86 Recruiting NPCs

Chapter Three

After bidding farewell to the merchant player, Zhan Xiaobai glanced at the time—it was already late. He planned to find a place to rest. Inns could restore stamina but charged a fee. With no better option, he randomly picked a safe spot within the city to log off.

The next morning, at dawn, Zhan Xiaobai logged back in and began wandering through Wuwei City. Coming to Wuwei was no easy feat; he wasn’t about to leave without some gains.

He set his sights on the city’s NPC residents. The Xiao Bai Village was in dire need of skilled workers. Ideally, he wanted to recruit a few NPCs possessing skills or wealth, inviting them to settle and work in Xiao Bai Village. That would greatly aid the village’s development. If that failed, he would try to accept tasks from them.

While pondering this, he spotted a wealthy, portly man dressed in silk. Approaching quickly, he said, “Sir, might you be interested in investing...?”

“Hmph! Good dogs don’t block the way; those who block the way aren’t good dogs!” The portly NPC ignored him, waving a fan arrogantly as he swaggered away.

Zhan Xiaobai wisely kept silent and tried to converse with several other silk-clad NPCs on the street, but none paid him any attention. Realizing pursuing wealthy NPCs was futile, he shifted focus to ordinary residents with useful skills.

Early in the morning, the city was quiet. Walking through alleys, he noticed a plump woman sewing a leather jacket with a large needle and hurried over with a smile. “Good morning, ma’am. Busy so early, I see!”

The woman looked at him with curiosity. “Young man, what can I do for you?”

“What are you sewing there?”

“Oh, this is a deerskin jacket for my husband. He’s a bodyguard at a Wuwei escort agency, often escorting valuables to Jincheng. Without protective gear, how could he be safe? He can’t afford armor, so I’m making this leather jacket to protect him. I paid a hefty price for this deerhide from the market and am making the jacket myself.”

Intrigued, Zhan Xiaobai asked, “What kind of protection does the jacket provide?”

The woman replied, “It’s a level 20 deerskin jacket, +2 defense, durability 100/100. Though deerhide isn’t strong against blades or spears, it can still block ordinary stray arrows. Escorting isn’t easy, you know. If he encounters tough foes, it’s good to have some protection, right?”

Zhan Xiaobai nodded. A level 20 leather jacket meant the woman’s skill in crafting animal leather clothing was quite good. Xiao Bai Village players had a large stockpile of animal hides, but they were just sitting unused. If they had a craftsman like her, that would be a great help.

He immediately tried to recruit her. “Ma’am, I’m the village chief of Xiao Bai Village in Xiliang. Would you consider moving there to work, specializing in making animal leather clothing? Of course, your husband and children can come too. I’ll pay you a generous wage.”

“Countryside?” The woman scoffed, shaking her head disdainfully. “I’m not going to some poor, remote place. Wuwei City is so nice—high walls, thick defenses, safe. No need to worry about bandits or barbarians causing trouble.”

“Then name your terms. Whatever you ask, I’ll agree.”

“No, no. Nothing beats the comfort of living in Wuwei. Why would I leave the city for the countryside to suffer hardship? That would just be a joke!”

Zhan Xiaobai tried hard to persuade the stubborn woman but failed. He had to give up and look for other NPCs with special skills by asking around.

He visited small households in narrow alleys—apprentice tailors from cloth shops, stonemasons from quarries, weavers from textile workshops, elderly servants from the Zhang family, errand boys from taverns—regardless of NPC level or age, anyone with talent. He visited over a hundred small families but failed to convince a single one to join Xiao Bai Village.

Feeling disappointed, Zhan Xiaobai guessed his reputation was still too low to attract talent from the city. He also hadn’t received a single task from these NPCs, showing that urban NPCs rarely offered quests.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Ahead was a young NPC—a “destitute scholar”—dressed in rough linen, looking ragged and hungry.

Zhan Xiaobai sensed an opportunity. Such a struggling “talent” should be easy to recruit.

He hurried forward with a smile. “Ah, young scholar, I’m the village chief of Xiao Bai Village. I’d like to invite a learned gentleman to open a private academy there. I see you haven’t found much success here in Wuwei. Would you consider coming with me? I can offer you a high salary to ensure you want for nothing.”

The destitute scholar, initially curious, suddenly became furious upon hearing the offer. “Silence! Don’t underestimate me! As the saying goes, mastering the arts of civil and martial affairs is meant to serve the emperor. I am of the Heavenly Star’s caliber, born to serve the court, a pillar of the great Han dynasty. Even in death, I shall be a ghostly hero of Wuwei. How could I stoop to living in your humble village? Hmph! Farewell!” With that, he stormed off angrily.

Zhan Xiaobai was left dumbfounded, helplessly watching the scholar disappear.

If even a destitute NPC refused to come to his village, was it impossible to recruit any city NPCs? That meant he had wasted an entire morning for nothing.

Deep in thought, he wandered the streets.

Passing a tavern, he noticed a beggar NPC sitting in a corner, holding out a bowl for alms. Seeing Zhan Xiaobai, the beggar pleaded pitifully, “Sir, have mercy, I’m starving.”

Zhan Xiaobai, still lost in thought, replied absentmindedly, “Oh, starving? Then come with me to Xiao Bai Village. No worries about food or clothing there.” He immediately realized his mistake—this was a beggar NPC, not a skilled worker.

Moreover, even a beggar was “an honored citizen of Wuwei.” There was no way he’d agree to live in a village.

Zhan Xiaobai smiled wryly, shook his head, and pulled out a copper coin, tossing it into the beggar’s bowl.

“Clink!” The coin spun around loudly inside the cracked bowl.

The beggar suddenly grabbed Zhan Xiaobai’s pant leg, laughing. “Great! I, Le Tian, am happy to follow you wherever you go, as long as you provide two meals a day.”

System notification: “Congratulations, you have gained the allegiance of NPC beggar Le Tian.”

System notification: “You helped a beggar and showed kindness, gaining 1 reputation point. (Note: If you expel beggar Le Tian, your reputation will decrease by 1.)”

Zhan Xiaobai could only laugh helplessly.

What kind of outcome was this? A slip of the tongue had inadvertently recruited a beggar for Xiao Bai Village. What use could a beggar be? He might only consume food without contributing.