CHAPTER 38: WILL BE FIXED SOON!

Still, a few people lingered on the main street, mostly women and children. It made sense as they were likely the families of workers who had already left earlier in the morning.

And of course, there were plenty of vagrants lining the sidewalks.

What really caught my attention, though, was just how many vagrants there were. Dozens, maybe more, lying on the ground, huddled under torn, rugged blankets, or slumped against walls.

And yet, the people walking by barely reacted. Their expressions were normal, as if they’d long since grown used to the sight. It was nothing new to them.

As I went deeper into the district, the number of vagrants grew. Some storefronts were completely blocked by sleeping bodies, making it impossible to even open the doors.

Amidst my observation, I suddenly heard something.

Then I saw her begin addressing the people nearby, calmly instructing them to help the injured store owner and guiding the crowd to settle down.

With just a few words, she took control of the situation.

I couldn’t help but be impressed. The way she handled everything so naturally, with such authority... If it were me in her place, I’d have frozen on the spot.

But then I was reminded of her identity.

If she really was the daughter of Victor Serena, her ability to handle a crowd made perfect sense.

Her father was the head of a gang. As his daughter, she’d naturally have some experience giving orders and taking control.

Though, calling it a gang might be a bit of a stretch.

From what I could tell, the Workers operated more like a labor union than a typical criminal group. They didn’t extort protection fees from random people or businesses like most gangs did. Instead, they only collected dues from their members, and those members actually received real benefits in return.

Based on what I could piece together from my memories, membership in the Workers came with certain protections. Employers were less likely to abuse or exploit Workers-affiliated laborers.

There were probably a lot more benefits to being part of the Workers, especially considering nearly every laborer in the West Borough had joined. But the original Aiden hadn’t paid much attention to the details.

’If I really wanted to know more, I could just ask Richie. I remember he’s a member too. Huh... maybe not all of the Five Rings are bad after all,’ I muttered under my breath.

My eyes drifted to Esther, now surrounded by a group of Radhanians demanding to take the vagrant with them.

The other, nearby vagrants had stirred up from their slumber and now trembled with fear, unsure of what would happen next.

I watched them for a few more seconds before turning away and continuing on my way.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that, the moment I walked off, Esther’s eyes followed me intently. Her hand, which had been resting tensely on her hip, immediately relaxed.

"Phew... that guy feels dangerous..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

...

After the stabbing incident, I didn’t run into any hidden quests or unexpected events.

In fact, things were so quiet, I started to wonder if I had somehow wandered into the wrong district... because this didn’t feel like the West Borough at all!

According to my memories, the West Borough was crawling with criminals. You had to constantly watch your back, pickpockets, random thugs demanding protection fees, and if you refused, they wouldn’t hesitate to rough you up or even stab you. On top of that, there was always the risk of being swarmed by desperate, hungry vagrants.

But strangely enough, I encountered none of that.

’What’s with the sudden peace and quiet?’ I thought to myself, scanning my surroundings.

Soon, I spotted a man leaning against the wooden railing of his house, puffing on a tobacco roll.

I walked over and cleared my throat.

It had become a habit of mine to clear my throat to get someone’s attention instead of waving or saying hello. Saved me the trouble of speaking too much. And clearly, it worked.

"You low-life bastards! Don’t you have anything better to do than loiter in front of my shop?!"

The shout was so loud it brought everything to a halt. People stopped what they were doing and turned their heads toward the source.

Naturally, my attention was drawn too. No way I’d just walk past a commotion like that. I mean, who turns down free entertainment? Ignoring it would’ve been a total waste."

As I looked over, I spotted two men in a heated argument. One was clearly a Radhanian, judging by his dark skin and massive build. The other was a vagrant, thin, with matted hair and clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in ages.

Just then, the vagrant shouted back.

"Shut up! It’s not like we purposely chose to sleep here!"

"Then go sleep somewhere else!"

"I can’t, there are no other places for me to go."

"That’s your problem! What’s it got to do with me?!"

The vagrant suddenly pointed his finger at him. "It’s got everything to do with you! You damn Radhanian! Your people took our jobs, took our land! You think we ended up like this because of nothing? Go back to where you came from, you dark-skinned ape!"

"What did you just say to me?! I was born and raised in this city, longer than you’ve probably been alive. Don’t you dare blame your failures on me or my race!"

The shouting match raged on for another minute.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but mourn the lack of popcorn. The show was great, but there’s nothing to chew on!

"There’s corn in this world, right? Then what’s the odd popcorn corn exist too? If it does exist, maybe I could make it popular and make a fortune from it." I muttered quietly as the argument reached its peak.

"Pack up your things and scram! Don’t forget to bring your friends too. You’ve got five minutes. If you’re still here after that, I’ll personally throw you out," the store owner said threateningly.

Then I saw her begin addressing the people nearby, calmly instructing them to help the injured store owner and guiding the crowd to settle down.

With just a few words, she took control of the situation.

I couldn’t help but be impressed. The way she handled everything so naturally, with such authority... If it were me in her place, I’d have frozen on the spot.

But then I was reminded of her identity.

If she really was the daughter of Victor Serena, her ability to handle a crowd made perfect sense.

Her father was the head of a gang. As his daughter, she’d naturally have some experience giving orders and taking control.

Though, calling it a gang might be a bit of a stretch.

From what I could tell, the Workers operated more like a labor union than a typical criminal group. They didn’t extort protection fees from random people or businesses like most gangs did. Instead, they only collected dues from their members, and those members actually received real benefits in return.

Based on what I could piece together from my memories, membership in the Workers came with certain protections. Employers were less likely to abuse or exploit Workers-affiliated laborers.

There were probably a lot more benefits to being part of the Workers, especially considering nearly every laborer in the West Borough had joined. But the original Aiden hadn’t paid much attention to the details.

’If I really wanted to know more, I could just ask Richie. I remember he’s a member too. Huh... maybe not all of the Five Rings are bad after all,’ I muttered under my breath.

My eyes drifted to Esther, now surrounded by a group of Radhanians demanding to take the vagrant with them.

The other, nearby vagrants had stirred up from their slumber and now trembled with fear, unsure of what would happen next.

I watched them for a few more seconds before turning away and continuing on my way.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that, the moment I walked off, Esther’s eyes followed me intently. Her hand, which had been resting tensely on her hip, immediately relaxed.

"Phew... that guy feels dangerous..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

...

After the stabbing incident, I didn’t run into any hidden quests or unexpected events.

In fact, things were so quiet, I started to wonder if I had somehow wandered into the wrong district... because this didn’t feel like the West Borough at all!

According to my memories, the West Borough was crawling with criminals. You had to constantly watch your back, pickpockets, random thugs demanding protection fees, and if you refused, they wouldn’t hesitate to rough you up or even stab you. On top of that, there was always the risk of being swarmed by desperate, hungry vagrants.

But strangely enough, I encountered none of that.

’What’s with the sudden peace and quiet?’ I thought to myself, scanning my surroundings.

Soon, I spotted a man leaning against the wooden railing of his house, puffing on a tobacco roll.

I walked over and cleared my throat.

It had become a habit of mine to clear my throat to get someone’s attention instead of waving or saying hello. Saved me the trouble of speaking too much. And clearly, it worked.

The man instantly took notice of my presence, glanced over, and eyed me with suspicion. "Who are you?"

"Kekeke, I’m just a nobody," I blurted out, following my intrusive thought.