https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-27-The-Village-That-Released-the-Commission/12900500/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-29-Your-Hero-Treatment-Isn-t-Very-Good/12900504/
Chapter 28: The Common Ailment of Otherworld Protagonists
Chapter 28: The Common Ailment of Otherworld Protagonists
"Would you two like to come to our village to rest for a bit and let us properly thank you?"
Upon learning that Yecheng and his companions were the adventurers who had slain the Venomous Dragon, the old village chief and the villagers immediately changed their attitude, becoming very enthusiastic towards Yecheng and his team.
"The Venomous Dragon was killed by Yecheng alone, it has nothing to do with me. I was just passing by."
Seeing that they were being thanked for killing the Venomous Dragon, Dao Yangjie, with his strong sense of professional ethics, thought they were going to receive the mission reward. Therefore, he immediately stated that he had done nothing.
"I'll pass on entering your village. I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, you might try to ambush us.
Since you admit that you lied about the difficulty of the mission, I won’t say more. However, you must give me an additional fifty percent of the mission reward.
Otherwise, I will report this to the Adventurer's Guild and inform your local lord."
The old village chief did not hesitate at all when faced with Yecheng's demands. He immediately pulled out a small bag of gold coins from behind him and handed it to Yecheng.
Previously, he had chosen to lie about the difficulty of the commission and retain some funds because he believed no adventurer could defeat the Venomous Dragon. The money he withheld was meant to be used for the village's relocation.
However, now that the Venomous Dragon's corpse lay before him, the environmental issues caused by the dragon's presence were naturally resolved. Therefore, they no longer needed to relocate.
After receiving the bag of gold coins, Yecheng confirmed that the amount was correct and was about to leave. However, at that moment, the old village chief suddenly blocked Yecheng's path.
"Do you have any other business?"
In normal circumstances, after an adventurer slays a powerful monster, the surrounding villages would hold a celebration. As the protagonist, the adventurer would usually not refuse such an invitation. Not only could they feast for free, but they would also be praised by the crowd, which many people enjoyed.
However, what puzzled the old village chief was why Yecheng was so different from other adventurers and didn’t follow the usual script.
He had even subtly hinted that there were many young and beautiful girls in their village who greatly admired brave and powerful adventurers, but Yecheng remained completely unmoved.
"To be honest, we have another matter that we wish to trouble this powerful adventurer with.
Although the Venomous Dragon has been eliminated by you, the polluted water source cannot be restored in a short time.
The contaminated water cannot be used for drinking or irrigation. Our village is now almost in a state of drought, so..."
"So you want me to provide you with after-sales service and solve the problem of the polluted water source as well?"
Before the old village chief could finish speaking, Yecheng had already guessed what he was about to say and interjected, "I’m sorry, but I don’t know any magic to purify water.
Even if I had a way to help you, this should be considered another commission.
The task I received from the Adventurer's Guild was to slay the venomous dragon that polluted the surrounding environment. That’s all. Any other matters are not within my scope of work."
If he hadn’t heard the old village chief’s earlier words and earned a substantial amount of money, Yecheng might have thought about helping the village with the water problem. However, now, Yecheng had no intention of getting involved in any more unnecessary affairs.
The other party regarded the lives of adventurers as mere grass, so why should he feel any sympathy for such a person? Seeing that Yecheng was determined to leave, the old village chief sighed deeply. He knew that their previous actions had offended Yecheng.
To be honest, the fact that the other party had not reported their behavior was already a significant show of respect. Asking Yecheng to continue helping them was indeed overstepping.
"Yangjie, aren't you planning to leave? Do you really intend to stay and help them solve the water problem?"
Yecheng was about to leave, but when he saw Dao Yangjie still standing there, he couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Yecheng, I think we should help them. Without water, this village will fall apart. Besides, there are many women and children in this village, and many of them don't even know what the village chief has done."
Hearing Dao Yangjie's words, Yecheng knew that Dao Yangjie was being soft-hearted. This was a common flaw among protagonists in otherworldly stories. It was politely called "kind-hearted," but bluntly, it was just "a saint"!
Yecheng wasn't a completely heartless person. From his observations, the villagers were indeed affected by the water problem, but it wasn't enough to disrupt their daily lives. The farmland would likely dry up, but that was about it.
The environment-damaging Venomous Dragon was dead, and the polluted water would naturally be diluted over a few days until it became harmless. This period could also serve as a punishment for the village for lying about the difficulty and treating adventurers like grass.
However, Dao Yangjie now expressed that he understood the feeling of having no water to drink, relying only on rainwater to survive. So, he wanted to help these villagers.
"Since this is your decision, I'll take my leave. I hope your good intentions will be rewarded.
Yangjie, let me give you one last piece of advice. This is an otherworld, not a game. Everyone here has independent thoughts and personalities. They won't treat you the same way NPCs treat all players, and not everything you do will necessarily be rewarded.
Of course, I have always admired those who are willing to lend a hand to the weak, and I support such actions. However, not everyone is worth helping. I hope this experience will teach you a valuable lesson."
After saying this, Yecheng turned and left. In his view, Dao Yangjie was still too naive.
But it wasn't entirely his fault. After all, he was just a seventeen-year-old modern society teenager who hadn't experienced much of the harsh realities of life.
In contrast, Yecheng had wandered the Rukongai for decades. The brutal business environment had taught him many things, including that excessive kindness and softness weren't always good.
Some people were worth saving, like the Elf Maiden Cui before. But others, even if you helped them, might not appreciate it, and some might even stab you in the back.
Having gone through so much, Yecheng believed he had a good eye for people. The old village chief had been arrogant and condescending before, treating adventurers like grass. But once he learned that Yecheng and his companions had killed the Venomous Dragon and had something to ask for, his attitude changed completely. Yecheng had seen many such two-faced people in the Rukongai, and they weren't worth helping.
(End of Chapter)
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