Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 12: Need cooked meat? Contact me

After finalizing the plan with Sophie, Alex announced it in World Chat.

**[World Channel 274894 (10,000 players)]**

**[Alex]:** I, Alex, hereby appoint Sophie as my exclusive agent for cooked meat processing. All orders must go through her. Thank you.

**[Sophie]:** Hee hee, that's me! Need cooked meat? Contact me!

World Chat erupted in a mixture of salt and... other bodily fluids.

"Sophie, riding on Alex's coattails, eh?"

"Alex, I was here first!"

"Alex, look at me! I'm a girl! I don't mind being a... uh... secondary agent!"

"Turn off the lights, and I'm a girl too!"

...

While the masses stewed in their jealousy, the smart ones contacted Sophie directly.

**[Friend Requests]**

"Sophie, big order!"

"Placing an order!"

...

Sophie was overwhelmed with requests. "I'm rich!" she squealed, then remembered Alex's instructions.

**[Sophie]:** Alex charges 10 wood or stone per unit of raw meat. My agent fee is 2 wood or stone per unit.

More outrage followed.

"Agent fees are charged to the *seller*, not the *buyer*!"

"That's a 20% markup!"

"Greedy middleman!"

"Alex, get a new agent! Like me..."

Some lords tried to bypass Sophie, offering Alex 15 wood or stone per unit and begging to be her agent. Alex ignored them all, rejecting their friend requests. The message was clear: Sophie was the *only* agent.

"What did that vixen do to Alex?"

"Maybe they're siblings? "

"Siblings? I have 239 siblings and 108 aunts and uncles, and I can't find any of them! There's no search function. How did she find her sister?"

"Maybe... Alex is unique, the only one with fire. Maybe she has some special way to find family?"

"Damn, she's hogging all the benefits!"

Meanwhile, Sophie was drowning in orders. Even with the 2-unit fee, lords were still buying. Why? Because there was still profit to be made! Raw meat cost, at most, 3 wood. Processing cost 10, plus 2 for Sophie, totaled 15. Cooked meat sold for 20. That was a 5-unit profit! Alex got the lion's share, Sophie got a decent cut, and the resellers got a little something too.

Lords scrambled to buy raw meat on the Free Market and rushed to Sophie with their orders. Alex and Sophie were the hottest names in Eldoria.

...

Sophie sent Alex the first batch of raw meat.

**[Sophie]:** Alex, get to work!

**[Alex]:** Hey, who's the boss here?

**[Sophie]:** (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～ I wanna unlock my master bedroom!

**[Alex]:** You will, don't worry.

**[Sophie]:** Why only a 2-unit fee? They can resell the cooked meat for a 5-unit profit! That's more than me! I should charge 5! They'd still make 2 units!

**[Alex]:** Win-win is the best win. Give them enough profit, and they'll work hard to get us raw meat. 5 units is enough incentive for them to scour the world for us. We just sit back, relax, and collect our 2 units per order. What's not to like?

**[Sophie]:** You're right! You're the best, Alex! Better than my brother and other sister!

Alex paused, reading Sophie's message. *"Mom, Dad, brother, sister... please be safe."*

She shook off the worry and got to work.

"Arthur! John!"

The two Skeletal Dragons flew to her, bowing their heads.

"Master."

"Change of plans. No more low-level monsters. The experience is too low. I need you to level up fast! Understood?"

Arthur, acting like a true general, replied, "As you wish, master."

"Go."

"Yes, master."

They flew off. A dozen skeletons followed, eager to fulfill their assigned task: assist Arthur and John.

Meanwhile, the remaining 268 level 1 skeletons, despite their weak stats, were a force to be reckoned with in sheer numbers. They were perfect for simple tasks like gathering firewood.

Soon, a massive barbeque pit—essentially a giant pile of firewood—was ready.

"Oh!" Alex smacked her forehead. "Arthur, get back here and light this thing!"