บท 29: Chapter 29 Filling Holes Before Entering The Market
Dave placed the envelope on the table. "I don't know, sir. He said you would give me ten cents."
Morris paused, then casually grabbed two coins from the table and tossed them at Dave. Dave caught the coins and smiled, saying, "You're very generous, sir," before turning to leave the room.
Morris, somewhat puzzled, watched the door close behind Dave, then focused on the envelope. The envelope was placed upside down, obscuring the sender and recipient. He didn't pay much attention, directly taking a letter opener and cutting it open, then began to read the letter.
The more he read, the stranger his expression became. Finally, unable to contain himself, he crumpled the letter into a ball. "Bastard, he actually tricked me! Go grab that kid back!"
...
"Julian!"
"Graf!"
"You two, come here!"
Mr. Kreen was livid, standing outside the office on the second floor and roaring at the just returned Julian and Graf. He could no longer tolerate the situation. He had once considered suing Graf and Julian, thinking that since they were unwilling to continue working, he could let them go with fifty dollars each. However, he quickly dismissed this idea; these two clearly looked like poor people without money. If they couldn't come up with fifty dollars as a penalty, they would definitely end up in jail, eating prison food for at least three months.
Mr. Kreen was a businessman, a capitalist who invested in the railway in this section of Ternell City. He was both a member of the Star Empire Railway Union and a shareholder in this section. His purpose was to make money, not to get into arguments with people. He had shut the door on them, as he feared that if Graf held a grudge, he would definitely cause trouble. Therefore, he decided to have a good talk with these two, but he waited in vain.
He even pinched his nose and went to the worker's quarters, only to find that the two guys hadn't even returned for the night!
What truly drove him to his limits was their lax attitude towards absenteeism. Workers, whether in factories or at this station, basically had no freedom under the oppression and exploitation of capitalists. To put it more deeply, the slave mentality of workers had been stimulated; after long term restrictions imposed by rules and systems aimed at them, they had lost the desire to resist. On a shallower level, it meant that money was supreme, and for meager wages, they had to lower their heads and obey the oppression and exploitation of capitalists.
Few people would want to change anything and take action personally, but Julian and Graf did, and they did it so openly. They had brought this carefree attitude from the outside into the station. Already, six or seven workers had also taken leave without notifying Mr. Kreen.
Mr. Kreen believed that if this issue was not properly resolved, this trend of carefree behavior would continue to spread, potentially infecting all the workers at some point. By then, his station would basically be finished. Thus, the most important issue now was not the lack of manpower, but to set an example with these two, making it clear to the other workers that if they did not follow the rules, the only outcome would be to pack up and leave, and they would have to pay a sum of money.
After buying the ranch, Julian was no longer anxious. He had arranged for Dave to gather some members to help him build a house. The house didn't need to be particularly beautiful; it just needed to provide shelter from the wind and rain and have a sufficiently wide entrance. His plan was to tear down several dilapidated sheds on the ranch and rebuild them according to the original structure, with the guidance of two carpenters, ensuring the warehouse would be ready before the wine arrived.
Once he arranged for these workers, Julian returned to the station with Graf. This time, they were not there to work but to execute the clauses regarding breach of contract. In simple terms, they were there to deliver money and then leave.
It wasn't that Julian was afraid of Mr. Kreen and felt compelled to deliver the money. Rather, the business he was engaged in was not particularly legitimate, and he would inevitably face various suppliers in Ternell City in the future. Before fighting against his enemies, he needed to check whether his armor, weapons, and shields were intact. The same process applied to battles in the marketplace. If his opponents suddenly caught him for failing to fulfill the contract, causing Mr. Kreen to sue him, he would not only be fined but might also face imprisonment.
Therefore, he needed to fill all the holes in his defenses and not give his future opponents any opportunities.
After Mr. Kreen stood on the second floor yelling, he withdrew his head, facing the gazes of onlookers, some of whom were laughing at him, while others looked concerned. Julian felt no ripple in his heart.
Outside was a complex, large society, and within this station, there was also a similarly complex small society. It was entirely normal for some people not to like Julian, just as there were those who did not like Graf; there was nothing unusual about it.
In more enclosed environments, the desire for people to climb upward becomes more intense.
After going up to the second floor with Graf, they entered Mr. Kreen's office. Mr. Kreen sat behind his desk, his fists resting on the table. He looked furious, his face reddening, and his neck bulging. He suppressed the rage that threatened to erupt, lowly hissing, "What do you want..."
As he spoke halfway, his mind froze. He saw Julian walk directly to his desk, pull out a roll of colorful bills from his pocket, and place fifteen bills on the table, then pushed them forward. The scent of the ink wafting from those delightful little notes led him to conclude that these must be real money, a smell he was very familiar with, having encountered it daily.
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