Starting with the sentries on the frontier

Chapter 2 A pitiful salary

Thus, after Zhang Rui and the black cat who refused to reveal their real names reached an agreement, the two formed a relatively stable partnership.

The only problem is that Zhang Rui, as Zha Ge, needs to restrain his urge to talk to the black cat in public, lest he be mistaken for a madman who keeps talking to himself.

Others can't see fairies!

Zhang Rui couldn't resist spending less than a day with the cat.

"Since you're unwilling to reveal your real name, you should at least give me a pseudonym, right? Or should I give you a name? Otherwise, I can't keep calling you 'oi—' every time, can I? In your words, that's really rude!"

"Of course!" The black cat seemed very agreeable. "A fairy's true name is like a demon's; saying it aloud will affect me. And if you accidentally let it slip while talking in your sleep, I'll be in danger!"

"Alright, alright, how about I call you... 'Snowball'!?"

Zhang Rui pronounced "snowball" clearly and distinctly in Chinese, a secret expectation even stirring within him.

"Snowball?"

The black cat parrot repeated the name, then asked in confusion, "What does that mean?"

"Uh... it means 'great and holy God,' it's a blessing."

Zhang Rui lied without batting an eye.

"Great! Let's call it 'Snowball' then!"

Black Cat, no, it should be called "Snowball" now.

Snowball said, giving its tail a satisfied flick.

With Xueqiu's help, Zhang Rui quickly and perfectly disguised himself as "Zha Ge," and even Zha Ge's mother, who had been bedridden for many years, did not suspect anything.

The first week went relatively smoothly, and Zag received his salary.

20 shillings, plus a 10-shilling allowance, for a total of 30 shillings, which is a full half higher than the salary of a normal sentry.

In addition, for just 2 shillings, you can buy a basket of dried fish from a fish stall, making it very economical to keep Snowball. Zag even thoughtfully wrapped old newspapers and discarded notices in rotten wood he found on the roadside to make all sorts of scratching posts and claw posts for Snowball, which received high praise from it.

However, the "Healing Hand" that Zag's mother needed was very expensive, costing a full 12 shillings per bottle. Just buying the medicine every week would take up almost half of his salary, which pained Zag quite a bit.

Bread, cheese, potatoes, and salt are all consumables, costing about 5 shillings per week. Other miscellaneous necessities and necessary expenses, such as tissues, soap, water bills, garbage disposal fees, and property taxes, also add up to about 5 shillings. All this means that Zag's income barely covers his expenses, leaving him with less than 5 shillings left over each week. A serious illness could easily bring him to the brink of death.

The biggest benefit of weekly pay was that it made Zag realize how quickly money disappears, and it also made him realize how absurd it was that he had to pay out of sympathy 40 shillings in commission fees during the first week.

This could buy at least three bottles of medicine for Zag's mother, equivalent to one-twentieth of Zag's original savings.

The conman who lent him the money ran away after the abnormal event was completed. Not only could you not get your money back, but even if you called the police, they could only record the other party's name, age, and general appearance. Apart from that, Zag knew nothing about that unscrupulous businessman.

So in the second week, when faced with the old man's plea, Zag resolutely refused to help.

If this happens every week, the original owner's hard-earned 800 shillings accumulated over three years will probably be squandered in just a few months!

Don't underestimate the price of 800 shillings for a single Level 5 event; for an average person, it's enough to support a family of three for more than half a year!

"Sigh, if only there were a way to earn some extra money..."

Zha Ge rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

He hadn't touched any meat except fish for a week, which was unbearable for a carnivore who couldn't live without meat before he transmigrated.

I can tolerate everything else, but when it comes to food, it's really hard to resist.

Snowball, who was lying on the sofa happily munching on dried fish, heard Zag's mutterings and looked up to remind him, "Actually, you could deduct a portion of the bounty, whether it's from the government or from the public."

"Deduct...the bounty?"

"Zag, I mean that Motoro from before, that's exactly what he did, otherwise how could he have saved up 800 shillings in three years?"

Snowball answered.

Zag paused for a moment, then pressed, "What if we get discovered?"

"It's a 'service fee,' that's what every sentry says! After all, the paper used for recording files and submitting reports costs money!"

"These things aren't provided?"

"Of course not! What do you think the Anomaly Response Association, which is responsible for allocating funds, is? A charity? Those guys are even stingier than gray goblins; they'd rather spend one shilling as if it were ten!"

Upon hearing this, Zag fell completely silent.

The Association for Handling Abnormal Events is an official organization of the Eternal Supreme Kingdom, directly managed by the Golden Palace Mage Research Institute. It is responsible to the Royal Court and also to protect the kingdom's citizens from supernatural influences and maintain social stability.

Anyone who has registered with the association and received a level certification, whether they are a mage, priest, or alchemist, is called an anomaly investigator, or "anomaly investigator".

Investigators can accept commissions at association outposts in any town within the kingdom. The bounty for official commissions is directly distributed by the association to the local association outpost, while commissions from local lords are funded by local government funds. As for private commissions, whoever applies for the commission pays for it.

When troubleshooters handle commissions, it's not as simple as taking on a challenge and killing a monster in a game. Instead, they must first apply to the sentry at the local association's outpost, then have it recorded, and then proceed with the processing.

There will be records of cases that are delayed or cannot be completed, and these will be reported to the association. Therefore, the completion rate has a significant impact on the income and rating of the investigators. In severe cases, they may not only be demoted but also expelled from the association.

After the incident is resolved, the investigator is required to write an investigation report or commission a report. A copy of this report will be kept at the local association's outpost, while the original will be mailed to the Golden Palace Master Research Court by the nearest local association office every so often.

This entire process can be said to be the only guarantee for the local authorities against the influence of the supernatural system, and the sentry is also a somewhat sacred position.

However, this does not affect the unspoken rules within the profession, such as "legally" deducting bonuses.

The association was primarily responsible for funding the sentry posts, so many posts were required to be self-sufficient in all aspects, including materials, paper, consumables, uniforms, weapons, and armor, in addition to basic wages.

Clearly, even with the 10 shillings subsidy, a weekly salary of 30 shillings cannot cover these expenses. Therefore, deducting bonuses is the only option and a tacitly accepted professional rule.

"Let's keep going," he finally said after a long silence. "Maybe there's a way to have the best of both worlds, like applying for more subsidies."

"Whatever! Humans are always so foolish and absurd! They love to indulge in unrealistic fantasies!"

Snowball's little mouth never says anything nice, and Zag is used to it.

However, at dinner, he deliberately took a relatively plump dried fish from Snowball's small dried fish basket and stewed it into a potato and dried fish soup with chickpeas, which he then ate to show his dissatisfaction.

Seemingly indifferent, Snowball, after eating and drinking its fill, lazily remarked, "Remember to bring me another basket tomorrow!"

"Where did you learn these loan sharking tactics?"

"Otherwise, the great Snowball will refuse to provide you with consulting services!"

The threat wasn't actually that effective, but who could resist a talking black hamster?

"Alright, but let's make it clear first, the dried fish is both of our property. After all, you know I'm currently living beyond my means!"

……

————————————Divider Line————————————

[Holland Daily Mini-Drama]: The King's Palace stated that the expenses for the various associations' sentry posts have far exceeded the budget for three consecutive years, costing a staggering 5 pounds annually, placing an unbearable burden on the palace. In the latest session of Parliament, the King's Palace demanded a subsidy of 1 pounds annually for the associations, otherwise they would consider reducing the number of sentry posts, but this was rejected. The existence of these sentry posts is related to the daily safety of ordinary people, and the Holland Daily will continue to follow this issue.