To be paid in kind

Only five minutes had passed, and the situation had changed entirely.

After the threat of the chair and the sharp tongue of Grandpa Leonid, the two were now sitting at the counter drinking tea. Dai was still wary of him because Leonid quickly changed his moods.

Leonid put the cup down and wiped his slightly damp mustache from the tea.

"Alright, lass. Now that you've calmed down tell me about your offer."

Dai raised an eyebrow and glared at him. Who needed to calm down here?! Certainly not me! Leonid was obviously ignoring her silent objection and waiting for her explanation. Dai didn't say anything out loud and started to explain the idea.

"I'm not going to put it gently. You're going bankrupt. You can basically close straight away. So you have nothing to lose with me, only to gain." She wanted to emphasize Leonid's situation. "Yes, yes. I know. The offer?" Leonid waved his hand impatiently.

"Oh well. I have my shop, and I want to borrow yours." She announced.

Leonid looked her over and looked doubtful.

"Are you from the outer circle? What are you selling?" he asked.

"Grocery store."

"Grocery store? From the outer circle?" he shook his head. "You… do you really think something like this will sell here? Lass, aren't you walking around with your head in the clouds?"

Dai smiled.

"My stuff is pretty special. I'm not worried about not selling it. The problem is I don't have the place."

"My shop is banned from selling. " He took a drink of tea, and his gaze darkened.

Dai paused. "I heard. Can you tell me what actually happened?"

Leonid set the cup down loudly on the counter, frowning before picking it up again and wiping the wet wheel off the wood.

"I've become stupid; that's what happened. Do you know the worst thing about old age, lass? Stop being so sharp. You should have seen me ten years ago! I was the best salesman around! I could sell a dead man a winter jacket! And my stuff was quality. No trash! But as I got older, I softened." he looked vital and proud when he spoke, but then he deflated like a balloon.

Has he softened? Dai couldn't imagine he could be any worse. He must have been terrifying when he was younger!

Leonid continued to speak. "Even in the inner circle, there are poor people. Don't think that only rich people have roast pigeons flying into their mouths. They are children and teenagers, mostly. Orphans or abandoned children. You from the outer circle don't have it easy, I admit it, but being in the inner circle isn't without problems either. Cultivators do whatever they want. Rape, kidnapping, murder." Dai shivered a little. True, even in the outer circle, such things happen, but it is not frequent. But they didn't have cultivators there. She always thought, yes... there were people like that, but not many. In the end, the cultivators were the protectors of Shelter 22. She believed that most of them were quite noble people.

"What about the Ruler? He's not doing anything about it?" she asked.

Leonid chuckled. "The Ruler? Chier Comos? That fighting maniac doesn't care. His wife Wallane, she is the Ruler."

He shook his head and took another sip of tea. "Wallane Comos is what we call a 'Toy Puppet.' She and Chier are only married on paper. Chier is not interested in ruling, but his clan needs someone to lead. So they forced her on him, and Wallane listened to her clan's old farts. They promote cultivators as superior to ordinary people, so they don't solve crimes against humanity. They mostly do something to appease the masses when something goes wrong, but they don't actually do anything."

Dai was shocked. It was as if someone had opened her eyes, and she had been living behind some pink veil of ignorance all along. She always thought things were better in the inner circle. Instead, she was beginning to feel that she would do better to stay where she was. At least there, no one will beat you to a pulp just because you sneezed in their presence!

"So… what about cultivators outside the clans?" she asked. After all, not every cultivator is from a clan.

"Ha! Outside the clan? There aren't any! If someone who isn't from a clan becomes a cultivator, they're forced to join one. Even though clans let their people do whatever they want, they still want to control them. Cultivators who don't want to join are forced or killed. No one wants to risk the competition of a new clan forming."

Dai was speechless. The whole thing was bloody disgusting!

She rubbed her forehead. Her other imaginings were destroyed entirely. Leonid watched her, seeming to realize that this was new to her but not mocking her in any way.

"Good. And what does that have to do with your situation?" she wanted to continue the conversation rather than learn about the world's workings. It was giving her a headache.

"I'm getting there, lass. Well, these orphans, of course, they, have to live somehow. They work, they steal, they do whatever they can. Sometimes I took pity and bought something from them, but I had clear rules. I won't buy anything stolen, or at least nothing that could prove stolen." He sighed.

"Well, I miscalculated this time. One of the young squirrels, quite a clever girl, sold me some things her mother had left her—just a few trinkets, quite nice jewelry, but nothing special. But there must have been something I hadn't noticed. Because as soon as I sold it, it's a wonder the guards didn't break down my door when they came in. I got charged with selling stolen goods, and they wanted to know where the girl was. Luckily I didn't have an answer to that. I knew nothing about those kids, so I had nothing to say. And be sure I'd say so if I knew. I'm old, but I don't feel like dying yet."

Dai wasn't going to blame him for not protecting the children. The Samaritans died out long ago. A person can be good, but mostly he has to protect himself.

"So… they just let you go when you said you didn't know anything? They just believed you?"

Leonid shrugged. "I still have some reputation. A lot of wives will be quite unhappy to see me shut down. I had quite a clientele among them; my perfumes were great."

Dai had a little doubt. She remembered the women outside saying that Leonid was a good man. She would have suspected he was a womanizer if he hadn't treated her like the devil first.

Dai paused and sipped her tea to think things over.

The inner circle was not what she imagined. The whole thing seemed dangerous, but that didn't change the fact that the wealth was here. And she wanted to believe a little that things weren't so bad. Ultimately, she only heard about the bad things, and everything had its upside and downside. Plus, she had store protection... in the store. However, she initially wanted to use Leonid as a mediator, but even though he was an old geezer, she did not want to endanger his life.

She looked up to see Leonid watching her patiently.

She straightened her back. She was already so far; there was no point in hesitating now. And with Leonid... she will come up with something.

"So. I want to borrow this place of yours as the entrance hall of my shop." She said.

Leonid frowned in incomprehension. "Hall?"

Dai nodded. "My shop will be separate. But it's not a place for everyone. Even if you can't sell, you can filter the right customers. Of course, I'll pay you. But in the beginning... before my shop becomes profitable, would you take payment in kind?"

Leonid's white eyebrows shot up. "You want to hire me too? Like what? A receptionist?"

Dai nodded eagerly.

"Yes! You're perfect for that! You've got charisma, and you don't give a shit about what other people think! You are a real deal!"

Leonis looked flattered for a moment before his eyes widened at her.

"Hey! Are you trying to kill me? I show a completely different face to my customers! If I really treated customers like this, I'd be in my grave long ago!"

She opened a window with her mind and looked at the inactive icon called Staff. She hesitated. She suspected that her official staff would have some perks that she could use, especially for their protection. Without it, Leonid would truly be courting death.

She opened the Tasks options and looked at the reward she would get.

Dai thought for a moment.

'System? Is there any way to exchange the ticket for something else?' she tried to ask, perhaps for the first time by herself.

System: "..... Calculating."

System: "In the case of a significant value, there is room for compromise. The Golden Ticket to the Wheel of Fortune is an item of great value. No matter what else you choose, you will always be at a loss. The next chance of receiving a Golden Ticket to the Wheel of Fortune is 0.001%. Are you sure you want to do this, boss?"

Dai twitched her eye and looked at Leonid and then at his shop.

'If I hire Leonid as an employee, will he be protected from attacks?' she wanted to ensure first.

System: "Employees get the same protection as the owner. Of course, the employees cannot use it against the employer, but the owner can use it against them."

Dai was relieved. Sure, she'd lose her ticket, but she didn't care too much about it. Gained quickly, lost quickly.

She smiled at Leonid. "You don't have to worry about that. I can protect you."

Leonid squinted. "Chm. Chm! You? Protect me? I could easily beat you up! Not that I would. I don't beat women!" he was chuckling.

Dai stared at him again. So what is she then?! He almost hit her with a chair!

Dai stood up. "Let's leave the question of employment aside for now. You don't have to do this. The first thing I want to know is if you'll permit me to use your shop for my purposes?" she looked around. Leonid calmed down and thought for a moment. "Temporary payment in kind? Will you normally pay later?" Dai nodded. "Certainly."

Leonid looked at Dai and had his own thoughts. This grubby mouse suddenly appeared and disturbed his gloomy wallowing. It was nice to have someone to talk to. After they cleared out his shop, no one came. The first thought it was some scavenger who had come to find something forgotten. But this mouse was shouting something about borrowing instead. She looked so ridiculous hiding behind the counter with her eyes wide that he couldn't bring himself to throw chairs at her. He listened to her instead. She reminded a little of him when he was young when he opened his shop with enthusiasm. He risked a lot back then and succeeded.

He looked around.

"Ah. Why not? My business is over anyway. I might as well see how things go with you." He decided to risk it again.

Lass smiled brightly at him. She looked much more interesting that way. She touched the wall, and after a moment, Leonid's eyes widened, and his mouth opened.

A white outline in the form of a door glowed on the wall. A door with an artistic carving of dragons and fans appeared. The green jade handle was shaped like a dragon's head.

Dai grabbed the handle and started to open the door. The setting sun's light began to pour out of the door, and wisps of mist rose out.

Dai looked back at Leonid, the light framing her silhouette. "Shall we go?"