“So, you’re saying we should return Geppetto’s workshop to those siblings, young lady?”
“Yes.”
The blonde girl nodded without hesitation at the middle-aged man’s question.
The man involuntarily laughed at her nonchalant deanor, as if demanding sothing so obvious.
Considering the man’s usual temperant, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had already shouted in outrage or ordered her to leave, but most people in this world were lenient toward the beautiful.
Faced with the girl’s appearance that seed to be a feast for the eyes, the man decided to listen to this bold girl’s story a little more.
“Why should I do that?”
“When Pollen Geppetto was alive, his workshop was indeed the most advanced and prestigious. But it’s been over a decade since that old man died, and magic doll technology has continued to develop in the anti. Honestly, with Stromboli’s abilities, it wouldn’t be difficult to create a workshop equal to or better than his without clinging to a dead old man’s workshop, right?”
“Haa...”
After uttering an ambiguous sound that could have been admiration or a sigh, the man lit a cigar.
After savoring a slow puff of the hazy tobacco smoke, the man nodded readily.
“Well, you’re not wrong. Indeed, it wouldn’t be difficult to construct a workshop of equal or better caliber now. Unlike when we first acquired the workshop, we’ve finished interpreting various secret techniques. But that’s that, and this is this.”
Blowing cigar smoke near the girl’s face, either unconsciously or intentionally, the man smiled provocatively.
“Just because my wallet is overflowing with gold coins, does the value of silver coins diminish? ‘The posthumous work left by the legendary master, Geppetto!’ ‘A masterpiece magic doll created in the workshop imbued with Geppetto’s spirit!’ There are nobles everywhere who fall for such impressive titles. That old man’s na value is still quite usable. It’s too precious to give away to those scraps.”
Fanning away the cigar smoke with a hand fan, the girl calmly replied, “If it’s for comrcial reasons, wouldn’t it be better for your reputation and image managent to create a touching story of actively supporting the bloodline of a legendary craftsman rather than mistreat them?”
“You really know nothing of business, young lady.”
The man twisted the corner of his mouth while tapping his cigar on the ashtray.
“Among those who covet Geppetto’s na, no one gives a damn about his personal history. No one cares whether that stubborn old man’s grandchildren starve to death sowhere or not. Do you think those who wear the na value of a master’s posthumous work as a luxury item would give even a few coins to those beggars?”
“I see, I understand now.”
The girl smiled gently.
“You belong to what people commonly refer to as ‘trash’.”
At the girl’s assertion, not only the man’s but even the surrounding guards’ expressions were greatly distorted.
“What did you just say!?”
“Master, we must correct her manners at once!”
At the urging of his subordinates, the man quietly rolled his eyes.
The man’s gaze turned towards the white knight quietly waiting behind the chair where the girl sat.
“Tsk. Forget it. It would be undignified to be swayed by the words of a young girl.”
After making such an excuse, the man leaned back in his luxurious chair and waved his hand dismissively.
“I think I’ve done enough to repay the gift. You may leave now.”
“Yes, let’s do that. I have nothing more to say, either.”
After the girl and the white knight left proudly.
The man called for his personal mage nearby.
“Let ask you once again. Is this thing really valuable?”
What the man held in his hand was a flat, square cloth pouch with strange characters drawn on it.
Inside the pouch were several stone-like pieces, each engraved with the sa pattern as drawn on the cloth.
The middle-aged man had a very dubious expression on his face.
To the question of Charles Stromboli, the head of Stromboli, the mage answered in confusion, “Yes, it’s a talisman imbued with powerful defensive magic. Although it’s consumable, just possessing it has the effect of a professional mage’s defensive spell, so its value is incredibly high. Even considering the entire Empire, mages who can create such things wouldn’t reach even 10%.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
At the mage’s firm answer, the displeasure that had filled Charles’ face softened slightly.
“Well, that’s fine. I don’t know where that girl got such a thing, but if it’s in exchange for acquiring such valuable items, I suppose I can forgive so impertinent words.”
“Um... Master. But is it really alright to let her go like that? Considering she’s walking around with a magic doll and readily offered such precious talisman as re bargaining chips, she might have an extraordinary background.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. Among the influential families of the Empire I know, there’s no na like Elilaz. It could be an alias, but using an alias itself ans they can’t co forward openly, doesn’t it? Besides, I sent her away nicely without intimidating her just in case, so nothing should happen.”
That didn’t seem particularly nice at all...
Such a thought crossed the mage’s mind, but just as he was about to speak to his master again, another subordinate approached.
“Master, we’ve received word from our person planted in the lord’s mansion. They say a docunt requesting permission to establish a workshop has been submitted.”
“Location?”
“In the northwest district.”
“A place neither particularly good nor bad. Which company?”
“It’s not a company.”
“What? Is it an individual business? Then there’s no need to report it to . We already control all the best locations in the city anyway, and the guides who deal with travelers will only introduce our places, so they’ll wither away soon enough.”
“Well, the one who applied is Smith Geppetto, that guy.”
“What?”
Charles’ face suddenly contorted.
“Where did that beggar get the money? He should be tightening his belt just to maintain that shabby warehouse.”
“We don’t know. But he’s already put out job postings for workers, so it seems he’s seriously trying. What should we do?”
“Why ask the obvious? Tell our people to spread the word—anyone who tries to reach out unnecessarily won’t be in for a good ti.”
“That might work for established craftsn, but drifters only look at the imdiate money, and we can’t stop them without separate compensation. Should we allocate funds?”
“Forget it. Why should I give my precious money to incompetent fools? A workshop is aningless without professional technicians, anyway. We just need to hold on to the core personnel on our side.”
A sinister smile appeared on Charles’ mouth.
“This actually works out perfectly. When we drove them out before, we couldn’t finish things clearly because the previous lord of Tik-Tok intervened... But if their newly opened shop goes bankrupt, this ti he’ll surely go bankrupt for good.”
“Still, Smith must have so plan to co out like this. He might have found a wealthy sponsor.”
“Hmm.”
“Perhaps we should... take so additional asures.”
“Oh, my friend. Don’t say such scary things. We’re a company, not bandits. Should we bury everyone we don’t like?”
At Charles’ words, his subordinates all exchanged knowing looks.
“What’s with those expressions?”
“It’s nothing!”
“As expected, Master, you are truly a moral and exemplary rchant for others!”
“Hahaha! Yes! That’s right!”
The wicked capitalist, Charles Stromboli, laughed loudly.
There was nothing to stop his laughter.
Not yet, at least.
***Dolton, a young man from Tik-Tok, carefully looked around.
In the wide open space.
According to the public notice he had seen, about thirty workers had gathered at the site where a new workshop was to be built soon.
The faces of the “workers” were quite familiar.
They were the usual idlers who hung out with Dolton without any particular business.
Dolton thought.
Only drifters have gathered.
Naturally, this assessnt included Dolton himself.
The workers were generally young or on the younger side, and there wasn’t a single “skilled worker” who should have been playing the role of the backbone of a site such as this.
They might have decent physical strength, but that was their only advantage.
Seeing only people without proper skills or experience gathered, it seed impossible for this construction to be completed properly.
Well, what does it matter? As long as I get paid, that’s all.
As Dolton was thinking this, the noisy surroundings suddenly fell silent.
Wondering what was happening, Dolton followed the workers’ gazes and gaped in surprise.
There stood a beautiful woman unlike any Dolton had ever seen in his life.
The workers, who had been chattering idly, were blankly staring at the beautiful woman’s face and figure, and not a few of them were so entranced they didn’t even notice insects on their cheeks or drool flowing from their mouths.
Towards these workers, the beautiful woman calmly delivered her ssage.
Although her tone was cold and seed to speak bluntly regardless of age difference, perhaps due to the beautiful woman’s aura, none of the workers dared to argue.
The content of what the beautiful woman said can be summarized as follows:
Workers would be divided into three shifts: morning, afternoon, and night.
Work hours would be 8 hours, but workers who arrived 1 hour earlier than the originally scheduled ti would be provided with als and alcohol.
Their activities outside of work hours didn’t matter, but leaving during work hours was forbidden.
Wages would be paid on a daily basis. If vacancies occurred, additional personnel would be recruited to fill the empty spots.
Listening up to that point, Dolton gaped for a different reason than when he first saw the beautiful woman.
“So, um... you’re saying you’ll give us alcohol? And right before work starts?”
“Both alcohol and food. But there won’t be any breaks during the eight-hour shift, and if you co late and ask for food, you won’t get any.”
That doesn’t seem to be the important part here.
The workers were at a loss for words.
There had always fools who drank during work hours only to get beaten by their superiors, but this was the first ti they had seen a workplace encouraging it.
If they were told they would be offered drinks after work, they might just say the employer was kind-hearted and generous, but what kind of situation was it to tell them to drink before work?
After the beautiful woman left, the remaining workers started to discuss their own rational hypotheses.
“Ah, it’s probably just a trick to prevent tardiness. If they provide als separately from wages, and even alcohol on top of that, many people will co to eat. If they eat and then go straight to work, they can’t leave in the middle either.”
“But do they usually give alcohol before physical labor? What if an accident happens?”
“It’s probably just a glass of beer at most. That much won’t make much difference, right?”
Dolton nodded.
He thought it sounded plausible, too.
And it wasn’t a bad deal either.
For soone like him who had no clear occupation and was either eating reluctantly at ho or going hungry, the idea of being given food without additional charge was a big rit in itself.
It’s still physical labor, so they probably won’t skimp on portion size, right?
He thought.
The next morning.
When Dolton went to the work site, he was astonished once again. At this point, astonishnt was becoming routine.
“Co on! Co on! Quickly get your bowls and receive your rations! If it’s not enough, you can get seconds later, so don’t force yourself to take too much from the start!”
The nu itself was simple.
Bread. Stew. Alcohol.
Although not luxurious or outstanding, the bread was generously sized.
Each loaf was about the size of two adult male fists, so it seed like, eaten sparingly, it could easily cover two als.
The real surprise was the stew.
Apparently, the beautiful employer had made it herself.
It had a tantalizing sll and was riddled with a plethora of ingredients.
Large chunks of at, sweet onions, mushrooms with a chewy texture, and various unidentified herbs chopped finely and added in.
“Wow.”
The mont they put the stew in their mouths, the workers all exclaid in admiration at the intense flavor spreading throughout their mouths.
Not only was the taste excellent, but the sensation of the body warming up and becoming energized with just one bite was truly superb.
They already felt full, but still wanted to eat more of it.
“I-is this all wine?”
The alcohol was beyond words.
A strong aroma of alcohol, incomparable to the cheap beer they usually drank.
Just one sip made their throats tingle and the tips of their noses feel tipsy, indicating it was extrely high-proof wine.
Is this really okay? Is it really alright?
Even while thinking this, Dolton couldn’t stop his hand.
He eagerly chewed the bread, slurped the stew, and gulped down the wine.
Moreover, they prepared beer and rum separately for those who disliked wine, suggesting it as an alternative. The alcohol content of these drinks was also uniformly high.
When the al ti ended and work hours were supposed to begin, none of the workers could bring themselves to get up.
With full stomachs, warm bodies, and plenty of alcohol in their systems, they all laid face down on the ground, snoring away.
Although it was a situation where an employer should be furious, Dorothea—the beautiful employer—didn’t seem displeased.
Rather, she smiled as if she had been waiting for this situation.
Dorothea swung her staff.
And.
The workers collapsed on the ground began to rise one by one.
***[Hey, you lazy bastard! How dare you shovel like that! Are you determined to ruin your back!?]
[You don’t use a pickaxe with strength! It’s about technique, technique! Now, like this!]
[Damn it, a healthy young bastard can’t move better than that!? When I was your age, I could split wood with my bare hands! You know!?]
***“Gasp.”
Dolton woke up from sleep.
It felt like he had an incredibly terrible nightmare.
For an incredibly long ti, being scolded in real-ti by a terrifying old-tir. No, beyond simple scolding, it was as if that old-tir was moving his body at will...
“Morning shift is over. Take your wages and go. Don’t be late tomorrow.”
After receiving the pile of coins handed over by the employer, Dolton tilted his head.
Did I... work?
Objectively speaking, it seed like he had.
The employer had handed him his daily wage, saying he’d worked hard, and his body, which had been so full of energy until just before starting work, now felt as heavy as lead.
It also felt like he had consud physical and ntal energy beyond his limits, but had forcibly endured it with the effects of so drug.
“Damn, I’m exhausted. Did I drink too much? I can barely rember what happened.”
“I think I was shoveling and moving loads like crazy too, but the details are... Maybe we should drink moderately?”
“You idiots, that’s the good part. You don’t rember the hard parts, and when you wake up from drinking, the work is done, and you get paid, so why hesitate? You think you’ll ever get to drink such high-quality alcohol again?”
“That’s true.”
Looking at the words of the passing workers and the wad of money in his hand, Dolton thought.
Yeah, what’s good is good. That’s right.
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