Chapter 824: Chapter 822: Starting Work at the Abyss Entrance
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
Didak appeared in a tavern in Shambala Town, the same one Richard had entered.
Didak was a man just over thirty, about six feet tall, extremely muscular, with muscles bulging beneath his clothes that warned strangers not to mess with him.
However, at this moment, he wasn’t in great shape, his hair was messy, and his face looked pale. He sat in a corner of the tavern, carefully counting the dozen or so beans in his bowl — his only meal for the day.
“One bean, two beans, three beans… thirty-five beans!”
Didak spoke aloud, looking at the beans in the bowl, “Only thirty-five beans? Alright. I must plan carefully since I haven’t had lunch or dinner. So… I’ll eat eighteen beans for lunch and seventeen for dinner.”
After pausing for a few seconds, Didak hesitated, “But wouldn’t seventeen beans be too little for dinner? If dinner isn’t enough, I might not be able to sleep, which would be unbearable. These days, I’ve been relying on sleep to stave off hunger. How about eating seventeen beans for lunch and eighteen for dinner instead?”
“Or perhaps…” Didak’s eyes shifted, “I should count them again. Maybe there’s a surprise. If there are thirty-six beans instead of thirty-five, it would be easier to split.”
Didak reached into the bowl and began counting the beans again.
“One, two, three… thirty-three, thirty-four… thirty-four? Huh? Why are there only thirty-four beans now? There were clearly thirty-five just now. Why’s there suddenly one less?”
This wasn’t a pleasant surprise but a shock!
Didak’s eyes widened as he quickly scanned his surroundings. Finally, looking down at the ground, he saw the missing bean lying there quietly — it turned out that while counting, he’d pushed one bean too forcefully, accidentally knocking it out.
The bean had rolled onto the ground, picking up quite a bit of dust, making it less appetizing.
But Didak didn’t care about that. Staring at the bean on the ground, he resolutely muttered to himself, “If food falls on the ground, as long as it’s less than three minutes, it’s still edible. Yes, edible.”
Didak quickly picked up the bean and popped it into his mouth, swallowing it whole without even chewing.
Didak displayed a satisfied look, experiencing the joy of eating.
After the brief pleasure, he sighed as he looked at the beans left in the bowl, saying, “With this, both lunch and dinner will do with just seventeen beans.”
As he sighed, the tavern door suddenly swung open, and a short man, about five foot three, came running in.
His name was Bo Fei, appearing around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, and he was a good friend of Didak.
After Bo Fei ran into the tavern, he stood at the entrance, looking around. Seeing Didak sitting in a corner, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly approached. In his haste, he bumped the table before stopping.
After bumping it, Bo Fei didn’t cry out in pain. Instead, he quickly spoke to Didak, “Didak, I’ve been looking for you half the day, and I finally found you! What are you doing here?”
Didak cautiously steadied the wobbling table, protecting the bowl of beans on it, then looked at Bo Fei, weakly complaining, “If not here, where else could I be? This is the tavern where the food is cheapest. My remaining half copper coin can only buy me food here; nowhere else will pay me any mind.”
At the end of his speech, Didak gritted his teeth and cursed, “Damn mine owners, they’re all a bunch of cowards. Wasn’t there a rumor that the demon has left? These past few days indeed, no one has been inexplicably dying. So why aren’t they reopening? My money’s almost gone. If they don’t start working again, I’ll starve to death.”
At that point, Didak remembered something and looked at Bo Fei with a glimmer of hope, “Hey, Bo Fei, do you have any money? If you do, lend me some so I can buy a plump chicken. I’ll pay you back once I have money after work resumes.” As he spoke, Didak couldn’t help swallow, imagining the tasty chicken.
Bo Fei only gave a bitter smile, gesturing helplessly at Didak, “Didak, you know my situation, right? My money ran out long ago. If I hadn’t been mooching meals at my uncle’s place, I would’ve starved three days ago. However, recently, my aunt’s been giving me an increasingly uncomfortable look and avoiding me at meal times. I’ve been starving for nearly a day too, so I really can’t help you.”
“Then why are you looking for me!” After hearing this, Didak glared at Bo Fei in exasperation, “I thought you had some good news for me.”
“I do have good news for you.” Bo Fei remembered why he was at the tavern and quickly got closer to Didak, “Listen, Didak, I just heard someone say that there’s a mine starting work and hiring.”
“The No. 13 Mine,” Bo Fei said.
“The No. 13 Mine?” Didak was taken aback and frowned, “I’ve never heard of that mine. It must be a small one. Wait, this name sounds familiar…”
Didak’s eyes widened bit by bit, and he suddenly slapped Bo Fei on the head, saying, “Damn, isn’t the No. 13 Mine the rumored place where the demon first appeared? Dozens of people were killed, their blood staining the ground red!”
“Yes, that’s the place,” Bo Fei nodded.
“And you still want me to go?” Didak said angrily.
“Didak, don’t get mad.” Bo Fei quickly explained, “That place is indeed a bit dangerous, and the demon has killed people there. But as you said yourself, things have been calm for many days now, and the demon has left Shambala Town.”
“Still, what if the demon is still there? I’m not risking my life,” Didak said seriously.
“But…” Bo Fei offered a crucial piece of information, “But it’s one of the few places hiring right now. I also heard that the pay is fifty percent more than elsewhere and it’s paid daily.”
“What!” Didak exclaimed, standing up so abruptly that he startled Bo Fei.
“You’re saying the pay is fifty percent higher and paid daily? I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?” Didak asked, his eyes gleaming.
“That’s right.” Bo Fei nodded vigorously.
“In that case, does it mean I could work today and have money for a big meal tonight?”
“Yes.” Bo Fei nodded vigorously again, “So, I was in a hurry to find you. If we go late, we might only get paid for half a day. Or worse, they might have enough people, and we won’t get a chance to make money.”
“Then why waste time talking? Let’s go!” Didak exclaimed, grabbing the beans on the table and tipping them all into his mouth.
After briskly chewing twice, he gulped it down with a “gulp” and waved Bo Fei to follow him out.