Chapter 17 - Recruitment

[Recruitment Detected. Opening the fifth system panel - Subordinates.]

Seeing the prompt appear in front of his eyes after the man's words, Lux's eyebrow went up in surprise.

"Alright, what can you do?" Lux asked, totally unphased by the offer of working for him. Coming from another world, he was already accustomed to slaves and wasn't intending to use them like that. Instead, if they willingly worked for him, he was more than happy to pay them for their work. After all, he made a lot of money with only a single planet available and having his own forces would certainly ensure his safety and the basic exploration of new worlds in the future.

"We can fight while those two are harvesters." He said while pointing at the two girls as harvesters.

As he was talking, Lux opened the new system panel.

"So what are your names?" Asked Lux as he had already planned on their future jobs. It wasn't hard. After all, he was lacking in manpower everywhere.

Introducing themselves, Lux saw his subordinate list update as they said their respective names.

[Subordinates]

Frank Butler (Loyalty 33) (unaffected)

Bob Evans (Loyalty 31) (unaffected)

Viola Gallegos (Loyalty 44) (unaffected)

Miranda Knox (Loyalty 42) (unaffected)

Jack Bonner (Loyalty 21) (unaffected)

Peter Savage (Loyalty 27) (unaffected)

Allan Butler (Loyalty 30) (unaffected)

Larry Powell (Loyalty 19) (unaffected)

"So despite only being able to fight, are you still interested in becoming stronger and fighting?" Asked Lux as he looked at the six men who instantly nodded their heads. Nothing was more important than strength in their previous world and it was also due to their own weaknesses that they had become slaves of their previous master.

"Alright then, the six of you will form a small force to deal with any problems in the portal and to protect the shop." Started Lux as they nodded their heads, happy as it was inclined to their own wishes.

"As for the two of you." He said while turning to the two women in their mid-twenties. "You will be working in the shop, allowing the customers in and out of the gates while taking the payment." He explained as the two girl's faces seemingly lit up in joy.

Looking at the surging loyalty from the two girls, he immediately understood that they didn't like being harvesters and were happy by the show of trust he gave them.

Seeing that the eight seemed happy with their current situation, Lux knew he had to prepare a few things. Not only did they need a place to live, but they also needed basic necessities and new clothes.

However, before any of that, he had to deal with the rewards for destroying the gate and killing the enemies.

Paying the customers as they came back with a certain amount of heads, they were left happy and Lux feeling a bit safer knowing that they had dealt with the problem. In the end, he was left with only 420,000 Bym having paid everyone about the gate and enemies death.

Finally, the day ended as he officially closed the store and the portal, leaving those who wished on the other side while the others left the shop's premises.

"Alright, let's go and deal with the next situation." Said Lux as he left the shop, his new subordinates in tow.

Heading straight at a nearby hotel, he booked four rooms for the next week, before bringing them to the restaurant next door.

"Alright, here's what's gonna happen." He said as he started to munch on the food he had just ordered, his subordinates listening while eating, hungry after two days without subsistence.

"Viola and Miranda. Tomorrow morning, come to the shop at seven thirty. I'll explain everything about your job to you." He started as the two young women nodded their heads at his words.

"As for you guys, two of you will come to guard the shop for the day and you will follow a rotation for the following days. If I need you to enter the gate I'll notify you." Finally said Lux as they nodded their heads, understanding that despite having a lot of free time, they needed to grow stronger.

——

The following morning, after having spent the whole night meditating and gradually mastering the second level pattern of the space wanderer profession, his two new employees finally arrived.

"Good morning boss." Said Miranda with a bright smile on her face. It was obvious that this change in her life was taken positively by the young women.

"Good morning Miranda, Viola." Replied Lux as he beckoned them closer. "Let me tell you everything you have to do as a clerk." He said as both women nodded enthusiastically.

Chatting as they prepared for the opening of the shop, he introduced everything to the girls who caught on quickly, especially since there wasn't much to deal with.

Unlocking the door, he opened the portal before leaving it to the girls as he looked from the side, confirming that everything went well.

With few customers compared to the normal, most of them most likely dealing with the repercussions of the battle, dealing with the deceased in their respective groups while also taking a well deserved rest, the day went by quickly and quietly.

"So, how was it?" Asked Lux as he wanted to make sure the girls actually liked this kind of job as he could arrange something else for them otherwise.

"It was great." Said both girls in sync as it was the first time on this side of the counter and they enjoyed helping the customers in any way they could.

"Perfect. In that case, I'll leave this to you two starting tomorrow." Replied Lux who was now content with this way of working. While manning the shop was fun, there were many more things he had to deal with than this.

"Alright." Nodded Miranda as she finished up the closing and cleaning of the shop before heading back to her hotel room with Viola bringing along some money for their group to get food, clothes and any necessities they felt the need to buy.

With the shop closed, Lux directly went to the real estate building of the town. He had the idea of buying the buildings near his shop. Not only did he wish to transform them into dormitories but he also wanted to make sure that he had enough room to continue expanding if necessary.

Considering that the shop's location was in the poor and abandoned part of the town, Lux was more than certain that he could buy quite a few pieces of land. His lack of personal infrastructure was especially glaring now that he started to recruit for his shop and increasing his might in this world.

"Good evening, how can I help you today?" Asked the older man as he seized up the new client who entered his premises.

"Hi, I'd like to see any plot of land you might be selling in the south-east of the town." Said Lux as the man's eyebrows instantly frowned.

"The south-east was the destroyed zone of the town after the monster attacks a few years back. Are you certain you wish to buy some land there?" He asked in confirmation as he would rather not waste his time.

"Yes, could I see what is for sale?" He asked once again as the man nodded, handing over a catalog with everything that was for sale.

"Due to the lack of maintenance, the previous attacked location and the current poor area, the prices are quite low." He started as he didn't care whether it was an expensive piece of land or not. As long as he sold something, he made a commision on it.

Seeing the prices which ranged from 30,000 Bym to 70,000 Bym per piece of land, Lux immediately started to calculate. He had given himself a total of 500,000 Bym to buy land and the prices were a lot lower than expected.

"In that case I want these." Said Lux as he pointed straight at the whole block around his current shop which sold for a measly 200,000 Bym after the disaster.

"I also want these." He said as he pointed at the whole block of land in front of his shop which included seven pieces of land at 30,000 each for 210,000 Bym.

Finally, he looked at the map and took yet another one, this time a bit closer to the city. "I'll also take this one." He said while pointing at the north-west block which cost 190,000 Bym.

"For all of these, I'll offer you 500,000 Bym paid immediately." Said Lux who directly cut the price by a hundred thousand knowing that the man would probably agree. After all, in their town, land wasn't very expensive and few if any were willing to buy in this location which made it hard to sell.

Swallowing heavily, knowing that such a business was rare and few in between, he looked at the land once more before calculating the price before finally nodding his head. The fact that he paid immediately certainly put a lot in the balance.

"You are always welcome to come back." Said the man who was still a little dazed after the high transaction that had just occurred.

"Of course." Replied Lux who collected the land deeds, ready to put down the destroyed buildings and construct them.