Chapter 129: Master at Poaching Talent

“No, I don’t have any,” Lai San’s face fell instantly.

After paying the 300 energy coins for the tour, he was flat broke—a penniless pauper with not a single coin left to his name. Where was he supposed to find extra energy coins to pay the exit tax?

The only thing on him that wasn’t produced in Earth Village was the thick coat he’d bought from a Tengu tribesman.

“So, have you made up your minds? Your minute is up. Are you paying the exit fee or not?” Yun Qimu squinted her eyes after finishing the last sunflower seed, her face expressionless as she spoke.

Her voice, which was usually melodious and pleasant, now sounded like a death knell from hell. Among the eight tourists, the most timid one’s legs gave out on the spot, and with a thud, he dropped to his knees.

Yun Qimu raised an eyebrow at him, her tone utterly unsympathetic. “They say a man’s knees are worth their weight in gold, but kneeling before me is worthless. Don’t think you can pay your debt by groveling.”

The kneeling man looked miserable. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t have any energy coins to pay the exit fee. I’ll hand over everything I have, everything!”

Clearly, the timid one had been scared witless by Yun Qimu. Without another word, he started pulling things out of his spatial storage.

A handful of sticky Danmu soft candies, two strength rings, a whole plucked Danghu chicken, thirty spirit coins, a pile of firewood, and three Danmu fruits.

Looks like he’d done pretty well for himself over the past five days.

As he handed over the spirit coins, the timid tourist burst into tears. If he’d known, he would’ve spent those coins at Lou Wai Lou on some delicious food. What you eat is the only thing that’s truly yours.

Thirty spirit coins would’ve been enough for two bowls of clear fish ball soup—the restaurant’s signature dish, or so he’d heard. Everyone said it was amazing.

Yun Qimu looked at his snot-and-tear-streaked face with some distaste. “Alright, I’ll let you keep the Danmu soft candies as a local specialty from Earth Village. You don’t have to pay the exit fee.”

The timid one looked up at her, eyes brimming with tears, shocked. “Really?”

She’s actually giving me candy? The stingiest person here?

Yun Qimu nodded. “Really, really.”

He quickly wiped away his tears, cupped the Danmu soft candies in both hands, and beamed at Yun Qimu, showering her with thanks. “Thank you, Village Chief Yun, thank you so much! I’ll take this candy back for my little sister to try. Ever since our parents passed away, she hasn’t had any candy.”

Seeing his genuine happiness, Yun Qimu’s expression softened considerably. She comforted him, “Don’t cry. Your sister will be happy when you bring back the Danmu soft candies. And Earth Village always welcomes kind, caring people like you. If you ever can’t make a living in your tribe, you’re welcome to join us. As you’ve seen, no one in Earth Village ever goes hungry. As long as you don’t break the rules and respect the elders and care for the young, you’ll have a safe and stable life here.”

Here it comes—Village Chief Yun, the master at poaching talent, is at it again.

The timid one immediately forgot his fear and thought, hey, that’s actually a pretty good offer.

After five days of observation, he’d found that aside from the cold and snow, Earth Village was a great place to live.

His eyes darted around as he started making plans, but he kept his thoughts to himself. After another round of heartfelt thanks, he was allowed to leave the village.

No more traps awaited him—he left Earth Village easily and went on his way.

Where there’s a first, there’s a second.

The next tourist was also flat broke. He’d arrived with empty pockets and left with just a little more than that.

He rummaged through his spatial storage and only managed to pull out a chicken leg before heading out the village gate.

Again, nothing happened—he left the village without incident.

Jason and the others watched him go, only looking away once he was out of sight.

Then, Jason shot a look at the other two star pirates. The three of them blended in with the tourists who were handing over their belongings. As the other two took out their things, Jason quickly snatched them up and stashed them in his own spatial bracelet. Without a word, the three of them made a break for the exit.

They’d already made up their minds—there was no way they were handing over their loot. They had to bring it back to the second-in-command.

But their supposedly sneaky maneuver was seen by everyone, and trouble followed immediately.

“No way, you can’t leave! Village Chief Yun, I want to report them—these three are hiding things!”

Haru burst out from the crowd of slaves who’d come to see them off, glaring angrily at Jason and the other two star pirates.

Seeing things going south, Jason’s face darkened. The three of them changed direction, trying to dash past Yun Qimu.

Haru cursed them out, then, panting, launched himself at Jason, pinning the big guy to the ground.

“Damn it, let me go!” Jason was furious. He rolled free of Haru’s grip, scrambled to his feet, and tried to run again, but Haru clung to his leg, refusing to let go.

Jason’s face twisted with rage. He kicked Haru hard in the chest. Haru screamed in pain, his face going white and veins bulging on his forehead, but he still wouldn’t let go. Gritting his teeth, he roared, “Hand over what belongs to Earth Village! You have no right to take it out!”

The crowd of onlookers, including Zack, were stunned.

Especially Monkey Qi—he never expected Haru to be so tough.

Compared to Zack and the others, who were anxiously rooting for Jason, Monkey Qi was actually feeling pretty pleased.

Serves him right. Reporting Jason is exactly what he deserves—let him end up with nothing.

“What do we do? Should we go over and help cause a distraction so Jason and the others can escape?” one of the star pirates suggested.

Monkey Qi’s face darkened. He quickly stopped them. “Wait, we’re slaves, remember? What if we break the rules again? Do you want to get zapped a second time? My burns from the last shock still haven’t healed. Another round and we might end up as charred corpses. Especially the boss—his heart stopped for three seconds after the last shock before he finally came to.”

Zack looked confused. “Really? How come I didn’t know about that?”

Monkey Qi swore up and down. “It’s true! Would I lie to the boss? I was right there—I heard it myself.”

“But Jason and the others—”

Monkey Qi closed his eyes and kept bluffing. “Don’t worry about them. They’re tourists—their status is different from ours. Even if they get punished, it won’t be as harsh. They got shocked before, but were up and about soon after. The punishment should be the same for bullying the weak, but it seemed a lot lighter for them. Must be their tourist status at work.”"