Ten terot could buy one piece of black bread for a child to eat alone. Ten thousand terot was the money a steam carriage coachman could earn working a full month without rest. Fifty thousand terot was the price of one dress made by a skilled tailor.
It couldn't be converted to real-world prices, but it could be calculated based on in-ga paynt amounts. Converting 50,000 terot to cash that could be purchased with in-ga currency ant 500 cash. 500 cash was about 5 million won. During events, if you bought it with coupons, it could be resolved for around 3 million won. If you divided it into 1,000 won coupons and bought it most economically, it might drop to around 2.5 million won.
Esperanza had never made such a large paynt, and terot could also be obtained within the ga. But comparing it to real-world prices, it was absolutely not a small amount of money. Moreover, she would have to pay the sa amount as the remaining balance.
However, hardcore players had a lot of money. Esperanza showed no change in expression even while pouring out large bills.
"Wow......"
Jack drooled. But that kid wouldn't be able to touch this money. Even if he succeeded in stealing it, having thousand terot bills instead of hundred terot ones would be fortunate if they were just peacefully taken away.
They ca out without incident. All that had changed was a lighter pouch and a strange device in her hand. The thing that looked like a glossy die had no particular features except for a round groove carved on top.
Esperanza threw it into her inventory.
[Item: Information Broker's Receiver]
—Description: A receiver given by an information broker. Sohow suspicious.
That was the end with no explanation. Not helpful.
"Can, can I go back now......"
"I'd like you to take
out to the outside."
"I have a starving younger sibling at ho! If I don't go......"
"Jack, don't lie."
The boy swallowed dry saliva. The woman looking down at him had a face like the dolls that followed behind ladies and gentlen. Even with powder on them, they looked so grotesquely ugly that he thought he'd never understand the hearts of rich people who called them pretty and carried them around. The woman had an expressionless face just like those things.
"Take
out."
"......Yes."
Even more quietly than when going to the information broker, they ca out of the Alter District following the largest and safest roads. Esperanza looked at Jack intently. The boy's face clearly showed his dismay at today's failure, yet he couldn't dare reveal it in front of the frightening Esperanza. But he also couldn't completely hide his youthful spirit. She clicked her tongue lightly.
"Follow ."
Esperanza entered a nearby bakery. The bakery owner glared when grimy Jack entered, then shut his mouth tight and pretended not to see when Esperanza in her black hood gestured.
"Choose everything you want to eat."
"Huh, what?"
"You can eat and then go in, right? Even if they steal money, they won't steal bread you've already eaten."
That was exactly what kind of place it was, but Jack didn't say so. As she said, he could just eat it all up.
Since it was a bakery near the Alter District, it didn't sell amazing bread. Still, compared to the black bread or watery oatal that the pickpocket boy used for daily als, it was a heavenly feast. Esperanza sighed while watching the kid frantically choosing greasy bread.
Compared to 'newspaper boy Jack,' he wasn't smart and was quite cowardly. Though he lived under the protection of thugs, being good at pleasing them, that wouldn't last more than a few years either. The child would drift between day jobs or crawl into criminals' dens. Because that's what he'd need to do to survive.
Everyone living in Nine Holder who was less unfortunate than Jack shared responsibility for his misfortune. From the Queen through Cider Claiborne down to this bakery owner. Even Esperanza, who was most free from that responsibility as soone not of this world.
One child's poverty was the responsibility of all society.
"What should I do with you......."
Jack, who had been stuffing soft fruit bread and sandwiches with ground at into his mouth following Esperanza's orders, opened his eyes wide. Just from being given food, the child's fortress-like wariness had half-crumbled.
"Where are you usually during the day?"
"Just wandering around. With the older guys who live in the Alter District. Sotis we co out a bit more and wander around the shopping district."
aning he served thugs or pickpocketed.
"Let's make a promise. If I leave money here, I'll make it so you can eat one bread every evening. Just one, and you have to eat it here before leaving."
She could see the bakery owner's eyes widen. Of course, since he'd never agreed to this with her. She intended to compensate him separately for that.
"In exchange, if I leave sothing at this bakery...... can you read?"
"I can read."
The child answered sullenly. He could probably read but not write. Esperanza glanced at the bakery owner.
No, not trustworthy.
"Then let's set a ti and date to et. I'll set a ti and notify this bakery, so you co here at that ti."
Esperanza repeated the sa words to the bakery owner.
"I'll give you 10,000 terot first for a month's worth. If you do well, I might entrust you with more in the future. Every evening, one bread. No more, no less—whatever the child chooses, give him one and let him eat it inside the store."
In a small bakery like this, 10,000 terot was money equivalent to a month's sales. For one bread a day, at most 30 breads' worth, it was more than enough.
"I trust you'll do well. As I said, keep in mind that I can co check anyti."
"What are you saying, miss? Don't worry. I'll make sure to feed that little rascal well."
"Never let him take bread out. Don't give him money either. Just one bread. ......You can hire him and pay him from your own money as you please."
The bakery owner understood. He was being told to employ the child and deduct so amount from the money just given. Just a very little. How well he did this would determine whether such fortune would fall again next ti.
The shabby boy looked up at Esperanza while sucking his fingers covered in bread crumbs. Esperanza sighed. There were countless children like this in Nine Holder. Only one child, who happened to be nad 'Jack' and caught her eye, was saved from going hungry.
Esperanza had neither the ability nor the will to rescue Nine Holder's poverty.
Esperanza, who had squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, led Jack out of the bakery. Then she questioned the point she'd been suspicious of.
"You got money from that information broker, didn't you?"
Jack, who had been about to leave with a grinning greeting, turned around creakily.
"You took money from there and brought , right?"
"That, that is, well. That person is still the kindest among information brokers."
Oh my. He brought her to the most dangerous person and speaks well of it.
'He's soone who wouldn't worry about custors, so why did he go as far as paying this kid to lure
in?'
Esperanza hadn't sought him out. He had called Esperanza. Knowing that Esperanza had t Jack, he had lured her in by paying this child. Everything about that man felt dangerous.
"......Could you not tell the older guys?"
The information broker and thugs must not get along well. It seed so. 'Teacher' was truly a polite and neat young man, except for his dangerous atmosphere and suspicious behavior. The kind that thugs who worshiped visible strength would hate.
"If you keep my secret too."
"Secret, what secret?"
"You saw what I requested, right? Promise you won't tell anyone. Then I'll promise too."
"I promise!"
The boy had no choice. Having heard the answer, Esperanza pulled her riding hood down deep. The woman who mixed into the crowd disappeared from sight in an instant.
"She's not really a ghost, is she......."
It felt like being bewitched. Jack slipped into the bakery to ask the owner if he rembered that person, and was told not to talk nonsense and to get lost by tomorrow.
"By tomorrow. He said by tomorrow!"
The boy danced excitedly as he crawled into his shabby slum dwelling. Tomorrow he too would have bread to eat. Very soft bread at that. Bread with fruit or at inside.
??????°??☆????°??????
In the brightly lit study, Cider Claiborne was tapping blueprints with the tip of his pen. As if unable to concentrate well, he touched his brightly shining golden hair with his fingertips and fell into thought. He repeated burying his body in the chair, tilting his head back, and picking up the pen again several tis.
It was a particularly unproductive day.
From the day Esperanza had barged into his house, there had been more than one or two things stirring up his mind. It wasn't Esperanza's fault, but it was also true that they were generally worries Esperanza had brought.
But today, that culprit had actually headed to the slums. To the Alter District, full of dirty, dangerous, and untrustworthy people. So whether it was blueprints or anything else spread out, there was no way he could concentrate.
It wasn't that he was worried about Esperanza's safety. Considering her combat power that could casually shoulder a huge rifle and shoot without even looking to pierce the exact center of all targets, considering that small body containing enough magical power for all of Nine Holder to use for a day, unless an army ca from sowhere, there was no way she could be hard.
They were just back-alley thugs after all. With their pathetic blades or gunpowder weapons, they couldn't hurt Esperanza. As for magical weapons, she had better ones herself.......
Having thought that far, Cider grimaced. Right, Esperanza's firearm was quite excellent. But honestly, thinking of it as technology from 13 years in the future, there were many disappointing aspects. Just that? Shouldn't soone who shot that well have more excellent weapons?
For example, firearms directly crafted by Cider Claiborne, the 'genius magical engineer of the century.'
"I've never made guns though."
Still, I'd make them better. Cider thought lightly and stood up. His head was much clearer than before. Since he was dood to not do other work today anyway, he should lightly sketch out so designs. Using this as an excuse, if he cajoled well, he might be able to get more blood from Esperanza. Then he'd use half for making the gun and keep half for research.
Just as his sculpted, streamlined back was about to disappear inside the research lab door, there was a thud from the study terrace. Like the sound sothing makes when falling.
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