"I... Don't have any money" Lu said, nervous from whatever may come next. He knew from experience that it was best to admit mistakes early, not just because it helps one grow faster, but also it does not complicate situations that are already enough of a bind.
To his surprise though, the lady merely snorted in an effort to hold back a laugh.
"People make mistakes, but I have no idea how you are to make this one unless this is actually a joke, which I already took it as, by the way, considering your age" she smiled.
He looked to the side trying to hide his face in shame..
"Oh dear... It's not... is it..." she asked out of courtesy, fully knowing the answer. "Then may I suggest ways that you can earn credits?", she cheerfully said, maintaining her professional identity.
"Please do" Lu said. He imagined that if Esther was still here, she'd be losing herself in her laughter, humiliating him even more as he shrank down in remorse.
"I'll skip to the two main ones, which are employment and bounties. Go inspect the townsfolk if they offer regular duties, commonly found in small businesses, or go hunt bounties posted on the quest board over there!" the lady pointed to a board tacked with papers.
"Thank you" he said.
The lady gave him a friendly nod and continued on her papers.
He first headed out of the tavern to avoid the eyes of the people who were now watching his every move.
Lu decided to get a job, or "employment" as the tavern lady called it. He traversed the paths and asked around, not just for a source of income, but also about the zero on his weist which nagged at the back of his head since earlier.
Alas, after a whole six hours of travelling, he had achieved nothing in the direction of any of his goals.
He returned to the town hall and it looked the same since he had left. People chatting and eating like the tavern it was. Except this time, most of them have large chunks of food on the table, and even though he doesn't recognize any of the people earlier, he's sure that at least 90% of them have already been replaced.
Seeing the feast made Lu's stomach grumble. How he wished he brought money, or even anything with him that was worth a good chance at life in the new world.
He resorted to the questboard and browsed the tasks. As he suspected, most of them were only small commissions that paid even smaller than their required efforts. He sighed and took the bait anyway. It was better than starving to death.
From babysitting to running errands, it was all underpaid work. Nonetheless, he took the only option he had.
The easiest and highest paying commission was helping an old man scythe his field for planting season. It offered 200 credits which was enough to keep him temporarily fed and housed for a day based on what he understood.
In comparison, an average meal would be 35 credits, and a stay at an inn would be 30.
He was about to take the page that referred to the work when another hand got hold of it first. A small, white, yet calloused and worn hand.
He traced the source and his eyes met with light crimson orbs, staring back at him.
The girl stood at a height only only a little shorter than his own. The soft shade of her crimson eyes complemented her light purple hair.
The two stared at each other for a silent moment before the girl ripped the commission off the board and made a run for it.
Lu chased after her. "Hey! That's mine!", he yelled.
YOU ARE READING
Project: iaseki
FantasyShot by his own sister, to death or whatever, he knows not. All Lu knows is that he was transported to the world of Monitum, the first full-dive videogame created by his own sister Leila. Lu, being one of the best players in the world, thought it's...
