It only took a few hours for Rego to come back with the first load of pol that the underlings had gathered. Rego had trouble picking his jaw back up due to how much had been collected in so little time.
“Is it enough?”
“For what, boss?”
“The Cube?”
“Right.”
Rego quickly counted the coins, which were mostly bronze ones.
“Not quite, boss.”
“Alright. Let’s get the rest on the way.”
Micah stood up and left the headquarters with Rego. He saw the people at the desks working hard.
“Good work, everyone. I’m heading to the Cube in case anyone comes looking for me.”
“‘Yes, boss’”
The workers recruited by Rego seemed to have taken on the same honorific as him as they answered Micah.
Satisfied with their response, Micah stepped out and started walking toward the Cube.
On the way, several people came up and handed over the pol they had gathered so far. Since they had completed the daily quota, Micah told them to go to the headquarters and ask the workers to note down their completion.
As they walked toward the Cube, more and more came to hand over the pol they had collected. It didn’t take long until Micah had enough in his pockets. And he bought the Cube as soon as he arrived in front of it.
Micah entered the Cube and looked around, ready to start decorating. Though, it was a little unclear if what he added could be called decorations.
The Cube was originally a large empty building, like a cubical hangar. The walls, ceiling, and floor were completely bare. The first thing Micah added was a few rows of spotlights and floodlights in the ceiling that lit up the room.
Micah felt his pol drain quickly with each change he made, but he didn’t bother trying to save it since Rego was still collecting everyone’s harvest at the door.
After the lights, it was time for the stands and the grandstand, which Micah put up along the walls. Micah also added two doors on the Cube’s backside, each of which led to a changing room. And then, two tunnels from each changing room led through the stands and to the center of the Cube.
Micah looked at the center of the Cube. He had burned through most of the pol decorating the Cube’s interior, and the stream of underlings coming with more had decreased to a trickle. Micah looked at the coins in hand and decided to wait for a little.
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Since there was a temporary break between underlings coming with their harvest, Rego walked over to Micah.
“Boss, is this what I think it is?”
“Yep. You did a good job as a bookie before. Wanna do it again?”
Rego thought for a few moments before answering. Although Micah had asked the question lightheartedly, Rego wasn’t sure that he should respond in the same manner.
“Umm. If you don’t mind, I’d rather stay at your side, boss.”
“Alright. Then we’ll need someone for that. Let’s put Bunt and Bruder at the door and have Dennis as the emcee. We also need a challenger.”
Rego accepted Micah’s orders with a composed face. But he could sense, deep down, that he had made the right decision. But there was something he couldn’t understand, so he carefully expressed his doubts with his face.
“Yes?”
“Why do we only need one challenger, boss?”
Rego knew that Micah could be lenient, but he was still careful not to phrase the question as a doubt toward Micah’s order and more as an expression of curiosity.
“Cause we already have a champion.”
Rego nodded before returning to the door to continue collecting pol from the underlings, who were doing their best to reach their daily quota. A lot of them had already reached the target of eight bronze coins, which meant that it was getting harder for those who had yet to reach it.
Rego noticed how some of the ones who came later had expressions of regret, which he couldn’t quite understand. Did they have to use their own supply to make up the difference? But why?
“They’re idiots.”
Micah’s explanation didn’t help clear up Rego’s doubts, and it was visible on his face. As the good-natured boss he was, Micah began explaining.
“They took it easy since they thought it would be a breeze to collect eight coins.”
“...”
“Why do you think the first guys were so happy?”
“...Because they were done for the day?”
“Have they been lacking in free time during their stay in Hell?”
“No….”
“Keep thinking about it.”
Micah had helped him along, but he still couldn’t understand the low-level members of Wither’s behavior, so Rego felt a little ashamed. But he still fulfilled his duties and received yet another hand of eight bronze coins.
Rego thought for a few seconds before finally understanding. His face lit up, but he wasn’t sure, so he turned to Micah.
“Seems like you got it. Yeah, they only need to bring eight coins. They can keep the rest for themselves.”
“But, boss, what if…?”
“They get strong enough to take over?”
“Yeah….”
Micah smiled confidently as he used the pol in his hand to create a large ring in the center of the Cube.
“Won’t happen.”
Rego wasn’t sure what made Micah so confident. But he was even more confident than when he took over the town, so there had to be a reason. And instead of further bothering Micah, Rego remained silent and performed his duties.
Rego used one of the members of his old crew to convey messages to Bunt, Bruder, and Dennis. In order to maintain secrecy, the messages were short, so the three showed up at the Cube without knowing what was going to happen to them. But, just like Rego, they began understanding what was going on when they saw the Cube’s interior.
Bunt, Bruder, and Dennis lined up in front of Micah as they awaited his orders. Micah looked at them with a scrutinizing gaze for a few moments before talking.
“At ease.”
His words helped the three men calm down slightly, but they still maintained posture and respectful attitudes. None of them had forgotten for even a second who the person in front of them was. Micah had taken over the town practically singlehandedly just yesterday, after all.