Chapter 1

The new book needs everyone's support! Over 5000 words every day! Everyone, come and give some encouragement. However, there's only one update today because the old book has just finished, and while typing, I actually typed "Ryan" N times! I'm sweating just thinking about it, and after finishing, I even searched for it!

"Kuk Hilton, I hereby promote you to a Level 1 Guard. Report to the Guard Department tomorrow!" Manager Yuli smiled at Kuk and affectionately patted his shoulder, handing him a scroll.

"Manager Yuli, I am truly grateful to you. If you ever need anything, just say the word, and I, Kuk, will do anything for you, even at the cost of my life." Kuk looked deeply moved, tightly gripping Manager Yuli's hand.

"Hehe, if you need anything in the future, you can still come to me. The price is negotiable." Manager Yuli looked at the two gold coins in his palm and felt quite depressed. If he hadn't lost at horse racing, he wouldn't have to make such a deal for just two gold coins.

"Of course, who doesn't know that Manager Yuli is so generous?" Kuk smiled flatteringly, but in his heart, he was already grumbling: "No wonder you have Fox blood, you're so shrewd, squeezing out my last penny. That's my wife's dowry!"

"Hehe, let's not talk about it. You should prepare yourself. The guys in the Guard Department aren't as easy to deal with as those in the kitchen." Manager Yuli chuckled, clearly dismissing him.

Kuk had to reluctantly leave, glancing back at the three gold coins in Manager Yuli's hand. Although they weren't his own savings, just thinking about how much effort it would take for someone earning only 50 copper coins a month to save up two gold coins made him feel the pain. (1 gold coin = 100 silver coins, 1 silver coin = 100 copper coins.)

"But it's still good. It's not just the copper coins. The Viscount's birthday, the Lady's birthday, and the annual festivals all come with rewards. Otherwise, it would be impossible to save up. It would take 400 months, and there are only 12 months in a year, so it would take at least 30 years. I'm only 16 years old! This is much better than our company, which not only deducts but also has good benefits. If I didn't have a wife, they would even provide one." Kuk thought to himself.

Kuk is no longer the original Kuk. His soul has been replaced by a security guard from another world. This guard only had a junior high school education and basically just went through the motions. As for the security guard's credentials, with so many martial arts schools, you just pay and get the credentials in half a month. This guy fell asleep on duty and woke up to find himself as Kuk.

As a servant in the kitchen of a Viscount, after the initial shock, Kuk found that the treatment here was actually better than his company, which was a multinational corporation. What excited Kuk the most was that being a servant not only paid well but also came with rewards during festivals. Moreover, at 18, the Viscount would even provide a wife, which Kuk valued the most. He couldn't help but think, "If this place allowed immigration, everyone from our country would come."

Kuk had been here for a full year. From various sources, he learned that the Guard Department had higher wages and the opportunity to interact with certain noblewomen. It was said that one of the guards became a noblewoman's personal knight, essentially a lover, which Kuk envied. Besides, being a guard was prestigious, and they received four sets of clothes a year instead of the two sets for servants, with a monthly salary of one silver coin. However, Kuk also heard that being a guard was a dangerous job.

But Kuk still had ambition. He couldn't spend his whole life looking at the fat women in the kitchen, which made him lose his appetite. They were not just fat but had waists almost as wide as their height. So, Kuk took out his savings and bribed the manager, who was said to have Fox blood, known for being shrewd and favored by the Viscount. Getting a Level 1 Guard position was easy for him.

As for what the Viscount looked like, Kuk hadn't seen him in a year because servants weren't allowed to wander around. However, Kuk had the fortune to see the Viscount's maids, who were very beautiful, though not the intimate ones but the general cleaning staff. Kuk thought that if he had a wife like that, he would be content.

"Ha ha, ha ha! Father, Mother, Sister! I'm back." Kuk held the scroll and happily returned home.

The Viscount lived in a castle, and his subjects lived in small wooden houses behind the castle. In case of an emergency, the subjects could quickly be gathered into the castle. It was common for nobles to secretly raid each other's subjects, and if a noble's treatment was good, many subjects would secretly run away.

Subjects were crucial for income and the safety of the territory. The empire had strict regulations requiring each noble to have a certain number of subjects. If the number of subjects fell below a certain level for a certain period, the noble's title would automatically be reduced. Kuk had heard of a Count whose subjects kept leaving, and his title was reduced to a Baron. The empire had very strict evaluations for nobles, but Kuk didn't know the details.

"Kuk! Why are you back so early today?" Kuk's father was just over 30 but looked like he was in his 50s. People affectionately called him Old Hill, a fisherman. In this world, having a skill was a big deal.

"Father, I've been assigned to the Guard Department." Kuk replied excitedly, knowing that Old Hill would be angry, but he had to act to avoid standing out.

"What? The Guard Department? Don't you know it has the highest casualty rate? It's very dangerous on the battlefield. As commoners, as long as we don't resist, we won't be harmed." Old Hill shouted angrily.

"Father! The Guard Department is dangerous, but the pay is high. Look at the families of the guards; they live in stone houses, unlike our damp wooden house for four people." Kuk argued loudly.

"You know nothing. They are hostages. The Viscount wants the guards to fight hard." Old Hill closed the door, and the room became dark. He scolded.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Let me see the order." Kuk's mother was 30 but looked 40. The medical and nutritional standards in this world were poor. Old Hill, being a fisherman, had better treatment than ordinary commoners without skills because he could bring back small fish and shrimp that the Viscount didn't want, dry them, and grind them into powder to mix with food. However, the cooking here was not great, even in the Viscount's kitchen, where they only roasted, boiled, or fried.

Old Hill's peers looked like they were 60, but he was still living well. Kuk's mother took the scroll and said, "It's fine. It's a Level 1 Guard. Unless all the Viscount's guards are gone, it won't be our Kuk's turn."

"Mother, you can read?" Kuk's mouth dropped open.

"Of course, can't you see the word 'one' here?" Kuk's mother replied proudly.

"Brother! Brother! You're back." At this moment, a little girl about five years old ran in barefoot. Her hair was golden but messy, and her face was covered in dirt. She wore a dress that was more like a robe, made from her father's old clothes. Kuk knew it was sewn with thick twine, which made him feel heartache, but there was nothing he could do about the living standards in this world.

"Lily! Look at you, why aren't you wearing the little leather boots I made for you?" Kuk referred to a pair of boots made from rabbit skin, though they were quite rough.

"Boots are for winter." Lily, Kuk's sister, said sensibly, hugging Kuk's neck.

"Put them on. When winter comes, I'll make you another pair." Kuk looked at Lily as if she were his own daughter. He was psychologically about 30 years old.

"Alright, since you're going to the Guard Department, we should visit Captain Klin. You stay here, and I'll go see if there are any big fish in the river to give to Captain Klin." Old Hill saw that his son was already as tall as him and had no choice but to let him go. He had six children in total, but only two survived.

"Wait, Father, let's go together." Kuk quickly grabbed a wooden fork to go with Old Hill.