"What are you thinking of?"
"I'm not thinking of anything. Honestly, I just want to show you that what I said is right." I couldn't help it at this point – I laughed.
'What money..'
The sole fact that I hired all these people would prove to be quite problematic for me financially. The catalyst I was gaining from my alchemy right now was inadequate for a continuous payroll. I wasn't in a problematic situation as of the moment, but I knew I could have used the money for better things.
However, I also found this situation an ideal event to conduct clinical trials very cheaply, and I knew the smug feeling from proving Sun Hee-young wrong would be worth the money. After all, business benefits could be found in many aspects.
'Why did I have to go this far to break her line of thinking? One may ask. That was because this was my plan to recruit her into my party.'
'I have been in this place for three years. It was two years ago that I began to be called the Saint of the Forsaken. I started as a member of the temple, not a clan or guild, and after leaving the temple, I continued to devote myself to volunteer activities. I have been rejecting offers from large guilds or small and medium-sized clans for two years.'
This was her brilliant backstory.
Despite being able to ride the elite course like me, she had still chosen the path to the temple. Because of her upbringing, I knew why she had chosen to live a life like this. The people who considered themselves saints of the forsaken made it their ultimate mission to relieve the poor from their sufferings.
Proof of this manifested itself in Sun Hee-young, for she had refused any contracts or treaties with any guilds or clans for two years. I couldn't even imagine the number of offers she must have received in her lifetime.
Of course, some of the desperate offers may have included full-scale relief for the poor. Nevertheless, she had refused even those, and the reason was quite obvious.
It was because she thought she had to do it herself.
Honestly, I didn't know why she had such an attachment to these people when she barely even knew them, but I couldn't find it in me to care about that as of the moment. The first task was to separate her from the poor.
Looking ahead, I could see people who were working quite hard on their tasks. Some also looked quite motivated.
I thought maybe my plan would get ruined, but I didn't feel worried at the moment.
"There are people in the slums who have yet to find work... Are you not going to hire them?"
"Just wait. I will go when the right time comes."
"Do you have anything else to say? This is just a simple labor of moving rocks. The weather will be a little hot because of the sunlight, but it will be a valuable drop of sweat for them after a long time. Seeing those who feel the true value of labor, I feel like I want to join them in moving rocks."
"Sounds like a taunt."
"You're mistaken."
Of course, it didn't look like she took my side very well. If I were in her position, I wouldn't like myself either. I was a man that defied her values.
This, of course, turned the tides in my favor. My way was effective because it was an entirely different approach from how most people would usually approach Sun Hee-young.
"What on earth do you mean that it is I who have tamed them?"
"Take it literally. These people are all capable of working, they just don't want to."
