Season 4: Chapter 128. Bubble Daily (2)
Potato Servant, who had been counting down, shouted, “Time’s up!”
Radish Servant quickly scanned their surroundings. “Looks like we got it all?”
“Yes! ForeverAlone’s fields are completely cleared! Just a little more outside, and we’re done!”
The Knights had stripped ForeverAlone’s land bare. As ForeverAlone’s respawn timer ticked down, they moved outward and scooped up the last patches of Fertile Soil. It became easier since the flames outside had already died.
Potato Servant didn’t even need to douse the flames. He joined in, shovel in hand, and they finished in a flash. Then, they bolted back to Sweet Radish House.
“U-hahaha!”
“Khh-hh...!”
They tried not to laugh, but it spilled out anyway.
‘Finally, freedom from a pawn’s life.’
‘This is it! We’ve made it!’
With this haul, their standing as the Knights would be unshakable. There would be no contest against the Union in production anymore. They had won by a landslide.
“Oh, right. Potato Servant, tell Maid Black Tea and Servant Lemon to pick up any iron gear the Union dropped.”
“Got it!” Potato Servant sent a whisper to the two standing watch.
***
“Huh? Pick up their scraps?” Maid Black Tea blinked.
She couldn’t believe her ears.
— Knights or bandits, hard to tell lol
— “Chivalry” my ass
— So, Knights burn people alive and loot corpses now?
The viewers felt appalled, but Maid Black Tea snapped back into focus.
“Who cares if it’s hot or cold food. Just eat.”
She had already chosen her side, and orders were orders.
“Well, it’s easier than starting fires.”
— The downfall...
— Poor farm girl turned graverobber...
— Honestly, this suits her though
Clink, clink.
Corpses lay everywhere with gear scattered like seeds. Picking up loot from the fallen almost felt effortless.
“Unnie, why is the ground all dug up like this? Monsters?”
“Probably those diggers.”
“Ohh~”
“Hurry up and shovel.”
“Roger~”
They needed to work fast. The resurrected could come back at any moment.
‘Ugh. Let’s just finish it quickly.’
Maid Black Tea told Servant Lemon to hurry, but she dragged her own feet. Looting corpses didn’t sit right with her. Whatever they picked up, the Knights would confiscate it all anyway. Why rush? Most laborers thought the same.
Ding.
‘Huh?’
A private whisper came from Almond himself.
[(Whisper) Almond: You two keep whatever you pick up. Head home after. Good work.]
“What...?”
— DAMN
— Big Boss vibes
— Future King of Farmers? MON D. Roger!?
— No way...
— Those are some crazy company benefits!
Maid Black Tea’s eyes widened, and her pace suddenly quickened.
“You should’ve said so earlier!”
Clink clink clink clink!
She scooped up the loot with newfound zeal, grinning despite herself.
“Servant Lemon! Faster! We get to keep it all!!”
“Kyaaa! Really!?”
Thoughts of strange, dug-up soil vanished completely from her mind.
***
“Good. We’ll head straight home instead of regrouping at Sweet Radish’s house.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
Almond drew the curtains shut on the second floor of Sweet Radish’s house.
“Now... let’s settle the accounts.”
“Yes, sir!”
Even after handing in all the armor, Radish Servant and Potato Servant couldn’t stop smiling because Fertile Soil outweighed the armor by leagues.
“First off, I’ll hold all the Fertile Soil.”
The servant duo froze.
— ?
— ??
— Bro what
— Was this the plan all along?
“R-Right! Of course! That’s only natural!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
They dared not object, but an unease churned inside them.
Almond continued, “No one but me can carry this around. Instead, I’ll distribute profits later.”
“Ah!”
Of course, Fertile Soil meant power in Cheese Village. Everyone coveted it and feared it. Rumors would spread if others walked around with it.
‘Maybe it’s easy to make?’
‘Maybe there’s more nearby?’
Curiosity would breed imitators. Someone could even stumble on the recipe. It was best to centralize it. They agreed completely.
“Hand it over.”
“Yes, sir.”
Clink. Clink.
They turned in their haul, and Almond pocketed it all.
“So, where should we lay it down first?” Radish Servant asked.
“Uh...” Potato Servant timidly raised a hand. “Sir, about my share... my cut was zero...”
“YOU FOOL!!!”
Thwack!
Radish Servant kicked him square in the jaw.
— LOOOOOOL
— Radish Servant is turning evil haha
— Dark strategist arc continues
— Bro’s terrifying
— He wants to be “fertilized” hahahaha
“How dare you speak of shares! Do you even know why you can eat, breathe, and live!? Do you want to become fertilized yourself?!”
“F-Forgive me! I’ve sinned! Don’t make me fertile, please!!”
— Fertile hahaha
— This is nightmare fuel lol
— Terrifying but hilarious
“Disgraceful...” Radish Servant clicked his tongue and bowed to Almond. “Forgive the commotion, sire. I’ll discipline him further later.”
“No need.” Almond raised a hand to stop him like a true executive. “I was planning to discuss raises anyway. Perfect timing.”
That could only mean one thing: better shares.
“R-Really?!” Potato Servant’s eyes lit up.
— Promotion arc?
— He’s finally climbing!
“So... I get a raise too?” Radish Servant asked carefully.
— This guy lol
— He just smacked Potato Servant for asking the same thing!
The servant duo brimmed with hope. Almond played the trick every corporate veteran knew.
“Oh, but... we’re out of time. We’ll go over it in the next meeting.”
Shwoop.
To their surprise, he logged out with all the Fertile Soil in tow.
— Wait what??
— You bastard!
— He just ghosted them hahaha
— Expectation control 100/100
The viewers fumed, but the servant duo didn’t despair.
“Radish Servant, our salaries will rise, right?”
“Of course, he said it. He’ll keep his word.”
They grinned like fools.
“Kuhehehe... This is huge!”
“U-hahahaha! Huge indeed! We got a huge almond coming our way!”
“Kuhahaha! What impeccable humor, Lord Radish Servant!”
***
At that moment, inside the Nonghyup Union’s hall, Donuts and his crew roared in frustration after respawning.
“Daaammit!!”
Bang!
“You saw it, right?! That crazy Chikicha kick!”
“We saw it! We saw those lunatics!!”
The Knights had utterly humiliated them. What made it worse was watching the Union’s supposed elite fighters respawn one by one, dazed and embarrassed.
“Ugh... We’re sorry, boss. We got wrecked...”
“Dammit...”
Green Tea, White Chicken, Pickle, and all the other big names scratched their heads like schoolboys caught cheating.
Donuts snapped. “I told you not to charge in! Horn Ramen, what the hell were you thinking?!”
“What?! You’re blaming me now?”
“Of course! You idiots ran around spreading the fire everywhere...”
Voices piled on, and arguments erupted. The Union teetered on the brink of yet another collapse. Donuts, lighting the fuse of blame, had chosen the worst possible moment.
“Uh, guys!? Our gear! We need to go pick it up!!”
They all froze.
‘Oh no.’
They had gone out fully kitted in handcrafted iron gear that they had painstakingly prepared. It would despawn, or worse, get looted if they didn’t rush back. The best thing would’ve been to sprint back the second they revived. Instead, they wasted time ranting while the other Knight servant duo gleefully scooped up their armor.
“Run! Hurry!”
“Dammit, just a few of you go! The rest of us stay here for strategy!”
The higher-ups remained behind and dispatched the faster ones.
— Still holding meetings at a time like this lol
— Peak corporate culture
— Donuts is lucky he’s not running a real company ^^
— Honestly bro, this might actually be your fault
Even Donuts’s chat had turned against him, but he ignored it because he had something they didn’t: political instinct. He could read the public mood.
“No one else can lead the Union but me.” He switched to his members-only voice channel and raised his tone. “Everyone, quiet! We’ll discuss the blame later. For now, listen!”
Thump, thump, thump.
His voice, amplified as the guildmaster, silenced the room.
Donuts continued, “There’s one thing we can do to strike back immediately.”
“What’s that?”
The guild leaned in.
“Remember, ForeverAlone still died. The Knights failed to protect him.”
The Union had assumed the Knights were also trying to protect ForeverAlone like themselves. It made sense. After all, hadn’t the Knights tried the same thing with Black Tea?
“They failed. Meanwhile, we died trying to protect him.”
“Ohhh.”
“Think about it! The entire server saw the messages. We fought to save ForeverAlone and fell bravely. The Knights sat on their hands. What will people think?”
A ripple of awe swept the room.
“They’ll think the Knights don’t care about the village’s crisis! That they’re only in it for themselves!”
“That... that’s actually good.”
“The public will side with us! Then, we’ll seize voting power. Once we do, we’ll levy progressive taxes on those high-yield lands. All those profits will ‘support’ the fight against invaders. And the rest? We’ll put it to very, very good use.”
He raised his fist dramatically, and applause thundered.
“Woooooo!”
“Donuts! Donuts!”
“A genius strategist!”
“Dirty tactics, but brilliant!”
— LOOOL
— Peak Ivy League energy
— Scary but smart
— Politics >>> swords
“Tomorrow morning, we rally in the square! We’ll win the people!”
“Yes, sir!”
The next morning, pamphlets flooded the square before the Union even arrived.
“Breaking news! Breaking news~!”
Flutter, flutter, flutter!
[Great Fire of Cheese Village: Only the Knights Ran Into the Flames]