Conquering OtherWorld Starts With a Game

Chapter 104.1: Monsters Are Here

"Caroline?" Allen was surprised; he thought Caroline would be with him on this. "What's with you? Are you being serious?"

"I don't mean for you guys to follow my decision," Caroline quickly said. "Allen, Simon, as you all know, my mother has been seeking a prospective match for me since last year. I had already planned to resign and return this year."

This excuse clearly couldn't convince Allen, who was a year younger than Caroline. Shaking his head repeatedly, the young man insisted, "That's not what you really want, Caroline. We've been friends since childhood and only separated when you went to work as a waitress."

Caroline sighed. They were all her childhood playmates, and she didn't want Allen to misunderstand that she wasn't supporting him. However, she also didn't want Allen to think that she liked lying.

"I just… I really intend to stay, Allen. I understand your concerns, and I have the same ones, but… if I could choose, I would prefer to stay in town."

A temporary pause ensued, and the 23-year-old girl revealed a bitter smile that didn't match her age. "When we met before, I said I was doing well; that was a lie, just to save face. I… I'm tired of working in the restaurant, fed up.

"Perhaps you all might never understand, but my job isn't as simple as toiling hard. Let me put it this way: there are always bored men viewing me critically, making impolite remarks that upset me. Sometimes, they would even discuss out loud how much money small-town girls like us are worth.

"If someone points at me and says, 'Look, that girl is from Weisshem,' everyone around will burst into laughter as if I'm a living joke just standing there.

"And we're not allowed to get angry or panic; that would lower a high-end restaurant's class. If one dares cry, they're done; their salary would be reduced by two ranks, and they were sent back to the kitchen to start from a dishwasher.

"Being touched on the butt or pinched on the waist, that's just commonplace. After all, we, the waitstaff of high-end restaurants, wear eye-catching short skirts.

"You guys always say that being able to make money carrying plates in a beautiful store is too easy… In truth, I have wished to exchange with others countless times." Caroline smiled bitterly, glancing over the astonished faces of her childhood friends. "I would very much rather be dressed in sweaty and dirty clothes, slogging away in a dust-filled factory. I really do, I really want that."

A whole range of expressions cycled through Allen's face. He wanted to say something but ultimately just shook his head.

Indeed, factory work wasn't at all pleasant. The heavy physical labor and strict factory supervisors made workers feel depressed, especially since a part of their salary was handed to a union that had never done anything for them.

However, factories didn't accept everyone; the leather factory where he and Simon worked for the past few years only accepted male workers aged 16 to 40.

"At least, no one will laugh at me because I'm from Weisshem if I stay. Plus, Mr. Rex does offer a fair salary," Caroline concluded. "The undead mayor appointed by Mr. Rex is even willing to hire those former brothel workers as clerks and doesn't refuse women to work as sanitation workers or do odd jobs. I think I will be able to find work just fine."

Allen sighed, knowing he couldn't convince his companions.

"Let's stay together, Allen," Simon, who had been silent for a while, spoke up. "Regardless of whatever happens in the future, at least for now, Mr. Rex is the lord of Weisshem. Even if he is driven away later on, we can at least make some money during this period, right? Believe me, if we're together… we can make big money!"

Benjamin, the youngest among the group and a head shorter than the others, had just turned 19 this year. He was closer to Simon, who was only two years his senior, compared to the other two. On hearing what Simon had said, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Simon, do you want us to do something together with you?"

"Yes." Simon nodded enthusiastically and raised his voice. "We can be merchants; we take the things that Mr. Rex sells to the townspeople and sell them elsewhere!"

Allen, who had opposed staying, was astonished. "What are you talking about? Where do we get the capital?"

All four of them had lived in Indahl for several years. Even Benjamin, the youngest, had apprenticed at a cobbler's shop for four years already. However, they didn't have much savings.

This wasn't because they were extravagant; rather, it was due to the high cost of living in Weisshem… The majority of wages earned by the four youngsters were sent back to support their families.

"First, we would need to earn some capital," said Simon with a glint in his eyes. "Currently, many families have bought the good fabric sold by Mr. Rex's men. My grandmother also spent her savings on over 20 meters of fabric which is now stashed away in the closet.

"We can start by approaching people we know and convince them to let us resell their fabric. After selling it, we'll return the cost of the fabric and half of the profit to them. We keep the other half as our profit.

"My grandmother bought the fabric at 10 copper coins per meter. If we take this elsewhere, it can probably sell at 20 copper coins per meter—25 even!" Simon waved his arms excitedly as he explained.

"And all that we need to do? Pool our money to rent a cart from the carriage rental shop! If Indahl imposes a commercial tax, we can just go a little further to the villages or estates and their farms! We'll be able to sell and make a profit either way!"

Allen's mouth hung open, and Caroline's eyes widened in surprise.

Benjamin, overjoyed, jumped up and clung on to Simon, "I want to join you, Simon! You have to take me!"

Simon laughed heartily, allowing Benjamin to hang on him, then earnestly invited the other two. "Shall we do this together?"

After two seconds of hesitation, Allen extended his hand. "Count me in."

"And me." Caroline also reached out excitedly.

Benjamin hurriedly got off Simon and grasped the hands of his companions. "Me too, I'm in too!"

Simon immediately emptied his pockets and pulled them into a huddle to discuss how to rent a cart and convince those close to them to give up their fabrics for reselling…

After these four youngsters had been discussing animatedly for a while, Benjamin suddenly said, "I was thinking, why don't we go see Mr. Rex and ask him to let us sell some of his fabric?"

"Don't be foolish, Benjamin. How can it be that easy to meet Lord Rex?" Simon was amused.

"Um…" Caroline interjected. "Actually… According to my grandfather, it's actually quite easy to meet Mr. Rex. They see him every day when collecting their meals."

"Hey, Caroline, you don't really think that Benjamin's nonsense idea makes sense, do you?" Simon didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Benjamin protested, "It's not nonsense. My mom keeps saying that Mr. Rex is a very kind gentleman. What harm is there in trying?"

"Can we talk about something serious?" Allen sighed helplessly.

"Wait, Benjamin's idea isn't impractical." Caroline's eyes lit up. "My grandfather also said that Mr. Rex is the most generous gentleman he has ever seen in his life. I believe Grandpa wouldn't misjudge him.

"And Mr. Rex is selling such good fabric to the townspeople at such a low price because he wants the townspeople to trust him, right? So, if we make this request to him, I don't think he would punish us even if he doesn't accede to it."

Allen and Simon exchanged glances, slightly apprehensive yet thinking that this might not be such a bad idea…

Caroline was a decisive person and had great trust in her grandfather. Seeing her three companions not having any more staunch objections, she quickly pulled them to the town's main street.

The four had just arrived at the intersection and saw a long, seemingly endless queue.

"What's going on?" Allen exclaimed in surprise.

"It's… probably a recruitment drive?" Simon looked around and pointed at someone in the queue. "Yeah, that's it. Look, my uncle is also in there."

A man in the queue with a small leather hat turned around when hearing a familiar voice. On seeing his nephew, he quickly waved and shouted, "Simon! You little rascal! Running off early in the morning and making me spend so long searching for you! Hurry to the back and line up. You won't get a chance if you are late!"

"Sorry, Uncle, I have something more important to attend to!" Simon quickly grabbed his friends and ran.

"What important matters do you have?! Quick, come back!" Simon's uncle stomped his foot anxiously but was reluctant to leave the line.

The four youngsters ran on the opposite side of the queue and finally got a glimpse of what was going on. In front of a once grand club's entrance, two square tables were set up, and several young ladies were busy registering the townspeople lining up.

Out of curiosity, Caroline went closer and discovered that these ladies seemed to be people who had originally been from this red-light district. Their skin was slightly tanned, but their faces and figures were rather attractive and not something commonly seen in ordinary people.

"Are these the town hall clerks employed by the undead mayor?" Caroline couldn't help feeling a bit envious. Whatever these ladies' previous lives were like, being able to work in such a decent place was something Caroline had always dreamed of.

It was still early in the morning, and the temperature hadn't risen much yet, but these clerks were already sweating profusely. They quickly registered the names of the townspeople and handed out bamboo slips with symbols the size of fingernails on them.

Caroline went closer still and overheard the hoarse voice of one of the ladies saying while handing over a bamboo slip. "This is your work permit for today. The numbers here represent today's date, and the text is your name. Remember to keep it somewhere safe. After work, the on-site supervisor will make you line up and use a special pen to make a red mark on your slip. The red mark means you can come to the town hall to receive your wages. You can choose to collect it later as well, as long as you don't lose your slip."

Caroline nodded silently after digesting what that clerk had said… It made sense. It would certainly be too time-consuming if they had to record names and distribute money to so many people one by one. Using the bamboo slips as settlement vouchers made things much simpler. And even if the slips could be replicated, without the red mark, any counterfeiter wouldn't be able to get the money.

Caroline wanted to go closer for a better look, but her companions promptly pulled her by the scruff of her collar.

"Don't go any further. If you get closer, others might mistake you as someone trying to cut the queue," Simon reminded Caroline, gesturing to the people in the queue that were glaring fiercely in their direction.

Caroline didn't want to face the wrath of others and quickly backed off.