I won't be, [ At least he recognizes this?? ] Not in money, anyway. Even so, I don't work for free.

[ A place to stay, information about the planet, food that he can't forage himself... that suffices for now. But it won't pay for much of his services, in his opinion. He's certainly not thinking of putting his neck on the line for the other people here without some sort of compensation above crumbly protein and a hammock, selfish as that is. It doesn't matter how dire the situation is here; Illumi won't work harder than he is compensated for, no matter what. ]

Having a give-and-take is the next best thing to being paid directly. Being able to do something for me in return— that's payment, wouldn't you say?