"Zack?"
"Huh?"
"I asked you a question! Where is your mind right now?"
"Ah, sorry! I was lost in some thoughts... Can you ask me again?"
Zack pulled himself back to the present moment and looked around. He saw everyone gathered together, discussing the revolutionary New Effort System that would change their entire society.
"Umm, okay... Zack... I can't quite wrap my head around this concept yet... How will it replace money? How will we buy things with it and all?"
Mother Ariana asked while looking around at others who clearly shared the same confusion.
Zack nodded with understanding before thinking for a second. Then he spoke clearly.
"Money and Effort points work in fundamentally the same way. You earn Effort points through your contributions, then spend them exactly like money..."
BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK
Everyone stared at him blankly, clearly not grasping the revolutionary nature of what he was proposing.
"Ahmm... We all know that money is just stored value which gets affected by numerous external reasons, correct? In our current example, the notes and coins we use come from the Empire of Echor. It's their money, their prices, their entire economic control... Money in itself isn't inherently bad, but it creates some major systemic problems... Like wealth getting accumulated in the hands of just a few people while the whole system collapses for everyone else. Those few can control the supply, the prices, people's entire lives, while those on the bottom can just do their best to survive..."
Zack paused before continuing.
"I won't go too deep into economic theory right now, but we all know how those Empire people treat us, right?"
Zack looked around and saw everyone's faces change as they thought about many painful experiences. How many times they'd had to hold their heads down and kept nodding to the Empire's ridiculous demands, swallowing their pride just to survive.
Zack waited for those memories to settle before speaking again.
"The Effort System's purpose is to remove those exploitative elements while mixing in the beneficial aspects of the current system to create a better economic system for our island... Of course, there are still many problems we need to solve!..... For example, how will we determine the actual value of Effort points? Who will control the system? Will it be fair? And so on and on... But my ultimate goal in creating this system is so that..."
Zack paused for dramatic effect before finishing proudly.
"Our beautiful mothers can finally have real recognized value for their work!"
His declaration made all the mothers present look at him with reverence shining in their eyes. Meanwhile, all the kids' eyes twitched slightly because they already knew they would be compared unfavorably to Zack for the rest of their lives.
.
.
COUGH COUGH!
"Before we get too optimistic, the system needs to be flawless," Oliver said, voicing a practical concern. "The first question that comes to mind is this: why would anyone push themselves to work harder if they could simply choose an easy job, stay at home, and still live comfortably?"
He continued, his tone thoughtful. "I wouldn't need to struggle for years to make my business succeed….. And what about the people who've been working tirelessly on those clothes for Mothers business? Why would they keep putting in that level of effort if they could earn the same Effort money by doing something far easier?"
Several mothers in the room frowned deeply at his question, their faces showing disapproval.
Mother Isafold smiled knowingly and spoke gently. "Oliver, dear, you're making your mothers angry with that question."
She slightly glared at Oliver then continued speaking "Well, it is indeed a valid question since people will choose easier things to do rather than spending huge amount of time and effort for something more complicated, but you have to understand something fundamental: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN EASY JOB IN THIS WORLD."
Oliver, realizing his mistake and seeing the dangerous looks from his mothers, dramatically came forward and knelt in front of Mother Silja, Mother Ariana, and Mother Isafold herself.
"Sorry, mothers! I didn't mean to disrespect anyone's work! I am so sorry!" Oliver clasped his hands together and smiled beautifully, trying to charm his way out of trouble.
"Get up, you brat. We'll forgive you this time," Mother Ariana said with a sigh. She picked him up by his ear, flicked his forehead firmly, and sent him stumbling back to his seat.
"Um, I would like to say something about this," Mother Silja said softly, raising her hand to speak. The others nodded at her respectfully, giving her their full attention.
"As many of you know, I worked....I worked as a prostitute for many years." She paused, her voice slightly getting broken from the difficulty of the topic. "I am not glorifying that profession, but I want to make something very clear: even prostitution is incredibly hard work."
"I know men tend to get easily aroused by women, but maintaining that interest and making sure the clients come back to us is very difficult. Every woman who gets the most customers is the one who knows how to maintain her charm or seductiveness over time."
"It's not always about showing your naked body. It's about how you move, how you talk, how you behave, and taking into consideration each person's individual desires and needs....I think it's not easy. In the eyes of others, this might seem like easy work, and yes, in a certain sense it can be. But long-term success is incredibly hard."
"Facing a man face to face and making him happy, making him feel special….it's tough, to be honest. And it's even harder for male prostitutes to properly pleasure women."
Her voice became more emotional as she continued.
"I think Zack's system could help girls in that profession a lot. They could rise up from there. They could have a different life if they wanted to. Maybe if back then we had this system, I wouldn't have had to go to such…"
Mother Silja stopped speaking, unable to finish the sentence. Her eyes had become misty with tears.
Mother Ariana, sitting beside her, immediately rubbed her back comfortingly, offering silent support.
Gloomy, sitting nearby, clenched his hand tightly into a fist. He was also thinking if there was a chance for them to have a different life then how that life would have look...one where she hadn't been used as a plaything, where she'd had other options, where she'd been valued for more than her body. Where maybe his mother wouldn't be so …..siggghhhh...….
Rugged Woman also slumped down in her seat, painful memories of her own past flooding back. But she felt Zack's hand gently land on her shoulder, and his calm voice reached her ears.
"It's okay," Zack said softly, his hand moving to pat her back soothingly. "Let's make sure no other person has to suffer like you did. It's okay I am here with you."
His gentle touch and reassuring words calmed her down, pulling her back from the dark memories. Subordinate Woman, sitting on Zack's left side, also nodded heavily in agreement, her eyes showing understanding and determination for her partner.
In all of this emotional exchange, Miss Phoebe was the only one screaming internally in her mind.
Fuck! Why am I the only one no one is comforting?! Well, I wasn't really prostituting, but still, I need some love too!! Where is my husband?!! Ahm, no, I'm fine for now. He's probably fuming in anger somewhere, so it's best to remain hidden for now.
PAT!
Suddenly her back was patted by Sio, who had somehow appeared behind her.
"Old tall fatty, weren't you a rich lady who enjoyed your time doing whatever you wanted?" Sio asked with a smirk, stretching her chest out as if she'd asked a very profound and valid question. "I guess people like you will rise even more if this system is put into action, don't you think?"
GAH! Stupid brat! Miss Phoebe glared at her with irritation, but she couldn't actually refute the question because there was truth in it.
"Well, it is indeed a good question," 2nd Rock Leader Mikaela Larents continued thoughtfully. "I have seen countless cases where some Crown district ladies cause trouble just because they have nothing better to do... A prime example is interfering in their children's school lives and playing dirty politics there."
Leader Mikaela looked around and continued speaking "And if this system is applied, then that means housewives' work will be properly acknowledged, and they could support their families financially as well... Though it may cause some trouble, as everyone knows there's always a downside to people getting richer or gaining more power."
Hearing this, the mothers in the room felt happy that their work would be valued, but also a little doubtful about potential problems.
"I think it will balance itself out naturally," the 2nd husband of Mother Isafold spoke up with confidence.
"Indeed, it may cause certain people to create problems, but there are also many others waiting to do something meaningful with their lives, to prove themselves. And Veny is a great example of this system working well." 3rd Husband of Mother Isafold nodded in agreement
"Yes, If she'd had the proper support and opportunity which this system could provide, she would have already done something amazing outside her home helping her family more." 1st Husband of Mother Isafold also added his thoughts.
The 2nd Leader laughed, hearing this. "Indeed, she would have!"
"I think adding a punishment system, or maybe lowering people's Effort points for bad behaviour, would be beneficial," Kyra Mills suggested, standing behind the Queen. "It's similar to how it's used for criminals in jail…..increasing their sentence if they cause trouble. I think it could fit well here. This would discourage many people from causing problems, of course we could add other things into it in future"
The Queen nodded approvingly at her idea.
"AAAEEEEE, it's not fair!" the 3rd Rock Leader's son suddenly protested loudly, jumping up from his seat. "Mother makes me do lots of things! How would anyone measure my hard work in household chores? Why only the one responsible for housework will be paid? That's not right!!!!!!"
He looked sideways frantically and spotted Little Princess sitting nearby. He nudged her shoulder insistently. "Isn't that right, Little Princess? I'm sure your mother also makes you do work a lot, right? Right, RIGGHHTTTT????????"
"You bastard, don't drag me into this!" Little Princess hissed at him, her eyes flashing with warning.
But it was too late. Both Queen Mother and Laoise turned toward their children, their smiles becoming dangerous. Their eyes looked at the kids like predators eyeing prey.
"If you are good kids, then for sure some pocket money will be given to you as rewards," Queen Mother said sweetly, though her smile had a sharp edge. "But since now our work has real value, I think making trouble or destroying things can be considered an act of not working properly, righttttttttt Laoise?"
"Right, Malina!" Laoise agreed enthusiastically. "Our kids are so hardworking! We must definitely reward them for good behavior. But if they don't do it properly, then… HO HO HO HO HO HO HO!"
Both mothers laughed evilly together, their laughter sending shivers down the spines of both children.
"Hey, you stupid bastard! See what you've done!" Little Princess roared at the boy sitting beside her, smacking his shoulder hard.
GAH! "I'm sorry! Our mothers are way more evil than I thought!!!!! Maybe I should run away from home!" the boy said dramatically, already starting to plan his journey to unknown lands in his mind.
"PFFT! A weak man like you can't survive a single day outside the walls," Alfie laughed mockingly from the other side of Little Princess.
"Huh? What did you say, Alfie boy?" Lewis shot back, his pride wounded. "First, grow some height before speaking! Little Princess looks like a big sister standing in front of you! And I, a 'weak boy,' could just buy you as a bodyguard SINCE I HAVE MORE MONEEYYYYYY. And I'm sure Little Princess is bored seeing a little boy running behind her all the time, so it's a great time to you know… LOSE YOUR JOB!!"
Lewis smirked confidently while coming closer, bending down to bring his face right in front of Little Princess from the right side, deliberately getting in Alfie's space.
"What did you say, you bastard?!" Alfie roared in anger, standing up quickly. "It seems you haven't tasted my blade in a long time! I'll cut your legs off and make you shorter than me! Then I'm sure you'll be very happy!"
Alfie came charging from the left side, bringing his face close to Lewis. Both boys' faces were now inches apart, glaring at each other with fury, shooting metaphorical daggers from their eyes.
In the middle of this confrontation sat Little Princess, her eye twitching hard with irritation. She watched them argue back and forth, neither one backing down.
Seeing they had no intention of stopping; she raised both her hands high.
TAAAK! TAAAK!!
She smacked both their heads hard simultaneously.
"Stop it, Alfie and Lewis! Don't fight!" she scolded them firmly. "Why do you guys always fight when you meet? Behave properly! You're acting like little kids when everyone else is having a serious discussion!"
"Huh, look who's speaking," Lewis said with a smirk, rubbing his sore head. "I think you're way more of a kid than us. Compared to other girls from our class, you're very...… I would say childish. Heheheheheheheheheh."
He peeks a glance somewhere toward his right.
"Hahahaha, yeah, it's true!" Alfie joined in, forgetting their fight momentarily to team up against Little Princess. "Do you see that girl in the front row?"
"Oh yeah, her!" Lewis replied knowingly. "For sure, I'd say she look like she belong to our seniors class based on her.... development. But not that I mind! Hahahahaha!"
"Yeah, yeah, me neither, hehehhe!" Alfie agreed enthusiastically.
CLAAPP!!
Alfie and Lewis, laughing hard together, clapped each other's hands in celebration right in front of Little Princess's face.
Little Princess was now so angry that visible steam seemed to be coming out of her head. Her face had turned red with fury. She grabbed both of their hands tightly and smiled in a way that was absolutely terrifying.
"Oh my, it seems both of you are forgetting who I am," she said in a dangerously sweet voice.
She turned to look at the 4th Rock Leader. "Uncle Remek, it seems Alfie is not working properly under my supervision. I can give him punishment, right?"
"Yes, you can, Little Princess," Remek replied calmly, not even looking up from his written notes. "And his payment will be cut because of his disobedience while working."
Little Princess then turned to Laoise with an innocent expression. "And Auntie Laoise, it seems Lewis is being a very bad boy. What should I do about it?"
Laoise simply raised her thumbs up in approval, giving Little Princess full permission to do whatever she wanted.
WHHOOSSHHHH…
PAT!
Little princess suddenly moved with unprecedented speed and grabbed one hand of each boy with her own hand, intertwining her fingers and fixing her fingers tightly at their knuckles.
CRRAACKKKKK!!!!
GAHH!!! OOOOWWWWW!! OOWWWWW!!! MY FINGGERRRSSS!!!!
Little Princess bent both of their fingers backward, applying painful pressure to the joints. Both boys jumped up and down frantically from the sharp pain, desperately wanting to run away but unable to escape her iron grip.
Their painful ordeal went on for quite a long time while the adults in the room simply continued their serious discussion, completely ignoring the boys' suffering.
"Siiigh… Little Princess, being little isn't a crime," Gloomy said with exaggerated patience. "I'll pray for your growth with my special god."
He clasped his hands together and began muttering a solemn prayer, one directed to a deity who, according to Gloomy himself, possessed truly incredible powers. "God this Gloomy like always came to offer my prayers, but this time for my sister Hanna otherwise known as Little princess, I pray her Little….. TAAAAKKK CCRRAACKKK!! BBOOOOMMMMM!!! GGAAHHHHHH OWWWW AAAAAA MYYY HEAADDDD OOWW OWWW MY FINGGERRRRSS AAAAAAA OWWWWW NOOOOOO SORRYY BOOMMMM AAAAAAAAAA....
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END OF CHAPTER
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Author Blabbering
Doing things while thinking too much or doing things while not thinking much... Which kind of person are you???
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