First Assignment

All the normal citizens, that is eighteen year olds who graduated school got a new phone and an Identity card. 

In their base, a phone is a citizen's everything. 

A Phone is how the base Identifies them, a phone is how they buy stuff at groceries, a phone is where they get paid, and a phone return is how they report a person's death. So, a mobile phone is a very very very important implement. 

Important sayings must be repeated three times. That's how important it is. 

After the apocalypse, a genius from Base A modified the operating system of the famous fruit smartphone to work seamlessly with the base government. 

Base A was occupied by the phone company, while the first ten years were tough, in the tenth year, they succeeded in creating a mana charged version of the phone. 

Once they did, a multitude of things became incredibly easier, for the rest of the populace and the base itself. 

Now, getting a phone of your own is just like getting an adult ID card. 

First thing Rowan did as soon as he got the ID card was to go to the administrative office to transfer over the work points of his father onto himself and having the ownership of his father's mobile transferred on to himself. 

Finally, he could open his father's mobile. 

Only, he got his first surprise when he saw his father's last message. 

His father was a spy. Not just a spy, a spy collecting information about the corruption in Base H. 

As he read through the call logs of his father, he realized rather than a government spy, his father was a mercenary spy. 

Only, it's a secret society, and one could only enter with an invitation. 

Now, Rowan has a ready-made membership in this underworld organization. 

He looked at all the information for sale on the organization's bulletin board. 

[ The places where base H guards do not petrol ] 

The information is available for free for any base H mercenaries. 

His father is indeed intelligent. He set all his interested news feed to download and make a copy, so now Rowan had an extremely clear idea about many areas compared to his contemporaries. 

Perhaps those awakener's kids have data directly from the satellite, but their names will be recorded on the access list. Compared to them, Rowan could get that data anonymously. 

A secret cookie is delicious, even super boring publicly available information becomes more exciting news when a guy reads about it in a secret gazette. 

For now though, he will make breakfast. 

Spend some quality time with his little sister. 

After all, he will be spending most of his days from now on working from six to nine outside. 

Moreover, he would have to discuss next steps with his sister. 

His father had bought a plot of land from the base, on the condition they will construct a house there by themselves. His father left a word about this in his last video, along with access details of his mercenary account. 

Now, the ownership is transferred to Rowan along with the other assets of his father. 

It's a measly amount, but his father has chosen the plot wisely. 

It's backed against a stone mountain. Now that construction of the outer wall is over, it's a safe area to live in, compared to his father's time. 

As he was musing about his future plan, his sister arrived. 

"Welcome home." Rowan greeted happily. 

"Why are you so happy?" Mina grumbled. 

After all, he failed the Beast tamer examination. 

Rowan just laughed at her. 

"I am just happy. Is it wrong to be happy nowadays, is it? " he asked. Finally, he is about to realize the dream of having a house of his own. How could he not be happy ? 

Mina pouted, looking like a little kid. 

Looking at her expression, Rowan only felt happier. 

He loved teasing his little sister most in this world. 

However, his sister is affected by the mood far too easily. After a few minutes, looking at his silly grin, she just started giggling. 

"Oh! Our ice princess finally melts!" Rowan teased her, obsequiously gesturing like an eunuch attending a princess. 

"From tomorrow onwards, I am going to go to work. You need to lock the door, and make sure all the windows are closed before locking the door." Rowan explained, once his little sister's mood got better. 

Mina nodded her head. She ate her second generous meal of the day, so she's quite happy. 

Till now, his sister has suffered, eating only the bare minimum to keep themselves living. 

He will feed her only good things from now on. With hope for tomorrow dancing in his heart, He closed his eyes to sleep. 

His little sister turned in for the night long before himself. 

The next day, Rowan reported at the bio fuel plant as expected. 

Bio fuel plant uses biological elements and slimes to create diesel. 

The slimes are thrown in to cut up a mess of plants, when they grow enough, they will be pressurized between two big discs, forcing them to excrete and lose their body mass. 

Then, the remaining slimes will be recycled. 

Their job is to collect slimes that have reached the necessary size to squeeze oil, and remove the slimes that did not eat the feed no matter what. 

However, the entire day consisted of the workers explaining, but not giving a single moment to touch the slimes except for carrying around closed boxes of slimes. 

It's clear the man feared the new graduate is after his job, so he is being wary of him. 

However, when it came to the evening, they reached the final step of today's orientation, placing the unwanted slimes in bins heading to the incinerator.

For the first time, his system responded. 

[ Found 1000 living organisms of the same species. ] 

[ Scanning the organism for evaluation ] 

[ Evaluation successful. ] 

[ You can tame the herd of animal 'Slime' by adding it to the shepherd system.] 

[ Do you wish to tame ? ] (yes) ( no) 

Rowan looked at the news in surprise. 

This.. doesn't this mean he can become oil boss all by himself ? 

Though oil is not overly expensive, it's still leaps and bounds above the cost of ordinary weeds they feed the slimes. 

However, how will he explain the disappearance of thousand slimes to the fuel plant? Rowan thought desperately. For now, he could only stall time to think of a solution. 

"Master Shi, this incinerator must cost you a lot." Rowan said conversationally. 

" Indeed. If not for the strict rules of the base which monitor the outside all around, would I hire something as money eating as this incinerator? The damned big bosses were always the same. Love to eat tax money and do nothing. " The plant owner grumbled. 

He is indeed an employee of the plant, but he gets commission on the profit. 

If not for the high cost of running the incinerator to kill the slimes, his salary would be three times higher. 

That's how much money the incinerator costs. 

This is his chance, Rowan realized. 

"You know, I might have a solution for that." Rowan said. 

"Ha! What solution? Don't tell me something stupid like throw the slimes outside the wall in a valley or something. The guards patrol these areas quite diligently. If caught, I'd have to give up on the fuel plant all together." The owner grumbled. 

"Of course not. It's not a valley, but a volcano. My father left me a driving permit, and an adventurer I am close to knows the location of the volcano. I can run a few trips with the truck to throw the slimes in the volcano. The guards don't patrol there." Rowan said. 

"You could really do that? " The man wondered for a moment. Rowan was surprised how easily the boss bit the bait. It must have shown on his face ! 

The next moment, the boss laughed in Rowan's face. 

"Aaaahhaha haha haha haha! You are good, kid! I almost believed you. The outside is full of demon beasts. Even beast tamers could barely go out. Where can a little ordinary man like you go out? Don't joke." The owner pushed him off. 

"I am not kidding, Master shi. How about this? I will take away all these waste slimes, and dispose of them free of cost. I will give you a week to find these slimes anywhere near the base. If you find them, I will lose, and I will be your slave in this life." Rowan said. 

"Don't joke kid! Where could you hide these many slimes within the base? If a slime infestation happens because of you, then I will also be implicated." The owner said disdainfully. 

"Don't tell me ! You are afraid to make a bet." Rowan said slyly. 

This is an age-old trick. If that doesn't work, then, he would just have to sneak in here and steal away the slimes. 

Rowan thought given the boss is a mature adult, he wouldn't fall for such a childish trick. 

Only, the boss fell for the trick. 

He fell hook, line and sinker. 

"Fine. Seems like you kid is in need of a good beating. I bet. I bet a thousand times! Don't cry when you lose. There will be no corner for you to hide in when this master comes to put a chain on our neck." 

If there's one worst thing the apocalypse brought, it's the old rules. 

The slavery by itself is not brought back. However, what they did in the name of indemnity is no different from enslaving. 

"Ah! Don't be so fast. What if I win? " Rowan asked. 

"You ask ! You can have my wife and daughter, and even my sister." The old man said confidently, as if there's no chance in hell Rowan could win. 

"Boss! There's no need to go to that length. A thousand working slimes from your plant will do. If I win, you will give me a thousand slimes of my choosing, If I lose, I will work thirteen years for free." Rowan said, quite confident. 

"Fine. Let's stamp on it. " The boss said, leading him to the office. 

Computers still exist, though they are used only for official purposes. 

They have become as elusive as they were in the nineties. 

Boss printed out the official contract, and Rowan and boss both pressed their thumbs on the document. 

"Well then, move those damn slimes within an hour." The boss threatened Rowan, before throwing the keys of the slime warehouse to him.