Chapter 383 Sorry, can’t do it

  In the warehouse behind the "Daily Groceries" store, a round-faced little boy wearing wide overalls and cloth shoes is busy.

The little boy raised a large wooden box that could contain himself with both hands, walked steadily to the basement, and gently placed the box on the shelf.

 After stacking the large boxes neatly, he used charcoal to mark the date and quantity on them.

 Then, the little boy swept the floor with a broom, waved a feather duster to clean up the dust and cobwebs on the shelves, and wiped the stair railings, cabinets and countertops with a rag.

 After finishing all this, he washed the cleaning utensils with water and put them back to their original places, then washed his hands and face. He walked all the way outside the front hall and knocked lightly on the door.

“Uncle Yanbu, I have sorted out the warehouse and cleaned it. Come and take a look.”

The middle-aged man dozing in front of the counter rubbed his eyes and yawned: "Don't look, Xiaoye, I can rest assured that you are doing your work."

 He ​​stood up and stretched, then took out two 50-denomination city bonds from his pocket and handed them over: "Take them, don't drop them."

"But, Uncle Yanbu...the weekly salary is 50 seashells? You paid too much."

Ono looked hesitant and raised his hand but did not pick up the two banknotes.

"This is what you deserve."

Yanbu stuffed two banknotes into Ono's pocket, rubbed his nose and said, "A month ago, I went out to purchase goods, and there was a fire behind the store... The boss next door said that you worked hard to put out the fire and rescued this guy."

He looked at the brown beagle at his feet: "I'm not married. Dagu is my child. You saved it, so I would like to express my gratitude. I should have given you more, but this store is in a downturn. I was completely broke after the last reconstruction, and I don’t know how long I can survive.”

Ono hesitated and put the two city bonds in his pocket on the table.

“Please keep this store open and pay me when you have money later.”

At this time, Yanbu was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed: "You have to think about it. If you don't get the money today, you may not be able to get it in the future. This small shop may close down at any time."

 “Please hold on! You are a good person who will not skimp! Business will be fine!”

 Ono bowed and ran out quickly.

The middle-aged man looked at the child's running back, and the smile on his face gradually faded. He gently collected the two banknotes on the table and stuffed them into his pocket.

“What a simple stupid boy. It’s because I don’t know how to withhold money that I can’t do business well.”

Yanbu touched his beloved dog’s head: “Dago, are you right?”

 The puppy barked twice.

“Seeing the child, I thought it would be good to have a child.”

 Yanbu's face showed a little melancholy.

He looked at the puppy Dagu: "What do you think, Xiaoye and I become father and son? Do you think it's good too? What? You must adopt him, and you said you won't steal the inheritance from him... Do you like him so much?" Well, since you have asked me so, I have to think of a solution."

 …

 Ono left the store, the more he thought about it, the more he regretted it.

 Without those 50 seashells, I would be hungry.

 The boss's business has always been very poor.

 Ono has been working in the store for five years. He is very aware of the store's shipments and purchases, especially since it has been losing money in the past two years. The fire not long ago caused heavy losses to Yanbu. The middle-aged boss was confused for a long time. He couldn't hear what he was called many times, which was a very heavy blow.

Ono looked at the street in a daze.

 The boss is quite miserable, but how can I fill my stomach?

 As a Huoqi tribe, Ono needs to make money to buy the Almighty Stone to satisfy his hunger.

The Fire and Steam Tribe feeds on the Almighty Stone, regardless of whether it is polluted or pure, it does not affect it. But it can only be purchased at designated specialty stores through city bonds. Without the Almighty Stone, no matter how much coal, kerosene or wood you swallow, you will still feel intense hunger, have no strength to act at all, and your brain will not be able to move. .

Ono could feel that the burning in the steam stove in his chest was weakening.

Without the supply of Almighty Stone, the body of the Fire and Steam Tribe will become extremely heavy, and in severe cases, it will even fall into shutdown and dormancy - equivalent to the death of a Fire and Steam Tribe.

Even if the Almighty Stone and fuel are refilled, the Fire Steam Clan may not be able to be awakened again. At that time, it was just a human-shaped Fire Steam Furnace.

 O God Yao, please help me and give me enlightenment... I am so hungry that I can hear birds chirping in my head.

 As a devout believer, Ono never forgets to pray.

 A voice suddenly came from my ears.

“Children, do you want to come and work at my place? Are you a Huoqi tribe?”

 The speaker was a smiling woman.

 Be alert in your small ambitions.

Just looking at the appearance, it is difficult to identify the fire and steam family. But if you have frequent contact with the Huoqi tribe, you will find that they are still different from ordinary people.

No matter how much the body resembles a flesh-and-blood body, the fire and steam tribe will not feel pain when their body is damaged. Therefore, the fire and steam tribe was not considered to be human beings at first, but an alien species resulting from transmutation.

The perception of the Fire Race is actually very keen. Unlike ordinary people who use their five senses to touch the world, they use the extraordinary power generated after burning the Almighty Stone to touch other objects to get feedback, making their perception more three-dimensional.

Just because the transformation was affected by the environment of the Yao people, they are still used to seeing, hearing, and touching.

 The strange woman recognized her identity at a glance, which made Ono very cautious.

 In the early days, many Huoqi people were trafficked and deceived. Later, Yaocheng and Yancheng recognized the legal status of the Huoqi people and jointly promulgated relevant protection bills, which curbed this trend.

 Even so, because the Huoqi people belong to a special minority group, they are still easily targeted by some lawless people.

“Don’t be nervous, I’m the owner of that store, my name is Shang Zi.”

 The woman raised her hand and pointed across the street.

Ono took a look.

It is a pet taming shop that deals in training and taming pet puppies, including various dogs, foxes, rabbits, lizards, pheasants, etc.

 The pet trend is changing rapidly in Yancheng, and it is not easy to do this business. Ono found the image of the woman in his memory. She was indeed the owner of that store.

 “We’ll have pets with bad tempers.”

The female boss blinked: "Ordinary animal trainers have a hard time eating and are often injured, but if you switch to a fire and steam tribe, it should be fine, right?"

 “Why are you looking for me?”

 Ono still kept a distance from the opponent.

"You work in Yanbu's shop, right? I opened the shop for two years, and you worked in his shop for two years, with a weekly salary of 50 seashells. It has not changed in two years. Am I right? I am a person I care more about the reliability and duty of my employees. According to my experience, if Yanbu’s store is burned down by that fire, I’m afraid it will be difficult to keep it open.”

“Come and work at my place, I’ll give you a weekly salary of 140 seashells.” Shang Zi said with a smile.

 “What kind of pets do you have in your store?”

 “Let me think about it…”

Shang Zi clapped his fingers: "There are lions, wolves, crocodiles, pythons...Customers nowadays have more serious tastes. Without these ferocious guys, no one would want to keep them."

“Oh, there is also an aberrant beast, but its prototype is a steam carriage, so the danger is not bad. It’s just not easy to appease this guy.”

 There was a thump in the little ambition.

 Sure enough.

 The focus is on the aberrant beast.

Shang Zi said: "If you are willing to come, I can give you a daily salary. You look hungry, right? It would be more comfortable to eat some Almighty Stone, even if it is just for one day?"

 In the end, Ono accepted the employment.

He followed Shang Zi into the large pet store. There was a special warehouse behind the store, and two tall jade rabbit bodyguards were guarding both sides of the door.

 After opening the door, Ono saw an old-fashioned steam carriage inside.

It has classic wide-width iron wheels, and the carriage and seats retain the old-fashioned style from decades ago.

The body of the steam carriage is wrapped with iron ropes, and copper chains are wrapped between the iron ropes. The thick iron ropes are connected to the foundation stones at the four corners of the warehouse.

“It doesn’t have much fuel left in its body, so it can’t break out of here.”

Shang Zi said: "But it is an aberrant beast after all, and it can go crazy easily. Xiaoye, try your best to get along with it. The coal is in the box next to it. If it is hungry, just feed it some."

"Mainly, my client is a big shot. He likes aberrations and is interested in this classic car. He has no choice but to keep it. This aberration has a weird temper and is suspicious. If you throw coal to it, it will only To crush it, you have to run around in front of it with the coal and let it grab it... before it will eat."

The female boss also looked helpless: "So you know what the trouble is with this job, right?"

"Understood."

 Ono nodded.

"Then, it's your job tonight. Be sure to feed it some food. It has been on hunger strike for nearly a week, and I don't want it to be of poor quality anymore. It will be worth a discount by then."

 …

 The door slowly closes.

A hanging lamp is fixed on the top of the warehouse, and the dim light shrouds the small space, coating the chained carriage with a layer of light gold.

Ono first took down a set of thick leather armor from the hanger in the corner, put on a face-covering helmet, long boots and thick gloves, then opened a box on the side and took out a bag of coal.

Then he ran around the steam carriage.

The other party has no response.

Ono tried throwing a piece of coal and hit the iron horse head of the old car, making a clang sound.

 He muttered in his mind.

 Is this aberrant beast...dead?

At this time, a cold voice came from the car: "Are you sick? Did I mess with you while I was sleeping? Can you be polite?"

not dead?

Ono was surprised, but what surprised him even more was that this aberrant beast could actually talk!

 “You can actually speak?”

“Nonsense, I can speak seven languages: Yao, Dragon, Bo, Elf, Bamboo Reed and Ghost World.”

Ono was shocked.

His eyes suddenly opened wide: "You are not an aberration...are you a fire and steam tribe?"

"Not all fire and steam tribes have good brains, and not all aberrations are primitive beasts. Some of the fire and steam tribe are born with disabilities, and some of the aberrations are good at various languages. Thank you."

The steam carriage made a clicking sound, and the front of the carriage slowly stood up. The body of the carriage was greatly twisted and deformed, folded and twisted into a strong horse-headed man sitting cross-legged on the ground. Under the illumination of the hanging lamp, his angular body reflects the metallic halo.

"While I'm still normal, let's make a deal. You let me go and I'll give you a box of omnipotent stones. It's very simple. You just need to take the chain over there..."

 “I’m sorry, I can’t do it.” Ono kept his distance from it and shook his head.

 “Whatever they give you, I will give you double.”

 “Are you hungry?” Ono raised the charcoal bag in his hand.

“I’m talking about cooperation with you, and you ask me if I’m hungry?”

After a moment of silence, the horse-headed man sitting cross-legged raised his metal finger and said: "Here are half a box of washed coal, another bucket of heating magic oil that has been used to absorb impurities with charcoal, and a bundle of raw pine firewood. Finally, Just remember to sprinkle rose petals, just dry roses. That’s it.”

　　　…”

 (End of this chapter)