After several minutes of negotiation and gentle persuasion, Noah and Alissa reached an agreement that left both siblings staring at him with barely contained disbelief.
One gold coin per day will be shared between the siblings as a salary for cleaning his modest shop and occasionally preparing meals when he felt too lazy to cook for himself.
I'm essentially paying them a small fortune for basic housekeeping.
Alissa's tail hadn't stopped wagging since he'd made the offer. Her amber eyes shimmered with something between gratitude and determination, the look of someone who'd been drowning and suddenly found land.
"We won't disappoint you...I promise!"
Kip bounced on his toes beside her. "Can we start tomorrow? I'm really good at organising things!"
This kid's enthusiasm is infectious.
Noah smiled, watching their transformation from desperate refugees to eager employees.
The gold coin represented more than a payment to the two siblings. It was dignity, purpose, a chance to earn their place in the world rather than simply existing on charity.
"Start whenever you're ready." He gestured around the sparse shop. "Though I should warn you, there is a lot of dust around."
"By the time we are done, this place will sparkle."
Something tells me she's not exaggerating.
"Do you have any cleaning supplies?"
Noah glanced around his sparse shop, taking inventory of absolutely nothing useful for cleaning.
Alissa's ears drooped slightly.
Can't clean without tools.
"Here." Noah counted out fifty silver coins, the metal clinking softly in her palm. "Should cover whatever you need to get."
Her eyes widened. "This is more than enough!"
She disappeared with Kip in tow, returning within minutes carrying a modest bundle of cleaning rags, soap made from animal fat and ash, and a broom.
Alissa began with the shelves, careful around the precious bread loaves and glass bottles of Iced tea.
Ten minutes later, Noah stood slack-jawed.
The floor gleamed. Dust had vanished from corners he hadn't even noticed were dirty. His humble shop looked...clean.
Pink bloomed beneath her dark fur. "Thank you."
She's actually blushing. That's adorable.
They talked as the afternoon faded—about Esta and various other things.
Noah learned that Alissa had managed a noble household before their enslavement. Unfortunately, that noble household had gone bankrupt and was forced to sell Alissa and Kip.
As evening approached, Noah pressed the remaining silver she had returned to him into her reluctant hands.
"Find shelter tonight. Get yourselves some proper beds."
"That's not a request."
His tone brooked no argument.
"Come back tomorrow. Rested!"
I'd let them stay here, but it's not allowed.
"Thank you," Alissa whispered. "For everything."
Seeing his sister, Kip immediately followed suit.
They left clutching their coins and cleaning supplies, disappearing into Esta's twilight.
Noah locked his sparkling shop and stepped through the portal. He appeared back in his small apartment.
The shower called to him, hot water cascading down his body.
Clean and exhausted, Noah collapsed into bed.
The next day arrived with familiar sunlight streaming through Noah's apartment windows.
He rolled out of bed and immediately checked his status, the blue interface materialising in front of him.
Daily Revenue: $1,300
Current Assets: $13,950.42
Attributes: Strength: 4, Vitality: 4, Intelligence: 7, Agility: 3
Skills: Swordsmanship(Level 1), Mana Control (Level 1), Programming (Level 2), Finance (Level 1), Surviving on Ramen (Level 3)
Nearly thirty thousand dollars. A few days ago I was dodging debt collectors.
The daily revenue had kicked in overnight—his royal contract paying dividends even while he slept. Noah allowed himself a moment to appreciate the absurdity of earning more in his sleep than most people made in months.
After washing up, he stepped through the portal into his medieval shop.
Morning light filtered through the small window, illuminating his freshly stocked shelves. Twelve golden bread loaves gleamed in perfect rows, but the iced tea section remained empty—his auto-maker still working on the day's first batch.
Princess Elara's guard should arrive soon for the daily pickup.
Noah opened the shop door, letting fresh air circulate through the small space.
"Ahhh, The smell of freedo—cats?"
Two familiar figures sat outside like patient sentinels.
"What are you doing here?"
Alissa looked up from where she'd been organising their cleaning supplies. Her silver ears twitched with mild embarrassment.
"You didn't tell us when to come," she said. "We've been here since sunrise."
Kip nodded eagerly beside her. "We didn't want to be late on our first official day!"
Sunrise. They've been sitting here for over an hour.
Noah scratched the back of his head, guilt warming his cheeks. "Sorry about that. I should have been more specific."
"It's fine!" Alissa's tail wagged as she stood. "We brought breakfast."
She produced a small cloth bundle that smelled delicious.
These two are going to spoil me.
Before Noah could respond, the sound of armoured footsteps echoed through the alleyway.
A royal guard rounded the corner—not the mountain-sized captain from before, but a younger man.
"Daily collection for Her Highness," he announced without preamble.
Noah retrieved four glass bottles from his rapidly diminishing stock of iced teas. The transaction completed quickly.
Forty gold coins exchanged hands while Kip and Alissa watched with barely concealed awe.
Four thousand dollars. Just like that.
The guard departed with royal punctuality, leaving Noah with significantly heavier pockets and two very impressed employees.
"That was..." Kip's voice trailed off as he stared at the gold coins.
His assets had jumped to nearly eighteen thousand dollars.
Not bad for a morning's work.
Kip and Alissa followed Noah into the shop, their eyes immediately scanning for work to be done. The floors still gleamed from yesterday's efforts, every surface free of dust.
Alissa's silver ears drooped as realisation set in.
Noah chuckled at her disappointed expression. "Forget about cleaning for now. There's nothing dirty. Let's see what you brought to eat."