Chapter 52: Chapter 52: First Month’s Salary
Since Weiya put it that way, Lloyd didn’t press the matter. He quickly said,
"Never mind, then. It was presumptuous of me."
But since they were already on the topic, he took the opportunity to ask,
"By the way, I’m an official Executioner now. Can you tell me what the other towers here are responsible for? All I know is that our Tower Nine is mainly for training newcomers. What about the rest?"
"Mm, at your current rank, you are indeed cleared to know this."
Weiya nodded and pulled a chair to sit across from Lloyd. Then, while playing with the little kitten, she gave him a general overview.
To put it simply, Towers One and Two are for administration and logistics. Four and Five are where Priests and Judges go for advanced studies. Seven and Eight are branch offices for the City of Order and the City of Joy, respectively, and they occasionally collaborate on certain projects.
The most important ones here are Towers Three, Six, and Nine. All of them have underground cells for imprisoning Demons. Tower Three is responsible for testing the effects of various Holy Artifacts, Tower Six tests new types of weapons, and the tallest and largest, Tower Nine, is where newcomers are trained.
’So Towers Three and Six are both testing grounds. No wonder they don’t want outsiders getting involved...’
After listening, Lloyd nodded and asked curiously,
"So why was Tower Three sealed?"
"That isn’t for our rank to know. Don’t dwell on it. Don’t Ask Too Much."
Weiya warned him seriously, then gave a faint smile and pulled an envelope from her pocket, handing it to Lloyd.
He opened it to find a bankbook—his ’pay card’—along with an itemized statement of his income.
Lloyd glanced at the number in the bankbook.
’A little over eighty thousand...’
And this was only his first month’s salary.
His base pay wasn’t much, as it was still calculated at an Executor’s standard. It wouldn’t be raised to an Executioner’s level until next month.
Most of his income came from ’farming’ the Demons on Floor -3. He got an average bounty of 4,000 per Demon, and he basically ’farmed’ one or two a day. After doing this for over ten days, the money had piled up quickly.
The giant cicada, with a danger level of 6, had yielded a base bounty of ten thousand. He could have earned an even higher reward by recovering its organs, but unfortunately, the situation had been too urgent to worry about that.
All these miscellaneous earnings added up, making Lloyd a high-income earner right after starting his job.
It was a good thing Lloyd had already used [Veto] on his past self. Otherwise, he would have splurged on two ’C6R5’ characters to celebrate.
"Don’t spend it recklessly. You’ll have plenty of things to spend money on later,"
Weiya kindly reminded him.
In fact, the Chief Judge’s notes had also emphasized this point: the deeper one went into the Extraordinary System, the more of a money sink it became. It was so expensive that even someone of the Chief Judge’s standing found the associated costs to be unreasonable.
"Don’t worry. I’ve always been the frugal, stay-at-home type."
"That’s good... For the next few days, remember to get plenty of rest and let your body adjust. After all, you’ve just completed your [Enlightenment] and taken the first step toward becoming Extraordinary and Unworldly. Your body will go through all sorts of subtle changes, so it’s best to adapt to them as quickly as you can. It took me a week to get back to normal."
Weiya added, her tone still kind.
Lloyd nodded, a warm feeling spreading through his chest.
’Weiya might look cold and always speak in a business-like tone, but she’s actually a really nice person.’
’Too bad this isn’t my first [Transcendence]. The adaptation period ended a long time ago.’
......
After Weiya left, Lloyd tucked the new bankbook into an inner pocket, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction and security.
’What a great job!’
’High pay, great benefits, no real authority, no subordinates, and no getting bogged down in annoying trivialities. I can just focus on working hard, studying, and getting stronger.’
’A position truly worthy of being set aside for geniuses like the Qualified.’
"You’re getting a feast tonight!"
Lloyd said grandly, scratching the little kitten’s head.
So, he decided to head home a little early. An Executioner’s job was flexible, after all. As long as you made sure no keys were left on the notice board by the end of the day, you had fulfilled your duties. The rest of your time was yours to manage.
’That must be why the library has a Drunkard for an administrator...’
With that, Lloyd took the ’subway’ to a shopping district near his home and began a shopping spree.
’My cooking skills are lacking? It must be the pot’s fault. I’ll buy a new set!’
’The weather’s getting colder. I’ll buy my sister a scarf and gloves and all that, to bundle her up warm and tight!’
’I promised the little kitten a feast tonight, so I’ll buy two lobsters!’
’My sister has always loved little cartoon toys. I’ll get her the entire newest set!’
After his massive shopping haul, he ended up having to buy a handcart just to drag everything home.
But he hadn’t spent too much money. It was all just daily necessities; he hadn’t touched a single expensive luxury item.
’Of course, the first paycheck from a new job should be spent on family, not on oneself.’
After getting home, Lloyd dove back into the kitchen, producing a racket of CLANGING and BANGING that sounded more like a blacksmith’s forge.
He finally managed to get three dishes on the table before his sister got home: black pepper lobster, stir-fried eggplant and egg, and bitter melon with string beans.
Each dish was his own masterpiece, and he’d tasted them himself. They were definitely not lethal.
He then covered the food with silver cloches to preserve its temperature and quality, before setting out the newly purchased candlesticks and tableware to create a warm, ceremonial atmosphere.
’A celebration for a first paycheck should, of course, be with family.’
Finally, Lloyd put the lobster shells in the milk bowl and set it on the floor.
The little kitten took one look and immediately started meowing indignantly:
"Meow? Meow meow???"
It sounded adorably fierce, as if it were cursing at him.
Before long, a weary Evelor returned home. Her cute little face was etched with fatigue, and the sight made Lloyd’s heart ache.
But the moment she saw Lloyd, she immediately perked up, a sweet smile blooming on her face.
"Yi, you’re home so early today?"
"Mhm, something happened today worth celebrating."
"Oh? What happened?"
"Sis, we’re rich!"
Lloyd told her to go change first, saying they could talk more over dinner.
Full of anticipation, Evelor trotted back to her room. She was in such a hurry to change that she didn’t even bother closing the door.
Lloyd sat down at the dining table with his back to her room.
A moment later, Evelor was dressed in nothing but her childish cartoon pajamas and a pair of white, slightly sheer, over-the-knee socks. She scrambled onto a high-backed chair, using her hands and feet, and looked at Lloyd with eager eyes.
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