Chapter 32: Recruitment Challenges
In the afternoon, at the foot of the Qiana Mountains, Jenna’s monster-hunting squad resumed their work after a short rest.
The Qiana Mountains were teeming with diverse creatures, and the area Jenna selected had four to five different types of monsters within a few hundred meters. Among them, the 【Golden Cocoon】 often dropped copper coins, the 【Crimson Wolf Spider】 dropped potions in addition to copper, and the 【Blazing Flame Boar】 and 【Rock Charging Bull】 frequently dropped various food ingredients.
The squad worked hard all day, reaping abundant rewards.
By the time they were ready to head back in the evening, the system began distributing loot based on the pre-set 50/50 split. Jenna, as the team leader, could select the initial portion for the territory. A percentage bar displayed the allocation, and once Jenna confirmed her selection, the chosen items were directly transferred to the territory’s inventory, with the rest distributed among the squad members.
Since Jenna knew that Ye Mu was the territory lord, she prioritized food ingredients when choosing for the territory. The percentage bar showed 46.3%.
To reach the required 50%, Jenna added a small amount of copper coins.
The remaining copper coins, potions, equipment, and other materials were distributed to the team members.
After Jenna confirmed her selection, the system began allocating items in a considerate manner. For example, equipment was matched to adventurers who lacked appropriate gear. If multiple people needed the same type of equipment, it prioritized those whose attributes matched best.
Within a minute, seven or eight team members received system notifications:
The grass-type mage, who previously only had a wooden stick, got the message: “You have obtained 【Basic Grass Staff】. Accept?”
The ice-type mage, who didn’t even have a stick, received: “You have obtained 【Basic Ice Staff】. Accept?”
The tank in the group was prompted: “You have obtained 【Alloy Heavy Armor】. Accept?”
Everyone, without exception, pressed “accept,” but they couldn’t help glancing at Jenna afterward. The grass-type mage asked in surprise, “You left the equipment for us? Captain, are you sure?”
The ice-type mage stammered, “Y-yeah… Is this really how the 50/50 split works?”
Jenna wasn’t surprised by their reaction. The system’s valuation for the “50/50 split” was based on estimated prices, but on the open market, equipment was far more valuable, with most pieces priced significantly higher than the system’s valuation.
By leaving the equipment for the team members, the actual split wasn’t a true 50/50. The territory might have ended up with only 40%, or even as low as 30%.
Jenna shrugged calmly. “This is the lord’s decision. She believes that having proper equipment is crucial for those who go out hunting daily. Even if not everyone has high-end gear, they should at least have a full set of basic equipment to ensure their safety.”
“So, for now, the priority is helping everyone gear up. The territory might take a small loss, but that’s fine. However, if you want better equipment in the future, you’ll have to handle that yourselves!”
Jenna was straightforward, explaining everything clearly.
The team members felt an unusual sense of warmth: it seemed like the lord genuinely cared about their well-being.
But weren’t lords typically nobles? Even if this one was new, they must still be a noble descendant to have the wealth to purchase land.
Someone couldn’t resist asking, “Who exactly is our lord?”
Jenna raised an eyebrow, lying without hesitation, “I don’t know either. I just handle tasks and have never met the lord in person.”
The person pressed further, “Does Mr. Isaac know?”
Jenna replied vaguely, “Not sure. But I’d advise against asking him—he’s very tight-lipped.”
The team members gave up their inquiries, shouldering the day’s loot as they happily made their way back to the town.
—
That day, it seemed like everyone in Qiana Town was in good spirits.
…Except for Xibel.
She had been busy recruiting public security volunteers since nine in the morning and worked all the way until six in the evening. When she saw there were no more interviewees outside, she sighed, feeling dejected, and went to find Isaac.
Isaac, a master craftsman, was deeply engrossed in making a medical panel for quickly registering individuals needing free medical care. According to his design, the panel would be multifunctional. If the territory later opened an official hospital, the panel could also be used there, simply switching from free services to paid ones.
When Isaac was focused on his work, he tended to ignore everything else. Xibel had to knock on his door several times before he noticed. He quickly got up to open it, and before the door was even a third open, Xibel sighed and walked in.
“Ugh… Can’t you talk to the lord about dropping this public security volunteer idea? I think we should just forget about it.”
Isaac was stunned. “What happened?” He gave Xibel a once-over, looking a bit surprised. “You couldn’t find suitable candidates? That’s impossible. With so many people, not even one above level 45?”
Xibel replied, “First of all, there really aren’t many above level 40, so I relaxed the requirements a bit. Many people between level 35 and 40 wanted to give it a try, so I interviewed them as well.”
Isaac nodded. “That should be fine.”
Xibel gave a bitter smile. “Level isn’t the issue—it’s the personality that’s hard to deal with. I’ve met several people who, how should I put it… have a strong sense of justice but are a bit too hot-headed. Those who are emotionally stable often come across as either sly or timid. In the end, I only found three people who were a good fit in every aspect. But we can’t have just three people responsible for the entire territory’s safety all the time, can we?”
Isaac shook his head. “You don’t need to be that strict. Don’t forget—you also have the oversight team to support them.”
“You can’t think like that. Our so-called supervision is really just ‘cleaning up the aftermath.’ No matter what we do, once something happens, it’s already happened, and someone has already been hurt,” Xibel reflected. “From my perspective, I’d rather prevent issues before they occur, reducing future risks as much as possible through the selection process.”
Isaac remained silent.
Xibel’s reasoning, though idealistic at first glance, was correct.
The so-called “security squad” wasn’t just any group of territory employees. It was a “forceful entity.” Their combat abilities, far superior to those of ordinary residents, meant they could easily cause harm. If any of them acted with selfish motives, the negative consequences could be disastrous.
Regardless of whether those consequences were minor or severe, in the eyes of the common people, they would represent the “official stance of the territory.”
In other words, the reliability of this squad could directly influence the territory’s reputation.
After pondering for a while, Isaac asked, “What do you suggest?”
Xibel was straightforward. “I think we shouldn’t rush this. Let’s create as comprehensive a selection process as possible—something akin to the exams used by tax bureaus, banks, or the knight selection process. I know those systems aren’t perfect, but they’re certainly better than relying on my judgment alone, right?”
That was pure idealism!
Isaac chuckled helplessly. “Do you know how many years it took for knight selection and tax or banking assessments to reach their current forms? At least decades.”
“Uh…” Xibel was momentarily at a loss for words. “Or maybe we could look into how a territory with a good police system handles things and borrow their methods?”
Isaac sighed even more helplessly. “Jenna and Chase have been working on the police system for a while. If there were models we could borrow, do you think we’d still be struggling to establish it?”
Xibel refused to give up. “Then what about the knights…”
Isaac: “The lord can’t afford them.”
“…” Xibel was speechless.
—
Nightfall Restaurant.
After Ye Mu extended the restaurant’s hours from dinner-only to full-day service, distinct “peak” and “off-peak” periods emerged. Peak times naturally aligned with breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours, while off-peak times were the late morning and afternoon when most people were busy with their own affairs.
However, with the territory’s population increasing significantly in recent days, her restaurant hadn’t expanded, and the off-peak hours became far less noticeable.
Even if 99% of the new residents were impoverished, the remaining 1% were at least financially stable. Additionally, many of those who sold their properties in their previous territories were now in better financial situations. These individuals were curious about the restaurant and quickly became its patrons.
The new customers were, of course, delighted with the food. Regardless of their financial standing, none of them were nobles—if they’d fled in a hurry to avoid paying the Christmas tax, they clearly weren’t of noble birth. None of them had ever eaten anything so delicious in their lives.
Except for one table in the corner.
Seated there were two young men in their twenties. They were brothers: the elder, Desmond Anderson, and the younger, Jeremiah Anderson—known to acquaintances as the “Anderson Brothers.”
When they were children, a drunken noble set fire to their home at night, killing their parents, grandparents, and maternal grandparents in the blaze. Only the two brothers survived because they had stayed out late playing.
Since then, they’d harbored an intense hatred for the nobility. Forced to flee their previous home after failing to pay the Christmas tax, they had come to Qiana Town, rumored to be different from other places.
They soon heard about the Nightfall Restaurant.
People said there was a “culinary god” here, serving noble cuisine at an affordable price.
They also said she was likely a noble herself, perhaps an illegitimate child of some aristocrat—clearly not an ordinary person. Her reason for opening the restaurant was said to be purely for the sake of “experiencing humanity.”
The rumors praised her highly, describing her as beautiful, kind-hearted, and generous. She supposedly taught cooking skills to commoners for free and had even donated food to the territory in recent days.
To the Anderson brothers, these rumors were nothing but ironic and absurd.
—How could a noble ever deserve such praise?
Year after year, countless people had been driven from their homes, torn apart, and ruined by the tyranny of nobles.
Now, someone who had basked in the wealth gained from exploitation and oppression simply sold a few dishes and taught a bit of cooking, and that was enough to earn their admiration?
Why didn’t anyone consider that her generosity was only possible because she wasn’t short on money? And that her wealth came from extracting every ounce of profit from ordinary people?
No matter how well she pretended, she was still just a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Although filled with resentment, the Anderson brothers decided to be fair and came to the Nightfall Restaurant to see for themselves.
When the dishes were served, everything became clear:
This was not food an ordinary person could ever afford to taste—it was undeniably noble cuisine.