When the sky darkened, Sibi returned to the room with Jonah, who was light and fluttering and his feet did not touch the floor. Toba was overjoyed to see the astrologer come back, and immediately took out a large bag of water and drank it to prevent him from drying up into dried meat.
.
"Where are the others?" Jonah asked weakly, leaning on the bed with his rippling belly.
"A small task." The room manager rubbed his hands guiltily, "I'm sorry, sir, I forgot to explain..."
"Toba, please don't mention this to anyone from now on, okay?" Jonah looked helplessly at the big face of the Bazelar farmer.
Xibi had turned her face away and didn't dare to look at him. She started laughing when she saw him, "It almost made my abs laugh." The girl in green said with her shoulders shrugged.
"As you command, my lord! I have already forgotten about your diarrhea." Toba stood at attention and swore with the loyalty of a knight.
"You said they went on a... mission?" Jonah quickly changed the subject.
"Uncle, let me enlighten the newbie." Xibi clapped his hands, "Listen, brother, this is the second class of Cherry Du. You live in room A51, and you must have signed an agreement with dad. I heard
It's a working agreement for night lighting. Most tenants, like us, pay their monthly rent in cash. The 15th of every month is the rent payment day. Those who can't afford the rent must pay their rent before 12 noon on the 11th.
We must move out of Cherry Crossing.”
"What if we don't move?" Jonah interrupted.
A gentle little hand pressed on Jonah's rippling belly, and the astrologer apprentice almost spit out a jet of water.
"Please don't interrupt the lady's speech, thank you." Xibi blinked her big eyes innocently. Jonah nodded vigorously.
"You know, there are only three types of residents in Cherry Ferry. The first is the boat passengers waiting for the ferry; the second is the tenants seeking protection. No matter which type, they need to stay here for a long time. The cheapest room rate is A-class.
They are all astronomical figures. So..."
"Aren't there three types of people? Then the third type...wait, A-class rooms are the cheapest?" Jonah couldn't help but speak again.
This time Xibi only glanced at him and he shut up obediently.
“So, if you want to live here, you have to find a way to make money.
There are two ways to make money. First, robbery: outside of Cherry Crossing, outside of the Pit No. 6 you just saw, there are a large number of "powerless people". The so-called powerless people mean that they don't have money to rent rooms, but for some reason
People who must stay nearby for some reason, they will rob each other, kill each other, gather wealth, and buy room service; they will rob guests in A-class and G-class rooms - note that in the agreement, Dad does not protect these guests
To ensure the safety of property, tenants will also rob each other and even the powerless.
The second method is tasks: there are two types of tasks. One is a private task issued by a tenant holding a task order, which is posted on the bulletin board on the back wall of Dad’s house. Dad takes 10% of the task remuneration as a guarantee fee.
To ensure the interests of the publisher and the undertaker; the second type is the official task released by Dad through Mr. Eight Eyes, which is accepted by Mr. Eight Eyes. Only people or teams with recognized strength are allowed to enter the room and view the task details.
Dude, do you understand?"
Jonah was dizzy, "...Mr. Eight Eyes? Why sir?"
"This is a long story." Xibi looked at the ceiling with a longing expression, "It's extremely romantic."
"I didn't see you last night. Did you go to complete the mission?"
"That's right, dear newcomer, while you were standing on the roof playing with fire with a stupid look on your face, Sister Long Ji and I completed a super task with an S-level difficulty." Xibi said scornfully.
"Be respectful, sir!" Toba sat next to him with a helpless look on his face, reminding him from time to time.
Yona's little mind was spinning rapidly. After receiving the information that "A-class rooms are the cheapest", he was determined not to be fooled by the town manager's unreasonable intentions and asked cautiously: "So, what is the S-class mission?"
How difficult a task?”
"Second only to M, H, VH, VVH, VVVH levels." Xibi blinked.
"Then what S means is..."
"Simple."
"Then M (Medium), H (Hard), VH (VeryHard), VVH (VeryVeryHard), and VVVH (VeryVeryVeryHard) are medium, difficult, very difficult, very, very difficult, very, very, very difficult respectively." Jonah took a shot.
forehead.
"Man, you are quite smart. As the leader in S-class tasks, the person who issued this task, V-class tenant Mr. Dan, asked us to break the seventh vertebrae of Harold, the A-class tenant in room A77. The difficulty is not
Harold is a member of the 'Sick Dog' team, and the key is to complete the task accurately without letting him die within seventy-two hours, otherwise Dad will wipe the person who did it from the world. We are in Room A77
After squatting outside for a night, Harold finally came out to urinate alone. Sister Long Ji smashed his kneecaps with the hilt of a sword, dragged him to a secluded place, crushed his spine with her fingers, and threw him back to the door of the room as he was incontinent.
Dad thought it was a good job, and Mr. Harold, who was troubled by the little trouble caused by his paralysis, was still alive and well.
At three o'clock in the morning, the sick dog team in room A77 discovered that Harold had been attacked, and gathered all the team members to launch a revenge attack. We took them in a large circle along the river bank, and waited until the twelve-hour search time was up before returning to Cherry Ferry.
Mr. Dan is very satisfied. The reward for the mission is six gold coins, six gold coins!" Xibi proudly talked about his mission experience with his hands on his hips and his nose raised to the sky.
Jonah's eyes widened. Are these the rules of the outside world? A mere S-level mission is full of bloody killings, and money has become the axiom of Cherry Crossing. He couldn't help but think of the piles of corpses when the Red Stone Castle was destroyed.
What happened to this world? He suddenly hoped that if he could close his eyes and open them again, he could return to the isolated astrology tower, listen to Teacher Keshava's nagging, indulge in the world of geometry and arithmetic, and put the cruel
Leaving the present world behind. He tried. When he opened his eyes, he saw the gradually dimming black stone house and Xibi's innocent eyes. How could he still be so pure when his hands were covered in blood?
Jonah didn't know what to say.
"That...'Sick Dog' is made up of the tenants of Room A77? Why didn't they attack me? Why didn't Dad protect Harold's safety and not protect ours?"
Xibi turned around with a disappointed look on his face: "You really don't understand anything. Here is the "Cherry Ferry Survival Manual", which is a detailed explanation of the 'additional terms' behind the guest room agreement. Take a look at it carefully. Brother
, If uncle hadn’t been there to protect you last night, you wouldn’t have survived until 3:30 in the morning.”
After speaking, the girl in green threw a thick book on Yona's bed, walked to Toba, stood on tiptoes and patted the head of the room, and said a few words in Toba's ear,
Then he went out.
Toba stood up, bent down, lit the oil lamp on the wall, took off his small round hat, and said respectfully: "Sir, I have something to do and I have to go out. If you have something to do, just shout loudly. We are all nearby." No.
When Jonah returned the greeting, he also squeezed out of the house with difficulty, carefully closed the wooden door, and the sound of footsteps went away.
Jonah didn't know why, but he felt a little guilty. Following the prophecy and defeating the devil was such an empty ambition. What he needed to learn was how to survive first.
He calmed down and unfolded the "Cherry Ferry Survival Manual" with rough pages and slightly curled edges. A thin piece of paper floated out. It was the A-class guest room rental agreement signed by himself and his father. He saw
The crooked round characters of "J. Jonah II. Astrologer's Apprentice" made him feel unspeakably awkward. That was not his handwriting. It was the devil's handwriting. This was his first time in reality.
Perceive the presence of demons in life.
After reading the agreement and referring to the survival manual, Jonah read the 55 additional clauses on the back of the agreement one by one. These words were the only rules for survival in Cherry Crossing. Some of his questions were immediately answered.
“Additional Clause 33, release, acceptance, determination, revocation, termination and related matters of private tasks:
1. M-level tenants will be given one task release sheet after settling the room fee on the 11th of each month, and V-level tenants will be given two task release sheets;
2. Task release sheets are used to publish private tasks on the bulletin board. Each release sheet corresponds to a task. Alterations, defacements, and forgeries are invalid and will be regarded as a direct challenge to the protector of Cherry Crossing;
3. Tasks are limited to content that does not conflict with the rights of tenants at each level above. If there is a conflict, the task release will be deemed to have failed and the release order will be invalid; the task commission can be in cash or in kind, and the task can set a failure penalty, but the same cannot be said.
Conflicts with tenant rights;
4. The task release sheet will be protected as soon as it is posted. Any alteration, damage, or covering will be regarded as a direct challenge to the protector of Cherry Crossing;
5. When an individual or team (the person taking over is regarded as one or more people) tears off the task release sheet, it is deemed to have accepted the task, and it cannot be given up after accepting it;
6. After the individual or team completes the task, the release sheet will be returned to the protector. The protector will make a judgment of success or failure. During the completion of the task, the rights of the above-mentioned tenants at each level must not be violated, otherwise it will be regarded as a violation of the Cherry Crossing protector himself.
direct challenge;
7. If the task is successful, the publisher will pay the commission (or in kind), the protector will draw 10% (or equivalent) and pay it to the undertaker, and the task process will end;
8. If the task fails, if there is a corresponding failure penalty on the release order, it will be enforced; if there is no penalty, the task process will end;
9. The issuer can cancel the task after the task order is posted but before it is accepted, and the release order will be invalid; the task cannot be canceled after it is accepted;"
The "Survival Manual" takes pains to find various loopholes in Article 33. For example, the clause does not put any restrictions on the transfer of task orders, so task orders have become the hard currency of Cherry Crossing to a certain extent.
For tenants with property preservation benefits, it is extremely dangerous to have a task list; for another example, if the task reward is cash or kind, Dad will take a commission, but services, rights, information, etc. are not included, so the manual recommends task release
People try to pay remuneration in these ways to reasonably avoid taxes. Jonah did not look carefully. Article 40 attracted his attention.
“Additional Clause 40: Formation, existence, rights and obligations of the team:
1. Each room can form a team. The number of team members is between 3-6 people;
2. After signing the application form according to personal wishes and submitting it to the protector, the team will be declared established;
3. The team can take on the task. If any two or more people in the team take on the task, it will be regarded as the entire team taking on the task;
4. The team's task rewards are distributed internally, and the team's task penalties are evenly distributed;
5. Due to personnel changes caused by tenants checking out, missing, dying, changing rooms, and new arrivals, the team can apply to update the member list;
6. If any member of the team is personally attacked (suffering physical or mental harm), the team can freely fight back against that person within the recourse time limit. The recourse time limit is not subject to the rights and interests of tenants; if any member of the team is attacked by the team, within the recourse time limit,
You can freely counterattack against this team within the recourse time limit, and are not subject to the rights of tenants during the recourse time limit;
7. Recourse time limit: 12 hours for A-level, 24 hours for G-level, 48 hours for M-level, and 168 hours for V-level;
8. The team must undertake an M-level or above mission every month from the date of its establishment, otherwise it will be automatically disbanded, and no new team may be established in this room within three months;
9. The team will be disbanded if the number of people falls below 3."
The "Cherry Crossing Survival Manual" marks clause 40-6 in bold red font: "Extremely important!" "This is the only item among all additional clauses that makes an 'exception' to tenants' rights."
"The first rule of survival: understand 40-6, make reasonable use of 40-6, and avoid 40-6 from appearing on yourself."
"Classic combat example: deceive the opponent, induce the opponent to attack one's own team members, and carry out massacre within the time limit (battlefield situation map attached)."
"Dong dong dong," there was a knock on the door. Jonah, who was looking at it intently, raised his head. The head of the room stuck his head in and said, "Sir, the sun has completely set. It's time for you to get to work."
By the way, there is also the lighting task of four hours a day. Looking at the signature on the agreement, Jonah shook his head, raised his staff, and limped out of the door. He was exhausted, his leg was in pain, and his mind was in a mess.
, on the way to the town center he raised his head and asked Toba: "Is it difficult to live?"
"The secret to good health is to exercise every day, my lord. Staying active is the key to longevity." Farmer Bazelar bent his arms, showing off his biceps, which were thicker than Jonah's waist.
"never mind."
Jonah did not see the legendary father. He seemed to be omniscient and omnipresent. This mysterious figure had an extremely tall image in his mind. But his residence was unremarkable, even though the surrounding stone houses formed a circle in awe.
A spacious circular square with a diameter of 500 feet was left, but the low and dilapidated wooden house in the center of the square could not be connected with the glorious image of the protector of Cherry Crossing.
Toba apologetically took the astrologer apprentice's neck with two fingers and gently lifted him up, carefully placing him on the roof. Yona staggered, standing on the thin iron roof that was riddled with holes, for fear of stepping on it.
to the palace of King Cherry Crossing.
It was completely dark all around, and the lifeless Cherry Crossing was like a tomb. The holy river was roaring in an invisible place on the other side. Jonah took a deep breath, held the staff tightly, and looked up at the stars.
The starlight was so bright, "always in awe", he recalled the famous saying of astrology teacher Gilbert Naion. This is an aphorism engraved on all astrology towers, telling future generations to always feel their own insignificance, and to be cautious,
Find the hidden truth.
Star God, no matter what happens tomorrow, at this moment, let me borrow your power.
He closed his eyes.
The star No. 30 "Bear" in the first house gradually became clear in the sky. In the darkness, an interstellar line emitting strong light and heat split open his body like a sharp sword, shooting from "Bear" to the third star now on the back of the earth.
Seventh house number seven star "Sky Boat".
Jonah raised his staff high.
The star array in the red crystal started quietly, and bits and pieces of energy fragments fell from the star line, like broken crystals; the fragments were driven by the vortex of the star array, and the energy rotated faster and faster in the complex patterns carved by mithril, emitting light.
In the center of Cherry Crossing, the sun rose again.
"Sir! I am willing to defend your glory from heaven to the death." Toba, who comes from a small closed mountain village, hid behind the house, muttering silently, with tears streaming down his face. He was speaking while standing half the height of the house, and could only half-crouch to speak.
Prevent the astrologer from seeing your indecent appearance.
Jonah glanced at the bright riverside town, and the shadowy black stone houses also looked simple. Only at this moment in the day, he felt like a man capable of shouldering a mission - no, like standing on the shoulders of a king.