The old station was much tidier than when Yu Lingye had last left it.
The large pieces of rotten wood in the middle of the road had been dragged to the side, and several of the deepest mud pits had been filled with gravel.
Three frog heads were currently huddling around a rotting beam, looking troubled.
The one wearing a straw hat squatted at the front, gesturing for a long time while the other two pushed and pulled. Yet, the beam only budged half an inch in the mud.
Yu Lingye stood by the roadside and watched for a moment before speaking.
“It seems you really haven't been slacking off while I was away.”
The three frogs froze simultaneously, and the one in the straw hat whipped its head around.
Once it clearly saw who was standing by the roadside, it jumped up from the ground as if pricked by a needle.
“Ribbit!”
The other two also hurriedly let go of the beam.
The thinner frog slipped, crashing into the one beside it, and the two tumbled into the mud in a tangled heap.
The straw-hat frog ignored them, scrambling over on all fours. It was about to kneel and kowtow when its gaze suddenly fell upon the figure beside Yu Lingye.
Lia stood there quietly, wearing her sleek black Steward uniform. Her mere presence was completely out of place in this dilapidated station.
Although Miles could not tell what was so special about the outfit, he could see that she was definitely no ordinary maid. She looked more like a high-ranking manager who held real power in some ancient noble house.
He instinctively stood up straight. The other two also scrambled up from the mud, nervously shrinking behind their eldest brother.
Yu Lingye raised her hand to introduce her. “This is Lia.”
“She is that noble's Steward. From now on, she will be in charge of the station's renovation, personnel arrangements, material distribution, and wage settlements.”
The three of them looked at Lia in unison, and Lia gave a slight nod.
The straw-hat frog nodded hurriedly. “Ribbit, ribbit!”
Yu Lingye frowned slightly as she listened.
“I almost forgot, you still can't speak normally.”
She retrieved three narrow-necked glass bottles from the inside of her cloak, a light blue liquid sloshing gently inside.
The three frog heads instantly widened their eyes.
The straw-hat frog pointed at the medicine bottles, then at its own head.
“Ribbit?”
“The antidote,” Yu Lingye said, handing the potions over. “One bottle for each of you. Drink it and you'll recover. The process might be a bit uncomfortable, so bear with it.”
The straw-hat frog caught the bottle, its partially frog-like hand visibly trembling.
It looked down at the liquid inside, then turned back to glance at its two younger brothers.
The thin frog shrank back half a step, while the other big-headed frog craned its neck, staring unblinkingly at the bottle.
The straw-hat frog pulled out the cork, tilted its head back, and gulped down the entire potion.
The moment the bitter liquid entered its mouth, its eyes bulged wildly.
The next second, it dropped the empty bottle and knelt on the ground, clutching its throat.
“Blegh—”
The thin frog backed away in terror on the spot.
“Ribbit!”
Yu Lingye's expression remained calm. “A normal reaction. It won't kill you.”
The straw-hat frog lay on the ground, dry-heaving a few times as a fine mist of moisture gradually broke out over its exposed skin.
Its greenish skin began to fade.
Its bulging eyes slowly receded, and its mouth shrank back to normal. Its thick tongue darted out uncontrollably once before quickly snapping back inside.
Before long, the figure lying on the ground was no longer a frog monster, but a dark-skinned, middle-aged man with a messy beard.
He gasped for breath and raised his head, trembling as he felt his face. When his palm touched his nose, he froze completely.
“I'm... I'm back to normal...”
His voice was still raspy, but it was finally no longer a string of croaks.
The thin one and the bald one lunged forward at the same time, croaking frantically.
The messy-bearded man's eyes reddened. He raised his hand and slapped both of them.
“What are you staring for? Drink it, quick!”
This time, the two did not hesitate. They uncorked their bottles and gulped down the antidote. Soon, a chorus of dry-heaving echoed one after another.
A moment later, the other two's frogification also gradually faded away.
One was tall and thin, with sunken cheeks and quick-shifting eyes.
The other was completely bald and slightly sturdier than his two older brothers. The first thing he did after recovering was feel his mouth and try sticking out his tongue.
Finding that his tongue would no longer snap out, he let out a visible sigh of relief.
The three stared at each other for a long while before the messy-bearded man fell to his knees with a thud.
“Milady!”
The other two knelt down as well.
“Thank you for saving our lives, Milady!”
“We'll never eat random things again!”
The last sentence came from the bald one.
The messy-bearded man turned to glare at him, but he did not scold him as he usually did. His eyes were still slightly red.
They had originally thought they would have to live with those monstrous appearances forever.
Let alone entering villages to find work, even getting close to a crowd might result in mercenaries mistaking them for monsters and hacking them to death.
Yet, the woman before them had actually returned. Not only had she not forgotten her promise, but she had also brought the medicine to restore them.
Yu Lingye looked at the three kneeling in a row and said, “Stand up first.”
The three hastily scrambled up from the mud, standing straighter than the next.
“Names,” she demanded.
The messy-bearded man quickly said, “I'm Miles, the eldest.”
He pointed to the thin man beside him. “This is my second brother, Ian.” Finally, he pointed to the bald one. “The youngest is Toby.”
Toby earnestly added, “We're blood brothers.”
Ian couldn't help but retort, “Do you really need to say that when we look like this?”
Toby rubbed his bald head. “But we don't really look alike either...”
“Shut up,” Miles muttered in reprimand, before turning back to Yu Lingye.
“Milady, my brothers and I used to follow caravans. We've done everything from hauling cargo and fixing wagons to clearing roads. Later, the trade route was cut off and our employer fled. We really couldn't find any work, so we thought...”
“So you thought of resorting to highway robbery,” Yu Lingye finished his sentence for him.
All three of them wore embarrassed expressions.
Yu Lingye continued, “With the meager equipment you had back then, you might not have even survived by robbery.”
Ian muttered in a low voice, “We originally wanted to steal a horse to sell, then never do it again.”
Moon was standing not far away. Hearing the words "steal a horse," it slowly turned its head.
Ian met its gaze, his face turning pale in an instant as he immediately hid behind Miles.
“I don't have that idea anymore! Never again in this lifetime!”
Only then did Moon lower its head again, slowly chewing the food Yu Lingye had brought.
Yu Lingye didn't scare them any further, raising her hand to point at the old station behind them.
“Since your bodies are fine now, let's talk business.”
“This station cannot be rebuilt by just the three of you. That noble has permitted you to go to Grey Oak Village and nearby villages to recruit day laborers.”
The eyes of the three lit up simultaneously, but Miles quickly grew cautious. “You're letting us recruit people?”
“Only recommendations,” Yu Lingye corrected him. “You can look for people, tell them there is work here, and bring suitable candidates over.”
“But whether they are ultimately hired must be personally screened by Lia. You do not have the authority to hire, fire, or promise wages on your own.”
Lia took out a thin booklet. The types of work and the number of people listed inside had already been agreed upon by the two of them before coming.
“Only ten people will be recruited for the first batch.”
“Two carpenters, one stonemason, six day laborers who have experience in road repair, hauling, and house building, and one person who can be responsible for cooking, boiling water, and tidying up the living quarters.”
Ian immediately asked, “As long as they're willing to work, it's fine?”
“No,” Lia said, looking at him. “Priority will be given to those who have a permanent residence nearby, or those who can find a local to vouch for them.”
“Those of unknown origin, or those who deliberately pry into the dense fog and the employer's identity, are not wanted. Descenders are not wanted either.”
Ian was taken aback. “Why can't we hire Descenders?”
Yu Lingye's tone was flat. “The origins of Descenders are difficult to verify, and their actions are unstable.”
“They like to investigate anomalies, especially when it comes to prying into the employer's identity. Right now, this station only needs people who are willing to work honestly.”
The three of them nodded, only half-understanding.
Lia continued to instruct, “After you find people, do not bring them directly in here. First, note down their names, residences, and what they used to do. Then, notify them to come outside the station for an interview in three days.”
“Only after passing my screening can they officially start working.”
Miles immediately said, “Understood.”
Yu Lingye felt that this man was more reliable than the others. She said, “You will be in charge of leading the work.”
“The main building of the station must be cleared out first. All hazardous walls must be demolished, the beams reinforced, and then the roof, doors, and windows repaired.”
“Before the main building is completed, do not rush to expand outward.”
Miles took serious note of this.
He knew that living quarters and warehouses for storing materials were far more important than whether the exterior looked good.
Yu Lingye pointed to both sides of the old station. “Before the main building and warehouse are completed, do not build guest rooms or other auxiliary structures. However, the drainage ditches, water well, and material area must be handled simultaneously.”
“Ian.” The suddenly named thin man immediately straightened his back.
“Here!”
“You have a quick tongue and are familiar with the nearby villages. You will be in charge of recruiting. However, you must only explain the conditions clearly. You cannot promise positions on our behalf, and you absolutely cannot collect referral fees from applicants.”
The smile that had just surfaced on Ian's face froze instantly. “I... I wasn't planning on collecting any.”
Yu Lingye stared at him without a word.
Ian felt guilty under her gaze and quickly raised his hand to promise, “I swear I won't take a single copper coin!”
“It had better be so.”
Yu Lingye then looked at Toby.
Toby immediately sucked in his stomach and puffed out his chest. The movement was so sudden that he almost choked on his own spit.
“You have the most strength, so you will be in charge of material hauling, night watch, and construction site safety.”
“After finishing work every day, all tools must be retrieved. If even a single shovel or rope is missing, you must report it to Lia.”
Toby nodded vigorously. “I'll keep a close eye on them!”
Ian reminded him from the side, “Learn how to count first.”
Toby was indignant. “I can count to fifty!”
Miles raised his hand and smacked the back of his head. “Then count back and forth twice.”
Watching them, Yu Lingye suddenly felt that leaving the accounts, money, and provisions in Lia's hands was indeed the right decision.
“Tools, timber, stone, iron nails, and ropes will all be provided by that noble.”
“Your previous weapons can no longer be used. Lia will replace them with a full set of work clothes, leather armor, and self-defense equipment.”
Hearing "leather armor," the three of them looked somewhat incredulous.
The few cracked pieces of leather armor they had before were salvaged from abandoned caravans. Wearing them served almost no purpose other than blocking the wind.
Lia added:
“The equipment temporarily belongs to the station.”
“You may retrieve them during work hours. Any unauthorized resale, pawning, or taking them away will result in immediate termination. Your wages will stop being settled, and the losses will be deducted from your earned compensation.”
Any small, stray thoughts that had just arisen in the three of them vanished instantly, and they nodded repeatedly.
They had originally thought that being able to restore their bodies and get a few full meals would already be a stroke of immense luck.
As for wages, none of the three had dared to bring them up on their own.
After all, just to survive, they had previously even quoted a price of one copper coin a day.
But hearing that the tools, materials, and equipment were all provided by the employer, Miles still couldn't help but harbor a tiny shred of hope.
He glanced at Yu Lingye and asked somewhat timidly:
“So... do we get paid?”
Rate on N.U.
