Reborn as shield hero with Garps Template

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Now that Filo has hatched, the remaining monster eggs serve primarily to generate a fortune and complete the selection task. However, hatching these monster eggs takes considerable time.

Jason had already devised a plan to hatch the monster eggs without wasting time. He placed the newly hatched Filo on his shoulder, took Raphtalia out of the inn, asked some locals, and made his way to the village chief's house.

"Master Shield Hero, I deeply apologize. Our conditions here are poor, and I don't have good tea to offer," the head of Lute Village said apologetically as he poured a modest cup of tea for Jason and Raphtalia.

"It's no trouble. I'm not here for tea anyway," Jason replied, smiling slightly while seated.

"Oh? Then, Lord Shield Hero, may I ask what brings you here?" the village chief asked curiously.

"Indeed, I have a business proposal. I wonder if you'd be interested," Jason replied.

"Business?"

The village chief was perplexed. It seemed unimaginable that one day he would be discussing business with the Shield Hero.

"That's right. You've likely seen the monster eggs that the slave traders bring in. Their total value is close to 100 gold coins," Jason explained, glancing up at the village chief.

"1...100 gold coins worth of monster eggs? What do you mean?" The village chief was astonished. Even 100 gold coins was a staggering sum for all of Lute Village, let alone for himself. That Jason had spent such an amount so easily was beyond his expectations.

"I've already got the monster I wanted, Filo here," Jason said, gesturing to the small Filo standing on his shoulder. "As for the rest of the monster eggs, they're of little use to me, and I don't have the time or energy to hatch them all. That's where you come in—I'd like to work with you to hatch and raise them into adulthood."

The village chief glanced at Filo, knowing she was a Filo species monster.

"You spent 100 gold coins for just a Filo hatchling... Master Shield Hero, you're wealthier than I imagined," the village chief remarked, his mind stretched by the thought of such riches.

"Are you interested or not?" Jason asked, frowning slightly when he noticed the village chief was nearly drooling, lost in thought.

"N-No, of course, I'm interested in cooperating!" the village chief stammered, snapping out of his daze.

"Good. Here's the deal: there are 99 monster eggs left, worth 99 gold coins. After you hatch and raise them, we'll split the profits 50-50 when they're sold. Simply put, I'll provide the money, and you'll supply the labor," Jason explained. "However, because you don't know what kind of monsters will hatch, there's a chance you could lose money. There's always a risk, so consider it carefully."

Jason picked up his tea and drank it slowly, waiting for the village chief's response. With the equipment he already had, which was worth 200 gold coins, Jason didn't urgently need money. His priority was to hatch the eggs and complete the selection task, not hoarding wealth.

Lute Village had suffered damage from the wave of calamity. While there weren't many casualties, repairing houses and restoring the farmland required financial support from the kingdom. The village was in dire need of funds, and the village chief knew this.

The village chief also understood that hatching monster eggs involved some gamble. There was a chance they'd hatch valuable monsters, but there was also the possibility of getting nothing worthwhile. Despite this, Jason was supplying the money, so the only thing Lute Village stood to lose was some labor and materials. The potential for gain far outweighed the risks.

Thinking it over, the village chief nodded firmly. "Alright, I'll accept!"

"Excellent. Let's celebrate in advance for a successful partnership," Jason replied, satisfied. "Now that we've reached an agreement, go ahead and have the monster eggs moved. I've got other matters to attend to."

As Jason stood up to leave, the village chief hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"Master Shield Hero, there's actually something else I'd like to ask of you, if possible."

"Hmm?" Jason stopped, intrigued by the village chief's tone.

The village chief led him outside, where about 30 villagers—both men and women—were kneeling in the courtyard.

Jason was puzzled. "What's going on?"

"Master Shield Hero, after the wave of calamity, many in the village have grown disillusioned with this country. While the Kingdom's knights did offer some assistance, they weren't sent here by the King, but at your command. The people here respect and admire you deeply for your heroic stand and incredible strength during the battle against the wave. That's why they've come—they want to ask you to train them," the village chief explained.

Jason glanced at the kneeling villagers. "They don't look like they're just here to thank me and Raphtalia."

"Indeed. The villagers want to become stronger, and they look up to you. They want to learn how to fight like you," the village chief said earnestly.

Hearing this, Jason sighed inwardly. Training a group of villagers seemed like a massive hassle. Most of them had little to no combat experience, and the idea of turning them into skilled fighters seemed unrealistic.

"Sorry, village chief, but I don't have time to train all of you. Honestly, it's impossible for you to become as strong as I am," Jason said bluntly. He wasn't interested in being a babysitter to a group of people, and he didn't see any point in giving them false hope.

The village chief, however, persisted. "We understand that becoming as strong as you is unrealistic, but if we could attain even a fraction of your strength—just one-tenth, no, even one percent—we'd give everything we have for that chance!"

Memory updated

"That's right, Master Shield Hero! Please train us! We're willing to work hard for you!"

"If you don't believe us, we're even willing to have a slave mark engraved on us."

"Master Shield Hero, we've seen the true face of this country. When a crisis strikes, they don't care about our lives. We can only rely on our own strength."

"So, we just want to become strong enough to protect our loved ones and everyone in our village."

The villagers' voices rang out with determination, showing they were not going to give up easily despite Qin Feng's words.

"Anyone can say nice things. If you really want to follow me, then kneel here and prove it. Raphtalia, let's go!"

With that, Jason turned and walked back toward the hotel with Raphtalia.

Although Jason tried to appear indifferent, his heart was stirred—not by compassion, but by a pressing concern. He recalled the mission prompts that had appeared in his mind during the first wave of disaster:

Option 2: Protect Root Village with less than 10 deaths.

Option 3: Personally defeat the boss that is the source of the disaster wave.

Given the relatively low intensity of the first disaster wave, it was possible to fulfill both choices at once. However, as the intensity of the waves increases, fulfilling both options—protecting a location and defeating the boss—simultaneously would become exceedingly difficult.

Even now, with Filo hatched, protecting a location during a significantly more challenging wave of disaster with just Filo and Raphtalia would be daunting. Increasing manpower would be crucial to divide the forces and handle multiple tasks.

Hiring adventurers like Ren and others seemed risky; Jason didn't fully trust them, fearing the presence of spies or the mixed quality of adventurers in the city.

Training the villagers himself appeared to be a better option. However, not all would be suitable—he needed individuals with strong willpower and, most importantly, loyalty.

The suitability of these villagers would depend on their true potential and commitment.

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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11

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