BXBX NOVEL Chapter 223: The Unreliable Prince [Part 1]
This was how the world on the other side revolved, with the hierarchy etched deep into their hearts. Despite not possessing much individual strength, here a lucky person could cling onto an influential noble and rise to the top in one single night. So it was no wonder that the people of this place had acted the way they did. There wasn’t a single commoner who hadn’t dreamed of becoming rich in a single night.
Cillin was calm, however. He was originally planning to head straight back to the shop, but now he decided to take a stroll around the part selling shop on the other side of the street. There were a lot of entrances that connected the two streets, so it technically didn’t count as a detour. It was just a couple extra steps around a corner.
As he had expected, there were a lot of people who were dreaming about being recognized by a noble and were packing their goods. Some people were also in a hurry to sell the parts that were of little interest to buyers. This was why he came here.
After comparing the prices of several shops, Cillin bought a lot of second hand parts at a price that was lower than norm. Since the owners of these particular shops were all hoping to sell their goods as quickly as possible and earn some quick buck to spend in the city, they were taken advantage of by Cillin.
However, just as Cillin was about to leave the Parts Street, a small conflict erupted at a certain shop front.
“Haha, that guy’s face is dirty!” Chang Eight pointed at a person currently being pushed out of the storefront while smiling.
At first Cillin hadn’t planned to pay attention to the argument, but Chang Eight’s words prompted him to turn and look. The guy whom Chang Eight said had a dirty face was covered in concentrated fruit juice. He looked pretty young around twenty years old or so, and his skin looked healthy too.
Right now, the guy was embroiled in a fierce argument with the shop owner.
“Didn’t we agree that you’ll hire me for 30 days? How can you go back on your words after 2 days’ time?!”
“So what if I went back on my word? I’m the shop owner, and my word is law here. Plus, we never signed a contract of any sort so the agreement is void, you hear? Now get lost and stop being a nuisance!”
...
A short while later, the shop owner pushed the young man out of the door and quickly shut the door behind him, leaving the guy outside.
After glaring at the door for a second, the young man muttered while looking a little dismayed, “Why is it so hard to find a job here?”
The young man turned around and looked at the surrounding shops. The onlookers who were originally enjoying the scene hastily shifted their gazes and pretended that they were packing their own parts. Apparently, they were all afraid that the troublesome guy would ‘visit’ their shop.
Cillin himself was about to leave, but unfortunately for him the young man’s stare finally landed on him after a round of inspection. His dismayed expression instantly blossomed into smiles.
Cillin raised his leg and started walking.
“Hey, wait! The friend over there, bro, wait for me!” The young man swiftly ran towards Cillin and stopped in front of him. He was smiling so brightly that Cillin was tempted to kick him.
Cillin said nothing and simply looked at the young man blocking their way.
“My friend, you must be someone who works in this area, are you not? If that’s the case can you help me out a little? I need to find a short term job that lasts about 30 days, and pay is negotiable. I don’t ask for much, I only wish for a place that covers for meal and accomodation,” the young man said.
Cillin examined him from head to toe. He was dressed about the same as everyone else on the street, and he was covered in the smell and stain of wax. Still, something was different about this man. Cillin couldn’t shake the feeling that this person didn’t belong in this place. That being said, he didn’t sense any danger or malice from the man, so it made him feel a lot more at ease.
“Your face is dirty! Shame, shame!” Chang Eight said while looking at the young man.
The young man simply smiled and wiped his face with his sleeves. “Sorry to make myself a fool in front of you, little girl. There was a half full fruit juice that came out of nowhere and hit me, and I didn’t have time to wipe it just now.”
It was something that happened pretty often around the area. The young man failed to wipe his face clean, though. It was less obvious than it was before.
“Do you want to sell parts?” Cillin asked.
The question made the young man’s eyes lit up. Silence was what he was afraid of, not rejection. Now that Cillin had spoken, the young man thought that there was hope to apply for a job now.
“I’m very familiar with parts, I tell you. I even raced someone in the past before. I maintain my own car, so I’m very familiar with the relevant parts. I’ve also checked the streets and found that most of the parts sold here involved flying cars, so I dare say that I’m up for the job. You can test me if you don’t believe it.”
Cillin shook his head. “I’m not a parts seller though. I work in the Repair Street over the other side of the street.”
But Cillin’s words only brightened the young man’s eyes further. He said eagerly, “That’s even better; I’m very experienced in repairs. Again, you can test me if you don’t believe it!”
After Cillin frowned and fell into silence, the young man thought that the former was about to turn him away. He immediately put on a pitiful appearance and said, “I thought they say that people with kids are all softer?”
Cillin: “...”
Is that so? Even if it is true, do you really have to say it in front of the person?
Chang Eight looked at the pitiful looking older brother first, and then back at Cillin. She kept quiet. Her grandfather once told her that kids should keep quiet when adults were making a decision.
“Come on, take me in already. I’m a hardworking guy, and I don’t ask for much pay. I heard that most of the pay here is dependent on performance, and I feel that I’m definitely up for the job. I swear that I’m really good at car repairs, and I know about the latest parts that are out there too. Oh right, I’m also experienced in a few AI control systems that came during the recent years. You can test me if you don’t believe it!” The young man said with a fearless expression.
Cillin went around the young man and continued forwards.
“Oh man, come on, don’t leave! My friend, please consider me, will you? You really can’t miss an excellent laborer like me...”
“We can’t go back to the shop without walking, can we?” Cillin said without turning around.
Wait, doesn’t that mean he’s agreed to take me in? And so the young man hastily walked faster and caught up to Cillin. He even offered to carry the two big bags of parts Cillin was holding.
The young man never stopped talking on their way back. He introduced to Cillin all the things he knew but hadn’t mentioned earlier, but didn’t say anything relating to his family or hometown. Cillin didn’t ask either.
The young man was called Bel. He didn’t reveal his surname. After asking for Cillin and Chang Eight’s name, he happily talked to no one in particular.
Cillin told Bel that it was up to the shop owner to decide whether he would be taken in. Bel answered saying that he would move the shop owner with real skill. He definitely looked sure of his skills at least.
Normally, there were a lot of people who were willing to take in a laborer like Bel. Unfortunately for him, the unusual event earlier made a lot of shop owners feel like closing shop. Some shop owners were unwilling to take in a laborer who could only work for 30 days too. It was just too short.