Loli Apophis's sweet but slightly cold voice, like the whisper of a little devil, gently echoed by the bonfire.
"If you go to the surface or other worlds now, you will have to compete with those ridiculously strong adventurers, as well as the contractors from other worlds under Master's command, right?"
Apophis, dressed in Gothic Lolita attire, tilted her head, her little leather boots gently swaying, a mischievous smile on her lips.
Her words were like a sharp scalpel, precisely dissecting the hottest expectations in the hearts of the Xenos, and then slowly sprinkling in ~ice~ called reality.
"Hmph, the tasks they can do, is it really suitable for you to do them now?"
That's right.
For her own master, who still needs the massive resources of the Dungeon as a foundation, these adorable Xenos can only maximize—cough, unleash—their value by staying in this labyrinth where they were born and raised.
The original accumulation of capital always requires a little price to be paid.
But don't worry, it's not about not being free, but about slow freedom, gradual freedom, and superior freedom—freedom with a strategy!
Let those with plans be free first, let those who are prepared be free first, so that those who are free first can lead those who are free later~
Throwing them to the surface now? What's the difference between that and ordinary contractors!
It would even bring a lot of troubles that couldn't be shaken off because of racial issues!
With the capitalist soul engraved in the bones of the Apophis, they absolutely, absolutely must stop this losing business!
Of course, the Apophis's thoughts have absolutely nothing to do with Rhode himself. Rhode is a great philanthropist!
A basin of cold, bone-chilling water was poured "Crash" down, accurately and unmistakably drenching the fiery heads of all the Xenos.
They, who had just been trembling with excitement because of the word freedom, instantly resembled eggplants beaten by frost, even the silly hairs on the top of their heads drooped down.
But fortunately, years of darkness and endurance had already tempered their nature to be extremely tough.
Goblin Leiter gently adjusted the red hat on his head and rose to give a gentlemanly bow.
"Miss 6324, please speak frankly, what do we need to do?"
His voice was steady and firm.
"We are now Lord Rhode's wings, and all actions must naturally take Lord Rhode's will as the highest principle."
Leiter raised his head, and flames rekindled in his eyes, a light mixed with understanding and fanaticism.
He raised his fist high, shouting with almost all his strength.
"And we firmly believe! All the sweat and endurance we put in now is to embrace the more glorious and brilliant future that Lord Rhode gives us!"
The other Xenos were also instantly ignited by this emotion, clenching their fists, their eyes glowing, the fighting spirit burning with enthusiasm almost overturning the rocks on the top of the cave!
"That's right! Please arrange tasks for us!"
"We are not afraid of hardship!"
"No matter how difficult the task is, we will complete it beautifully for you to see!"
Rhode looked at Leiter approvingly, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
Good, good, good, this is such high-quality, born-to-be cattle and horses!
They brainwashed themselves before he even exerted any effort, and their subjective initiative was directly maxed out.
"That's decided. Your name will definitely be on the glorious list for delayed retirement."
"Of course, it's also possible that in a future empire where everyone lives long or even forever, the concept of retirement might simply cease to exist."
"Hahahaha~"
Loli Apophis chuckled contentedly, and with a wave of her small hand, countless IBM particles glowing with a faint blue light materialized out of thin air. In a blink, they formed a massive, translucent light screen, much like a PPT.
Any of Rod's contractors could clearly see this wondrous display made of IBM particles.
Considering the widespread illiteracy among the Xenos, Apophis thoughtfully presented all the information using simple, easy-to-understand stick figure drawings.
She pulled out a pointer from somewhere, tapped it on the light screen with a "snap," and then instinctively pushed up a pair of non-existent glasses on her nose.
Her entire demeanor instantly switched from a Gothic Loli to a top-tier pyramid scheme… no, a top-tier lecturer mode.
"Everyone! Your daily tasks are very simple! Listen carefully!"
"First: Collect everything produced by the Dungeon. Whether it's sparkling ore, monster claws, fur, or even herbs, fruits, and vegetables—in short, bring me back everything you can see! This is the most stable source of contribution points!"
"Second: Mapmaking. Take all your memories of the Dungeon, those hidden passages in nooks and crannies, the detailed information of each floor, and draw them all out for me! But don't worry, these detailed maps will only circulate internally."
"Furthermore! If other contractor ladies of Lord Rod come to the Dungeon for an adventure, you can also earn extra… ahem, gain contribution points by acting as guides, providing information, opening safe houses, or even fighting alongside them!"
Apophis didn't even mention the possibility of male workers in the future.
She cared about the girls because they held the status of Mistresses; she wouldn't pay any extra attention to any man other than her own Master.
"The rest are some miscellaneous tasks like compiling adventurer sighting reports, reporting abnormal monster movements, and guiding and protecting newborn Xenos!"
She tapped the light screen with her pointer, making a "tap-tap" sound, her voice filled with a captivating magic.
"How about it? Doesn't it feel easy and simple? Don't you feel like life is becoming more hopeful? Don't you feel like blue skies and white clouds are waving at you?"
"If you understand, applause!"
Clap clap clap clap clap—
Thunderous applause erupted instantly!
The Xenos clapped their hands excitedly. Even if they didn't quite understand why they suddenly had to applaud, the atmosphere was already built up, and it was hard not to get caught up in this inexplicable surge of energy.
Not clapping felt like being an outsider!
At the same time, the huge stone that had been weighing on their hearts finally fell with a "thud."
Relieved smiles bloomed on everyone's faces once again.
"Phew… that's good, none of these are particularly difficult tasks."
Rod's gaze swept over the excited employees, silently evaluating them.
The combat strength of this group of Xenos was quite good.
In terms of stats alone, there was currently one Lv5, three Lv4s, and over a dozen Lv3s.
The rest were children like Fei Er, who had just been born and were still in their infancy.
This force was almost comparable to a medium-sized Familia on the surface.
Of course, due to the lack of Grace from a god, they generally lacked "Development Abilities," "Skills," and "Magic." In a real fight against human adventurers, they would still be quite inferior.
However, Rod didn't need them as combatants for now; they only needed to serve as resource providers.
With them continuously scavenging for resources, he expected that it wouldn't be long before a large batch of excellent weapons and equipment would be available in his shop.
The entire internal circulation system would also begin to take shape.
At this moment, Rod seemed to remember something and suddenly spoke.
"Later, I will bestow Grace upon you, allowing you to level up by accumulating experience points, just like adventurers."
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every Xenos.
"Of course, you don't have to completely abandon the method of devouring Magic Stones to strengthen yourselves."
This method was essentially no different from the "Enhanced Species" monsters in the Dungeon, and it was a unique advantage they had over humans, so there was no need to discard it.
All the Xenos' gazes instantly "swished" and focused on him.
Rod dotingly rubbed Fei Er's fluffy little head in his arms, his gaze sweeping over the bonfire and landing on the young mermaid, Mary, who was not far away, curiously leaning her upper body out of the pond and secretly looking their way.
"However, all of you must remember one thing, and it is the most important thing—"
Rod's tone suddenly shifted, becoming serious and unyielding.
"Unless I permit it, you are forbidden from having any direct or indirect contact with any contractor not under my command!"
"No matter what happens, you must not reveal your existence!"
He knew that most of these Xenos held a naive longing for humans and were overly kind-hearted.
To nip any potential future melodramatic troubles in the bud, this ironclad rule had to be deeply etched into the soul of each and every one of them, right here, right now.
They were now his private property, and Rod would absolutely not allow them to experience the events of the original story.
Although theoretically, their rescuing adventurers in the Dungeon could reap him a large number of Prayer Points, compared to the potential troubles it could cause, it was completely insignificant.
For now, they should just honestly be material suppliers.
This warning, leaving no room for negotiation, instantly sobered the atmosphere.
Lei Yi, the Songbird, showed deep confusion in her beautiful eyes and couldn't help but ask.
"Shouldn't we… help adventurers when they are in mortal danger?"
Many Xenos subconsciously nodded. In their understanding, since Rod belonged to the human adventurer side, he would naturally expect them to do so.
Rod's gaze swept over every Xenos present, his cold eyes making their hearts clench.
"Never judge a stance by race. They are not my kind."
His voice was decisive, firmly implanting this subversive realization into the hearts of the Xenos.
"Contractors like yourselves, even if your races, appearances, and languages are completely different, can still be considered companions you can unconditionally trust and rely on."
"But anyone else, even those of your own kind who share your blood, must be regarded as 'potential enemies.'"
"Remember this, all of you, there are only two kinds of people in this world—"
Rod paused, then said each word distinctly.
"My people, and those who are not my people."
All the Xenos' expressions instantly became incredibly solemn.
Lei Yi even straightened her body on the spot, her expression serious as she responded loudly.
"I understand! We will ensure your will is conveyed to every compatriot in the Underground!"
"Those still naive newborn Xenos will also be gathered by us, protected and taught uniformly!"
"Very good."
Rod nodded with satisfaction. The oppressive aura that had enveloped everyone slowly dissipated, and the atmosphere relaxed.
· · · · ·
Seeing that the time was ripe, Loli Apophis conjured a huge bronze bell and a long-handled hammer.
She set the large bell down with a clang, then jumped onto a high platform, excitedly raising the hammer high and shouting with all her might.
"Then, I declare—!"
"The Dungeon Xenos Loyal to Rod, Sun's Grace Unlimited Company, is officially established!"
Clang—!!!
A clear, melodious bell sound echoed throughout the entire underground space!
Clap clap clap clap clap clap—!!!
The Xenos once again erupted in thunderous applause, like a mountain roaring and a sea surging.
Those without hands vigorously flapped their wings, and those without wings wildly thumped the ground with their tails.
For a time, the whole scene was a cacophony of gongs and drums, firecrackers… uh, in short, it was so chaotic that even Rod felt helpless!
The lizardman Reed's bright yellow eyes crinkled into crescent moons with a smile. While clapping his hands, he lowered his voice and asked the massive gargoyle Gu Luosi beside him.
"Hey, what did she mean by that company she just mentioned?"
Gu Luosi shook his stony head and clapped harder than anyone else, sending bits of gravel scattering everywhere.
He replied in a muffled voice.
"I don't know."
"Then why are you clapping?"
"I don't know, but I just feel like it would be very dangerous not to clap. It feels like I'd get hit with a stick a dozen times."
"…Have you ever seen the sun?"
"Never," Gu Luosi replied without thinking, "but I feel now that Lord Rod is the sun!"
Reed tilted his head, his eyes wide, looking at the stubborn gargoyle with a complex expression, as if he was seeing him for the first time.
He held it in for a long time, then finally clapped Gu Luosi's rock-hard shoulder hard.
… … …
"You… are amazing!"
The Xenos brought out their treasured fine wines from their respective hiding places.
Orcs, trolls, war shadows, hellhounds… these monsters, usually awe-inspiring, now behaved like a group of clumsy yet bold children, lining up one by one to toast Rod.
After receiving Rod's acknowledgment, they would excitedly wave their limbs, howl, and then run back to roll on the ground.
The bonfire blazed, casting a red glow on everyone's faces.
Someone suddenly shouted out loud.
"Lei Yi, sing a song—!"
"Oh oh oh oh oh! Lord Rod will surely like it too!"
The atmosphere instantly reached its climax, with all the Xenos clamoring and demanding that the golden-winged Songbird showcase her voice.
Lei Yi, sitting beside Rod, sighed helplessly and cast an inquiring glance at Rod.
Rod was comfortably resting his chin on Fei Er's small head in his arms. Hearing the request, he gently raised his chin with a smile.
A beautiful smile bloomed on Lei Yi's face.
She stood up and first bowed gracefully to Rod.
"You're impossible. Well then, this song is dedicated to our Master, Lord Rod, and also to celebrate that we… have found a bright future~"
As soon as she finished speaking, she took a few light steps forward, then, with a tip of her toes, she gracefully landed on a pile of Magic Stone lamps used for illumination, like a weightless feather.
Lei Yi took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.
In an instant, all the surrounding noise seemed to be silenced by an invisible hand.
Immediately after, a heavenly sound, like flowing spring water, poured forth.
Rod's face showed an expression of enjoyment.
It was an incredibly peaceful aria, as if listening in a sacred hall.
The golden-winged Songbird placed her winged hand over her chest, singing alone with joy, happiness, and an innocent smile.
There was no instrumental accompaniment, not even lyrics, yet the melody, composed purely of sound itself, instantly captivated everyone's hearts, leaving them spellbound.
In the center of the circle formed by humans and monsters alike, the young girl sang with her eyes closed.
Her figure, bathed in the glow of the Magic Stone lamps and crystals, was elegant, sacred, and beautiful beyond anything of this world.
"Lord Rod! Lord Rod!"
Fei Er in his arms suddenly brightened her eyes. Her two tiny wings, like hands, gripped Rod's large hand. She lifted her small head and said with a giggle.
"Let's dance!"
"Uh, I don't think I've ever done that before…"
"Come on, come on~"
Fei Er playfully shook his arm: "Then let Fei Er be Lord Rhode's first time!"
"Pfft—"
Before Rhode could react to her somewhat 'sus' statement, the young Harpy girl pulled him from his seat and led him to the center of the circle.
Fei Er's face was filled with innocent joy and overflowing happiness, her winged little hand clasped tightly in Rhode's large one.
However, neither of them had received any professional dance training, and their movements were incredibly clumsy. Rather than dancing, they were more like spinning in circles on the spot.
Lei Yi, who was singing loudly, saw this scene and couldn't help but let out a giggle, and the melody of her song changed dramatically.
The elegant tune instantly switched to a country dance, completely different from a waltz, full of cheerful and lively rhythms.
This completely ignited the entire venue!