After the girl hid in the upper grounds of the slums, she stared at Alex's squad for more than 15 minutes, thinking about a course of action.
She knew that these guys would just vanish if she put them against the wall, so she had to be cautious. These people can open warm holes; they can at least take her mother with them and leave her somewhere better than this hell of a place.
The girl couldn't ask them directly now, but she had to do close reconnaissance. She wore her mask, glasses, and hood, hiding her face. It wasn't the best solution, but at least it would work. Revealing her face would just make them worry when she gets their attention later.
She entered the queue, and surprisingly, it went quite fast; her turn came in no time.
As her turn came, she looked into Comoron's eyes for almost 2 seconds, staring at him quite seriously.
Comoron could see that; guess that his ears surely stand out.
"How can I help you?"
Comoron asked.
The girl was quite surprised; she didn't know what to say. She lowered her head a little. Comoron could see that the girl was quite nervous, and he couldn't help but think that it was normal in her situation. A bunch of foreigners started to give away food for free; she would at least be a little suspicious.
When he was thinking about it, a guy behind her in the queue shouted:
"If you don't want the food, get out!"
The girl looked at him, apologized, and asked for food for her and her mother.
Comoron felt that this girl was different than ordinary, so he gave her an extra. She will only discover that later.
The girl left the place and went to her house. It was in the middle of the slums, a bit better than others, but still not enough to live a dignified life.
She could see her mother in bed. She was hungry and ill.
"Oh, my sugar, what is that in your hands?"
Her mother asked.
"Mother, it is food that some foreigners were giving us. Even though its quality is unknown, you will starve before we can get some good food, so it is all or nothing here."
The girl was quite sad. She worked really hard at every kind of job to earn money for herself and her mother. She couldn't help but feel upset about their situation. Why did they have to live that hell of a life? If they were born in the Unified Republics or as imperial citizens, they wouldn't have to face these problems!
As the girl's face darkened, her mother tried to animate her.
"Emily, even though we live in the slums, it could be worse. We could be living in the concentration camps."
"I know, mother, I know!"
Emily couldn't help but feel like, even though their situation isn't the worst, it should be better.
She went to the kitchen and prepared the food Comoron gave her. As she was preparing it, she saw that there was more inside the package. They probably forgot these or anything else. Well, it was her lucky day.
She prepared a pan, and then she put some filtered water that they had. It wasn't much, but they could at least make a soup. She cut the vegetables, took some pasta, and poured everything into the pan. She waited for the water to start boiling and then added some meat. The smell was surely getting more appetizing, and the look of it was great. It would surely give her mother more energy, so she could at least last some more weeks.
She then put everything on the plates, and they started to eat.
"This food is amazing, sugar... It feels like centuries since the last time I had something as good as it."
Emily's mother started to tell her stories from her past. The situation wasn't always that bad. She told her that her grandmother lived a good life where no one was oppressed. It was before the great war and the nationalists seized power.
They talked and laughed for 4 hours, until the sun started to set and the foreigners finally finished their food. Emily had to approach these guys before they left. At least, it seems that they will be here for a while, so she had some time.
But she was anxious. She couldn't help but wonder what these guys wanted.
Emily left her home, and then she approached them. They were talking about something; she couldn't hear it well. They were talking in another language, and yet she could understand them. The electronic devices that she prepared were working just right, but she couldn't understand what they were saying, yet when she heard them personally, everything was just as clear as if they were talking in her language. The more Emily saw, the stranger it became.
She had to listen to these guys without using electronic devices, but personally. It would be hard, as their skills were unknown.
As she approached them, Emily could finally start to understand.
They were talking about finding someone to modify the trash there and create some devices. Don't these guys know that they could just buy it cheaply on the outskirts of the slums? They were talking about some other random stuff, but what caught her attention were two things. These guys weren't agents from the unified republics nor the German Reich, and they were trying to make the people here cooperate using food. She finally understood their reasons and why they were giving food for free, but as they weren't some Unified Republic's agents, just random people, it made her extremely confused.
Emily wondered why these guys, unaffiliated, wanted the slum's trash. It wasn't like they had some use for them, but it was just trash.
As she started to think about it, she saw a shadow in front of her. She looked behind her, and there he was—the pointy-ear guy from before.
"Why are you eavesdropping on us?"
Comoron asked in a serious tone. She was in trouble.
Comoron then grabbed her by the hood and showed her to the squad.
"This girl here was eavesdropping on our conversation."
Comoron said.
The girl was trying to escape, but he was stronger. She knew that there wasn't a way for her now, and she could only tell the truth.
"Sorry for eavesdropping on you guys. I actually already knew you from 1 month ago, when you two were escaping from drones."
She pointed to Harper and Alex. Then she continued
"I have cameras in all this place, so I also saw your wormhole that you guys used to leave here. I even know that the container just popped from nowhere."
She then said,
"I only did what I did to protect my mother. She's ill, and I really want to save her. The food you guys gave me helped a lot, and I wondered if I could take a little more."
She then looked at Alex, whom she rightfully thought was the leader, as she was waiting for punishment.
Alex just looked at her and said,
"Guess that it can't be helped then. A group of foreigners is giving away food for free, and you even have an ill mother. I would do the same in your situation. What's your name, girl?"
"It's Emily, sir."
"Good to know you, Emily."
As Alex asked Comoron to release her and he walked away, Emily shouted
"Wait! I know that you guys want to do something with the electronic scrap here but don't have enough skills."
Emily continued
"I am the best hacker you could have, and I am an engineer as well. I have a deal for you."
Alex looked at her, surprised. How much had this girl heard?
"Tell-me more."
Alex then sat on a stone in front of her, looking into her eyes, as he could see everything.
She then said,
"Me and my mother. Bring us with you to a better place than this hell; in exchange, I'll work for you and help you guys do whatever you want. Just help me and my mother, I beg you."
Emily was nervous, but she had to ask them for help.
Alex couldn't help but accept the deal. They would really face big problems if they hadn't had someone capable of doing the work with the scraps.
"Then we have a deal. Where's your mother?"
Emily was happy. She couldn't hide her smile. Comoron looked at her, and he flushed a little. That girl, even though she lived in hell, was still kind-hearted enough to humiliate herself for her mother.
Then, Emily led the way to her house, and after 15 minutes, they were there.
"Mother, I have negotiated with these foreigners, and I can finally free you!"
Emily said out loud to her mother, and she jumped at her. Surely this girl was excited.
"Emily, sugar, I already said that you should leave me here and go to your dreams. Don't go out there doing shady deals for someone like me."
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Emily's mother was upset at her; she was in a bad state already, and her daughter was sacrificing herself for her sake. She had to put some reason in her daughter and make her stop wasting her life on some old woman who was already dying.
"No mother. I already brought these guys to help you, and they already accepted my deal."
Emily said she was quite angry at her mother, insisting that she accept it.
"NO. YOU WON'T DO SOME DIRTY JOBS FOR MY SAKE."
Emily's mother shouted out loud.
Emily was shocked by her mother's reaction but couldn't help but ignore it.
"I am sorry, guys, for showing you it. Can you find some forgiveness in your heart and help us?"
Emily said to Alex
"Well... We are quite used to this kind of situation. But you don't have to worry. We just want some help in managing the electronic scrap to do what we need to, and then we are done."
"Thank you very much, sir."
"My name is Alex, Emily."
Alex said his name. And then he said
"We can bring you guys with us, but in our country, you can't just live as no one. Even though it is way better than here, you have to get citizenship. We can at least bring you guys with us and shelter you for a while, but more than that may be too much."
"I understand that. It will be better than here, at least."
Emily said.
Alex couldn't help but feel wrong seeing Emily's mother in that state. He could see her bones behind her skin; it wasn't exactly starvation, but something more. Probably some kind of disease. Alex then cast a purification spell.
Emily saw some lights emanating from Alex's hands, but she didn't understand what it was. All she could tell was that her mother seemed more clean and less pallid after that.
Alex then brought a panacea from his spatial storage. He put that flower in the woman's face, and she started to glow. The glow was so intense that Emily couldn't look directly in that direction. After a few seconds, her mother was full of energy.
"Miss, I've cured you. As a part of the deal we had with your daughter, we are taking you to the United States as well."
After Alex said it, Emily's mother tried to say something, but she stopped when a portal appeared in front of her.
"Miss, after you cross that portal, you will be in a better place than here. Stay there, and don't leave. No one will speak your language, and you may be deported if someone sees you, so just stay in the place, alright?"
Emily's mother was amazed by everything that had just happened. It was something so alien to her that all she could do was just agree with him.
"Yes, sir, count on me."
Then she crossed the portal. Harper, Michael, and Comoron went after her. As for Emily, Alex said that they still had business.
"We need some holographic technology, as well as sound devices, light devices, smoke generators, air conditioning technology, and some things more."
Alex said.
"So, you are trying to build a clubhouse, like the ones we had before?"
Emily said.
"I can't say exactly what you mean by 'Before', but yes. We are indeed trying to build a nightclub."
Alex said.
As he said, both agreed that they could indeed buy some devices on the outskirts of the slums, pick up some electronic scrap from the river margin, and even pick up things at her personal storage.
Alex made everything disappear. After seeing it, Emily asked
"Alex, how are you doing it?"
"Doing what?"
"Making everything just... vanish in the air"
"Ohh, that?"
Alex made a box appear in his hands and then disappear. He continued
"It is called spatial storage. It is basically a four-dimensional place where I can put everything that I want and take it back as well. To be honest, it is pretty reliable and has been helping me a lot since I've acquired it.
"Wow, I wonder if I can learn that as well."
Emily asked.
Alex wondered for a while if this girl could be extremely useful. She was a native of the tech world and knew a set of skills that his group still hadn't, so it may be a good idea to recruit her.
"It is private technology from my squad. You could learn that if you join us."
Alex said.
Emily could only imagine herself opening portals like Alex or shooting laser beans from her nails. She even imagined herself flying above the German Reich. Flight was the symbol of freedom, and in such oppressive lands, there would be her, flying above it all.
Even though she had some contacts within the Unified Republics, it wasn't like anything was official. There, she could just be a low-ranking agent. She holds more value in the slums than the UR (Unified Republics) territory for them, so it wasn't like they would miss her or anything else.
She stared at Alex with a hopeful look.
"And can I?"
Emily asked.
Alex was surprised; he thought that it would take more to convince her than just that. Guess that her loyalty to the slums was as great as her loyalty to the same empire that oppressed her.
"We will have to discuss that later, but I can tell you that your odds are quite high."
Alex said. He had the power to hire her without anyone's consent, but he didn't want to. Probably they would also accept her, so it wouldn't be a problem.
After they collected everything they could, Alex opened the portal, and they were inside the nightclub. Her mother was also there, along with Comoron, Harper, and Michael. They would finally work in that place.
Alex summoned a table, and then he showed Emily his ideas for the nightclub. They would build a place where they could manipulate the atmosphere, increasing the oxygen rate to make people more energetic and less sleepy. He also had plans for the temperature; for example, an energetic song would make the temperature rise, while the cooldown would literally cool down the room. As for the effects, indoor fire shows and lights everywhere would be enough for now.
Emily saw the ideas and instantly knew what to do. The major problem would be integrating the Reich's technology with Earth's. But she instantly understood what to do after she put her hands on earth technology. She could convert digital data into holographic displays using a USB connection. Even though the Empire's technology was far more advanced than Earth's, the only exception would be computers. They were in the same stage, and Earth was surpassing the Reich soon.
"Hahaha, take that, Reich! Your computers aren't that great!"
Emily muttered. She would work all night with the technology to make it work. It was pretty amazing, to be honest, to do everything in one day.
As she was doing it, Alex went in his squad's direction.
"Guys, I was talking with her, and she's interested in entering us. What do you think?"
Alex said. He told Emily there would be some serious conversations with his members, but it was extremely informal and fast.
"For me, it is okay. She's pretty skilled and can do her work well. I see no reason to refuse. As for loyalty, we don't have to worry about that after using the coat of arms on her."
Harper said.
"I agree with Harper."
Michael said.
"I guess it can't be helped then; she's in."
Comoron said. He liked her after hearing her story, so it wasn't hard for him to decide.
With the boys finally agreeing to that, they reached Emily and told her
"We've decided. You can enter our group."
Alex said.
"Seriously? Then, where do I sign?"
Emily said she was excited to work with these guys.
"Well, I'll actually cast magic to link our souls, and after that, you will be in. With some training, you will soon be able to utilize the spatial storage and download some basic knowledge I could integrate. Unfortunately, it isn't that good, but it is better than nothing."
"Serious? Let's do it now!"
Emily was happy and excited about the opportunity in front of her. She didn't care much about the soul issues because she really didn't understand them.
Alex created the subordinate coat of arms and bestowed it upon her.
Emily could sense the magic; it was an alien feeling that she had never felt before.
She had two choices. Instinctively, she knew that she could accept something entering her or deny it. She then accepted.
Emily was officially Alex's fourth subordinate.
Unlike Comoron, Harper, and Michael, who, after receiving the coat of arms, instantly started their train to get better, Emily delayed it to focus on her work with the technology. It was something she had never used before, so it was an exciting experience.
As for the boys, after Alex bestowed the coat of arms on Emily, they started to work as well.
They used their magic to clean the place in no time. The time they spent in the demonic forest also came to an end. Alex tried to store a living animal in the storage, and it worked. The animal was alive when he took it and put it back. But they didn't care much for the animal itself, but for its fur. Comoron said that these animals had very comfortable fur, and a cloth made of it couldn't be dirty or wet.
It was perfect for their place, so Alex shaved the animal that looked like a sheep. They already had a base, so after using the fur to create the tissue, they made a sofa. Alex sat there first, and it was the best sofa he had ever used before. Surely, it would bring many customers.
After everyone experienced the sofa, they came back to work. Alex used water magic and wind magic to clean the place. As for Harper, he actually left and went to Las Vegas to buy some alcohol. Each one of them gave him 30k, so he had almost 100k to buy alcohol and other drinks. As the place was going to be somewhat luxurious, Harper bought the best alcohol he could.
And Michael had the most problematic job—the bugs... He used fire magic to kill all of them and disintegrate them in the air. He also used wind magic to create a suction and pull all the bugs from the pipes, and with lots of them in a creepy floating ball, Michael burned them all. Emily's mother saw the sight and laughed.
"Ah, these boys... They have their incredible powers and still fear mere bugs."
Everything went well, and three days had passed.
Harper bought some really incredible alcohol; they would have a 150% profit from all of them. They also had other things, such as water bottles, soda, and energy drinks.
As for the room itself, Emily's job was quite incredible. It was 3 a.m., and the place was all dark. Then, some fish holograms started to fly above, smoke generators ignited, and some phonk music started to play. Everyone started to dance; everything in the room almost obligated them to do so. The atmosphere was perfect, the oxygen rate was high, the lights were moving fast, the music was rhythmic, everything!
The nightclub was done. They are ready to open the place soon. But before doing so, they would gain some more money by exploiting the kingdom.
It was Emily's first time doing it, so she was quite interested in visiting a medieval world. The only place where she could see such a world would be in novels. Even though they were medieval, due to magical effects, their architecture resembled more Victorian Europe.
Emily and her mother stayed in the nightclub while the boys would buy things to sell in the kingdom. They promised her that they would bring her with them, but she should stay there while they were buying stuff.
She didn't mind it; after all, they had already saved her from a life in the slums, so she could only be grateful towards them.
Emily and her mother were alone now. They had witnessed something incredible. They would sit on the special sofa Alex made for 15 minutes without saying anything. The mother was the first one to break the silence.
"Emily, I was worried, and I'm still worried. But after seeing these guys, I can see why you trust them. But even though, you better keep an eye, alright?"
"Yes mom. But don't worry, Alex gave me something so that I could sense Alex's trust in me. I think that he had as well sensed that."
"Well, if you say so... just don't make me worry, alright, sugar?"
"I won't, mom."
"Now that we've set it, do you mind telling me about that guy with pointed ears? You two were looking at each other quite intensely."
"MOM!"
Emily was flushed. She tried to hide her face but wasn't able to.
"Hahaha, guess that I got it right!"
"No, mom, let's change topics."
Emily said it while flushing. She had a shy tone, and her mother thought that she was acting cute.
The two of them talked to each other for more than two hours before the boys came back.
"Alright. We are ready; let's go."
Alex said. Emily looked at her mother. Her mother looked at her back and said,
"This sofa is amazing. I'll be ok here; you want to go, don't you? Then, go!"
Emily's mother said, She wished Emily happiness.
"And also, good luck, Emily; I'm rooting for you!"
Her mother noted. Emily was flushed after that; guess that she took the message. Emily's mother could only look at Comoron and think that these two had a long way ahead.
Alex opened the portal.
"Let's go, guys. Today, we want it to be really quick!"
They teleported to an alley nearby the guild. Their access to the inn expired, so they didn't have a base anymore.
Comoron looked around quite melancholic. Even though he had a new purpose in life, he still had things to set in motion in the kingdom. Well, it would have to wait; now he had more important tasks in his book.
Emily looked at Comoron; she saw his bitter face and melancholic atmosphere. She couldn't help but feel that he had a background here. She couldn't be more right.
As the squad walked the town, they finally entered the guild. Unlike before, they couldn't just ask for a private room using a noble's card anymore. But the clerk girl from before, Elyn, recognized them, and she led them towards an empty room where they could sell their stuff in peace.
They had some more jewels to sell, so they did. Comoron also told them that 9/10 people are fully unable to use magic, so items like knives, matches, and medical kits would sell just fine.
After selling everything, they earned 15 platinum coins, which they received in gold, as always.
"I am really grateful for today, and I look forward to doing more business with you again! I mean, these 'Matches' and med kits are amazing items! As non-magical users also travel to dangerous places to pick plants or herbs, these items can help them immensely."
Elyn said.
"We are also grateful. I look forward to doing more business with the guild!"
Alex said. As he said, the group left the guild, and they opened a portal to the nightclub again. The money they would earn from the gold would be used to share the nightclub before opening. They would also use it to hire a DJ and run the nightclub. As for the rest of it, it would be laundered and become legit money soon.
Emily didn't say anything. She was shocked by the fact that simple plastic jewels could be sold for gold. No wonder these guys had that much money to give away in the form of food.
It would take her a while to get used to the operations...