Chapter 59
Finding a job in Toy Town wasn’t easy.
Especially for Wen Xingxue, the “infamous” human who had split a goose in half with his blade and slaughtered five brown bear security guards at the factory.
Within just a morning, his “evil deeds” had spread throughout the town.
Unfortunately, with the evidence destroyed, the villain was still at large!
This made job hunting difficult for Wen Xingxue and the little clown doll.
Finally, after numerous rejections, they reached the last shop.
The shop owner seemed to prefer hiring humans. Two players, along with their dolls, were already busy moving and stocking goods when Wen Xingxue and Xing Nuo arrived.
The shop owner was a penguin, its head waddling back and forth as it walked.
It had a fluffy mustache that twitched as it spoke, its appearance both comical and cute.
It slapped its flipper on the counter, scolding the human employees:
“You humans are so incompetent! This box goes back to the basement! The basement! I’ve told you so many times! If you don’t work seriously, you’ll be fired!”
The players, having just carried a heavy box up from the basement, straightened up, cursing inwardly.
This damn penguin is such a micromanager!
How many times has he made us go back and forth this morning?!
But they didn’t have many points, and, thinking of the doll exhibition and the rent, they gritted their teeth and picked up the box again, heading back to the basement.
Just as they lifted it, the penguin started giving more orders.
“Wait! Don’t move that yet! Stock the shelves first!”
The penguin, its flippers behind its back, waddled over to Wen Xingxue and clicked its beak.
“I recognize you! You’re that infamous human in our town.”
It circled Wen Xingxue twice, its button eyes meeting Xing Nuo’s.
Xing Nuo, his face tilted up, greeted the penguin politely.
“Hewwo, Penguin Shopkeepew~”
The penguin startled, took a couple of steps back, and shook its head.
“Oh dear, oh dear, let me give you some friendly advice. If you’re planning to enter that clown doll in the Toy Doll Exhibition, you might as well give up now!”
It waddled to the side, shaking its head and sighing.
“The Toy Doll Exhibition is an important event in our town. Every doll will be dressed in their finest. Of course, beautiful accessories and clothes are essential.”
The penguin didn’t know what Wen Xingxue wanted, but its eyes gleamed, sensing an opportunity to make some money off this clueless human.
“Like our best-selling bow ties! Almost every penguin doll wears one!”
Wen Xingxue, hearing this, was intrigued.
He glanced at the shelf filled with bow ties and hummed.
“They do look nice.”
The urge to buy accessories for the little clown doll stirred within him.
He coughed, took out the clown doll, and held him up by his collar, letting him look at the shelf.
“What do you think of these bow ties?”
Xing Nuo, dangling in mid-air, swung his little legs and patted Wen Xingxue’s arm.
“Not pwetty! And…we’re here to find job!”
How could they spend money before they even earned any?
Xing Nuo turned his head, his face filled with worry.
“Everyone else working…earning money! We should…find job first!”
Wen Xingxue, unmoved, put the doll back in his pocket, ignoring his advice.
“We tried. Couldn’t find any. Let’s look at the bow ties first.”
He carefully examined the bow ties, while the penguin, rubbing its flippers together, its eyes gleaming, watched him.
“You’re looking for a job?”
Xing Nuo, poking his head out of the pocket, quickly answered before Wen Xingxue could speak.
“Yes!”
He looked around the small shop filled with colorful bow ties and asked:
“Penguin Shopkeepew, you need help?”
Xing Nuo, having been rejected so many times, his hopes dwindling, his eyes lit up when the penguin nodded.
The penguin wanted to stroke its mustache, but its flippers were too short. It sighed and, putting on its most authoritative shopkeeper demeanor, coughed and held up a flipper, showing five fingers.
“This much per day! If you’re interested, you can work here.”
Wen Xingxue, thinking of the town’s prices, asked:
“Five hundred?”
The penguin’s eyes widened, and it put its flippers on its hips, its voice indignant.
“Five hundred?! Are you trying to rob me?! Fifty per day! I’m being generous, offering you this much!”
Wen Xingxue mumbled, finally understanding why the players had been so eager to discuss a strategy with him.
The wages here were ridiculously low.
He was about to refuse when he saw the little clown doll holding up his fingerless hand, counting.
“…Five…six…”
Xing Nuo, unable to count past six, his illiteracy exposed, looked up, his ugly little face wrinkling into a smile.
“So many~”
Zaizai can’t even count that high!
Wen Xingxue: “…”
“You should never go out alone. You’ll be easily tricked.”
He sighed and turned back to the bow ties.
“This one suits you. It’ll look good around your neck.”
He held the bow tie against the clown doll’s neck.
Seeing the red bow tie brighten up the doll’s appearance, Wen Xingxue nodded in satisfaction.
The penguin, seeing that Wen Xingxue wasn’t interested in working, chuckled and started promoting his merchandise.
“I have all the cutest bow ties in Toy Town!”
He waddled closer, offering a discount.
“If you buy two or more, I’ll give you a fifty coin discount.”
Wen Xingxue, annoyed by the penguin’s incessant chatter, turned its head away.
“Go away. You’re noisy.”
The penguin, its temper flaring, but remembering Wen Xingxue’s reputation, reluctantly nodded.
“Fine. Come find me when you’re ready to pay.”
I’ll just add fifty coins to your total then! The vengeful penguin waddled away, grumbling.
Xing Nuo, watching the penguin go, his eyes filled with regret, sighed softly, his little hand on his chin.
Another job gone.
Wen Xingxue, not understanding his dejection, picked up another bow tie and placed it on top of the first one around Xing Nuo’s neck.
“This one’s nice too.”
He held them up and asked:
“Which one do you like better?”
Xing Nuo pushed the two ugly, red bow ties away, his button eyes filled with disapproval.
“No! Ugly!”
But Wen Xingxue had the final say.
Despite Xing Nuo’s dislike, he bought both bow ties, and, just as they were leaving, he spotted another one and bought that too.
Five thousand points vanished from his account.
The two players working in the shop, seeing this, silently shed tears of poverty.
Five thousand points!
This is the power of a Big Boss! Clearing this B-level dungeon is a piece of cake for him!
After a day of searching, not only had they not found a job, but they had also spent five thousand points.
Back at the house, Xing Nuo stood on the table, his little hands on his hips, his face sullen.
“We can’t keep spending money~”
Even Xing Nuo, who had only attended kindergarten for a few days, knew how expensive it was to live in this town.
But Wen Xingxue was spending recklessly, buying useless things, making Xing Nuo worry.
Wen Xingxue placed the bow ties and hair clips in a small basket, looked them over, and stroked his chin thoughtfully.
The basket seemed a bit empty.
He remembered seeing other girls in college with their dolls, dressed in various outfits, with multiple sets of clothes, hats, and shoes.
In comparison, his little clown doll, without even a change of clothes, looked rather pathetic.
But then he smiled.
This Toy Town might not have much else, but it had plenty of doll clothes and accessories!
He turned and saw Xing Nuo sitting on the sofa, sighing, his little legs dangling, and decided not to take him.
“I’m going out for a bit.”
Xing Nuo, still pondering the possibility of a doll finding a job, and having reluctantly concluded that he was too small for any of the available jobs in town,
looked up and saw Wen Xingxue return, carrying a large bag.
Wen Xingxue, his face covered by his mask, placed the bag on the table without a word.
He opened the bag, revealing a colorful array of tiny clothes, pants, hairbands, brooches…
All the perfect size for the little doll!
Xing Nuo, stunned, sat down heavily on the sofa, his mouth agape, staring at the pile of clothes.
