NOVPUBHowever, the words of Wang Ba quickly caused Cui Daqi to frown.
"This kid Wang Ba, he’s still lacking in experience. How could he release this news right off the bat… One should at least lay some groundwork, to let the people below have some mental preparation."
Thinking thus, he couldn’t help but look towards the surrounding Deacons.
As expected, all these Deacons, each and every one of them, frowned. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
But what caught Cui Daqi off guard was that until Wang Ba had finished speaking, not a single person raised an objection.
The only one who did speak up was Kong Yao, an old timer in the department.
But his question wasn’t about the increase in Merit, it was to ask Wang Ba if there was anything else, and if not, everyone might as well get busy with their own things.
The people around, with the exception of a very few, all nodded in agreement.
Soon, the entire Refining Room was bustling with everyone smiling and being busy.
Seeing this scene, Cui Daqi was utterly dumbfounded.
Since when had the people below become so easy to talk to?
This was a matter related to everyone’s Cultivation resources, after all.
And wasn’t everyone still ostracizing Wang Ba just yesterday?
How could there be such a big change in such a short amount of time?
His gaze landed on Wang Ba’s always calm face, and Cui Daqi suddenly felt that he probably really didn’t understand his Martial Nephew all that well.
Turning his head, looking at the pile of written messages on the table, Cui Daqi seemed to have thought of something, his eyes lighting up.
...
"These, after you deal with them tonight, hand them over to me… urgent!"
"This… Alright, since Martial Uncle has spoken, your nephew naturally cannot shirk his responsibilities."
"Don’t worry, once you’ve finished with all these matters, I’ll give you a surprise later."
Cui Daqi watched with a smile as Wang Ba collected the written messages, his smile growing more radiant.
Although Wang Ba felt a bit overwhelmed, Martial Uncle Cui had helped him a lot. Since the other party had made a request, and it wasn’t too difficult a task, he naturally would not refuse.
It was just going to take a bit of time.
As usual, once it was time to finish his shift, he left directly.
"My colleagues, much obliged for your hard work!"
Wang Ba smiled and waved his hand.
But this time, apart from the few who still had complaints, most people smiled back and waved to Wang Ba.
"Of course, of course, Minister Wang, take care."
There was no helping it. Just this afternoon, everyone had collaborated and had already created three new recipes. Deacon Kong personally made a trip to the Myriad Library to compare them, and found no duplicates.
Although the spirit food was of average effect, carrying some unique benefits, it was after all a new Class III spirit food recipe. Three recipes nailed down at least two thousand Merit points each.
Calculated at thirty percent, that’s about five or six thousand Merit points. Subtracting Wang Ba’s share, the fifteen people dividing five or six thousand Merit points meant nearly four hundred points each.
And Deacons busied themselves for a whole year for a mere thirty points of Merit. Even including other hidden benefits, it was only about sixty or seventy points a year in total.
Looking at it this way, this one afternoon’s work earned the equivalent of six or seven years of effort.
The key point was that there were still a lot of Spirit Beast carcasses at Minister Wang’s!
"I have no idea where he got them from, but he sure is generous... Speaking of which, being a Minister really does come with a different perspective!"
After Wang Ba left, the group of Deacons chatted and sighed.
This statement immediately garnered a lot of agreement.
"Alright, if we’ve taken from him, we should work hard. Everyone, push a bit more for this month’s quota. Don’t fail to complete it and make Minister Wang look bad right after taking the position… Old Fan, stop scowling all the time. I’m not saying anything, so what’s troubling you? You’d better butter him up soon to earn some Merit; you’re a grown man and should know better."
Kong Yao spoke a few words, then advised those who had been keeping their distance from the group.
They looked at each other and saw hesitation in each other’s eyes.
Wang Ba, of course, was unaware of the discussions inside the department.
He didn’t have the energy to pay too much attention to these things.
As far as he was concerned, if something could be resolved with Merit points, then it should be settled with Merit as much as possible.
The position of Vice Minister was an aid to his Cultivation, not a burden.
Moreover, if he were to make all the Spirit Beasts into spirit food and compile the recipes, it would take a lot of his Essence.
Instead of that, it was better to distribute the benefits. This way, he saved himself effort, won people’s hearts, and he didn’t earn too little Merit either. Three birds with one stone.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided not to return to Wanfa Peak but instead made his way to Shou Peak.
"Junior Brother Mo, long time no see."
Greeting him was Qi Yan’s disciple, Mo Qi.
At this moment, his Cultivation Base was still Perfect Foundation Establishment, but Wang Ba could vaguely sense that Mo Qi had reached the stage of transforming Mana into Gold Liquid. One more step, and he would be crossing Tribulation and condensing his Core.
Upon seeing Wang Ba, Mo Qi’s expression was not very pleasant, but he still raised his hand in salute:
"I pay my respects to Senior Brother Wang. Master hasn’t returned yet. Please wait a moment."
Feeling the complexity in Mo Qi’s eyes and attitude, Wang Ba’s mind stirred, and he thought about easing the tension between them.
In truth, he had never been quite clear on why this Junior Brother, who had entered the Wanxiang Sect on the same day as he did, harbored such strong aversion towards him.
After all, they didn’t interact much, only during his occasional visits to Shou Peak for learning.
But the relations between people were indeed hard to define precisely; perhaps he had offended Mo Qi somewhere along the way.
He wasn’t too concerned about it, but Qi Yan had taken good care of him, and with Mo Qi being his only disciple, there would be plenty of opportunities to encounter each other. It wouldn’t be proper for them to be ill at ease with one another.
