"Letting you stay here is naturally not a problem, but what can you actually do for me? Just as you said, you were originally a group of monsters. Even though you have temporarily regained your sanity, there is no guarantee that one day you will not fall back into being monsters again."
Su Han's words showed no mercy at all. After all, he had no relationship with the people of Khaenri'ah. If the group in front of him could not be of use to him, then destruction was undoubtedly the best choice.
Hafdan sensed the threat hidden in those words and immediately said, "We are willing to follow your commands, but please forgive us for only being able to stay near the dragon veins for now. If our condition improves in the future, we will immediately go out to carry out missions. Would that be acceptable?"
The corner of Su Han's mouth lifted slightly. This fellow was at least sensible, but it was still not enough. He then said, "If I am not mistaken, there are many Hilichurls inside the cave, right? Have them come out and serve me together. Do not worry. As long as they do not cause trouble, I will not harm them. I can even provide food and places to stay. How about that?"
Hafdan had no room to refuse and could only obey the order.
"Yes, my lord. May I ask what kind of work you want them to do?"
"Very simple. Plant crops such as mushrooms and cotton. Also, the mines outside cannot be affected by this place and need manpower as well. Work ten hours a day, and for the remaining time you can come back here to rest. How does that sound?"
"My lord, what if some people are injured?"
Seeing Hafdan's nervous expression, Su Han comforted him. "Relax. After all, I am not some villain. If someone is injured or has a very weak constitution, then reducing their working hours will be enough. But let me make one thing clear in advance. I will not raise you for nothing. If you cannot create the value you should, then the outcome does not need me to spell it out."
"Yes, yes. Thank you for your mercy."
Since things had already been said to this extent, Hafdan naturally did not dare to say anything more. After all, the two sides were enemies by nature. The fact that Su Han was willing to take them in was already immense mercy.
After that, Su Han assigned Hafdan another task, which was to serve as sparring partners for the Millelith.
If the Hilichurls were using labor in exchange for the right to stay here, then the Black Serpent Knights also had to demonstrate their own value.
In addition to acting as sparring partners for the Millelith, they also had to be responsible for patrols. In the future, if Abyss monsters appeared, they had to be the first to rush forward and fight. Otherwise, Su Han would also expel them.
"All right. Starting tomorrow, I will arrange for the Millelith to come over. Your daily sparring time must be at least seven hours. Rest breaks are allowed in between, and if you are hungry, food can even be provided."
"Thank you, my lord."
"Mm, that will be all. When there is nothing to do, there is no need to hide here anymore. There are many residential houses near the mining pits. You can move in directly. If you lack anything, tell the Millelith tomorrow and they will arrange everything one by one. Also, there are more than just this small number of Black Serpent Knights inside the Chasm. When you have time, gather them all here. Otherwise, one day I might feel like cleaning this place up."
Hafdan was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and immediately stated that he would go out today to search for the scattered knights and would absolutely not cause trouble for his lord.
Seeing how compliant they were, Su Han smiled and said, "Then rest well. I will not disturb you any further."
When he returned outside, Su Han discovered that Xiao was looking at him with a strange gaze.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, it is just that this is the first time I have realized you are actually very cunning."
Hearing this, Su Han shook his head and said, "No, no, no. This is not cunning. Xiao, you may not know this, but there are a great many Black Serpent Knights inside the Chasm. If we clear them out one by one or turn them into enemies, they will always be a hidden danger. But if we let them manage themselves, we not only save a lot of trouble, we can also gain a group of enforcers."
Xiao's eyes lit up. He felt that this method was far easier than killing them, and more importantly, it was worry-free and labor-saving.
As Su Han walked outward, he muttered to himself, "I am even thinking that since Hilichurls can also be affected by dragon veins, maybe we can capture Hilichurls from various places and purify them. As long as they recover simple intelligence, we can obtain a large amount of free labor. Mm, I can contact Ningguang later and give it a try."
Although Hilichurls currently had intelligence problems, they could still complete simple manual labor. If they could truly be domesticated, it would be extremely satisfying.
Soon, Su Han picked up a message snail and contacted Ningguang.
When she heard that the dragon veins allowed both Hilichurls and Black Serpent Knights to recover their sanity, she was also very surprised.
However, compared to Su Han's plans, Ningguang was more concerned about the potential risks.
"This is indeed very profitable, but have you considered that once the Hilichurls, that is, the people of Khaenri'ah, recover their sanity, they will hate us? After all, this is enslavement."
Su Han shook his head and said, "So what if it is enslavement? Five hundred years ago, if the people of Khaenri'ah had not stirred up the Abyss, would so many tragedies have occurred? Everything is the result of their own actions. I am willing to take them in now, which is already a great favor. Moreover, the Abyss Order itself is also enslaving Hilichurls."
"You are right. They have already turned into monsters. What dignity do they still have? If you do not take them in, the only thing waiting for them is destruction."
Ningguang's words were not empty. Basically, when Hilichurls were seen in the wild now, they were directly killed, whether by adventurers or other organizations, without exception.
Not long after the discussion ended, Ningguang began arranging various personnel. The newly trained Millelith, as well as various foremen and supplies such as food and mushroom seeds, were all to be sent to the Chasm.
If this attempt succeeded, then subsequent matters would become simple.
Su Han and Shenhe waited in the Chasm until nightfall before the Millelith and foremen finally arrived. Upon hearing that they were to command Hilichurls to work, they were somewhat skeptical at first, until they saw the Hilichurls lined up properly and finally believed it to some extent.
"My lord, what should we do?"
"Very simple. Arrange for them to mine if they are supposed to mine. If there are Hilichurls with higher intelligence, let them try doing some skilled work. In short, do not be afraid. Just treat them as ordinary workers. As for communication issues, for now you can let the Black Serpent Knights help. After some time, when I invite an expert from Mondstadt, it will be much easier."
"All right then. Everyone, get to work."
Since the lord had already said so, they stopped being hesitant. After all, a job paid wages, and it made no difference who they were commanding to work.
The first to act was the mining foreman. He walked up to a group of Hilichurls and tentatively said, "Can you understand what I am saying?"
The Hilichurls nodded gently, their faces showing no emotion, quiet like ordinary people.
This situation put the foreman at ease. He then said to the Hilichurls, "Follow me. Today's work is very simple, just transporting some garbage. If you get tired, you can rest on the spot."
This place was originally a resting area for miners from Liyue Harbor. However, due to the previous infiltration of Abyssal power, everyone had left in a hurry, and now it was extremely messy and had to be cleaned up.
Under the foreman's guidance, the Hilichurls gradually became busy. Some were responsible for picking up stones, some for transportation, and some of the smarter ones were leveling the ground.
Watching this orderly scene, Su Han praised them and said, "That is how it should be. Work well and you get meat to eat. So what if they are Hilichurls? As long as they work hard, they are good kids."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bonus chapters every 200 Power Stone!
10, 20, 30 Advanced chapters in my Patreon!
patreon.com/hollyrisk