The next day.
When I visited Gimuru early in the morning, it was clear that the atmosphere it town had begun to change.
There were a lot of people going to and fro the main street as usual, but their faces were much brighter.
“Welcome!” [Store Owner 1]
“Low prices all around! Get some while you can!” [Street Vendor 1]
“Grilled skewers for just 5 suits! That’s a special price you can get only now!” [Street Vendor 2]
Even the voices coming from the stalls and stores were livelier than usual.
When I passed by a shop at an alley…
“Good morning.” [Housewife 1]
“Madam! It’s been a while!” [Housewife 2]
“Yes, it’s been hard to come here recently…” [Housewife 1]
“Indeed, for some reason, a lot of people suddenly appeared and started sleeping on the wayside.” [Housewife 2]
“Exactly! It’s sad that they can’t find the job they came here for, but it’s really troubling having them sleep on the streets, it’s scary to approach too.” [Madam 1]
“Yes, but fortunately, those people aren’t around today, so I was able to drop by.” [Housewife 2]
“You too, Madam? Me too!” [Housewife 3]
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen any of them today. There’s always been at least around one of them over there… Did they go somewhere? It would be really troubling if they came back, though…” [Housewife 1]
The housewives gossiped about the missing homeless people among themselves.
As I walked further along the street, I found more people talking about the same things. There were also people who said that the town’s atmosphere has turned for the better because of that.
The homeless laborers didn’t have any bad intentions. They were helpless and had no other choice but to loiter in the streets. But while they may not have had any bad intentions, their presence still had a negative effect on their surroundings, which affected others.
As for where those missing laborers are now, I brought them to a dorm yesterday. This morning they’re supposed to be working at the security company or at the garbage processing plant or at the workshop we built with the Morgan Company.
The laborers may have been the reason why Gimuru’s public order has worsened, but most of them didn’t come here to commit crime. Most of them were really just people looking for work.
People are suited for different things too. For example, one might find himself generalizing the work of the security company as just ‘the security company’s work’, but different positions require different skills. Guards would require stamina and combat ability, while clerks would need literacy and math skills.
In my personal experience, people who’ve found themselves in a difficult position in their livelihood will become anxious, start tunnel-visioning, and start saying stuff like, “Any job will do!” Without any consideration for their abilities and aptitude.
The interview yesterday was meant to filter just that. It wasn’t meant to fail or pass people, instead it was meant to figure out what positions suited which people the best.
In total, the number of people we hired yesterday numbered to 546.
I don’t know how many laborers in need of a job there are in total, but that’s 546 people who won’t have to worry about where to sleep or what to eat. Which goes to mean that that’s 546 less people likely to commit a crime or cause trouble because they’re broke. At least, I hope so, anyway.
“Oops…” [Ryouma]
After walking through the main street, while getting a good look at the city sights, I finally arrived at my destination, the head quarters of my security company. From the sound of the loud voices coming from the courtyard, it seems that the training of the guard candidates has already begun.
I’m relieved to see that the town’s atmosphere has finally started to improve. It makes me want to work harder too.
Yeah, I should do what I can. Like that I headed to the hospital inside the security company.
My purpose is to improve my understanding with the doctors, whom I will be relying on from now on, as well as, discuss about medicine and other related research.
And…
“Ryouma-kun! Can you tell us more about that serum of yours?” [Tint]
“Please talk about the medicine slime first! Being able to purify body fluids possessing all sorts of medical effects is simply too convenient! With something like that, treatment in places without doctors or sufficient medicine would improve a lot!” [Isabel]
“Personally, I’d love to hear more about those nutrients.” [Clarissa]
“Alchemy… The real really is convenient… Refining medicine is a lot simpler with it, and it’s even possible to extract medicinal components that were previously impossible. Perhaps, a new medicine isn’t far off either…” [Hector]
“As an elven doctor, I thought I’ve studied plenty in the field of medicine already, but it seems there’s still much for me to learn. It’s really interesting.” [Mafral]
During their stay here, I’m their employer, but at the same time, I’m also going to be learning from them. Because of that, while we’re in the hospital, Mafral-san is a ‘Sensei’, while the residents and I call each other by name. By establishing myself to be in a similar position as them, I was able to get them to open up.
What I didn’t expect however was how hungry they were for knowledge.
They were introduced by Reinhart-san, so I spoke to them about my slimes, alchemy, and even my research regarding serums. They were quick to pick up on the things I told them, and before I knew it, they were hounding me.
They quietly listened when I was talking, but when I asked for any last questions, it turned out like this.
3 of them wanted to be the first to ask, while one of them seemed okay with any one of the questions and just looked on with a smile, and another just started getting lost in his own thoughts.
…I understand how they’re feeling since I’ve done something similar myself, but… What to do?
And then I realized it was already noon.
“Ah, I’m sorry, but can we take a break first? It’s lunchtime already.” [Ryouma]
“Right. Let’s reorganize our thoughts while eating.” [Mafral]
Dr. Mafral was all praise for my suggestion, and the four residents calmly agreed too.
We headed to the cafeteria together, but…
“Ah, that’s a lot of people…” [Ryouma]
There were already 120 people in the cafeteria from the guard department.
There were still some empty seats, but there weren’t any tables that could accommodate all six of us together.