"This one is for the Imperial Horse Bureau's daily expenses. And this one is for the Chief of the Imperial Horse Bureau... this is your official stipend, sir, which I've brought over for you as well."
Monkey glanced at the two bags on the table—one large, one small—then looked up at the seemingly respectful minor official standing before him and asked, "I get a stipend?"
"Of course you do. In Heaven, even celestial servants and handmaids receive stipends. How could you not, sir?" The minor official gave a faint smile, his eyes wary.
Monkey's reputation as a demon was notorious outside. If it weren't for official business, the minor official wouldn't have set foot in the Imperial Horse Bureau for anything.
Monkey reached out and grabbed both bags, opening them to peek inside. The glittering Gold Essence caught his eye; he weighed them in his hand—the larger bag held about six hundred units, the one described as his stipend about two hundred.
"How is this stipend calculated?" Monkey asked casually.
Mona Frost quietly explained, "Sir, your stipend is ten units of Gold Essence per Heaven-day, starting from your first day in office. Today is the nineteenth day, so this should be one hundred ninety units."
"It's one hundred eighty units—today isn't over yet," the minor official hurried to clarify.
Monkey's brows furrowed in surprise. "Heh, so Heaven really pays stipends by the day?"
"Not always. If it's official business in the mortal world, then it's calculated by the year," the official replied.
"So how is this one calculated?" Monkey asked, pointing at the larger bag.
"This is our Imperial Horse Bureau's daily operating fund," Mona Frost replied. "It's also calculated by the day. The Imperial Horse Bureau is allotted twenty units of Gold Essence per Heaven-day. If we don't collect it, the Treasury sends someone every thirty days, but if we need it urgently, we can go and collect the daily amount directly. It's the same principle as your stipend."
"Oh? The Imperial Horse Bureau actually needs Gold Essence for daily expenses?"
The minor official wanted to laugh but didn't dare, stifling it awkwardly. His gaze toward Monkey now carried a hint of mockery.
Belle, standing nearby, quickly shot Monkey a warning look.
Noticing this, Monkey straightened his expression and said, "Alright, we've received everything. As for this... I've got other business to attend to, so I won't keep you."
Once Mona Frost had seen the official out, Belle pouted and complained, "Couldn't you have waited until he left to ask? Did you see the look he gave you just now?"
"It's fine. What does it matter? They can look however they want. I'm just a demon—why should I care what immortals think?"
"You're an immortal now too," Belle reminded him.
"Alright, alright," Monkey waved his hand, then pointed at the large bag and said to Mona Frost, "Go on, I'm interested in this."
"Didn't you say you wouldn't meddle in the Imperial Horse Bureau's affairs and would leave everything to Mona Frost?" Belle pouted.
"I'm not interested in anything else, but when it comes to Gold Essence, I am. Go on, tell me more."
Mona Frost nodded. "Actually, sir, you were right just now. Our Imperial Horse Bureau rarely needs much Gold Essence for daily operations. Of the twenty units allotted each day, most are used for staff stipends: I receive five units daily, Clara Frost three, Lee Ping, Leo Liu, and Liam Liu each get two, and now with Belle's two units, just paying wages eats up sixteen units. Only four units are left for everything else—fodder for the horses, medicine if they fall ill, food for the staff, and all sorts of repairs and upkeep."
"Why is my stipend given separately, while yours comes out of the Imperial Horse Bureau's operating fund?" Monkey asked.
"Because you have celestial registry, sir. Anyone with celestial registry receives their stipend directly from the Treasury."
Monkey nodded silently, then pointed at Belle and himself. "Now that there are two more mouths to feed, didn't anyone suggest raising the daily Gold Essence allowance to twenty-two?"
Mona Frost smiled faintly. "Sir, you're new to the post, so you may not know. The Heavenly Treasury always calculates only the total sum; once the funds are distributed, each department must manage on its own. Even if staff are added, there's no adjustment. Not just for our Imperial Horse Bureau—even the Celestial Army is the same. The only difference is, if the Celestial Army performs outstandingly, they can earn extra rewards or apply for expansion. We don't have that privilege here."
Monkey folded his arms and listened quietly as Mona Frost calculated everything down to the last detail.
"The only solution is to adjust internally. We used to have six units left over each day, so things were fairly comfortable. Over the years, the Imperial Horse Bureau has pinched and saved, managing to set aside two hundred units of Gold Essence, but relying on that to make up the difference isn't a long-term solution."
"Of course, sir, there's no need to worry about this. I've already figured out how to adjust things," Mona Frost said. "I'll reduce my own stipend to three units. That way, even with Belle's added wage, we'll still have six units left each day—not as comfortable as before, but not too tight either. We'll get by, and the work won't suffer."
"Cut your stipend? That's not right!" Monkey said at once.
Belle quickly interjected, "Why don't I just skip my stipend, Mona? I don't really have much need for Gold Essence anyway."
Mona Frost took Belle's hand and smiled gently. "Those two units are Heaven's minimum wage—they can't be reduced any further. Besides, you're new to Heaven. You'll find out soon enough: up here, you'll need Gold Essence for everything."
At this, Mona Frost remembered that it was Lord Lao himself who had brought Belle to Heaven. She paused, collected herself, and turned to Monkey. "Previously, I was acting Chief of the Imperial Horse Bureau, so my stipend was five units. Now that you've officially taken the post, my rank matches Clara Frost's, so drawing the same stipend as her is only fair."
Monkey straightened up and snorted, "What kind of appointment is this? You're still the one running things, aren't you? Enough—raise your stipend to ten units, double everyone's wages, Belle's included. From now on, don't pinch pennies—spend as you please!"
Belle and Mona Frost were both stunned by this declaration.
"Monkey, do you even know how to balance the books? Your own stipend is only ten units—even if you put it all in, it's not enough!"
Before she could finish, Monkey gave Belle a mysterious look and said, "We aren't short on Gold Essence."
As he spoke, Monkey reached to his waist and pulled out a bulging pouch, slamming it onto the table in front of Mona Frost with a heavy thud.
The cord at the mouth of the bag loosened slightly, revealing a pile of gleaming gold within.
Both Belle and Mona were utterly stunned.
“Is this...?”
“It’s all Gold Essence. I haven’t counted it, but there must be at least three thousand units here.”
“Monkey! How do you have so much Gold Essence?”
“Did you forget what I did down in the mortal world?”
At that, Mona’s expression changed instantly, and even Belle’s face went stiff.
When the Celestial Army kills demons, they go to Heaven for rewards and Gold Essence. But when demons kill the Celestial Army? There’s always some to be found on the soldiers’ bodies and in the warships, even if it’s not much.
How many Skyward Legionnaires fell at Blossom Mountain? Roughly estimating, across several battles, there must have been at least 150,000 to 160,000. The vanguard led by General Tianren was wiped out by Monkey in one stroke.
Among the Gold Essence that rolled out of the bag, one coin even had a trace of dried blood. Mona’s face turned pale at the sight.
Perhaps Monkey was so affable with his own people that, over these days, even she had forgotten her supervisor’s other identity—the Demon King who had cost Heaven nearly two hundred thousand troops!
Belle couldn’t help glancing at the ashen-faced Mona, while Monkey continued speaking without pause.
“It’s useless just sitting there—Louis Quickpaw even complains they take up too much space. I brought a bit with me when I ascended, but there’s at least fifty thousand more in the warehouse. Turns out I’m a sudden nouveau riche! I heard you can use these in the Heavenly Treasury to buy rare materials, techniques, even magical artifacts, right? We’ll go on a shopping spree later, and if it’s not enough, we’ll find a way to have them send more up! Hahaha! Using Gold Essence looted from the Celestial Army to buy things from Heaven’s own treasury—now that’s my kind of fun!”