After speaking, Didak pulled Bo Fei and squeezed through the crowd from the back to the front, using all his strength to push forward, causing chaos and drawing continuous curses.
"Hey! Who’s pushing me!"
"Damn it, who’s shameless enough to touch my butt? Let go!"
"Damn, who stepped on my foot? Lift it off quickly, these are new shoes!"
Though he was starving, Didak’s physical advantage was still evident, exhibiting strong explosive power. He struggled quite a bit but managed to shield Bo Fei and, amidst the crowd’s sudden boos, squeezed successfully to the front.
Next, he rushed to the table where miners were registered for employment and saw the person handling registration.
Didak saw a middle-aged man with a sallow face, looking at him with a somewhat pitiful gaze.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Didak was puzzled but was too lazy to ponder; instead, he tugged Bo Fei beside him and said to the sallow-faced man, "Hey, are you hiring at the No. 13 Mine? And the pay is fifty percent higher than elsewhere, paid daily, right? If so, the two of us want to sign up now. I’m Didak, he’s Bo Fei, hurry up and write down our names."
The sallow-faced man glanced at Didak, gently put the ink-dipped Quill aside, and shook his head with a helpless expression, "Sorry, I can’t write your names."
"Why not?!" Didak glared at him. If he could write, he would have snatched the Quill to write his name himself. He questioned the sallow-faced man, "Aren’t you here just to write names? Why can’t you write ours? Do you have a grudge against me?"
"That’s not the case. It’s just that, just now, the quota for hires was already filled," the sallow-faced man sighed as he delivered the bad news, "Did you hear the crowd’s boos earlier? That’s when the hiring was completed. That’s why you managed to squeeze up to me so smoothly. Anyway, I’m sorry, I can’t write your names; the mine can’t hire you."
"This!" Didak was stunned, raised his eyebrows, and became furious, wanting very much to hit someone. Of course, he knew who he could hit and who he couldn’t. He took a deep breath to forcibly suppress his anger.
Looking at the sallow-faced man, he rubbed his hands and pleaded, "Is there really nothing else you can do? I came all the way here; maybe you could just add our names as an extra? After all, it wouldn’t hurt, right?"
"The problem is, even before you, they had already exceeded the quota," the sallow-faced man sighed, "According to Waltz, the Mine Owner, they intended to hire three hundred people initially, but due to the large number, it was temporarily increased to five hundred. Now, the No.13 Mine has enough workers, so either you look elsewhere or come back after a while to try your luck."
Didak fell silent after hearing this, then slowly turned around after a while, watching the crowded scene disperse, many beginning to head back to Shambala Town, clenching his fist involuntarily.
"Damn it!" Didak vented his frustration, shouting at Bo Fei beside him, "It’s all that ugly bastard Tomson from the tavern’s fault! If it weren’t for him making me angry, if we had arrived here just two minutes earlier, we might have been hired! If he had let us owe some money for a meal, and I regained some strength, I could have carried you here even ten minutes earlier! I really want to have a good fight with him now!"
Bo Fei stood on tiptoe, patted Didak on the shoulder, and consoled him, "Don’t think too much about it, Brother Didak. Since it’s , let’s figure out another way."
"But what can we do?" Didak asked.
"Perhaps we should check out other mines? Who knows, they might suddenly start hiring too," Bo Fei said, clinging to hope, though he knew the chances were slim.
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded, greeting them, "Hey, Didak, Bo Fei, what are you two doing here?"
"Huh?" Didak and Bo Fei heard the voice and quickly turned to check who it was.
They saw a young figure about seventeen or eighteen years old, short, like a girl. Her face was freckled, hardly attractive, but at least not ugly. However, she had bright eyes, filled with curiosity as she looked at the two of them.
"Hua Wen, it’s you!" Bo Fei shouted first, curious as he asked, "How come you’re here?"
"Yeah, Hua Wen, what’s brought you here?" Didak also asked puzzled, "Weren’t you supposed to be at the tavern? I didn’t see you there, only that scumbag named Tomson, who said you’re no longer working there. Is it true?"
"It’s true." Hua Wen nodded with a smile.
"So, are you working at the mine now?" Didak asked, his gaze turning worried as he scrutinized Hua Wen’s physique, "You weren’t kicked out from the tavern for some mistake, right? Even so, you should be looking for a chance at another tavern, not coming to the mine. After all, mine work is dirty and tiring; your small frame can’t handle it."
Bo Fei concurred, "Yeah, you’re not as strong as I am."
"Ha!" Hua Wen laughed without getting annoyed, looking at them and said, "Didak, Bo Fei, let me clear things up: I wasn’t kicked out for any mistake. I left voluntarily to work at the mine."
"It’s simple; there’s more future here than in that shabby tavern."
"Just by mining?" Bo Fei questioned.
"No, no, no," Hua Wen shook her head, "You might be mining, but I’m not. I’m managing the mining."
"Huh?" Didak and Bo Fei exchanged glances, momentarily unable to comprehend.
"Let me explain," Hua Wen said, "A few days ago, I met an influential figure from out of town at the tavern, casually shared some information about Shambala Town with him, and earned quite a bit of money.
This was just the beginning; afterward, this influential figure seemed quite impressed with me and spoke to Waltz, the Mine Owner of the No.13 Mine. Waltz then approached me, asking for my help to manage the workforce, offering five times the tavern’s salary. If I do well, there are additional rewards.
I didn’t hesitate and left the tavern to come here; it’s been several days now. Do you see the people registering miners? They were mostly found by me and are under my management."
"This!" Didak and Bo Fei were stunned by Hua Wen’s words, then looked at Hua Wen, their eyes lighting up.
Didak rubbed his hands and said, "Hua Wen, does this mean you’re managing the entire No.13 Mine?"
"Uh, not quite; I’m only managing a portion. The actual manager is the Waltz Mine Owner," Hua Wen replied.
There were some things he didn’t say.
In his view, the unnamed influential figure he previously encountered was likely the true decision-maker. After all, Waltz’s No.13 Mine was nearly bankrupt before, but after that figure took interest, it was revived. The momentum is even larger than before; if it’s unrelated to that figure, he certainly wouldn’t believe it.
However, since that figure arranged things this way, clearly there is some reasoning behind it. Being smart, he naturally wouldn’t gossip about his guesses, even to friends he got along with well.