Re:START/If {Book 1.0}
Chapter 52: Toward (Part 01)
The sun has reached the highest limit, the scorching rays in the middle of the day become a time of rest for those who pass by the coastal city. Some choose to take shelter at restaurants, bars or return to their respective homes that live close to work. At Ordoxi Nigrum's company store in the business district of Nanra, Arca and his three subordinates gathered to discuss the agenda that still needs to be done today.
After traveling around the market and collecting items for more than two hours, the five men held a meeting to review the division of tasks to streamline the process of completing the plan. They sat on the floor of a spacious room on the first floor of the store, with no seats to be used.
In the corner of the room were seen several cloth sacks containing low-quality fresh bread and there were also sacks containing several kilos of beef that they had bought before coming to the store. Arca sat down directly opposite Nanra who was sitting together, while her three subordinates sat behind the young man who was wearing the dark red suit.
Putting on the floor a small bag containing the remaining coins that Arca got from the Dwarf she met a few hours ago, the young man said, “From the 2,000 Rupls we had before, he said, only two large silver coins remained. What is cheap bread and beef for?” The statue pointed towards the three stacks of sacks in the corner of the room, feeling that they were not worth reselling or processing into something of high value.
Nanra slightly smiled lightly, then pointed a finger at the front of her own mouth and said, “Just calm down, it is in accordance with Odo's wishes. After all, the money used also belongs to Odo, right?”
“Indeed ...” The statue stopped pointing, putting on a slightly anxious and doubtful expression, “But, isn't this weird? On the agenda should we now be inviting some illegal immigrants to work under us?”
“What does it work for?” Nanra sharpened her gaze, then in a pressing tone she said, “We don't even have a job for them.”
“We can tell them to clear up this place.” Sculpture took the coin back and put it in the bag, then touched the floor surface with his index finger and said, “As you can see, this place is still full of construction dust and a lot of dirt.”
Nanra at a glance surveyed the room, dusting the floor with her fingertips and slightly agreeing with Arca's suggestion. Nodding once, the silvery-white-haired daughter pointed at the golden-brown woman behind Arca and firmly said, “Then, can Mr Arca ask the maid to clean this place?”
“Hah?” Sculptures slightly pucker.
Nanra got up, cleaned her dress from the dust and said, “We will now go to the place of the illegal immigrants. Odo had already made contact with one of them, I guess persuading those people didn't take long.”
“Wait a minute!” Arca got up, stared in wonder and asked, “Have you?”
“Ya, already. I myself do not know when, but Odo has already spoken to one of the families of illegal immigrants and helped them.”
“What Odo also already offers work?”
“Supposes not yet .... Therefore, we will offer their work to them. Using the name Odo as the front face.”
Arca fell silent, starting to understand why Odo had previously said to use his name in recruiting illegal immigrants. Slightly staring flatly and thinking of something else, the brown-haired youth stared towards the pile of sacks in the corner of the space and indeed felt astonished by all that.
“Nona Nanra, what does their job have to do with those unsalted breads and beef?”
“Yes, apparently. It will be foodstuff.”
“Food material?”
“The recipe is still held by Odo, he did not tell me that.”
The statue found it strange to hear that because Odo should not be able to come to the city of Mylta because he was under house arrest. “If Nanra also does not know, who knows how to process it? Would there be anyone else who Odo had prepared and suddenly came like a Dwarf back then?” arca's mind while turning away his eyes.
“Oh, yes.” Both of Nanra's eyebrows briefly lifted, remembering something and he said, “Could you please Mr Arca order one of your Butlers to call two people who are in the Porzan inn? That ..., two people that it ...”
“Tox— I mean, Matthew Mitus and Isla Tenebris?”
“Iya!” Nanra nodded, then pointed at Arca and said, “They .... You also know about it apparently.”
“Ya, less more.”
Stop pointing and put on a slight smile, the girl folded her hands behind her waist and said, “They can also be carried, too, say that they will move to this store on the third floor.”
The statue momentarily fell silent, considering many things and feeling the knowledge of the woman before him more than her. Little understood the hierarchy present, the son of the Rein family sighed lightly and said, “Alright ...”
Looking towards one of his private Butlers who was still sitting, Arca ruled, “Logi, you go. Just say as Miss Nanra commands.”
“Siap, Milord!” answer Butler while standing. The two people who were still sitting got up, feeling a little surprised by the nature of the statue that tends to obey and does not show the usual arrogance the young man showed.
“One more!” Nanra pointed her index finger to the front of her chest, then in a tone reminiscent of her saying, “This is for furniture .... Who knows the most about that? Odo asks us to check the price and if there is a cheap one to buy it, right?”
“True also ...” Arca nodded, looking at Nanra he considered a few things and said, “Now it is going to be late afternoon and most shops in the craftsmen district will be closed at three o'clock.”
“I'm quite an expert check the quality of furniture, Tuanku,” Logi said.
“Eng?” Arca and Nanra stared at one of the Butlers. Holding his chin and thinking of alternatives, Arca Rein said, “Then you check the prices and if there are cheap messages. Just say the payment will be made when the goods come. To pick up those who are at the inn ..”
Arca looked towards the other Butler, then while pointing to him commanding, “Ligh, you go there!”
“Siap, Mr. Arca.”
“Hmm!” Nanra put both hands to the plate and puffed out her chest, proudly saying, “Division is done, then we leave. Arca and I are going to talk to one of the illegal immigrant families. For the key, it is better to hold the waiter—a”
Nanra's words stopped, only realizing that she knew the four people before her clearly. He stared at them, remembering them during the conversation and there was only one person he did not hear his name. Staring at the female in the maid uniform behind Arca, the girl kindly asked, “Whose Ma'am's name, huh?”
“Elulu ..” The woman stared with a flat expression, she looked hard to speak because her mouth was injured. Trying to answer well, the woman again said, “My name ... Elulu Indul Kalama.”
Nanra glimpsed that the woman's teeth were loose and her lips were injured. Confining deeply to the desire to ask because it felt bad behind the reason, the girl took the store key and with a smile said, “Then, please take care of this store as long as we go.”
“Good ...”
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In the late afternoon and after a few tens-minute break at the store, Arca and Nanra just came out of the building right after Logi and Ligh left to carry out the task entrusted to them. Leaving Elulu alone in the building at the end of the business district, the brown-haired young man and the silvery-white-haired girl walked down the main street of the district while looking out over the alleyway that was on each side of the building.
The place as long as they walk is still crowded, the business district with an average operating time from 08.00 am to 19.00 pm will continue to be filled with people until sunset. Then-cart traffic becomes the center of the crowd in the middle of the road, while on the outskirts are filled with people who walk or open booths in front of their stores to reap more profits with a variety of sales products.
Arca looked at the rows of small merchant stalls selling from vegetables, herbs, crops such as dried corn, beans, various flour, and other crops, meat and until ready-to-eat foods such as smoked fish and other processed seafood. Nanra gave a small glance towards the young man who looked very interested as if he had just seen these things, the girl sighed and looked back at the alleys to look back.
Staring at one of the laborers who was transporting the sack from the top of the cart into a bakery through the back door, Nanra's footsteps came to a halt. The features of the Demi-human man he saw looked similar to the traits Odo conveyed in the information package. Demi-human type garbil, beige hair with dark brown pattern tucked back.
Pulling the arm of Arca's clothes roughly and stopping her from stepping, the girl pointed towards the laborer she saw and said, “Master Arca! What ... is he?”
“Hmm?” The statue turned its face and looked towards the person Nanra was pointing at. Since he did not know about the person the girl was looking for, of course the young man had a flat expression and said, “Where do I know, who knows instead of you?”
“I also do not know, just limited to know ...”
“We try, free if silent continue. It was just a waste of time.”
Arca took her foot and approached Demi-human who was lifting the sacks of flour from the cart. Nanra fell silent at a glance and understood a little of the man's merits, she turned her eyes away with a bit of fret and began to understand why Odo had chosen him to be the manager in the city's progressive plan.
Demi-human who was lifting the sack turned his head, his footsteps stopped and stared with confused eyes. Soon knew and knew the young man who had previously taken to the stage of the execution of the bandit leader a few days ago, the worker quickly ignored Arca because he did not want to get involved with the problem and walked back to the back door of the bakery while carrying a sack of flour on his back.
“Is that how you repay the kindness of someone who helped you?” said Arca with a pressing tone.
It brought the Demi-human back to a standstill, at a glance confused and clueless as to what the young man was saying. Arca patted the left shoulder of the man who was not used to carry the sack, then brought the face to the ear and said, “I messenger of the man who used to give medicine to your family in winter.”
“You?” The man in shabby clothes turned around, staring flatly and looking in disbelief.
“Ya ..” Sculpture smiled faintly and took a step back, then reaching out with his hand he said, “I came to talk. Don't worry, it's just a little talk. Can I have a minute for you?”
The Demi-human man looked doubtful. But considering the kindness of the person who once gave his smallest sister medicine, he nodded his head and replied, “Alright. But —”
“What are you doing, Totto!! Quickly transport his things!” order a fat merchant who sits a cart full of sacks of flour.
“Wait until I finish transporting these sacks ...”
The statue at a glance wanted to use its authority and make the merchant who interrupted the conversation silent. But considering a few things, he looked at the Demi-human type of garbil kindly and said, “Alright. I'll wait ...”
The cream-haired man returned to work transporting bags of flour. Nanra who saw this approached Arca, then asked, “How? Is he really the one, Mr Arca?”
“Ya, it seems to be true.” Arca looked lightly at the girl on her right, then in a slightly irritated tone said, “Say she will talk after finishing her work.”
About half an hour passed and the Demi-human job was done. They did not speak directly in front of the bakery, but entered the alley between the bakery building and the shop beside it. It looked very seedy, unkempt and a fleeting unpleasant smell smelled thick to those unfamiliar with such a smell.
When they arrived in the alley, Arca was surprised because that was the place where the workers lived. Demi-humans who have ear and tail characteristics of desert rats have three sisters who are all female, with different ages from dozens to under ten years. Their clothes were extremely dirty, their faces were full of dust and dull, looking skinny and completely making the Rein Statue stunned.
Nanra glanced at the young man next to her, making sure that Arca had never seen the condition of such people in the corners of the coastal city. Puking the young man's plate loudly and making him flinch, the girl said, “Don't be dumb! This is your job, Mr. Arca ..”
“Ya ..”.
The young man walked into the narrow alley, observing them with a look of pity and absolutely heartlessness at the thought that almost all the undocumented immigrants lived like those Demi-human families and there were even worse. Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the unpleasant scent, the young man gave a friendly expression to the four demi-humans of the garbil type.
“My name is Arca Rein .... If possible, can I know your name?”
None of them immediately replied, even the man who was inviting into the alley stared with suspicious eyes. He walked over to the cloth of the robe that covered the body of his youngest sister, then took a glass bottle from behind it and returned to the face of the statue.
“I return this,” said the man while thrusting the bottle. “That young witch said, this bottle is expensive.”
“Ya ..” Arca receives it, smiling at first glance as it ensures that Odo has indeed given them help. Leaning towards the younger brothers of the man who stood behind him with a frightened face, Arca Rein asked, “What ....your sister has healed?”
“Not to tickle, Sir. What the hell did you come for? Aren't you the one looking for trouble with that young witch?” ask the man.
Rein was surprised, scratched the back of the head and slightly sighed as he asked, “The news has already spread throughout this city, huh?”
“Of course, it was a duel that even made Saints in this kingdom come out of his residence.”
“Did you also know that the young witch who helped you was the Saint's son?”
“I ... only knew when he heard the news yesterday-yesterday.”
“Hmm!” Arca nodded in understanding, straightened her body with a light breath and said, “I see your anxiety and suspicion. But just calm down! I don't want to seek trouble or revenge for the duel . I actually came as his envoy. If you don't believe ...”
The statue grasped Nanra's hand, then raised the girl's right arm to show the black bracelet she was wearing. It made the silvery-white-haired girl startled, pulling her hands violently and looking annoyed at the brown-haired young man next to her.
With annoyed the girl snapped, “What?!”
“Do not get angry so. Try to grab something from that Dimensional Bracelet, maybe he can believe it. Odo may have taken the drug from storage on that bracelet ..”
“Haah, like this?” Nanra pressed down on the surface of the bracelet, activated the storage and retrieved a potion from the Dimensional Bracelet.
“I-It ... bracelet worn by young witches!”
The beige-haired man was surprised, and he and his family had seen Odo use the bracelet to pick up potions and blankets for them. Observing the glass bottle Nanra was holding, the man immediately knew that it was very similar to the potion bottle he had received.
“Do you believe?” ask Arca.
“Me-What do you guys want? Does the Young Witch want anything from us?”
Sculpture smiled at a glance, feeling that the core of the conversation had begun to be done. Holding his chin with his right hand, the young man narrowed his eyes and said, “I am here to come as his representative, to offer you a more decent life. I asked, are you sick of living as a vagabond in a place like this?”
“It ...”
The man and his two teenage sisters lowered their faces. They did feel that way, looking disappointed that their lives had not changed even though the trade route had reopened. The smallest member of their family came out of the cloak blanket, then loudly asked, “I don't like to continue living in this place!!”
His three older brothers stared at the child who was not even a decade old yet, feel the same but can not do much because it is like the fate of people who do not get the recognition of citizens by the kingdom of Felixia. Sculpture smiled at the boy's reply, extending both hands forward while offering.
“Then to you, the head of this little family! The oldest person in the family! Are you sick of living oppressed like a lowlife? If so, let me get you out of that life ...”
The Demi-human family looked confused, doubtful and anxious about such an offer. They did hope to get out of life and stop being vagabonds, but still they could not immediately believe in the noble. The man who acted as the backbone of the small family looked straight at the statue, looking for certainty from the young man's words and asked, “What do you want you to want? Want us to work for you sir? Of loyalty? The energy? Or ...”
“I'll give you everything!” replied the eldest son of the Rien family confidently. “Work, decent living, and well-being! As long as you work according to what I command, I will give you all that.”
“That's ... What do you want to hire us as? What ... do we have to do to get out of this kind of life? We ... have absolutely no expertise. What we can provide only power.”
The same words were heard as a sign of agreement in the ear of Arca. Putting both hands to the waist and standing firmly, the young man arrogantly said, “Just relax, this is easy! The person I serve has prepared a job that suits your abilities. Just obey my words, and then I feed and a decent cage.”
In the end, the small family agreed to accept the offer of Arca and it was confirmed by the words of their eldest brother. Before further talks related to the work to be done the four Demi-humans, the, Arca and Nanra took them to the Ordoxi Nigrum store and when they got there ordered them to clean the body alternately considering how close the four Demi-humans were.
Like the stoves and lamps in the shop, the bathroom also uses magic crystals for water sources and has a circuit structure connected to the magic reactor of the place. There is a pool to hold water, though, then the source of the water in the pool came from a glass ball suspended above the pool like a lamp and inside there was a crystal with a water attribute connected to the magic circuit in the place.
A moment after the Demi-humans cleaned up the body and got more decent clothes in the form of black shirts and pants that Nanra had taken from the Dimensional Bracelet, which she had been wearing, Logi who from afternoon went to look for furniture back with his report. The butler had reserved several tables and chairs for the store, as well as a desk and work chair for the office on the second floor. All furniture will be sent tomorrow because the conveyance is limited and payment will also be made after the goods arrive.
Inside the room without chairs and tables on the first floor of the store, everyone gathered to discuss their respective tasks and business preparations. Nanra and Arca play the role of dreamers in the conversation, then Ligh, Logi, Elulu, and the Demi-human family who have just entered the members become listeners to the direction given. Matthew Mitus and Isla Tenebris, two former families of bandits who had moved to the store, were among the talks and likened to the gabril-type Demi-human family.
On the task that must be completed before midnight is very simple, they were only told to chop up the fresh bread that had been purchased earlier in the day into puck dice and process the beef by slicing thinly so that it could be easily dried. No one knows for sure what the work is done and what the food will be used later, but they still move their hands and work on it until eight at night. Of course, everyone stayed at the store.