Chapter 100: Live Broadcast
Page 1/3
Morning sunlight bathed Licheng, marking the start of a new day. Located in the southwest, the sky here was exceptionally blue. This small, obscure town on the frontier of the eighteenth tier had one undeniable advantage: it remained untouched, natural, and peaceful, far removed from the clamor of big cities.
Yet…
For those living here, all they longed for was…
To be noticed, to be spoiled, to have money thrown their way without restraint.
They wished to rely on the mountains and rivers for sustenance.
However…
The road to Shu was treacherous, as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Licheng, it seemed, was like the ninth heaven in the sky.
Its isolation also stunted the growth of tourism.
Despite this, the southwestern town refused to be labeled merely a retirement haven. The bustling commercial street, thick with the scent of trade, remained lively.
So lively, in fact, that no one noticed…
A group of bizarre creatures of all shapes and forms were quietly streaming into a three-story ancient building in the heart of the commercial street.
The Monster Tavern.
Today was particularly lively because everyone knew an all-important recruitment event was underway.
All the idle monsters, bored out of their wits, came here to munch on sunflower seeds and sip tea for free.
After all, who would refuse the chance to enjoy free food and drink while watching the spectacle unfold?
In the tavern’s main hall, monsters dressed in strange attire gathered cheerfully, exchanging tall tales.
“Why don’t you let me be the waiter? I’ll give you two moves; if I pull it off, I’m your man for sure.”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
“If my kid becomes a waiter, I wouldn’t even have to come to the tavern.”
“What’s with the claws? Look down on us?”
“Look here first—what kind of monster are you? Who’d want your service?”
Laughter erupted as the monsters pointed mockingly at the dung beetle creature curled up on the floor.
The ones taunting him were a group of odd-colored…
Dung Ball Monsters.
“I’ll kill you, you son of a dog!”
The dung beetle monster, furious, pushed at the dung ball monsters repeatedly.
Their quarrel escalated until the dung ball monsters and the dung beetle creature were fighting, turning the scene chaotic.
Page 2/3
In one corner of the tavern, filth was flying, and chaos reigned.
“Enough, shopkeeper…”
Someone called out, trying to calm the dung beetle who was still pushing the dung ball monsters.
Looking up, the dung beetle saw the shopkeeper, a fair-skinned girl named Bai Lianhua, leaning against the wooden railing in the stairwell on the second floor, smiling warmly in their direction.
She was so charming, so well-behaved…
The dung beetle was mesmerized and smiled back at Bai Lianhua.
Suddenly!
A muffled thud!
The dung beetle’s smile froze, and with a sudden cough, he spat out a pile of mess all over the floor.
Witnessing this, the other monsters hurriedly covered their noses, waving their hands in disgust, and dispersed.
It turned out someone had struck the dung beetle’s back hard, causing him to spew out what he had just secretly bit off from the dung ball monsters.
Fuming, the dung beetle flung his hands, stomped his foot, whimpering as he pushed through the crowd and ran away in grievance.
“Who’s causing trouble here? I’ll bash your head in!”
Miss Mingshan, holding a large ladle, pointed at the rowdy dung ball monsters with fierce determination in her eyes.
Terrified, the dung ball monsters crouched on the ground, heads in hands, unwilling to defy her.
“Miss Mingshan, truly a heroine who outshines men. I admire you,” a young man dressed as a scholar approached, clasping his hands in respect.
“You’re here? Why haven’t you gone in yet?”
Recognizing him as one of the seed candidates for the waiter position, representing one of the great demon clans, Mingshan asked.
“Ah, I’m ashamed… so ashamed…”
The scholar monster waved his hands awkwardly, shaking his head at Mingshan.
“How ashamed?”
Mingshan pressed further.
He forced a laugh, his smile stiffening—it was just polite banter, yet she asked how ashamed he was, not what had happened.
He struggled to explain the depth of his shame.
“Oh, what happened to you?”
Mingshan changed tack, sensing the conversation was off.
“I’m out of the running already…”
He shook his head embarrassedly.
“This trial is perilous beyond measure…”
He paused, still shaken by the memory.
“It started with me falling into a pond…”
…
“Miss, are you listening to me?”
The scholar recounted his harrowing fall, only to notice Mingshan was distracted, rubbing her large ladle against his clean, neat clothes.
Ugh, how disgusting—the ladle had remnants of filth on it.
“Oh, hahaha, sorry, I didn’t notice when I hit that thing earlier. The ladle got some of that on it. Your clothes are so clean and white, I just couldn’t help it…”
She sheepishly withdrew the ladle, apologizing to the scholar.
He looked down at the patches of dirt on his clothes, his face turning green.
My clothes were clean, and you just had to smear them? What on earth do you do in the kitchen?
“Sorry, I still have to cook in the back,” Mingshan quickly said as she scurried away with the ladle.
The onlooking monsters felt queasy hearing this.
Hey, isn’t this some kind of black kitchen? What do we normally eat here?
Just then, a large curtain slowly descended above the tavern.
The monsters screamed and cheered in delight. To their surprise, they would get a live broadcast of the recruitment trial.
On the curtain, neon lights flickered.
A golden dragon, shimmering with radiant light, appeared on the screen.
Then the scene changed...
Warm, festive music played...
“We bring you grains and cereals, natural and healthy sources of nourishment (Your trusted blended oil).”
“We offer you a luxurious new home, with San Yang appliances, warm in winter, cool in summer (San Yang air conditioners).”
“We present you sweet, delicious biscuits, nutritious and joyful for growing children (Darna biscuits).”
“We fatten you up and drive you further—only by going farther (Feizhu electric scooters) can you get a good price.”
One advertisement after another played shamelessly on the curtain.
The monsters exchanged bewildered looks, completely confused.
Even monsters have to buy memberships to avoid ads?
“Sorry, wrong broadcast…”
Standing on the folding stairs opposite the curtain, a young man in work trousers patted his head in frustration.
His eyes gleamed as he stared at the curtain in the tavern’s center.
At that moment, a shadow appeared on the screen, running through darkness, panting heavily.
The tension was palpable…