The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 76. The Newcomers’ Dilemma

Chapter 76: 76. The Newcomers’ Dilemma

"Hmmm..." Tyler was in deep thought while holding the free food. If they were providing free food, why was food listed among the free items? The inconsistency puzzled him.

He ate dinner silently with Silvia, surrounded by others in the same predicament. The gruel, filled with common vegetables and rice, wasn’t bad. As he observed the room, he noticed some people praying before eating, their murmured words barely audible over the din.

"...May every bite remind us clear, Of all your wonders, far and near. With every taste, we feel your grace, In each and every sacred place..." they prayed, their devotion clear.

The next day arrived with a tangible sense of excitement. The newbies were waiting in the street, eager to find a job and survive for a month. Tyler held Silvia’s tiny hand and stood among the crowd, looking up in awe as people flew on giant paper cranes.

"Are they formation methods or talisman methods?" Tyler became more interested in these things. He decided to look for books that resembled formations.

The crimson-robed figures, disciples of the Crimson Blood Sect, descended gracefully, their paper cranes shrinking and folding neatly into their pockets.

One of the disciples, with an uninterested expression, asked, "Where is Supervisor Han?"

"Hello, Senior Disciples. Sorry I’m late," Supervisor Han said, walking leisurely toward them.

Tyler was shocked to see Supervisor Han in red robes, though the shade was slightly different from the others. It confirmed that Supervisor Han was also an official disciple.

After a brief conversation among themselves, Supervisor Han addressed the crowd, which fell silent. "People who have the strength to mine, raise your hand," he instructed.

Some people raised their hands.

"People who can farm."

"People who can cook, raise your hand."

"People who know how to do math and write."

Supervisor Han continued asking questions about various skills like construction and medicine without noting anything down. His method seemed almost arbitrary but carried an underlying logic.

"People who have some knowledge about plants here," he called out. Tyler was the only one to raise his hand, and everyone looked at him with surprise. Supervisor Han, however, seemed unsurprised.

"You, you, you, and you," Supervisor Han pointed at several people, assigning them to mining. Some others, thinking they could blend into the chosen group, felt a stinging pain on their cheeks and were thrown back by an unseen force.

"You, you, and the one in the green shirt, to the Medical department," he continued, allocating most of the group to various tasks. In the end, only Tyler and Silvia remained unassigned.

"You both will work in my office," Supervisor Han declared, drawing envious looks from the others.

Faces filled with dissatisfaction surrounded them, but no one dared to voice their complaints. After all, they had just seen the consequences of crossing Supervisor Han.

After saying a few more words, Supervisor Han left. One of the disciples from the Medical Hall laughed evilly and said, "Go and use your two free chances to get these medicinal herbs."

The people selected by the Medical Department were dumbfounded, while the others gloated at their misfortune. But soon their expressions turned grim as they were also ordered to do the same. Some were asked for materials, some for ores.

"You two," one of the guys from another department pointed at Tyler and Silvia. It seemed to be a tradition to bully the newbies.

Something slipped from Tyler’s hand. "Oh no. I accidentally dropped the token that Supervisor Han gave me," Tyler said loudly, making others dumbfounded. They ignored Tyler since he had Supervisor Han’s token and thus had to give Supervisor Han some face and not make things difficult for Tyler and Silvia.

Under the envious gaze, Tyler left with Silvia. Unlike the others, Tyler had only promised Supervisor Han for one free item. He felt lucky. What Tyler didn’t know was that everyone would get extorted even more in the following days. Tyler was still using his first free chance under the guise of ’checking the goods.’ So he and Silvia could still get three more items.

People who had silently mocked Tyler for wasting his chance couldn’t help but regret it now. If they could turn back time, they would have definitely used all of their five free chances on the first day.

Tyler and Silvia stood before Supervisor Han, who handed Tyler a notebook. Supervisor Han didn’t pay much attention to Silvia, uncertain if the little girl could be of any help.

"Your task for today is to visit the plantation, count how many people are working there, and bring back some tea leaves," Supervisor Han said. Tyler was baffled. It seemed too easy, right?

"Is that all?" Tyler asked, trying to mask his surprise.

Supervisor Han gave him a stern look. "Yes, that’s all. Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be."

Tyler nodded, taking Silvia’s hand as they left the office. As they walked toward the plantation, Tyler couldn’t help but reflect on their situation. The apparent ease of the task felt like a reprieve, a chance to gather their thoughts and strategize without immediate danger.

The plantation was a sprawling area with rows upon rows of tea bushes. Workers moved methodically, tending to the plants and harvesting the leaves. Tyler also saw some newcomers learning from their seniors.

Tyler silently counted the number of workers and told Silvia, who noted it down. Despite being a little girl, her writing was fast and neat, her handwriting even better than Tyler’s.

Silvia tugged on his sleeve and pointed to the side. Tyler looked where she pointed. "Oh, there’s a shed over there. Maybe we can get the tea leaves from there."

Tyler led her toward the shed. Inside, they found baskets filled with freshly picked tea leaves. He scooped a generous amount into a smaller basket, making sure they had enough to fulfill their task.

When they returned to Supervisor Han, Tyler handed over the notebook and the basket of tea leaves. Supervisor Han glanced at the notes and nodded approvingly.

"Good job. You completed the task efficiently," he said, then he glanced at the tea leaves and nodded in satisfaction.

"Did you take some for yourselves?" he asked.

Tyler and Silvia shook their heads. Supervisor Han picked up a small bag, put some leaves in it, and handed it to Tyler. "It’s okay. Next time, try to get some for yourself too. But do remember, you are not allowed to sell it."

Tyler thanked him and took the bag.

As they left, Tyler felt a mixture of relief and confusion.

"You look confused, Uncle Horny," Silvia said with a teasing grin.

"And you were cute when you kept your mouth shut," Tyler replied, rolling his eyes. They bickered playfully as they walked back to their quarters, their light-hearted banter a welcome distraction from the uncertainty of their situation.

Tyler and Silvia shared the same room, so Tyler took a bath first and left. Despite the day’s smoothness, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the real challenges were yet to come. The concept of ’survive’ here still eluded him.

The next day arrived, and everyone went to work. This time, Tyler’s task was to go to the mines and count the workers there. The supervisor of the mines, a gruff but fair man, handed Tyler a few small gems like rocks as a token of appreciation for his diligence. Tyler gave them to Supervisor Han, who examined the gems and handed Tyler some Lydia in return.

There’s a shopping street on the Floating Island. Tyler decided to visit it on a holiday.

Tyler thanked him, realizing that the gems were valuable. He felt that the supervisor at the mine was kind-hearted.

Four days have passed since the trial started. Tyler and Silvia’s daily life consisted of studying the books in the name of ’checking’, taking surveys, and trying to gather more information about the one-month trial.

On the fifth day, everything changed. Tragedy struck without warning.

Tyler and Silvia, who went to the canteen to eat, saw many people with depressed looks.

"What happened?" Tyler asked a man. The man noticed Tyler and said, "Mr. White, something happened in the mines. An iron-eating worm suddenly appeared and attacked the workers. The mine supervisor used some of the newbies as bait and killed the iron-eating worm. Ten people died."

Silvia grabbed Tyler’s hand in fright.

Crimson Blood Sect is an unorthodox sect. Tyler remembered those words. Now Tyler felt a little relief. If everything seemed good, that meant something wrong was happening in the dark. But since those things happened in light, he felt a little relieved that an unorthodox sect acts as an unorthodox sect.

"Also, at the Herbs Plantation, many people are getting sick. Some herbs are harmful to people. Many of them used one of their free chances to get treatment and another one to get safety gear," the man said. Almost every newbie knew who White and Black were. They are the luckiest ones in this batch.

"Some people used their remaining chances and chose to leave."

Tyler’s eyes widened and he hurriedly asked, "Where are they?"

The man was taken aback by Tyler’s question. But he still answered. Tyler thanked him, gave him some Lydia, and left.

He told Silvia to have dinner and pack up his portion and left.