Chapter 131 | After Rebirth, I Became the Dungeon's Hidden Boss

Yu Lingye looked at Lia.

The two of them had already agreed on the specific wages and settlement terms before coming here.

Lia flipped open the thin booklet in her hands and spoke slowly.

“The three of you will start on a ten-day trial period under the standard for foremen. Your daily wage will be twelve copper coins, which includes two meals and lodging. Wages will be settled every ten days.”

A sudden silence fell over the front of the old station. Ian's mouth hung slightly open, unable to react for a moment.

Toby lowered his head and began counting on his fingers. After counting all ten, he started over from the first one.

Miles asked hesitantly, “Ten days... that's one hundred and twenty copper coins?”

“One gold coin and two silver coins,” Lia reminded him.

The three brothers were completely stunned.

When they had first tried to rob Yu Lingye, the three of them combined had only possessed two chipped copper coins.

Now, as long as they worked honestly for ten days, each of them would earn more than what an ordinary day laborer made in ten days, on top of having food to eat and a place to sleep.

Could this be a dream?

Toby swallowed hard. “Are there really two meals every day?”

“Black bread, hot soup, and vegetables, with a serving of meat every three days,” Lia replied.

Faced with such generous terms, Toby's eyes lit up instantly. Ian also swallowed his spit, though he was still thinking about the recruitment.

“What about the day laborers we recruit?”

“Ordinary day laborers will get ten copper coins a day, and the person responsible for cooking and tidying up the living quarters will also get ten. Skilled carpenters and stonemasons will receive three silver coins a day.” Lia closed the booklet. “They will also receive two meals a day, settled every ten days, with no deductions from their wages for room and board.”

“However, anyone who slacks off, causes trouble, or deliberately damages materials will have it recorded in the register. Those who refuse to correct their behavior after repeated warnings will have their employment terminated immediately.”

Miles's breathing grew visibly heavier.

While these wages weren't particularly extravagant for a standard road repair project, to them, it was more than enough to live like decent human beings again.

He turned back to glance at his two younger brothers.

Much of the slyness on Ian's face had faded, while Toby was still seriously calculating exactly how many loaves of black bread a single gold coin could buy.

Miles turned back around and bowed deeply. “Milady, you saved our lives and are even willing to give us an honest job. For such great kindness, we brothers will definitely not disappoint you. We will rebuild this station well.”

Ian immediately followed up with a promise. “Leave the recruitment to me. I won't recruit any Descenders, and I will absolutely never take referral fees from anyone.”

Toby thumped his chest hard. “I'll guard the materials. If anyone dares to steal anything, I'll—I'll report it to Steward Lia first!”

Yu Lingye looked at them and nodded.

In truth, she didn't fully believe that these men were already loyal just because of their promises.

Their willingness to be obedient now was solely because of the antidote, food, and a visible source of income.

But that was more than enough.

Having been a working-class employee for so many years in her past life, she knew better than anyone that an employer's verbal appreciation was far inferior to a salary paid on time.

No matter how big of a pie they painted, it couldn't fill an empty stomach.

No matter how sweet the words, if even a single copper coin was missing at the end of the month, all loyalty would quickly turn into resentment.

The reverse was also true.

If the rules were fair, the compensation was not withheld, and there was room for advancement for good performance...

As long as these three things were fulfilled, most people would diligently protect their livelihoods.

For now, she didn't need the three brothers to die for her; she only needed them to be unwilling to lose the life they currently had.

Once the station was truly built, their lodging, wages, and reputation would all be tied to this place. Naturally, they would care about it more than anyone else.

Miles hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What about after ten days? If we do a good job, will we still be temporary foremen?”

Yu Lingye didn't answer directly, only glancing at Lia.

Lia instantly understood her meaning.

“Milady does not lack three men who can only move rocks.”

The joy on the three brothers' faces faded slightly.

“Once the ten-day trial ends, as long as there are no issues with the personnel, materials, and progress, you will be promoted to official foremen at fifteen copper coins a day.”

Miles sucked in a sharp breath.

Twelve copper coins had already exceeded his expectations.

Fifteen copper coins meant that even if they never resorted to highway robbery again or followed caravans that could vanish at any moment, they would still be able to steadily support themselves.

Lia continued, “You may assign work within your scope of duties, log attendance, and recommend those who perform well to me.”

“However, you do not have the authority to set wages, hire, or fire people on your own, and you absolutely cannot beat, scold, or withhold the compensation of the workers.”

Miles listened with utmost seriousness, drawing several conclusions in his mind.

Official foremen were different from ordinary laborers.

As long as they truly did their jobs well, passing caravans would at least no longer call them bandits when they saw them.

They would have names, a permanent place to live, and an honest job they could openly talk about.

Perhaps in the future, when people spoke of this stretch of road, they would also mention the three Miles brothers who were responsible for rebuilding the station.

A warmth rose in his chest, and he lowered his head once more.

“Milady, Steward Lia. We brothers will definitely guard this place well.”

Ian and Toby nodded along.

Yu Lingye said, “We'll have to see how well you perform first.” She raised her hand and pointed at the rotting beam still stuck in the mud. “Get that out first.”

Miles immediately turned around and began barking orders. “Ian, go grab the rope! Toby, shoulder the heaviest side!”

The three of them gathered around once more.

Toby bent down to hoist one end of the beam onto his shoulder, Miles guided the direction from the front, and Ian dragged the rope around to the other side.

Before long, the beam was successfully dragged out of the mud.

Now that they no longer had frog heads, the old station finally echoed with the sounds of the three brothers calling out to urge each other on.

As the sun set, cooking smoke rose from behind the dilapidated roof for the first time.

Gathering around the freshly served hot soup, the three brothers actually hesitated to start eating.

Toby lowered his head to sniff it several times. The steam billowed onto his face, and he could see chopped vegetables in the soup, with a few droplets of oil floating on the surface.

He seemed worried that this was only meant for them to look at, and that it would be snatched away the moment they actually reached for it.

“Eldest Brother, is this really for us to eat?”

Miles's gaze softened, and he nudged his chin toward Toby. “Eat. Just remember to work harder tomorrow.”

Having received confirmation, Toby finally grabbed a piece of black bread and bit off more than half of it in one go.

The bread was not soft—it was even rather coarse—but he chewed it with immense focus, as if it were some rare delicacy.

Ian held the hot soup and eagerly took a sip.

As the warm soup slid down his throat and into his stomach, the tension that had gripped his shoulders all day finally dissolved.

His gaze drifted across the campfire, landing on Lia, who was counting the timber not far away.

“Eldest Brother.”

“What is it?”

“Just who is that lady?”

Miles remained silent for a moment, looking toward the distant dense fog.

That woman had been able to turn them from frog monsters back into humans, and she could even act as an intermediary for a noble.

No matter how he looked at it, she did not seem like an ordinary adventurer.

What's more, she still hadn't revealed her name.

It wasn't that Miles didn't have his suspicions, but he understood all too well that knowing too much wasn't necessarily a good thing.

“Who cares who she is.” He lowered his head and tore off a piece of bread. “She turned us back into humans and gave us work. That makes her our greatest benefactor. If we want to repay her, we just need to do our jobs well.”

Ian thought about it and didn't press further.

He had always been clever and understood that some secrets were not for people of their status to pry into.

As long as their wages were paid on time and the station was successfully rebuilt, it didn't matter what that lady's background was, nor did it matter where the noble actually lived. None of it had anything to do with them.