Chapter 8

As a female bounty hunter known as the "Rose of Rhod Island," Kristin had only two wishes in life—first, to earn a large sum of money to support her thirteen adorable yet troublesome younger sisters; second, to return to her hometown and use a large iron anchor to crush the despicable uncle who had embezzled the family's wealth into a pile of minced meat.

Unfortunately, so far, there were no signs of either wish coming true—first, because the economy was in a downturn, even she, a brave warrior, often found herself unemployed; second, because... well, that despicable and shameless uncle was now a big shot on the island and was about to successfully run for a seat in the parliament.

So, Kristin's life had always been tough. To support her family, she had worked as a bounty hunter, a trader, a chef, a part-time pirate, and even sang in a bar for two months until she smashed a chair over a certain baron's head. Even so, she still lived a life of feast and famine, sometimes so poor that she couldn't even afford the wind from the northwest.

Worse still, half a year ago, a strange curse hidden within her suddenly flared up. After failing to find any mage who could remove it, she could only suppress the curse and continue to work hard with a body on the verge of collapse, just to earn enough money for her thirteen younger siblings before her life came to an end.

This was clearly a risky venture, and during this pursuit of pirates, she finally collapsed helplessly. Even more unfortunate was that when she suddenly woke up in a cold sweat, she found herself lying in a tent of dark creatures, surrounded by a group of ferocious minotaurs, and a young man with black hair and black eyes...

"What have you done to me?" Instinctively clutching her chest, Kristin grabbed a wooden stick, vowing to bash any minotaur who dared to stretch out a hoof, turning them into beef patties.

"Relax, relax, we haven't done anything." The black-haired man, holding a steaming cup of coffee, slowly turned around and smiled, showing eight white teeth. "In fact, I think you should thank us. For example, you could offer a few hundred gold coins, or even yourself."

This reminded Kristin, who rubbed her temples in distress, finally recalling what had happened before she fainted: "Um, let me think, your name is... Lin... Lin..."

"Lin Taiping, unmarried." Lin Taiping answered solemnly, deliberately adding the "unmarried" part.

"Lin Taiping?" Kristin had never heard such a strange name and repeated it a few times in confusion. However, she quickly realized she should first express her gratitude. "Well, thank you for your help. Unfortunately, I have nothing to offer in return right now. If you don't mind, I'll pay you back with my next bounty..."

"It's fine, it's fine." Lin Taiping waved his hand indifferently but then asked tentatively, "But, Miss Kristin, it seems you are in dire need of money?"

Who could deny it? Kristin was initially uneasy, but when the topic turned to money, she was immediately touched on a sore spot and couldn't help but count on her fingers: "I need a lot, a lot. Alice needs milk, Vivian's diapers are still on credit, Nancy's coat is too small, Jane's school fees are three months overdue, Lina's doll..."

If not interrupted, this beautiful and mature lady could probably have rambled on for two hours. The group of minotaurs couldn't help but exchange glances, thinking that compared to this beautiful and mature lady, the minotaur tribe was practically a wealthy family.

In fact, Lin Taiping was already sweating coldly, and as Kristin was about to mention rent and utilities, he finally couldn't help but interrupt: "Stop, Miss Kristin, please stop for a moment. I just wanted to ask if you would be interested in working for me?"

"Huh? Working for you?" This direct question made Kristin widen her eyes in surprise. She turned her head to look around, but after a few seconds of silence, when she saw the group of ferocious minotaurs, she couldn't help but shiver.

A large group of violent and cruel dark creatures, an island shrouded in evil black mist, and a mysterious man of unknown origin... Oh my God, did I accidentally stumble into the demon's lair and am about to be sold body and soul?

"Cough, cough, you're overthinking it." Lin Taiping sighed helplessly. Just by looking at her expression, he knew where her mind had gone. "To be straightforward, I plan to hire you as a captain and guide to take us to Rhod Island for business."

Do business? Before he finished speaking, the nearby Tulou and others were already shocked: "Lin, what did you just say, we're going to do business?"

It's no wonder the minotaurs were so surprised. Dark creatures have always lived by robbery and have never heard of putting down their weapons to do business, especially with those despicable, untrustworthy humans.

In fact, Kristin thought the same thing, especially when she noticed the tribe's poverty. She bit her cherry lips in confusion: "Mr. Lin, may I ask what you plan to sell on Rhod Island?"

"That's my business." Lin Taiping smiled enigmatically and took out a magic contract from his pocket, a spoil from a pirate ship. "As for you, Miss Kristin, you just need to seriously consider whether you want to sign this contract."

This was indeed a difficult choice. Kristin looked at the magic contract in front of her and suddenly wondered if, after signing, the other party would suddenly grow horns and laugh loudly, saying, "I have your soul."

However, before she could shake her head, Lin Taiping casually added: "By the way, I forgot to mention, the monthly salary is three hundred gold coins."

Three hundred gold coins? Kristin suddenly gasped, her deep blue eyes sparkling with gold. In an instant, she had already converted the income into milk and diapers and arrived at a terrifying number.

The problem was, although it sounded very attractive, considering working for a group of dark creatures, the risk was too high, especially with this smiling man who seemed to have a demon's tail wagging behind him.

"Five hundred gold coins!" While she was still hesitating, Lin Taiping had already raised the offer. "Plus a six percent commission on trade, a large bonus at the end of the year, and... hey, hey, I'm not done yet!"

Was there a need to say more? A few seconds ago, Kristin was telling herself to be cautious, but a few seconds later, her hand betrayed her body and eagerly grabbed the quill: "No need to say more, where do I sign?"

That's right, Lin Taiping looked at her happily and didn't forget to guide her on how to sign the contract: "Here, here, and here. Remember to sign and then press your fingerprint... What? Mandatory overtime? No insurance? You don't understand? Not understanding is great!"

Thus, a few minutes later, as the magic contract flashed with light, the contract later known as the "Blood and Tears Indenture" was signed. Lin Taiping then happily shook Kristin's hand: "Great, work hard, and I'll give you shares in the future."

It still felt a bit strange, but seeing that the other party didn't suddenly grow a single horn or a tail, Kristin finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, boss, as long as you pay on time, I'll even challenge the God of Light."

"Don't worry, I'm not the type to owe salaries." Lin Taiping smiled and nodded, then suggested, "So, shall we start immediately? Can you repair ships, Kristin?"

Already dazed by the talk, Kristin nodded in a daze but soon noticed that it was pitch black outside: "I can, but it's too dark now. I can't see clearly to repair anything."

"No problem, you can start by chopping wood." Lin Taiping suggested helpfully. "By the way, there are dozens of free laborers outside. After my heartfelt talk, they have decided to shed their blood and contribute their youth, and even offered to pay for their own food."

Achoo! As if sensing something terrible was about to happen, the group of pirates tied outside couldn't help but sneeze.

Tulou and the group of minotaurs, however, listened with a sense of schadenfreude, but their good mood didn't last long. Lin Taiping continued: "Also, Tulou, you all need to work hard. You must learn navigation skills and various sail-raising techniques within two days, and thoroughly clean the deck... Meow, stand still, anyone who tries to escape will have their salary docked."

At that moment, in Kristin's eyes, she suddenly had a hallucination that this man didn't grow a single tail but a dozen.

In fact, dozens of minotaurs had this question. In the eerie silence, Tulou wiped his tears and finally asked timidly, "Lin, may I ask if your ancestors were related to a great demon?"

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