When Caelan got back to Charger's Alley on Mare Street, a scrawny old man was standing by his hiring sign, squinting at it like he was trying to decode ancient runes.
Caelan ignored him and went straight for the shop door.
The old man shuffled in after him. "You work here, kid? Or are you the owner?"
"I own the place."
"Ah! Then the shop's hiring, right?"
"Yeah, but I only hire women."
"It's a woman! A girl, I mean!" The old man said it way too quickly.
"How old is she?"
"Eighteen." The old man's tone went firm, like he was trying to convince himself as much as Caelan. "Eighteen years old."
Something about the way he said it felt off, but Caelan didn't push it. "Have her come by for an interview later."
"Yes, yes! Thank you!" The old man practically scurried out the door.
Caelan settled in at the counter. No customers yet, which was perfect. He could use the quiet to think about what game to make next.
Half an hour later, the old man was back with a girl in tow.
"Boss!" he shouted the moment he stepped through the door. "I brought her to work! Don't let her small size fool you—she's very diligent!"
Caelan looked the girl over.
Thin. Really thin. Her features were regular enough, and she'd probably be pretty if you could see past all the dirt.
Her skin was dark and grimy, and her yellow hair was coarse and tangled—looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks. As for her height, she was tiny. She definitely didn't look eighteen.
Caelan pointed at the girl. "Tell me again. How old is she?"
The old man's weathered face flushed, but he stuck to his story. "Eighteen."
Caelan turned to the girl. "And what do you say?"
She glanced at the old man, who was winking at her frantically, trying to signal something. The girl just stared at her feet, hands twisting in the hem of her dress.
The fabric was so worn there was already a patch there, and it looked like another tug might tear it clean off.
Caelan held up a hand. "Both of you can leave. I don't hire dishonest people."
"Wait, wait, wait!" The old man stepped forward quickly. "Boss, this girl is really honest, truly!"
"Maybe she is," Caelan said, pointing at him. "But if her family isn't honest, I still can't hire her."
"I'm not her family! I'm just a neighbor."
That made Caelan pause. "Why are you, as a neighbor, so eager to help?"
The old man sighed, and for a moment he looked every one of his seventy-odd years. "This girl's family is too poor. Her father died of illness last year.
Her mother's sick too, and she's got several younger siblings to take care of. I can't help much myself, but when I passed by today and saw your shop was hiring,
I thought maybe if she could get a job, their situation could improve."
Caelan nodded slowly. "So how old is she exactly?"
"Eighteen!"
Caelan didn't say anything. He just stared at the old man.
The old man fidgeted under his gaze. "She'll be eighteen soon."
Before Caelan could respond, the girl spoke up.
"I'll be fourteen in a month."
Her voice caught him off guard. It was pleasant—clear and melodious, like wind chimes he'd heard in his previous life.
Nothing like what he'd expected from the ragged kid standing in front of him.
"What are you saying?!" The old man rounded on her, clearly anxious. "Didn't I tell you not to interrupt?"
He turned back to Caelan, practically begging now.
"This girl is really diligent and can endure hardship, boss. Please take her on. She'll definitely work hard."
The girl nodded vigorously beside him.
Based on everything Caelan had heard, he didn't have any bad feelings toward the old man. Pushy and dishonest, sure, but his heart seemed to be in the right place. Still...
"She's too young. I don't employ child labor."
"Child labor?" The old man looked confused. He glanced at the girl, then back at Caelan. "You think she's too young?"
Caelan nodded, then suddenly realized—shit. There was no concept of child labor in this world. Girls her age got sold as maids to noble houses all the time. He was momentarily speechless.
But both of them were staring at him now, looking so hopeful he had to say something.
"Why didn't her mother just send her to be a maid? I heard their salaries aren't bad."
"She tried," the old man said quietly. "They rejected her. Said she was too dark."
Ah. There it was.
The girl's head dropped even lower.
Caelan hesitated, but ultimately his resolve softened. He looked at the girl. "You can read and write, right?"
She nodded without looking up. "I know some letters."
Caelan sighed. "Alright. You can start work now. If your performance this afternoon is satisfactory, I'll hire you formally."
The girl and the old man both lit up, thanking him repeatedly.
Caelan held up a hand. "Working hours are seven in the morning to six at night, with an hour break at noon. That's ten working hours total.
You get four days off each month. The salary is one hundred eighty silver marks, just like it says on the sign. Lunch is provided. Wages for the previous month get paid on the fifteenth of each month. Any objections?"
The girl opened her mouth but the old man answered first.
"No objections! None at all! You're really kind, boss!"
Caelan frowned, but considering the girl wasn't even fourteen yet, it made sense she'd be too timid to speak up. He accepted the old man's praise without comment
—because honestly, compared to other shops nearby, his conditions were excellent. Most places demanded twelve hours a day and only gave two days off per month.
"What's your name?"
"Ella," the girl said quietly. "Ella of House Sweetloaf."
Turned out Caelan's timing was perfect.
The afternoon crowd hit hard.
People who'd visited in the morning came back with friends and family, packing the twenty-square-meter shop wall to wall. The ones with coin bought engraved runestones to take home.
The ones without money took turns playing for free.
Ella of House Sweetloaf was quiet and introverted, but she was sharp.
Really sharp. She picked things up incredibly fast and worked diligently, so by mid-afternoon Caelan had her manning the counter.
That freed him up to wander around and watch people play.
Sometimes he'd offer advice on how to clear levels—usually only after they'd failed a few times and were getting frustrated.
The gaming talent in this world seemed stronger than what he'd encountered in his previous life.
Even though he'd secretly increased the game difficulty—Normal mode Contra had boosted boss health, and both Super Mario and Tank Battle had faster enemy movement speeds
people were still clearing Easy difficulty of Elemental Contra.
One person in particular stood out: a girl with short hair.
She was beautiful, and from the conversations around him, Caelan learned she was from Class Zero in third year. Her name was Quinn, though nobody seemed to know her House name.
After the girl cleared the game, she learned there were four more difficulty levels.
Without hesitation, she bought a copy of Elemental Contra. Unlike the two rich kids from this morning, though,
she didn't seem quite as extravagant. She hesitated for a moment before adding a chess runestone to her purchase.
More engraved runestones sold in the afternoon than in the morning. After deducting costs, Caelan's total income was approaching five gold crowns.
If he compared it to Earth in his previous life, one gold crown was roughly equivalent to one thousand yuan. So today's income was five thousand yuan.
A monthly income of one hundred fifty thousand! How many times more than in his previous life!
When he did the math, Caelan felt so happy he almost passed out. He forced himself to stay calm and look natural.
By the time he glanced around the shop, it was almost six o'clock. Only a few people remained. Two were still playing chess, two were playing Tank Battle.
Ella of House Sweetloaf was already conscientiously cleaning up.
Good work. Very commendable.
Still riding his good mood, Caelan remembered what the old man had said—the girl's family had a sick mother, three younger sisters, and one younger brother.
He shook his head quietly, then headed out. He bought twelve flatbreads first, then crossed the street to get a pound of stewed Cloud Boar meat.
He had them cook it until it was very tender and asked them to sprinkle it with seasonings properly.
When he got back to the shop, he left the package where Ella would find it when she finished her work. She could take it home with her.
PLZ Throw Powerstones.