Chapter 131: Lai San Joins Earth Village

After placing the last handful of spirit coins on the ground, Jason suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Instinctively, he turned his head to glance behind him—only to be met with a row of furious, blazing eyes.

Jason: …

Damn, this is bad! Really, really bad!

He immediately straightened his back, cold sweat breaking out all over. He gritted his teeth, knowing full well he’d completely blown it with the boss this time. Which meant he absolutely couldn’t stay in Earth Village any longer.

Pretending not to notice anything, he quickly turned back around, looking up at Yun Qimu and speaking rapidly, “Chief Yun, I’ve already taken out everything I got from Earth Village. I want to take two bottles of Big Red Potion with me. The exit fee for those is 160 spirit coins. Here, I’ve got 16,000 energy coins, already placed on the ground. So, can we leave now?”

The two wriggling green caterpillars on the ground poked out their heads, looking over with hopeful eyes as well.

Yun Qimu’s eyes crinkled in a smile as she gazed at the pile on the ground. She whistled inwardly—these three free laborers had really brought in a haul. She almost didn’t want to let them go so soon. What a pity!

She glanced at the indignant star pirates nearby, then withdrew her gaze and looked at Jason with a half-smile. “Oh, you can leave, sure. But it looks like your friends over there are having a hard time letting you go. Maybe they want to say a few words of farewell? How about you stay a few more minutes to say your goodbyes? I’m not unreasonable—let’s say three minutes?”

Farewell, my ass! They clearly want to beat me until I can’t take care of myself!

Jason, ever the quick thinker, wore a face caught between anger and tears, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. “No, no, that’s not necessary, thank you, Chief Yun. We’ve already said our goodbyes.”

He hurriedly stood up, slung the two caterpillars over his shoulders—one on each side, looking all heroic—and, seeing Yun Qimu made no move to stop him, bolted out of there as fast as he could.

Once he was outside Earth Village’s boundary, he ran even faster, not daring to look back.

Zack and the others watched Jason’s retreating figure, faces twisted with anger and frustration, grinding their teeth. “Hmph, lucky that bastard ran fast. If he’d been a second slower, I’d have beaten him black and blue.”

“Yeah, I’d have knocked all his teeth out—let’s see how he’d talk his way out of things then.”

“Sigh, I never thought Jason was that kind of person. Guess he’s looked down on us for a while now. And to think the boss took him in, gave him food and shelter… Hmph, what a heartless dog. If Chief Yun hadn’t exposed him at the village gate, we’d still be in the dark about his true colors.”

“Sigh! I wonder if the second boss knows what Jason’s really like. Maybe he’s been fooled too…”

Monkey Qi snorted. That sharp guy Mutong? No way he’d be fooled—he’s the one who tricks others.

Seizing the moment, he chimed in again, this time a bit more tactfully: “Jason’s the second boss’s right-hand man. The second boss is sharp as a tack—there’s no way Jason could hide anything from him.”

He didn’t outright say Mutong was a schemer too, but the implication was clear.

After all, in the boss’s eyes, his own standing was way higher than Jason’s. If he started making wild accusations, the boss might just blame him for stirring up trouble.

Zack’s thick eyebrows twisted into two caterpillars of their own, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind.

Jason tricked them, but what about the second boss…?

Meanwhile, among the eight tourists, the last one left—Lai San, who’d gone solo but ended up with the best haul—was having second thoughts.

He looked at the pile of treasures he’d laid out on the ground—over twenty items, worth a small fortune. The sight hit him hard, and a wave of reluctance surged up inside him.

Lai San stared at his loot for three seconds, swallowed hard, then steeled himself, closed his eyes, and blurted out, “Chief Yun, can you accept me as a resident of Earth Village? If I become a villager, do I get to keep all this stuff?”

Yun Qimu raised an eyebrow with a smile. Finally, one of the eight had the smarts and guts to ask.

Wasn’t this whole tourism thing meant to recruit new villagers?

She’d originally planned to use this trick on the Tiangou Tribe, but they’d caved after just one round and moved the whole tribe in. The tourism recruitment plan had been a success before it even started, so she’d shelved it.

These eight tourists were just a little experiment she’d come up with later for fun. Now that one wanted to stay, it proved the Earth Village Tourism Plan had potential and could go on.

Yun Qimu stroked her chin thoughtfully. Maybe she could send out invitations on her next trading trip and try recruiting more for the Earth Village tour group.

“Chief Yun?” Lai San’s heart started to pound as she remained silent.

Yun Qimu snapped back to herself, smiled at him, and, after a light cough, said solemnly, “Lai San, considering you’ve followed all the rules during your stay in Earth Village, haven’t broken any taboos, and haven’t shown any violent or anti-village tendencies, you’re eligible to become a full resident. Since you’re applying now, I hereby approve your request. Welcome to Earth Village. I hope you’ll contribute to the village’s prosperity and development.”

Lai San’s face lit up with joy. Dazed, he nodded repeatedly. “I will, I will! Thank you, Chief Yun! Thank you!”

All thoughts of reporting back to his tribe leader, replacing Wang Da, getting promoted, or living the high life vanished from his mind.

Yun Qimu glanced regretfully at the pile of loot in front of him. “Since you’re now a member of Earth Village, you don’t have to hand over these items. They’re your personal property now.”

“Awesome!” Lai San’s eyes sparkled as he let out a loud cheer.

He hurriedly crouched down and started stuffing his beloved treasures back into his storage pouch and his arms, grinning from ear to ear.

Clutching his spirit coins, he started planning what to order at Lou Wai Lou. To celebrate officially becoming an Earth Village resident, he was going to treat himself to a feast.

Blackbeard? Tribal chief? Who cares about them—nothing compares to the delicious fish stew at Lou Wai Lou!

With that thought, all the stress and awkwardness in Lai San’s heart vanished. Cheerfully, he tossed aside Blackbeard and his mission, ready to embrace his new life."