The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

There was still some time left before his lunch break ended, so instead of rushing back to work, he strolled around the pasture, planning to survey the terrain and determine where the next plot of land should be fenced off.

Just then, he suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind him.

"Hey! Shepherd! What are you up to?"

Shepherd stopped in his tracks and looked back, only to see a man with a bushy beard waving at him with a smile.

The man's name was Jimmy, a fellow drifter from Holy Image Tree Village, just like Shepherd. Jimmy was one of the first "living" residents of Beifeng City and currently worked as a construction laborer for the city's building crew.

If Shepherd recalled correctly, the building crew had recently been working on something called a "Youth Apartment."

It was a six-story building with numerous small rooms. Its footprint was larger than the main mansion of his former Lord's estate, though each individual room was only around twenty to thirty square meters.

Rumor had it that one such building could house two to three hundred families. Each floor included communal toilets and bathrooms located in fixed areas.

At first, everyone thought it was meant for young bachelors, but later they found out age didn't matter.

It was mostly designed to accommodate the homeless, people like them who were displaced and had no rooms temporarily available for them. Essentially, it replaced the previously abandoned hostel.

Praise the Lord Demon King!

That kindhearted Lord even thought about maintaining the dignity of poor souls like them.

Shepherd felt more and more like the world had flipped upside down—Hell was starting to resemble Heaven?

Frankly speaking, Shepherd thought toilets and bathrooms were unnecessary. After all, back in the day, he could go two months without bathing, and he'd just find any spot to handle his needs.

"Finished your work already?"

"Ah, all done!" Jimmy grinned, walking up to Shepherd and speaking in a casual tone. "Thanks to those stone golems—one of those big guys can move loads that five or six people couldn't even budge. A project that we thought wouldn't finish until next month? Done in less than two weeks. Before deciding on what to build next, the Demon King's servants gave us some time off. I'm planning to check out the town later. I've heard there are some good things there. Want to come along?"

By "town," he meant Mist Town.

Unlike Beifeng City, which was still essentially a large construction site, Mist Town was already buzzing with life and had a market with a broad variety of goods.

Apparently, it was a safe zone created in a tacit agreement between the Demon King and nearby human rulers. It wasn't just humans living there, but also undead and demons from the maze.

Though Shepherd couldn't fathom why the Demon King would build a place on his own territory to provide adventurers with supplies and equipment, rumor had it that it was thriving quite well.

He considered going there, to stock up on essentials and possibly appease his curiosity.

Speaking of which, the building crew workers had started receiving wages for their labor starting last month.

Judging by the amount he earned, his monthly income now was equivalent to what he used to make in an entire year!

Jimmy's proposal tempted Shepherd.

It had been a long time since he last enjoyed the taste of alcohol; there might even be beer for sale there.

And not just that.

He also wished to buy some new clothes for his wife and children.

Word had it that one Joss Paper could be exchanged for one copper coin in Mist Town, so considering his wages, he definitely had more than enough.

But remembering the heap of work still waiting for him back at the pasture, he ultimately shook his head and reluctantly declined.

"I can't go now; things just started getting busy here. Probably won't have any free time until next month… Let's go together another day."

Jimmy was a bit disappointed but didn't press him further. Laughing heartily, he patted Shepherd on the shoulder.

"Haha, then I won't wait for you. But don't push yourself too hard—you've got to rest a bit every now and then… Or, as those Player Lords say, 'balance work and leisure.'"

At that point, Jimmy suddenly sniffed the air, his gaze shifting toward the pasture.

"I was meaning to ask, what's that smell? Are you cooking something delicious?"

Shepherd followed his gaze to the pasture, noticing that the Little Demons had already returned to their work inside the house. Smiling, he replied.

"It's just milk boiling—nothing special. But I did make some cheese, planning to bring it to Mist Town to sell, maybe."

Jimmy's eyes lit up as he swallowed his saliva, excitedly asking.

"How much are you planning to sell it for?"

Shepherd thought for a moment and then said.

"Depends on the market. Probably around twenty to thirty Joss Paper per pound—we don't intend to sell it for too high a price."

A loaf of bread cost about five Joss Paper. Cheese of the same weight sold for roughly five times the price of bread.

But that was in Twilight Province; he wasn't sure about the prices here.

Jimmy rubbed his hands sheepishly, laughing as he said.

"That's not expensive at all—save some for me, okay?"

Even though the building crew had unlimited instant noodles, he couldn't eat that for every meal.

Besides, he had family to think about.

Having just received his wages recently, he planned to buy something nice to improve the diet for his wife and kids.

Seeing Jimmy's sheepish grin, Shepherd tapped him on the shoulder with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'll save some for you—and sell it to you at a discount."

Upon hearing this, Jimmy's face instantly lit up with joy. Grasping Shepherd's shoulders, he exclaimed.

"Thank you so much! I really don't know how to repay you… If there's anything you need help with, just let me know. I'm pretty free these days!"

Shepherd couldn't help but think of the Little Demons' housing not yet being complete. Without hesitation, he replied.

"I'm planning to build lodging for the pasture's workers—nothing fancy, just simple wooden cabins. If you're free tomorrow, lend me a hand."

"Oh, don't worry! Just prepare the materials; leave the rest to me." Jimmy slapped his chest with confidence.

Ever since acquainting himself with the Great Graveyard's modern tools, constructing wooden cabins had become a piece of cake for him.

He could practically build them blindfolded.

After agreeing on a meeting time for tomorrow, Jimmy didn't linger long. He waved goodbye and headed off to rendezvous with his colleagues who were planning their trip to Mist Town.

Watching his fellow villager disappear down the road, Shepherd couldn't help but smile.

He recalled a few months ago when they were still at Holy Image Tree Village. Their Lord, desperate to escape, had sold off the grains still sitting in the fields to merchants from Twilight City at a bargain price.

Since then, their lives had hung by a thread, forcing them to leave their homes just to survive.

Those past few months felt like a dream now.

But now, they could eat bread spread with jam, earn wages for their labor, and even shop at the market in town for goods they liked. No longer did they have to depend on the charity of conniving merchants conspiring with their Lord, enduring exploitation in monopolized markets...

A life like this—he never dreamed it possible.

Life was truly improving, day by day...

As Shepherd mulled over this, a cheer erupted from a cave not far from the pasture.

Under the glow of magic crystal lamps, a tender green sprout emerged from the black soil filling the cultivation dishes.

Amid the excited cheers of the skeleton soldiers around her, the Dark Night Elf responsible for casting spells couldn't hide her shock.

She'd initially thought growing crops in winter was a joke, yet the dormant seeds had actually sprouted.

These unassuming skeletons had succeeded!

What surprised her even more was how the undead seemed to understand nature better than she did, a Dark Night Elf...

The sun must have risen in the west!