Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: 6. Slaves Are an Excellent Source of Labor
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Thud.
"This completes the deal. Congratulations on becoming the owner of this land!"
"Thank you."
It hadn't taken long to select a decent plot of land and finalize the contract. Just as the information guild had reported, the owner was desperate for cash.
The price was right on market value, but land like this in the capital rarely traded at all—market value was almost a meaningless term. It was like trying to sell land in Seoul or New York; houses were one thing, but raw land? Not so much.
Without the information guild's help, it would've been snatched by a competitor, or I'd have spent weeks or months pounding the pavement. Lucky all around.
The seller himself—the middle-aged merchant house owner who'd needed to settle urgent debts—shook my hand with a smile like he'd been reborn.
"Thanks to you, my house dodged a debt crisis. I figured a place like this would take forever to sell at that price, but you paid in full upfront. Truly grateful."
"We were both lucky, me and you."
"Haha! Fair enough. It's on the outskirts of the capital, but land this size is hard to come by. Though I suppose my luck was even better!"
The plot was about the same size as my land back in Luton, but comparing prices? No contest. And deals for land big enough for a large two-story building were rare.
That said, I wasn't just saying it was luck for nothing. There were other candidates in this sprawling capital, sure.
'But selling the whole building with it?'
The biggest reason Kyle and I chose this one? No need to build from scratch. The middle-aged merchant's house building was still intact.
The scale was similar to Branch 1, but the interior decor, materials, aesthetics? Worlds apart. Hell, slap a new sign on it, and you could open tomorrow.
For someone like me who'd braced for major construction costs on Branch 2, it was perfect.
"Oh, by the way—what do you plan to do with the land? Nothing special, just curious since you seem young."
"An orphanage."
"...An orphanage?"
My casual answer slowed the middle-aged merchant's response. Fair enough, considering the image orphanages had.
But my orphanage franchise was a different story—
"You're a truly noble soul! Feels good handing it off to someone like you!"
"Pardon?"
"The capital has plenty of fine orphanages. But with all the people, there are just as many pitiful kids, right? More orphanages can only be a good thing. Truly the grace of His Majesty the Emperor!"
Oh, right. Now I remembered—most orphanages near the capital were legit. His Majesty's territory meant strict oversight and generous subsidies.
To be precise, oversight was nonexistent outside the capital area, which made the capital's places model operations compared to Luton's cutthroat scene.
Which meant:
'I've got brand competition ahead.'
Luton was the orphanage wet market; the capital was the luxury department store. Like competing high-end brands, I'd have to win on orphan quality.
And premium orphan production? I had confidence there. Karen and Laila alone were top-shelf anywhere.
Waving goodbye to the smiling merchant, I headed out with Kyle, who'd been scoping the building.
"Kyle, you'll be staying here a while, so memorize the way."
"Yes, Director."
Kyle's attitude toward me was... less "director" and more "superior officer." Odd, but no need to correct it.
He wasn't like this when we met. Why the sudden deference? Did someone threaten him?
Brushing off the random joke, Kyle and I strolled the capital.
He'd never really seen it, and neither had I—not properly. As an adventurer, I'd visited plenty but always rushed in for quest reports and out again. No sightseeing.
Taking it all in deliberately now... well.
'Lots of competing brands.'
None in the city center, but out on the outskirts like mine, orphanages popped up here and there. And they put the Happy Orphanage—seen during acquisitions—to shame.
Unlike Happy's nightmare hygiene for processing and educating "product," these were flashy, grand, huge buildings.
No kids visible, but they were probably living large, groomed into premium stock.
'Squeezing in among those luxury orphanage brands won't be easy.'
Just like I'd stressed community ties back in Luton for supply and sales, I'd need to build networks here. And that was the problem.
It took over a year in Luton for those cozy government ties—and that was with no real competition. The capital? Bigger than Luton by far, packed with established luxury players.
Daunting, sure. But it signaled one thing:
'They've got solid footing for premium branding... which means it pays big.'
The hardest fruits taste best; the toughest orphans perform best.
Fueled by that fire, Kyle tilted his head while looking around.
"But Director, doesn't something feel off?"
"What?"
"We've walked so much, but no back alleys or slums. Every city has them..."
"We're near the center; they're probably clustered on the outskirts. We'll check later."
No rush on Orphan Gacha pulls yet. Building needed cleaning, permits for opening.
Competitor recon done, capital tour sorta complete.
"Let's grab dinner stuff and head in."
"Yes, Director!"
Even Kyle, with his dubious look, perked up at food. I'd never skimped on meals—like no shop owner yanking a kiosk plug to save electricity.
We'd spotted a market on the way, so shopping was easy. Prices high? Capital tax.
Buying bread, meat, veggies, spices—enough for future arrivals too—
"Director, don't we need that too?"
"Hm? Oh, right. Nearly forgot. Excuse me, where's the slave market?"
"Slave market?"
The shopkeeper—a sharp-faced old woman buying my groceries—eyed me.
"That ended a few days ago. Probably won't open till the week after next."
"Timing's off."
"You look spry—why slaves?"
"Opening an orphanage soon. Need hands."
"Fair enough... Oh!"
Crash!
Mid small talk, something collapsed inside the shop. Turning toward the noise, there was a girl who'd tripped while moving crates.
Faded clothes, silver hair a tangled nest. Tiny—smaller than Laila or Karen.
"Th-th-th..."
Stammering, fidgeting—she seemed awfully timid.
Not her first spill; the old woman unleashed.
"When will you learn! Eighth time today! Eighth! The groceries you've wrecked these past days... Argh!"
"S-s-sorry, ma'am!"
"Tch tch... Sorry for the hassle, customer."
"Is she a slave?"
"What else? Feeding, housing, paying wages for that walking disaster—infuriating."
Thumping her chest in frustration, she bowed to me. I waved it off, watching the girl scramble to clean shattered apples.
Obvious: unskilled, mistake-prone slave girl. Imperial "slaves" were more like contracted laborers who'd sold themselves, so her value was low. Demand favored sturdy men over women for raw labor.
And that's why this was opportunity. When she fell—I'd seen the 'light.'
'Couldn't tell the stars...'
Just a glimpse, no star count, but after Karen and Laila's rare pulls, it was worth the gamble. Needed labor for the orphanage anyway.
"Ma'am, would you sell her to me?"
"Hm? Suddenly?"
"Like I said, desperate for hands. In exchange, I'll buy everything here."
"Well..."
She'd seemed reluctant at first, but my offer swayed her. As said, low labor value, and she sucked at the job.
Dumping a problem slave for a full shop clearout? Solid deal.
"Fine, not bad. Hey! Bring your contract!"
"Y-yes!"
She bolted inside at the shout, returning with a sheet—her ownership labor contract.
"Sign here. And bring her along every shopping trip."
"You're surprisingly worried."
"Worried? If this klutz kills her new owner, I lose a good customer. Take this too!"
"But we haven't paid for these veggies..."
"They're scrawny—feed her more! Just take 'em!"
Buy one slave, get veggies free? 1+1!
Finishing shopping amid her nagging-worries at the girl, Kyle, I, and the slave headed to Branch 2.
New owner jitters? She stayed anxious; Kyle glanced her way.
What? No romance subplot. You're marrying Riel, remember? Orphan fusion first.
Kyle sidled up, whispering.
"Director, you sure?"
"First off, Riel said to tell you hi..."
"The fall at the shop, too—she seems useless. Not like old war-slave days; modern slaves need steady wages."
Ah, efficiency. Kyle worried she'd cost more than she'd earn.
No issue there. Talent confirmed. Timing on the fall was weird, but physical talent for sure.
2-Star orphan... er, slave. Train the talent, put her to work—good enough.
"Don't worry. You'll live together at the orphanage, so be friends."
"...Understood."
To me, products or slaves—similar. Sales vs. labor purpose, that's it.
Oh, right—forgot to check.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"...Celine. Master."
"Right, Celine."
At Branch 2, I took Celine inside. Kyle went to prep dinner.
Fresh market slave. Ragged clothes, wild hair, timid. One job for her.
I handed her broom, mop, dustpan.
"Clean first."
"Y-yes!"
Slave's duty.
Work, labor.