Chapter 187

"…" Mary, Helen, and the other beastkins were all stunned. The conditions were completely beyond their expectations.

Free room and board until fifteen, plus education—it was truly an incredible offer. Where else could one find such a good deal? Nowhere, it was impossible, unless one was a death warrior, a method used by the very wealthy nobles. But the current situation didn't seem like that at all.

"Thud. Thud Thud Thud…"

Mary took the lead and suddenly knelt, followed by the beastkin children who also knelt in confusion, all giving Lucas a bow.

"Everyone, get up."

Lucas forced a smile and quickly had people help those kneeling, especially the elderly women in her sixties. It made Lucas uncomfortable.

Maybe Lucas was nurturing talent for the future, building a talent pool for Sedona City, but to the beastkins with nothing now, he was like a savior.

"Wuwuwu…"

Some old beastkins choked up and cried. They were genuinely moved, finding a place to take them in, with food and no risk of starving. It was tears of joy.

"You're Mary, right?" Lucas said to the old goat-beastkin in front of him, "You'll be the deputy director of this orphanage. Your monthly salary will be one silver coin."

"What?" Mary was startled, her breath quickening. One silver coin a month? Was she hearing this right?

"You'll be responsible for managing the orphans, overseeing their education. When new orphans come in, you must educate them…" Lucas went on with a long list of educational principles.

Mary was stunned. She was shocked by Lucas's generosity. It seemed Helen's words were all true.

"Why?" Mary suddenly asked, puzzled. "There's no such thing as a free meal in this world. City Lord, why are you so kind to us? We are beastkins after all."

This question made Lucas pause for a moment. Then, smiling in the curious gazes of everyone around, he said, "Because I find beastkins quite adorable."

"…" This answer left everyone dumbfounded. It seemed like a mere excuse.

Annie glanced at Mina, knowing that the first beastkin Lucas had met was Mina, so his first impression was a positive one. Additionally, since he interacted regularly with her and the other beastkins, Lucas's attitude towards beastkins was relatively friendly.

As for whether Annie's guess was correct, only Lucas knew. To him, the distinctions between humans and beastkins in this era were negligible; they were all just different races from another world.

"Live well and work hard. The harder you work, the happier you'll be." Lucas said as he left with Mina, Annie, and the others, leaving Helen to help out.

On the way back to the castle, everyone was silent, reflecting on the recent events.

"By the way, has the pizza shop opened yet?" Mina asked curiously.

"Not yet. We were waiting for you and Helen to come back before opening." Nicole replied, shaking her head. Everyone who invested in the pizza shop was considered a co-owner.

"Can we go check it out now?" Annie suggested. "Young Master, would you like to go?"

"Since it's on the way, we can take a look." Lucas nodded, interested in seeing how the pizza shop's renovations were progressing.

"Then can we eat pizza there later?" Ayesha asked, licking her lips.

"Sure, how about we have lunch at the pizza shop?" Nicole smiled.

"Sure," Lucas said, glancing at Mina. Seeing that she seemed tired, he added gently, "After we eat, we can walk back. It'll help with digestion and you can take a nap."

Mina looked at Lucas, and their eyes met. They shared a brief smile, realizing that the few days apart had subtly deepened their feelings for each other.

When Lucas and the others arrived at the pizza shop, they saw a girl standing at the door, muttering to herself as she looked at the recruitment notice pinned to the wooden board.

"Recruiting: Three pizza shop employees;

Requirements: Literate girls, aged fifteen to twenty-five;

Must also know a bit of etiquette…

Monthly salary: Two hundred copper coins."

Elisa muttered to herself, chewing on a bun. The job requirements made her roll her eyes in disbelief. "Is this a job listing or a royal selection process? One might think they're looking for a consort rather than employees. Well, the salary is quite high. If I save up, I should be able to eat at Drunkard Restaurant for many days." Elisa said, raising an eyebrow.

She was poor now because her five-day stay in a private room at Drunkard Restaurant had drained her finances, forcing her to find a job to cover her living expenses.

The main issue was Elisa's own curiosity; she was intrigued by the expensive dishes on the menu and ended up eating there for two days straight. 

Ultimately, Elisa concluded that the more expensive dishes tasted better, but now she couldn't afford them. Her coin purse was down to a few copper coins, and all her silver coins were gone.

Now she could only nibble on buns and search for a job. She had to survive the winter in Sedona City, and after trying Drunkard Restaurant's dishes, she knew she couldn't handle months of just buns. 

It was precisely after buying the buns and passing by the oddly named shop that she saw the recruitment notice on the wooden board. To eat, Elisa had to work, and the salary offered was very appealing to her.

"Yes. If I work hard for a month, I'll definitely have another serving of that boar's stomach chicken." Elisa said, almost crushing the bun in her hand with excitement.

However, thinking about the price of the boar's stomach chicken made her heart ache; it was too expensive, costing 190 copper coins.

"Forget it, I'll skip the boar's stomach chicken. The braised pork for 20 copper coins is also quite good. If I bring a few more buns, it should be enough."

Elisa took several angry bites of her bun. At that moment, she realized she was truly poor, unable to afford even a decent meal whenever she wanted.

What's with a dish costing one or two hundred copper coins? It's expensive, but it's just out of reach...

"Hmm. How about having a big meal and then eating buns for some time?"

How greedy was she that an elf was even contemplating skipping out on a meal? Elisa, where is your elegance? Where's your dignity?

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