Shades of the New World

Chapter 23: Interview?

Pondering about the matter for a few seconds, she finally continued:

"Those do sound plausible. And we have thought about investing in the middle class. But there is still the problem of capital. If we add the middle class into the mix, then our capital will definitely not be enough for all those projects. How will you solve that problem"

"I will tell you the solution after you have talked to your superior. Please tell him or her that I am planning to create a World Contract to ensure my safety," Evin added at the end. He was afraid that Rith would be offended with his offer, but to his surprise, Rith immediately agreed to contact her superior.

Obviously, Evin could not reveal all his cards at once. Since he was the one offering, he could only bait the Feline's attention with some information, hoping they would take the bait.

"Okay, please wait a few moments" she said then pulled out a sun shaped pendant. And this time, it was white colored and much brighter than the one Evin received.

She then injected the energy of the World of Space into the pendant. The pendant created a white-colored explosion. The sound it made was much deeper than the orange pendant Evin received.

"He should be coming here soon afterwards"

"It is very pleasing to work with you" Evin said, happy with Rith. He was prepared to spend some effort trying to convince Rith to concede her position as the negotiator, but everything went much smoother than expected.

"Perhaps it is because we Cosmic Felines have a much clearer societal hierarchy. I am well aware that I don't have the rights to make decisions on this matter. I can only relay the matter to my boss and have him take over the problem," she explained calmly, guessing what Evin was thinking about.

"Such a nice system. Wish we humans could implement that successfully," the child lamented.

"Don't you already have one? With the kings, lords and chieftains. And all the vassals under them," Rith asked.

Evin wondered why she would ask such things. Surely she was not that nave? Evin decided to not mind it too much and answered her questions dutifully.

"Well, we do have such a system, but it becomes a bit hard when all the workers want their bosses' positions. They want to take all the credit for themselves, so their boss' superiors would take notice of them, having them replace their boss. That was a bit of a mouthful to explain, but I hope you got the gist of it. The workers then decide to act on matters that they have no right or education to decide upon, resulting in some important matters receiving a much less qualified treatment," Evin answered. He thought about the matter a bit more, then added.

"There is also another way of looking at it. The workers might not want to trouble their bosses with what they deem small matters. Or perhaps their bosses themselves instruct them to not bother them with such small matters. So, afraid of their bosses scoldings, the workers hide or chase away some of these problems, which could have been actually very important ones," Evin finally managed to articulate.

He wasn't that good at making things up on the fly, so he wasn't sure if the Feline understood him. He himself wasn't exactly sure of what he was saying.

"Hmm" Rith acknowledged neutrally.

Rith's response made Evin a bit curious, making him wonder if he said something wrong.

"Tell me about your family," Rith asked suddenly.

"I live with my parents and a slave named Elina, as you can see. We work a bakery here. I also have a grandfather and a sister, but they've left to let my sister Sasha receive the blessing of Selat"

"Ah, the tradition of the Northerners. Makes sense. When will they be back?"

"I'm not sure. They've left when my mother was in the later stages of pregnancy. My sister should have turned seven years old a month ago, so I'm guessing they're coming back in eight or nine months later. Assuming nothing went wrong with their trip, of course," Evin answered.

"Will you also be going with your grandfather to the North in six years?" Rith asked.

"As long as nothing out of the ordinary happens," Evin answered perfunctorily.

"Ah well, we'll see soon enough. Will you be aiming to become a mage, if you've successfully sold your business idea, or will you enter the business world?"

"I was hoping to solve most of my financial problems with this move. With that, I will not have to worry about money for a long time. If I am successful with this sale, I will dedicate my time to my magic studies"

"Makes sense. How do you feel about us, Cosmics?" Rith then asked, cocking her head.

'Is she interviewing me?' Evin suddenly thought, after receiving so many questions.

"I have only met one cosmic in my life, and judging from my experience so far, your race is extremely pleasant to converse with," Evin answered.

The answer seemed to make her pleased, as she purred in a satisfied manner. Complimenting can never go wrong. Unless, of course, you say it in a certain way that sounds insulting.

'Don't be sarcastic with your girlfriends, guys. If you have to, at least be sarcastic in an acceptable amount'

But Evin would constantly remind himself to be wary of Rith. Even though she acted extremely amiably for the time being, that could change in the blink of an eye. Evin couldn't read people's minds after all. A proper amount of caution was best in everything. 

Evin still felt like this move of his was a bit too risky. But the things that happened to him after he was born were way out of his control, giving him a constant sense of urgency to do something for his safety. 

"Would you mind telling me about how Cosmic Feline society works?"

"I apologize, but I cannot," Rith replied without skipping a beat.

'Wow, that was quick. It almost reminds me of all the times I saw that one guy I was stalking get rejected by girls. Poor guy, though,' thought Evin.

"Ah, it seems my boss is here," Rith said.

With her words, a sizable anomaly appeared in space, and what seemed to be a portal became visible to Evin's eyes. Somehow, the portal gave Evin a familiar feeling, but he couldn't think much about it as a bright white paw soon emerged from it.

The newcomer carried himself in a regal manner, surveying the surroundings calmly and unhurriedly. The starts on his body were white and dazzling. And Rith's orange stars could not help but look lackluster compared to them.

'Wasn't I thinking of something exactly like this at some point?" Evin thought as a feeling of Deja-vu took over him.

"Meet my brother, Solraheeth Abvelgail." Rith introduced.