Working menial jobs in a pleasure district was unremarkable, mostly serving as a waiter doing things like pouring tea, cleaning, and running errands. Guests rarely made overt physical advances towards waiters; instead, their gazes were more common, the kind that assessed and evaluated. You know the type.
My roommates kindly advised me to avoid acting alone. I initially followed their advice, as this was an unfamiliar dungeon, after all.
Once I became familiar with the layout, I attempted to do things that were more convenient when acting alone.
For instance, collecting game items… Hey!
Instead of worrying about the potentially preventable event of "Illumi’s sore backside," I should be more considerate of myself and focus on my own life, not worrying endlessly. After playing an RPG for so long, have you really started to see yourself as Illumi’s biological sister? Isn’t that ridiculous?
Thus, I successfully collected the following items:
[Withered Flower Petals x9], [Glass Shards x2], [Tattered Cloth x4], [Novice Ore x3], [Paper Scraps x5], [Suspicious Slime x1]
Yikes, something strange got mixed in, making me feel like a pervert. (But I still didn't throw it away.)
The most agonizing part of being a waiter was carrying trays. This establishment was truly high-class, serving guests with pastries. I was almost crying from hunger on the way, constantly swallowing my saliva.
So… so hungry, I really want to eat.
The food portions here were larger than in District 13. Every day, it was just dry bread, boiled potatoes, and boiled cabbage. No oil, no pastries. Overall, the menu remained extremely meager.
My emotional management skills aren't as good as Illumi's. Once, a guest noticed. He enthusiastically invited me to have some pastry, but I refused.
Even though Kiche often misunderstands me, I am very aware of the saying, "One cannot speak ill of the hand that feeds them." Faced with the possibility of paying a price I cannot accept, I will endure. If I were truly starving, I would rather steal pastries from the kitchen.
"Stealing" and "escaping" were the two greatest taboos here. My [Enduring Hunger] reached level 6 in the torment of only being able to watch but not eat. This is damn annoying.
Nighttime was the peak business period for the establishment. As a newcomer, I maintained my diligent and dedicated salaryman persona, not attempting to meet Illumi during the night shift. Later, when it was my turn to work the day shift, and I was acting alone again, I seized an opportunity to "converse" with Illumi in a hallway corner.
The first thing I wanted to "ask" him was if his backside had been hurting these past few days… Ah, he didn’t lose any flesh. Maybe Illumi himself wouldn't mind? Isn't it just causing unnecessary trouble to specifically ask about it?
Putting my mindset right, I very seriously and earnestly discussed the matter of "whether the water we drank during onboarding was problematic." Illumi stated that he felt the same as I did, not sensing anything unusual about that cup of water.
He didn't excessively doubt that the "magic" mentioned by the scumbag man A was false. During training, we were warned that a very small number of people in this world possess special abilities, and their auras are different from ordinary people. They are not individuals we can contend with at our current level. Our chances of winning are zero. If we encounter them, we must absolutely avoid combat, flee as much as possible, and flee as far as possible.
To verify if that cup of water truly possessed "magic," the fastest way was to test it oneself.
Invincible abilities do not exist; special abilities often have various limitations.
Following the plan, we decided to conduct an "escape test, with both of us fleeing in different directions simultaneously" to preliminarily understand the response speed of District 6 to "escape" behavior, capture capabilities, and subsequent specific punishment measures.
The escape time was chosen just after midnight during the establishment's busiest period. Regardless of the outcome, it was death. I might as well steal a pastry before escaping. I'm already mute; no matter how they punish me, they wouldn't break my legs. People here are commodities. A commodity with two disabilities would be severely devalued. They wouldn't want to suffer unnecessary losses.
Night is the professional stage for assassins. I moved like a fish in water within the shadows. Forget being dragged into an alley; ordinary people wouldn't even notice my small figure.
District 6 was the smallest district within Meteor City that I had ever seen, about the same size as a small commercial pedestrian street in the "real world." Slipping out of District 6 without being noticed was easier than I imagined. I dared not be careless, didn't think much, and picked up my pace, running non-stop towards District 7. The piles of garbage outside the residential area served as my best cover.
I don't know if it was my superior escape technique or the inefficiency of District 6's personnel, but the capture team only arrived near dawn.
To complete the charade, after a slight struggle, I played along, appearing sensible and willingly surrendering.
Shortly after being tied up and brought back to the establishment, Illumi was also bound and thrown onto the ground next to me.
After a round of verbal admonishment and threats, the formal procedure was whipping on the back.
…Is this it?
The Zoldyck family's whips hit much harder than this.
Didn't you eat, little brother?.jpg
While I thought that, it still hurt, of course. I had no intention of provoking them. After being hit, I feigned weakness, unable to stand steady, and was helped back to my room.
Illumi, that idiot, didn't need help and walked back on his own. Hmph. I believe after his next escape attempt, he'll be whipped even harder.
To advance by retreating is a wise choice for mature adults. He's a brat who doesn't understand this principle!
After applying the wound medicine and lying on the bed, just as Illumi and I had planned, I successfully learned about my roommates' personal experiences and hearsay stories about escaping in District 6. There might be exaggerations or inaccuracies in the information. In summary: apart from those who died or managed to save enough ransom money, no one has ever successfully escaped District 6. No matter where they escape to, they are found within a day.
As for saving enough ransom money, only two people are said to have accomplished it so far. Other information is almost zero; my roommates don't know the specific names or appearances.
The ransom price is calculated based on each person's purchase price and their length of stay at the establishment, with time measured in "years." Any duration less than a year is considered "one year."
Taking myself as an example, my purchase price was 6 silver coins. The ransom for the first year is ten times the purchase price, which is 60 silver coins. The second year, it doubles to 120 silver coins, and the third year, it doubles again to 240 silver coins, and so on. There is no salary for doing menial work; only upon formally receiving guests do we earn a share of the income. If I were to wait until I turned eighteen to receive guests, which would be eleven years from now, my ransom at that time would be…
240x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2 = 61440
Oh, such a terrifying number? It reminds me of the story about placing rice grains on a chessboard in the "real world."
The king’s request was, "I only want you to place one grain of rice on the first square of the chessboard, two grains on the second, four grains on the third, eight grains on the fourth, and do this until the entire chessboard is filled." The king thought it was easy, but after calculating all 64 squares, it turned out to be an astronomical figure, far exceeding the entire country's reserve grain.
I am young, so my purchase price is much lower than that of older children. If I were willing to start receiving guests earlier, there would be a good chance of creating another "successful redemption" example… Not!
No, no, absolutely not. I am a killer who makes a living with my skills (laughs). I sell my art, not my body!
During my time doing menial work, I of course didn't forget to observe the guests' identities. If any mafia members came to patronize the place, eliminating them and making the effect eye-catching would allow me to fulfill my bet with scumbag man A.
Whether someone is a mafia member is not directly written on their forehead. In the "real world," some mafia have specific tattoos or consider cutting off a pinky finger as a threshold for joining, but not all of them are like that. The mafia in this world is also like that. Not every mafia has tattoos, and even fewer cut off their pinky fingers. Just changing clothes, and their appearance is no different from ordinary professionals.
Therefore, I had no other way but to choose "eavesdropping."
The soundproofing here is generally poor. For someone with good hearing like me, eavesdropping is not difficult. The only trouble is that the situations happening inside are rated-R. The first time being discovered can be attributed to curiosity, but being discovered multiple times could lead me to be labeled a pervert.
Tsk, don't let my childlike appearance fool you; I am an adult. In the "real world," I can openly watch rated-R content!
Besides, my goal is to figure out the guests' identities. I want to hear the dialogue, not other strange noises. I am working very seriously, heaven and earth can testify.
Perhaps I should be curious about Illumi's thoughts when he was gathering information. Of course, I wouldn't ask him proactively. I can't let him know that I care about such things. I'm not entirely sure about his thought process. If I express myself improperly and he misinterprets me or misunderstands, and he later mentions it to Kiche, passing on the wrong information, I'll be in trouble.
Speaking of the mafia, black suits, sunglasses, and firearms are standard. I haven't seen any of these these days… Nonsense. Where would consumers wearing formal attire go to a pleasure district? That would be too strange.
With the experience of being deceived by the District 12杂货店店主, I suspect that scumbag man A's claim of "mafia members patronizing this place" is false. Pleasure districts outside Meteor City are diverse and full of tricks, each more luxurious than the last. There's no need to patronize Meteor City, which has relatively poorer conditions.
The bet with scumbag man A is likely impossible to complete.
Wasted effort. He is truly a scumbag!
I cannot just wait to die. After my whip wounds healed, I patiently waited for over a week. Illumi and I implemented our second escape plan. He was responsible for the escape, and I was responsible for observing the reactions of the establishment's personnel, focusing on what Illumi's mentor, the pretty boy, would do and who he would meet upon discovering Illumi's absence.
It took the pretty boy over half an hour to discover and confirm that Illumi was no longer in the establishment. He wasn't particularly rushed, probably because he had great confidence in the capture personnel of District 6.
Then he reported the news to Aisha and went to work.
Aisha contacted District 6's "Capture Office" (a name I made up myself) using the phone in her room. Her words were nothing special, just saying someone had escaped District 6, described Illumi's appearance and age, and ended the call.
It seems Aisha doesn't have tracking abilities. The task of capturing escapees is entirely handled by District 6's "Capture Office."
I don't know where District 6's "Capture Office" is located. I don't have any special ability to trace phone lines. Do I have to methodically search the entire District 6? No, providing the location and issuing commands can be done via phone. If the tracking ability doesn't have significant range limitations, the tracker themselves might not need to be in District 6. They could even be outside Meteor City. Finding and coercing a tracker to disable their ability is as difficult as ascending to heaven.
The punishment for the second escape was being whipped on the back with a saltwater-soaked whip. Illumi didn't even flinch, let alone cry out. He's a tough one.
The scene of someone being punished for breaking the rules is the best lesson to deter others. Everyone had to come and watch. Illumi, by not giving them face like this, prolonged the punishment time.
Standing in the crowd, I quietly moved to a position directly facing Illumi and mouthed to him, "Just play along, pretend to faint, give them some face, be human, Illumi."
Illumi thought for a while before choosing to feign unconsciousness… Is he sick?! To suffer more for no reason, I really don't understand him!
Afterward, he said he "felt fine," which is why he took so long to react.
"..." We really are from different worlds. His [Clench Teeth] must be max level.
After exchanging information obtained from the second escape plan with him, finding the location of the "Capture Office" became our primary objective.
During the day in District 6, there are few people on the street, making covert operations inconvenient. At night, there are indeed more people, but we can't choose the week when it's our turn for the night shift. We could be assigned tasks at any time, making it easy to discover someone's absence, and we wouldn't be able to explore District 6 with peace of mind.
Hard work pays off. We found the "Capture Office." The third escape plan was launched. I was responsible for escaping, and Illumi was responsible for observing the "Capture Office's" operational pattern.
In the end, both Illumi and I were tied up and brought back to the establishment, subjected to a round of whips, and also confined to a dark room for a full two days.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. We became persons of interest in the establishment, with someone having to follow us everywhere. We could only secretly leave each other notes to communicate, intermittently exchanging information obtained from the third escape plan.
Illumi was apprehended by people from the "Capture Office" immediately after leaving the office. His location was revealed by the person on the phone. Combining this with previous intelligence, the method used by trackers is not to lock onto a target directly through their appearance, age, or name. Instead, it's like radar. Starting from a certain location in District 6 (most likely the "Capture Office") as the center, they conduct an indiscriminate scan of all "people who drank that water," and then, through certain means, eliminate them one by one. Of course, complex methods are probably not needed. Those who leave the range of District 6 are their targets.
Thus, Illumi was incidentally discovered during the "scanning" phase. The opposing party's vigilance was high, and the scanning accuracy and real-time rate were also quite good. The "Capture Office" personnel were wearing earpieces, constantly receiving instructions, making it easy for them to block Illumi's path forward and backward, leaving him no chance to escape.
It's a dead end. With our abilities, we currently cannot think of a way to disable remote tracking. Must we only gain freedom by saving enough ransom money?
Ah, money, you are truly an alluring little temptress. In the "real world," I suffered despair for you. Having changed worlds and backgrounds to a wealthy family, I still have to worry and fret over you. Life is just a continuous cycle of pain!
60 silver coins. If I had 60 silver coins now, I could redeem myself and gain freedom.
Illumi's purchase price was 5 silver coins. Currently, his ransom is 50 silver coins, a full 10 less than mine. Tsk, he got off cheap.
With remote tracking in place, we cannot leave District 6 for extended periods. Should we rob in District 6?
Customers also need money to patronize, so they are actually quite plump prey.
However, if we fail, penniless as we are, we'd likely have to pay with our bodies.
Either way, we're going to get screwed, so does that mean… we can only choose to receive guests?!
With my frail body, I must bear the heavy burden that does not belong to my age. Fortunately, I am young. No matter how I am screwed, I won't get pregnant, which is one less hassle. As for Illumi's share, he can work hard for it himself. He won't lose any flesh.
I asked Wuyue in writing when I could start receiving guests. She was astonished and asked if I had suffered some kind of stimulation.
"..." That's too rude! I asked after careful consideration! Besides, I don't necessarily have to do it. Can't I ask first?
"Although I don't know what you've experienced in the past, we don't conduct that kind of business here," Wuyue stated solemnly. "Here, you can only start receiving guests when you are at least sixteen."
Oh? Is that so? They have a bottom line as a company.
If you don't let me work to earn money, then you are forcing me to become a thief.
Don't worry, considering you're a conscientious company, I'll go do a job outside the establishment. I won't…
That day, I was beaten with a stick, and my right arm was broken.
The victim didn't discover it. It was the establishment's staff who later found my hiding place for the money. Coupled with the "habitual thief" title I had when I was sold into the establishment, they immediately understood what I had done.
…It hurts so much.
I lay on the bed, my tears wetting the pillow.
This time, Illumi could meet and talk with me openly.
"You should have hidden the money with me. I could have hidden it more discreetly. You should have discussed it with me beforehand, sister," he said.
"..." At a time like this, can you please say something comforting?!