Watching Kurzadh set down his glass, a look of pure satisfaction on his face, Chik and Zaggur quietly breathed a sigh of relief, a strong sense of accomplishment welling up inside them.
To gain the boss's approval meant their month of intensive closed-door training hadn't been in vain—from the day they stepped into the tavern, they hadn't left, learning to cook and brew from scratch, developing blisters on their hands, their clothes blackened by firewood, and even secretly worrying about being scolded by the boss for wasting too many mushrooms.
Now, it seemed, it was all worth it.
Chik rubbed his flour-dusted hands, already pondering: Should he add some shredded roasted meat to the roasted mushroom slices next time? Maybe the boss would like it even more; Zaggur, meanwhile, stared at the brewing barrel, calculating if he could adjust the fermentation time to make the mushroom wine taste richer—the joy of being recognized became their greatest motivation to continue improving their craft and developing new dishes and varieties.
They still remembered this month of "Devil training": Chik stood by the iron stove in the kitchen every day, dealing with the dancing flames, initially unable to even control the heat, resulting in mushrooms that were either burnt black or half-raw, wasting two full baskets of fresh mushrooms before slowly figuring out the trick of "Slow roasting over low heat," learning to brush honey and sprinkle herbs on the mushroom slices to enrich the flavor; Zaggur stayed in the dark cellar, stirring the fermenting mushroom pulp daily, controlling the temperature and humidity of the cellar, initially brewing wine that was either too sour or too bland, until he poured out the third barrel before finally brewing a mushroom wine with a faint malty aroma.
It wasn't until the system prompted "Training Complete" that the two of them finally relaxed—the system's recognition not only meant they officially became tavern employees, but also unlocked exclusive benefits: as bound retainers of the green mushroom tavern, they would receive a permanent BUFF of "Strength +5, Constitution +5" inside the tavern.
This meant that, within this small wooden house, their combat power was two to three times that of an ordinary hobgoblin.
"If some blind fool causes trouble here in the future, I can punch him flying!" Chik clenched his fists, feeling the power surging through his body, a excited smile on his face.
Zaggur also nodded, gripping the brewing spoon in his hand tightly: "If anyone dares to smash the tavern's tables, I'll hit his head with this spoon!"
They had long anticipated it—Green-skins were naturally belligerent, and once the tavern opened for business, drunk hobgoblins and orcs were bound to fight there.
At that time, they would not only have to cook and brew, but also moonlight as "tavern security," so there would be plenty of opportunities to beat people up.
Although they might not have many opportunities to go to the battlefield in the future, as long as there was a fight every day, it was a great thing for Green-skins.
Kurzadh was unaware of his brothers' "Beating plan"; he sat at the bar, savoring the delicious wine and food he had just enjoyed, finally remembering his true purpose for coming here.
When Chik enthusiastically suggested, "Roast another portion of mushroom slices," and Zaggur busied himself with, "Pour another glass of mushroom wine," he waved his hand: "No need, you two go on with your work, I'll just sit for a bit."
He walked to an empty table and sat down, seemingly lost in thought, but in reality, he opened the system light screen in his mind.
With the completion of the "Grand Opening" quest, the full attributes of the green mushroom tavern were finally unlocked, no longer the vague "Special Building" tag from before.
On the light screen, lines of text were clearly displayed:
[Building Name: Shroom Shanka (Hero Tavern)]
[Building Type: Special Functional Building (Unlocked at Tier 2 Village)]
[Base Output: Extra output of "Mushroom Wine" x 5 units per week]
[Operation Requirements: Requires 1 bound Chef, 1 bound Brewer (Currently met: Chik, Zaggur)]
[Building Effect 1: Territory [Development] attribute +12/year (Promotes economic circulation and technological innovation)]
[Building Effect 2: Territory [Obedience] attribute +12/year (Provides an outlet for Green-skin conflict, reduces the probability of internal strife)]
[Special Note: food and drink prices within the tavern can be set independently by the Lord, supporting settlement with "Green-skin Teeth" (Green-skin common currency)]
"It really is a special building, the attributes are just different!" Kurzadh couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.
An additional output of 5 units of mushroom wine per week, and the ability to set prices and collect money independently, this was much more practical than a simple production building.
He had long noticed that the common currency among Green-skins was "teeth"—teeth pulled from defeated enemies and those that naturally fell out, with sharper and sturdier teeth having higher value.
Previously, most of the tribe's teeth came from battle spoils; now with the tavern, there was finally a stable way to "Accumulate wealth."
The cost was also ridiculously low: the ingredients for brewing and cooking were mushrooms grown in their own mushroom field, costing almost nothing; Chik and Zaggur's "wages" were only 10 ordinary teeth per month, which was a drop in the bucket compared to the income the tavern could bring.
More importantly, the "tooth recycling" channel could promote internal economic circulation within the tribe—the hobgoblin Boys, for the sake of drinking mushroom wine and eating roasted mushrooms, would be more active in hunting and working to earn teeth, and the teeth collected by the tribe could then be used to exchange for external resources, forming a virtuous cycle.
As for the increase in the [Obedience] attribute, Kurzadh instantly understood the reasoning behind it: the "irritable spores" within Green-skins needed an outlet; previously, they either fought or worked, but now there was the additional channel of "tavern brawls"—after getting drunk and fighting, they would naturally become more compliant once their emotions were vented.
This setting was perfectly in line with Green-skin nature; Kurzadh even felt like applauding the system's "Considerateness."
However, a new question quickly arose: "What if they smash up the tavern during a fight? Will the system automatically repair it? I can't be expected to fix tables and chairs myself, can I?"
He pondered for a while and soon had an idea—the tribe had plenty of hobgoblin laborers, and fixing tables and chairs would be a piece of cake for them.
At that time, just a few sips of mushroom wine as a reward would surely make those goblin run faster than anyone else, willingly coming to repair the tavern.
But what excited Kurzadh the most was the line "extra output of 5 units of mushroom wine per week."
The glass he had just drunk was just the tip of the iceberg of "1 unit of mushroom wine"—"1 unit" in the system corresponded to a large wooden barrel of mushroom wine, enough for him to drink for several days alone.
"Oh my goodness! This is too good!" Kurzadh cheered in his heart.
5 large barrels of free mushroom wine every week meant he could drink to his heart's content every day, practically a life of "Drunken revelry"! Even if he couldn't finish it, he could use the mushroom wine as a reward—which hobgoblin boy trained the hardest?
Which orc was the bravest in battle? Reward him with a glass of mushroom wine, and it would surely make them howl with gratitude and work even harder.
More importantly, this was the tribe's first "profitable industry."
Previously, the tribe's expenses relied entirely on spoils and production, with only outflow and no inflow; Kurzadh always worried that one day there wouldn't be enough teeth, and he would become a "pauper Lord."
Now with the tavern, not only could he stably earn teeth, but he could also improve the territory's attributes, truly a "three-birds-with-one-Kurzadh" situation.
He leaned back in his chair, watching the flames dance in the fireplace, listening to Chik and Zaggur tidying up behind the bar, his heart filled with anticipation.
Once the tavern officially opened for business, the Blackrock Clan's days would surely get better and better—with mushroom wine to drink, meat to eat, fights to have, and a stable income, who wouldn't want to follow such a tribe?
Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the table, warm and bright.
Kurzadh picked up the remaining half-glass of mushroom wine on the table, took another sip, and the sweet taste spread in his mouth, making him squint his eyes—it seemed his "dream of getting filthy rich" was finally about to begin.