Mother Veny walked toward the second rock underground area to buy necessities for her family. She had just taken the stairs and was walking while thinking about what her friend, Leader Mikaela, had said regarding some information. "Hmm, if I can get some info on those bad bastards, then my kids will be safe," she thought, placing her fingers on her chin as she descended.
When she reached the interior, she lifted her eyes and saw lots of metal bridges connected to various structures, which were attached to the rugged rock surfaces, pillars, walls, and ground. The area looked clean yet somewhat rusty, with many beautiful shops present. Mother Veny walked toward the shops like a practiced veteran and gathered groceries and other items for her family.
"Oh my, Fia's mother, why so serious? You will get wrinkles if you think too much," a sweet shopkeeper lady said with a gentle smile, noticing Mother Veny walking with a frown while carrying many bags.
Mother Veny woke up from her trance and returned the smile. "Aahhh, Miss, don't tease this lady who already has some wrinkles," Mother Veny said, offering a warm smile.
"Now, now, you are still a lovely, beautiful woman. I am sure your husband dotes a lot on you," the shopkeeper lady said sweetly, making Mother Veny feel shy.
"Haha, it's not like that, Miss," she brushed off the compliment.
"So, tell this old lady what's making you so worried?"
"Well, what else? My kids. With lots of things happening in the city, they've gotten into a lot of danger, and that's what's worrying me. I want to do something that can help them but can't find a way to do it," Mother Veny said, putting her hands on her cheeks in frustration.
"Hmm, it's true the city is dangerous nowadays. I never saw this city so restless before in my life. What do you want to do, Fia's mother?" the shopkeeper asked in serious contemplation.
"Hmm, I want to find information about those bad people so that I could give it to my friend, Leader Mikaela," Mother Veny explained.
"Oh! It looks like Fia's mother is trying to become a detective," the shopkeeper said jokingly.
"Heheh, maybe I will become one. What do you think? Can this beautiful lady get a job as a detective?" Mother Veny posed playfully, holding her grocery bags.
"Haha, sure, sure you can," the shopkeeper lady said with a laugh. Then, in a more serious tone, she came closer to Mother Veny and said in a low voice, "But I do know where you can get some info on those bad bastards."
"Huh? Where?" Mother Veny asked, leaning in.
"Well, you do have to spend some money. The higher the risk, the higher the price. Many people use them to get information and other things," she said with a serious explanation.
"Did you ever use their service?" Mother Veny also asked seriously.
"Yes, I did. Well, I used it on my husband who I thought was cheating on me!" the shopkeeper said shyly, turning her head away with a blush.
"Oh my, hahah, your old man is not like that, Miss!" Mother Veny said, laughing merrily.
"Well, yes, he was just going to drink secretly, hiding from me. But that doesn't matter—he still hid it from me!" The shopkeeper lady was not admitting that she spied on her husband.
"Haha, fine, fine. Give me the address. I will look for them." Mother Veny took the address and started moving purposefully toward the location.
After a lot of walking, she came to one of the corners in this second rock underground area and saw a well-maintained structure with proper lighting and some people going in and out.
Oh wow, I didn't expect it to be this professional. Mother Veny, happy that she could finally do something for her kids, happily went inside carrying her grocery bags.
"Welcome to our humble abode," a well-maintained, properly dressed, and trimmed man greeted her professionally.
"Oh, hello there. I was told I could get any information I want from here?" Mother Veny asked innocently.
"Yes, Miss, you can. That's why we are here. Why not go inside and talk, and let me carry these bags for you!" The man said politely as he went and took the bags from her hands, smiling professionally.
"Oh my, what a gentleman you are." Mother Veny, clearly happy with the service, nodded in appreciation and followed the man. But in her happiness, she didn't really notice some gazes on her body checking her out.
She came into a closed room—properly spaced, well-lit, and beautifully designed, a calm and cute place. "Wow, your place looks amazing, Mr." Mother Veny turned around, admiring the room.
"Thank you for your kind words. This is the least we could do for our precious customers," the man said as she sat down on a comfortable sofa. The man stood respectfully to the side like a proper bodyguard while her bags were still in his hands.
"Hello, good morning, Miss. It's an honor for our place to be visited by such a beautiful lady." A tall and handsome man came wearing tight, proper red attire, smiling handsomely.
"Your words are making me shy, Mr." Mother Veny shyly replied.
"Hahah, but it's the truth. I will not take much of your time. Why not tell me what you are looking for, Ma'am?" he asked.
Mother Veny, immediately getting serious, said, "I heard you could get me any information I want. Is that right?" she asked again.
"Yes, Ma'am, we can, of course. With high risk comes a high amount to pay," the man smiled like a proper salesman.
"Hmm, I understand. Then I want information on all the people who came to the city with weird powers and are doing weird things in the city. Can you bring those people's information to me—from where they live to what they are doing?" Mother Veny slowly and steadily stated what she wanted.
With expectation in her eyes, she watched the man's face, who for a second had a spark in his eyes but hid it professionally.
"Yes, we can do that for you, Ma'am. But the information you are asking for is very risky. We may also lose some men because of this. Are you sure you want this information? It could cost you a lot," the man said, giving her all the necessary disclosure.
Hearing the seriousness in his voice, she thought for a few moments, then nodded confidently. "Yes, I will do that."
The man smiled ear to ear happily and said, "Then it's done. I will calculate the price for how much we can do for now, but to complete your task, we will probably need more. So, for now, I will give you a contract of the base pay and other details on how much we can increase in the future with requirements," the man said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Hmm, sure. I will wait..."
Some time passed when the man came with a stack of papers. "Here, Ma'am, you could take your time to go through it while having something to eat. I am sure you must be hungry." The man put some papers and food in front of her.
"Thank you, Mr. You guys are so kind." Mother Veny, with a serious face, started reading. She saw the price.
"This, this is way too muuucchhhh!" Mother Veny exclaimed in horror. "My whole house could live three months easily with this amount. I don't have this much money," she said to the man.
Hearing this, the man smiled. "It's okay, Ma'am, don't be so scared. It's true we do require a lot of money since this is dangerous work, but we are good at what we do. If you can't pay the money, you can work for us," the man said calmly.
"Hmm, what kind of work?" Mother Veny asked, hoping for a detective-type role.
"Have you seen those once-in-a-while shows where beautiful ladies fly through the whole city promoting various new clothing designs?" The man looked into her eyes and spoke invitingly.
"Oh my, I do, I do! They look so beautiful. Can I do that? But I am old now with kids so grown up. I can't match their beauty," she said, hiding her face self-consciously.
The smiling man said, "We can't say for sure you will be selected for that. Before that, you have to raise your ranks up by wearing clothes we give and doing some tasks. Then it's all good. You can pay us with your work, and we could find you some info. What do you think? And Ma'am, who said you are not beautiful? If you were not married, I would have fallen for you. I thought you didn't have any kids until now," the man lovingly flattered her.
"OOOHH, stop, stop! Don't tell lies to me." Her face was getting red from the attention.
"Hahahah, see this? You are perfect for our job. You are looking so cute. So, what do you say? Payment is good. You could do more by not staying in the house and get good things for your children while getting info. It's a good win for both of us."
Mother Veny, calming down, thought for a while about her kids getting in danger and said decisively, "YES! I will do it."
"GREAATTTT! I will bring you fresh documents. Read those, and you can sign then." He went again and brought new documents.
Mother Veny read those—beautiful clothes to wear and showcase to promote them, tasks to be done, etc., etc., money amount. Soooo mmuuucchhh!! I could save some after paying them. Her mind was racing, and after reading the whole document, she looked up and saw the smiling man lovingly, and picked up the pen.
Seeing this, both men smiled ear to ear and looked at her. The bodyguard looked at her naked shoulder which was shimmering in the light of the room, her beautiful sweaty neck, while the man in front saw her slight cleavage, licking his lips subtly.
Mother Veny, completely oblivious, was about to sign when suddenly—THUP!—a slight sound sounded as she felt her shoulder getting touched by a worn-out, warm hand.
Mother Veny looked toward her shoulder and saw, "Sasha's Grandpa!!!" She was clearly surprised, shocked, and felt guilty at the same time.
"Hmm, little wife of Esjar, what are you doing here all alone?" Grandpa asked, looking warmly at Mother Veny.
"Grandpa, I... I, I wass..." Mother Veny felt like she got caught while doing something mischievous.
"Let's leave for now. We will talk later." He patted her shoulder gently and started to move toward the door.
"But... but Grandpa, IIIII..." Mother Veny couldn't complete her sentence when she saw Grandpa glaring angrily at her. Mother Veny got scared and silently followed Grandpa like a little kid. She turned around to the man and said, "Sorry, Mr. I will take my leave. Sorry to waste your time." She bowed quickly.
"Haha, it's okay, it's okay. You can come back anytime," the man smiled with sweat coming down from his forehead, disappointed.
Grandpa slightly glanced at the men and didn't bother to address them. He came to the bodyguard and said, "I will take those," as Grandpa grabbed the bags and touched the man's clenched hand with his thumb. The bodyguard immediately released the bags. Grandpa took those and walked calmly while Mother Veny, fidgeting anxiously, walked behind him.
After they went away—pHEEEEWWWwwww! "Where did that old man come from? I didn't even realize!" The salesman slumped on the sofa, thoroughly disappointed.
The bodyguard looked at his hand and said with curiosity, "Was he an energy user?"
"Hmmm, maybe, but who cares? We can't do anything since the contract was not signed." The salesman picked up the contract and looked at it before saying, "When was the last time we had such a big chicken coming to our place?"
"Hmmm, wasn't there that one with a kid a few years back? It kept annoying me while I brought her here. But this lady was a warm sunshine. I could look at her forever," the bodyguard said with a disappointed smile.
"Ohh, that blue-haired chick right, who was looking for her dead husband? Hahaha, we did have lots of fun with her. Got huge profit because of her. She was so beautiful and pure, and with a kid, looked perfect, hahhahaha." Then he sighed and threw the contract into the dustbin.
After leaving the structure, Grandpa walked in steady steps, followed closely by Mother Veny.
"Hmm, Grandpa, let me carry those." She came over and took the bags from Grandpa. Seeing this, he sighed and said, "You are such a good kid. Why are you coming to places like these all alone? Do your husband or little Julia know you came here?" Grandpa asked, looking straight at her with concern.
Hearing this, she flinched in guilt and shook her head. "I was going to tell them afterward, but I was not doing something bad. I just wanted some info on bad guys. Our kids suffered a lot because of them," Mother Veny slowly, gathering determination in her voice, said.
"Your determination is right and praiseworthy, little Veny, but their intention was not right. If you had signed those documents, then you would have been stuck in a place from where it's nearly impossible to come out," Grandpa patted her head gently and continued, "Don't go there anymore, okay, my child?"
"Hmm, Grandpa, why is that? I didn't find anything suspicious?" Mother Veny asked slowly, feeling a warmth spread through her heart from his care.
"Hmm, that's because you were too eager to find info and avoided some details. Like, what did they offer you if you can't pay the money?" Grandpa asked sincerely.
"They said I have to wear clothes like those women who fly in the sky once in a while and promote the clothes," she said while tilting her head in confusion.
Grandpa said, listening to this, "Did they write this specifically in the contract?"
Mother Veny went back and thought hard, then suddenly, "AAUUUHHHH!! They... they wrote that I have to wear anything they give and do the task..." Mother Veny, remembering this, shuddered in fear, her face getting pale, with sweat beading on her forehead.
Grandpa smiled sweetly. "It's okay, little Veny. You are safe now, so don't think about those things. And next time if you do something like this, take some people with you, okay?" Grandpa said warmly.
Mother Veny, getting calm, looked down and said with deep regret, "I am sorry, Grandpa. I was so stupid, and because of my stupidity, I nearly put myself and others in danger!" She felt very guilty, thinking how she increased everyone's problems in these tough times. She felt bad for being so stupid.
Grandpa started to walk slowly as he looked toward the many structures and said, "What's wrong with being stupid, little Veny? Everyone is stupid in some way."
"Huh? Why is being stupid good? I clearly made such a huge mistake from my stupidity, then how could it be good, Grandpa?" she said, following him.
Grandpa smiled and said, "No one in this life can be truly not stupid, little Veny. Even Gods have done things which people find stupid. So, tell me, little Veny, is being stupid truly a bad thing? Not learning from your stupidity is the most stupid thing you can do." Grandpa looked at the coming and going people as he smiled wisely.
"Huh, that is true. I never thought like that. But I still wanted to do more for my kids. Even though you can say I was not stupid, even you will agree that I am worthless compared to Julia and my husband who protect the borders with their lives while I can't do anything for them," Mother Veny sadly smiled.
Grandpa suddenly turned around and stopped and looked at Mother Veny and said with a silly smile, making his messy beard and hair jump with energy, "I think you and other housewives are the most genius people in the whole world who contribute the most in everyone's life. You are the core of this city. If you are not present here, then nothing here will remain. Everything will be in ruins." Grandpa lifted his hand, allowing her to see the whole place as his eyes shined with intensity. Grandpa continued, "I think you know why I am saying this, right? No one says this out loud, but everyone knows, and I think it needs to be said more, so I am saying this: LITTLE VENY, YOU ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THIS WHOLE CITTYY OFF EIIRRRSSSS!" Grandpa said loudly and laughed hard.
Mother Veny was in a trance of appreciation, her eyes glowing with happiness, with some small tears falling. Suddenly, she felt she was flying high in the clouds, then abruptly heard other people laughing at them doing this in the middle of the street. She got embarrassed. "JEZZZ, Grandpa, I heard you. No need to shout." She grabbed his raised arm and hugged it cutely with the bags on the other hand as she pulled him, moving away from the crowd.
They talked and laughed a lot. When they reached the surface, she asked, "Then why, Grandpa, are they still functional? Shouldn't bad things go away?"
"Hmm, if there is demand, then it will always be present. They just use people's desperation to profit, nothing else. And like you can't clean every place of your house with your big hands, even the Crown officials can't help everyone, making these groups pop up. It's how society and life works," Grandpa said simply as he looked toward the horizon.
Mother Veny thought of that shopkeeper and nodded silently, then said, releasing his arm, "Then, Grandpa, I will take my leave. Thank you for everything. I will never forget what you did for me, Grandpa!" She bowed.
Grandpa, about to leave, said, "Where are you going, you little lass? Come follow me. I have to get some meat. I saved you, so follow me with your mouth shut."
"Huh? Hah, okay." Mother Veny smiled as Grandpa called the carriage, and they went towards the fourth rock.
"But Grandpa, you just hunted last night. Will it be prepared by now?" Mother Veny asked curiously while looking at the scenery with her legs dangling like a kid's.
"Hmm, not all, but some pieces. I would give those to the orphanage. Nowadays, there is a shortage of food, so it's hard for everyone. Later I will also give everyone else some, so make sure to eat with everyone," Grandpa said while sighing sadly.
"Oh, that orphanage. That girl is also having a hard time on her own. Poor girl." Mother Veny also sighed as they went toward the fourth rock.
END OF CHAPTER
Author's Note: The pull between wanting to protect those you love and feeling powerless to do so can lead anyone to make desperate choices. Veny's rash decision, driven by her maternal love and concern for Fia, nearly cost her everything, highlighting how easy it is to become entangled when your emotions are at their peak.
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Hello Readers,
I've decided to start adding scene concept art and character clothing concept art directly at the end of each chapter. I think I began doing this around Chapter 30. I can't display the images here, but you'll know exactly where to find them in the chapter itself. I'm avoiding mentioning them too explicitly to prevent any issues or flags—so just head over and take a look!
I'll also upload the artwork to popular social platforms gradually… if I can find the time to do it!
That's all for now. Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep smiling.Alright now, shuu shuu—go away! 😄