng Yu—not with a casual smile. He spoke seriously. "Joyce, in order to temper your will and character, this general has decided to send you and Brother Cheng Yu to hunt the third-tier magic beast—the Black Armored Pig."
"Me? I'm just a third-tier mage. I shouldn't be able to beat a third-tier magic beast, right?" Joyce said awkwardly.
Magic beasts were generally physically strong and had innate skills. It was difficult for mages of the same tier to defeat magic beasts of the same tier.
"Third-tier monsters are indeed a challenge for you. However, young people should endure more hardships. Enduring hardships is a blessing. Only those who endure the most hardships can become superior people."
Cheng Yu felt Barney's words were familiar.
Isn't this what company bosses used to say?
"Young people who've just joined the company should be brave enough to take on tasks—work more, get paid less."
"Young people should respect their elders and love the young—take the initiative to give promotion opportunities to old employees."
"Young people aren't married. Why go home so early? Better to stay at the company and work overtime."
"Young people shouldn't be so aggressive. It's illegal to beat the boss."
Cheng Yu still remembered what his boss had said when he'd first joined the company.
"I understand, General."
Joyce felt Barney made sense. Then he asked, "Can I get military merit points for hunting down a third-tier monster?"
Soldiers could earn merit points for killing demons and monsters on the battlefield.
Merit points were both an honor for soldiers and could be exchanged for substantial rewards.
Barney was asking Joyce to hunt the Black Armored Pig for his own personal purposes.
If Joyce received merit points—symbols of honor—for personal purposes, it would be unfair to soldiers who'd fought hard on the battlefield.
Barney patted Joyce on the shoulder and transformed into a life mentor. "Life often encounters difficulties and setbacks. The truly strong continue to grow through adversity. Whether you can get merit points in the end doesn't really matter, because you'll have gained something in the process of overcoming difficulties."
"With your qualifications, I believe you can become head of the magic corps within a year."
Joyce looked confused. "General, I remember you said the same thing a year ago."
"Really? You must have heard wrong."
"Did I hear wrong?"
Joyce couldn't remember clearly, but he vaguely recalled Barney saying this to him a year ago.
Cheng Yu realized Barney was an old fox—a master of workplace manipulation.
"Go. Go defeat the third-tier monster. I believe you'll succeed." Barney encouraged Joyce.
"Yes, General!"
Joyce's eyes flashed with hope and fighting spirit.
Cheng Yu and Joyce left Barney's office.
"Hello, friend."
Joyce extended a hand to Cheng Yu. Though he looked abstract, he was kind.
"Hello. My name is Cheng Yu, and I'm a chef."
Cheng Yu shook hands with Joyce. "I've discovered you have a very rare holy body."
"Holy body? What holy body?"
"The Innate Holy Body of Oxen and Horses."
"???"
Joyce was confused. He didn't know what this "Innate Holy Body of Oxen and Horses" Cheng Yu was talking about meant.
At that moment, Mina and Ivennie—who'd been waiting for Cheng Yu in the corridor—saw him come out and walked quickly over.
"Cheng Yu, I've been waiting for you forever."
Mina took Cheng Yu's arm, leaned her head on his shoulder, and was very affectionate with him.
Mina and Ivennie frowned when they saw Joyce's fierce appearance, feeling he wasn't a good person.
"Brother Cheng Yu, are these two your girlfriends?"
Joyce was surprised.
"Yes. They're both my girlfriends."
Cheng Yu nodded.
"You actually have two beauties! You must be the legendary love master! Please teach me how to find true love!" Joyce envied Cheng Yu.
"Aren't you the eldest son of the Oranto family? Shouldn't it be easy for you to find a woman?"
In Cheng Yu's impression, sons of major families should be very popular with girls.
If that really didn't work, he could buy a few female slaves.
"Many women come for the money and power of the Oranto family. I hope my other half doesn't like money and power but likes me as a person."
Joyce had met many women, but they'd all come for the Oranto family's money.
Joyce was disgusted by that kind of materialistic woman. He wanted to seek pure love.
Cheng Yu glanced at Joyce's fierce face. If the family factor is excluded, this guy is probably destined to be alone.
"Brother, women are very troublesome. There's nothing wrong with being single."
While speaking, Cheng Yu hugged Mina with his left hand and Ivennie with his right.
"No! I want sweet, romantic love!" Joyce protested.
Cheng Yu realized Joyce wasn't just a natural workplace victim—he was also love-brained.
This kind of love-brained person could easily become a simp.
Based on the principle of saving as many as he could, Cheng Yu tried to persuade Joyce. "Women are scheming. You're too simple—you can't handle it."
"I can handle it! Please teach me, Brother Cheng Yu!"
Joyce was seeking true love.
"Alright. Let's go hunt monsters tomorrow, and I'll talk to you on the way."
"Thank you!"
Joyce thanked him.