After the slave owners went bankrupt, they all wanted to keep me as a mistress.

Mu Qiu glanced at her.

"Isn't one gold coin a day enough for you to eat?"

Although he often spent money in gold coins after obtaining the system, it didn't mean he was unaware of local prices and wages. After all, he had lived in Blackrock Town for a month and had some knowledge of the lives of the lower classes in the empire.

In such a remote town, one gold coin is enough to buy enough food for an average family of three for a year.

Of course, this most basic staple food was often coarse bread made from rye and oats. These breads usually did not contain yeast; unscrupulous merchants would only add sawdust and other miscellaneous materials to reduce costs, along with some onions and garlic, and then eat it with water.

The most ordinary manual laborer in the most remote town earns about this much in a year, often less than a gold coin, and eighty silver coins is considered good.

Therefore, while the husband works outside, the wife also needs to find some work that can earn money.

The wife could weave cloth to make clothes for her husband. If there was any left over, she could sell it. If the husband loved to drink, he could brew some beer. If it exceeded the family's needs, the beer ladies would hang a stick above their front door to indicate that beer was for sale, with a shrub tied to one end. They would then place the beer barrels at the door and sell them to passersby who brought beer jugs and spare change.

Occasionally, they would cook some beans at home, which was the food for a family of three from the lower class for a year. It wasn't exactly delicious, and they couldn't say they could fill their stomachs every day. They would be extremely grateful if they encountered a nobleman who would provide them with food.

If you want to eat something nicer, replace all the rye bread with soft white bread, and make sure it's one of the most expensive kinds in the bakery.

Because even nobles would buy this expensive bread, merchants would not dare to add anything extra to it to reduce costs, as that could cost them their heads. It wouldn't be surprising to find something strange in the cheapest white bread.

Occasionally, they would indulge in a meat dish to taste its saltiness, and sometimes add a little honey and cheese... To live such a life, which would be considered affluent for ordinary people, a family of three could spend half to one gold coin a month. Only families with blacksmiths or craftsmen could afford such expenses.

Before obtaining the system, Mu Qiu lived this kind of life. For modern people, the rye bread that was so hard it could be used as a brick was really hard to swallow, and even white bread was barely edible and not delicious at all.

As for higher-grade monster meat, that's a privilege reserved for nobles and professionals.

Ordinary apprentice-level professionals certainly don't live such a good life. Although black iron-level professionals are considered "knights" in the eyes of ordinary people and are qualified to serve the lord and become third-class knights, they still have to struggle to make a living and save money to buy weapons and armor. No adventurer group will accept you if you go to the dungeon empty-handed, and monster meat is too luxurious for them.

Only those who start as bronze-level professionals can be considered to have one foot in the life of the nobility. The lords are happy to award them the medal of a second-class knight, and they can afford to eat ordinary monster meat from time to time.

A life like Luna's, where she earns a gold coin every day, is something many ordinary people dream of. Moreover, slaves like her normally don't receive wages.

Hearing her master's words, Luna shrugged, her already droopy little cat face fell even more, and her orange cat ears drooped down, almost burying themselves in her fluffy orange hair.

"Waaah... Luna really knows she was wrong, meow."

She tucked her claws in and placed her soft little hands on Mu Qiu's arm, tilting her head back and looking pitifully at her new owner. "Luna hasn't eaten in a long time, meow, she's starving to death, meow! And Luna is the older sister, meow! The older sister's salary isn't as high as her younger sisters', she'll definitely be laughed at, meow!"

Mu Qiu didn't reply, but a slight smile appeared on his lips as he glanced at the eleven quiet figures following behind him.

Apart from the red fox girl who had remained silent since signing the contract, most of them wore rough linen clothes, were barefoot or wore tattered straw sandals, and had faint red marks left by long-term use of shackles on their slender ankles and wrists.

They had been eagerly crowding around him inside the cage, but once they were outside, they all quieted down.

Only Luna, that audacious catgirl, dared to come up and complain that her wages weren't enough to eat.

Not bad, very courageous.

Mu Qiu likes catgirls who are bold enough.

If you're not bold enough, how else can you siphon money from my system's funds?

If you don't take money from my system's funds, where am I supposed to lose all ten million gold coins?

[Ding! The system has detected that the host's slave group has reached a considerable size. Effective immediately, a certain amount of system funds will be available for the slaves' daily needs.]

[Do your slaves have large or small stomachs?]

Ok?

Mu Qiu paused slightly in his steps.

Could this question determine the amount of funds he can withdraw in the future?

"Big stomach, of course they're all big stomachs!"

【They have huge appetites, huh? Then you should buy them cheap and plentiful food.】

[Here's what we'll do: Host, take them to a restaurant for a taste test to see if the food is salty enough. The total amount they consume, multiplied by the price of the ingredients you purchased locally, will determine your daily allowable system funds.]

Oh? Such a good thing?

Mu Qiu's heart stirred.

These cat-eared girls looked like they were starving. If he took them to a grilled fish restaurant for a big meal, they would definitely eat their fill!

When that time comes, if I select the most expensive monster meat in the vicinity as my daily ingredients, the amount of system funds I can extract each day will definitely be a considerable sum!

With these thoughts in mind, Mu Qiu arrived at the luxurious carriage parked at the entrance of the slave market. He tossed two gold coins to the coachman and instructed him:

"Let's go to the restaurant that makes the best grilled fish around here."

After saying that, he boarded the carriage first, with Vera following closely behind.

Luna was the first to react. Like a nimble big cat, she darted into the car and sat down next to Mu Qiu. Her tail wrapped around his wrist affectionately, and when Mu Qiu turned to look at her, she stuck out her tongue, trying to charm her new owner.

The remaining ten cat-eared girls seemed hesitant, exchanging timid glances as if trying to ascertain whether they were qualified to sit in the same carriage as their master.

Only after Mu Qiu nodded slightly did they, like startled little animals, tiptoe in one by one.

Adele remained expressionless and was the last to board the train.

Radiant City was a small city, and the carriage only traveled for about fifteen minutes before stopping at a relatively open street corner.

The coachman jumped down from the carriage and respectfully opened the door: "Sir, we've arrived."

Mu Qiu got off the bus first.

Luna practically jumped off the car right after Mu Qiu, her small nostrils flaring rapidly as she greedily caught the faint scent of fresh fish in the air.

"It smells like grilled fish, meow!"

She let out a short, excited whimper, her eyes fixed on the door from which the fragrance wafted, her tail standing uncontrollably high behind her.

Mu Qiu ignored her excited reaction and strode straight toward the restaurant door.

As soon as he entered, he flicked his wrist, and a gleaming gold coin flew with a pleasant whistling sound towards the middle-aged fat man behind the counter. The gold coin drew a brief arc in the air and hit the fat man on the forehead.

"Who the hell—"

The owner behind the counter had just looked up angrily when he saw a gold coin lying on the counter.

He froze for a moment.

He reached out, picked up the gold coin, and weighed it in his hand for a moment.

Upon closer inspection, a black-haired, black-eyed boy stood at the door, toying with several gold coins in his palm.

Almost instantly, the boss's smile broadened, and he jogged out from behind the counter to greet Mu Qiu and his group warmly.

"Wow, sir, your aim was amazing! I knew it! Who the hell threw that accurately? You're definitely a pro! Please, please come in. What would you like to eat?"

"First, put together three large tables."

Mu Qiu's voice was not loud, but it clearly drowned out the remaining whispers in the hall, carrying a commanding tone that seemed to take it for granted.

The boss paused for a moment, then instinctively directed the two equally stunned workers beside him: "Quick! Quick! Put the tables together! Drag those three long tables over there and put them together!"

The helpers snapped out of their daze and hurriedly began to move the heavy wooden table.

Taking advantage of the break while they were sharing a table, Mu Qiu continued, "Cook all the fish here and bring them up."

The shopkeeper blinked his small eyes, seemingly not fully understanding what the other person meant: "All...all fish? You mean..., sir?"

"literal meaning."

Mu Qiu interrupted him, her tone carrying a hint of impatience: "Grilled, stewed, fried, boiled in soup... as long as it's fish, no matter what kind, what size, or how it's cooked."

"Send as many as you have."

The boss gasped, and the fat on his face trembled.

All fish?

How many are there?

Isn't this customer being a bit too arrogant?

"Well... sir, how much would you like? And what's the price..."

Mu Qiu didn't say anything. He flipped his right hand again, and a heavy money bag appeared in his hand. He threw it directly towards the counter.

Ding dong!

The crisp clinking sound of gold coins came from the counter. Judging from the size of the money bag, there were at least a dozen or twenty gold coins inside.

"Is this enough?"

"Enough, enough!"

The boss's eyes widened instantly. He gripped the money bag on the counter tightly and nodded vigorously.

Then, he whirled around, facing the kitchen, and roared with all his might, spitting as he yelled, "Kitchen crew!!! Get to work!!! Fish from the ice cellar! Fish from the buckets! Live, dead, frozen, pickled! Bring them all out! Turn the oven up to the highest heat! Put all the stew pots on! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! If you neglect our honored guests, I'll skin you alive!!!"

Mu Qiu withdrew his gaze, looked at Luna beside him, and smiled slightly:

"Luna, didn't you want a raise?"

"How about this, if you can eat one fish today, I'll give you a one-gold-coin raise in your monthly salary. If you eat a certain number of fish, I'll give you the same amount of raise."

"After we finish this meal, we'll head back to the manor. Starting tomorrow, you won't be able to eat the grilled fish here anymore."

Chapter 41 Humans, let go of Luna! Come at me if you have a problem!

"Starting tomorrow, we won't be able to eat the grilled fish here anymore?"

Does he mean...this is our last meal?

Adele sat in the corner furthest from Mu Qiu, her beautiful eyes coldly fixed on the black-haired boy with a gentle smile.

Her slender fingers clenched quietly under the table, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"So that's how it is..." she sneered inwardly. "First, they lull us into complacency with generous salaries, then they make us lose the chance to spend that money forever... Human nobles are indeed all so despicable."

Humph.

Anyway, this human probably already knew that she was good at mental magic.

Adele knew very well that her greatest secret was that she had broken through the limits of her mind and possessed a mental talent far exceeding that of ordinary red fox subhumans!

Therefore, as long as he pretends to be loyal to this human, he shouldn't do anything to Luna and the others.

On the contrary, as long as she shows loyalty, he should help her improve her strength.

Then... I'll be able to find an opportunity to leave with Luna and the others!

Adele glanced at the silver-haired girl in a hooded cloak at the other end of the table, her golden eyes flickering slightly.

Outsiders wouldn't notice.

But she had noticed it while they were in the carriage: the silver-haired girl had pointed elf ears and no slave mark on her neck, yet she still called the human "master."

I wonder how long that elf had been a slave to become so obedient?

Given the elves' proud nature, they probably had to be slaves for at least a few years before they gradually accepted their situation.

It seems this human is quite adept at manipulating people's hearts.

Adele reminded herself of this.

We must not be deceived by this hypocritical side of humanity.

His kindness towards them now is merely to appease their emotions and gain their loyalty.

Given enough time, this human will eventually tear off his mask of hypocrisy and reveal his true colors.

At this moment, the atmosphere at the table was completely different from Adele's gloomy mood, as the waiters were continuously serving up various kinds of grilled fish, steamed fish, and smoked fish.

Every time Luna ate a fish, she would pick up the fish bone and wave it in front of Mu Qiu's eyes to show that she had eaten so much.

"Master, Luna has eaten three fish, meow!"

"Master, Luna has eaten five fish, meow!"

At first, Luna obediently ate only a few pieces, and only said how many.

But when Luna noticed that Mu Qiu didn't seem to be paying attention to her situation and was instead talking to the silver-haired girl with the hood, her eyes darted around, and she quietly picked up the fish bones that her sisters had been gnawing on clean.

"Master, this is the eleventh fish Luna has eaten, meow!"