"Rebuilding Seirai Island? That's a huge project!"
The four merchants exchanged glances. No wonder such a large amount of building materials was needed; it was for rebuilding the island!
But wasn't that place ravaged by thunder storms because the knot was destroyed? Can reconstruction truly be completed in such an environment?
The four thought to themselves in unison, but they quickly stopped thinking about it. This wouldn't hinder them from making money. The Shogunate bought their building materials, and they earned Mora. As for whether the Shogunate's reconstruction work could be completed, what did it matter to them?
"Please arrange for the building materials to be transported to Ritou. As for the Mora, there will be dedicated Yashiro Commission officials to handle the handover with you," Shiki said unhurriedly.
"Ahaha, no trouble at all, no trouble at all!"
The four shook their heads in unison. Are you kidding? What's troublesome about this?
And how does that saying go? It's our honor to be Nirishiki's dog!
"Very good, then I wish us a pleasant cooperation. Now, please enjoy your lunch!"
After speaking, Shiki picked up a piece of sushi, dipped it in a little soy sauce, and put it into her mouth.
In truth, Shiki was not someone who placed extreme emphasis on etiquette. In her opinion, these things were fine as long as they were passable; there was no need to be so extreme.
However, when in front of outsiders, she still had to be a little careful. Staying with Ayaka not only made the latter discard some unnecessary etiquette, but she herself also learned a bit.
After all, she was now a prominent figure in Inazuma, so she naturally had to behave appropriately in front of outsiders.
Of course, when there were no outsiders, Shiki remained her casual self, especially her posture; she truly did whatever was comfortable.
For example, lying sideways on the sofa, or crossing her legs.
Under exquisite control, her eating posture was elegant. People said that beauty was edible, but these four merchants felt that was utter nonsense!
What edible beauty? It was already a great act of courage for them to continue sitting there and eating, alright?
'Ahhh! This is the longest lunch I've ever had!'
The four continued to put food into their mouths with stiff smiles on their faces. After nervously finishing lunch, they quickly stood up, bid farewell to the girl, and then swiftly left Uyuu Restaurant.
"Take care."
Shiki picked up a napkin and gently wiped her mouth, then called over Oshima, the waiter who had been waiting for instructions at the private room door.
"Is there anything you need?"
"Pack up the leftover single meal for me, I want to take it with me."
"Okay, no problem!"
Oshima nodded, then pulled open a cabinet nearby and took out exquisite wooden bento boxes, arranging the food inside by category.
"Nirishiki, it's all packed."
"Thank you for your trouble. How much is it?"
"A total of 153,680 Mora. I'll round it down for you, 150,000 will be fine."
Upon hearing this, Shiki took out the money pouch tied to her waist. This time, she had specifically brought 200,000 Mora with her, since she was coming to discuss business.
Pouring out all the Mora, Shiki put 50,000 Mora back into the pouch, then took the bento boxes and left Uyuu Restaurant.
Komore Teahouse would certainly prepare lunch for Ayaka, but Shiki knew very well that with her wife's personality, she would absolutely not eat it; she would surely leave it untouched.
That's why she had to pack a lunch to take back. Food is fuel; one meal missed and you'll be hungry.
If Ayaka wouldn't eat, then she would make her. Even if it meant feeding her bite by bite, she had to eat it!
And as it turned out, Shiki truly understood her wife. At this moment, Ayaka was engrossed in registering the workers who came to sign up for the Seirai Island reconstruction project, and she hadn't eaten the lunch prepared by Komore Teahouse at all.
"Next!"
Ayaka called out softly, and then a strong young man walked over.
"Name?"
"Oshima Junpei."
"Age?"
"Twenty-four this year."
"What are you good at?"
"Carpentry and wall-building. Also, I have some experience in stone carving."
Ayaka's hand paused upon hearing this. She looked up at the tall man in front of her, and finally decided to give him a slightly higher salary.
Just as Shiki had said, everyone has some skills these days, and such people are often in high demand.
"Your daily wage is 35,000 Mora. Additionally, I'm very interested in the stone carving you mentioned. If you have any existing works you can display, the salary can be discussed further."
A city certainly needs some artistic presence; otherwise, it would seem too monotonous.
Stone carving is very suitable for house decoration. If the other party's craftsmanship is good, then they might be needed for work in the future.
"I guess so... but it's too big. That thing was completed by me and others," Oshima Junpei scratched his head.
"Too big?"
"Yes, it's the Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed God Statue in front of Tenshukaku."
...
Even with Ayaka's vast experience, she was silent for a moment. This must be what Shiki called 'humble-bragging,' right?
The artisans who participated in building the Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed God Statue were all highly skilled individuals. And yet, this is just'some experience'?
"Mr. Oshima, there's no need for modesty. You have already proven your skill. How about a daily wage of 50,000 Mora? Is that acceptable?"
"That's more than acceptable!" Oshima Junpei seemed very happy.
"Miss Kamisato, you don't know, but since the Tatarasuna project stopped, I haven't earned any money. Now I'm just living off my savings."
"Good that you're satisfied. Then please gather at Ritou Port tomorrow morning. Also, please rest assured, wages are paid daily, and the Shogunate will not default on payments."
To ensure these people worked with peace of mind, wages naturally had to be paid daily, but this didn't mean they could slack off.
If anyone was lazy during working hours, then she wouldn't hesitate to deduct their pay.
Oshima Junpei left contentedly, and Ayaka smoothly and normally called out the next person.
However, it wasn't a worker who appeared before her.
"Let's continue with the registration after you've eaten," Shiki said to Ayaka, with her back to the sunlight.
"It's fine, it's not too late to eat after registering this batch of people."
Ayaka shook her head, but Shiki, with a very firm attitude, picked up a piece of sushi and put it into the girl's mouth.
"I said, finish eating first. I've already told those people waiting in line outside to leave temporarily; they'll be back in an hour."
"During this time, you need to eat well and then rest a bit."]}
"Do you understand?"
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