But how to complete this task?

Xia Xin read the task description again and again, yet found no clue.

Though it clearly pointed to "Gred Zachary," this factory’s manager, the info was straightforward.

But Xia Xin knew big factory bosses never worked themselves.

Especially not in a place this harsh.

So what now? Leave first?

Xia Xin could barely endure it. Even through her mask, alchemical fumes from giant containers made her cough. Her eyes stung, tears threatening to spill.

How could anyone work twelve hours daily here!

She’d expected bad conditions, but not this extreme.

She really wanted to hang that Gred guy from a lamppost!

"Hey! You two! How long will you laze around?!"

A masked, middle-aged woman in distinct clothes strode over. Her presence screamed heavyweight in Kebento Factory.

Weight-wise.

Even masked, Xia Xin sensed her greasiness. In real life, the US military would’ve stormed the factory for her.

"You two! Stop spacing out!" the woman barked. "Get to work! One more slip, and you’re out! Others crave this job!"

Tch…

This familiar tone reminded Xia Xin of her past part-time struggles.

So annoying!

She longed to punch that fat bitch hard.

But she had to stay hidden… What if Gred was here? Exposure would scare him off.

Plus, guards with flintlock guns surrounded them. Xia Xin didn’t want her head blown open.

"Sorry, sorry… I failed the boss. We’ll work now. Won’t repeat this!"

Xia Xin’s apology flowed smoother than the woman’s scolding, stunning her. The woman snorted, "To your posts… Wait! One more thing!"

"W-what?"

"Show your work IDs. No sweet talk." She waved impatiently. "Names now. You lose today’s pay… Remember this lesson!"

Work IDs?

Who knew about that!

Xia Xin panicked.

She’d sneaked in—no IDs anywhere… Tch, forced exposure it is!

But could she outrun a dozen flintlock guns?

Xila glanced at Xia Xin. From her expression and tiny gestures, Xila understood.

"Understood, Witch Miss…" Xila thought. "Scum like her isn’t worth your hands… Yes, it’d dirty your pure hands."

Witch Miss’s hands should stroke Xila’s head or play with her feet—not sully themselves for trash.

"Then, I’ll handle this." Xila’s hand slid into her pocket.

Despite her young, fiery demeanor, her magic control ranked top-tier among Demonfolk.

Otherwise, she couldn’t wield Spatial Magic—a near-lost forbidden art.

She couldn’t summon a meteor to crush the factory, but teaching these fools pain? Easy.

"Hurry up! What’s the delay?!" the fat woman yelled.

"Su… Supervisor!" A shout cut through. Xia Xin turned to a masked blonde girl waving. "Th-they’re my friends! New today… no work IDs yet…"

"Hmph? Newbies." The woman snorted. "No wonder clueless… Fine, forgiven. But…"

She held out a hand. "Work ID, uniform, mask—ten gold coins total. Pay to work here."

Huh? Pay to work?

What a world!

Xia Xin’s opinion of the factory doubled—but stayed negative.

Tch, no choice but to keep pretending.

Endure!

Gritting her teeth, Xia Xin handed over twenty gold coins.

The woman snatched them, satisfied, and left.

"Tch! That bitch!" Xila clenched her fists. "I’ll shove her face into alchemical potion and make her drink it all!"

"W-well… the supervisor’s always like this…" The blonde girl approached timidly. "Um… are you here to work? I’ve never seen you…"

"Yeah." Xia Xin nodded. "The boss… Gred Zachary. Is he here? Shouldn’t we see him to start?"

"Um… I don’t know." The girl shook her head. "But someone can help… F-follow me…"

She dropped her tools and walked out.

Xia Xin and Xila exchanged glances, then followed.

Out of the toxic workshop, they finally removed their masks… Thick, heavy things—worse than regular masks. So uncomfortable.

"Phew…" The blonde girl smiled after removing hers. "Work’s tough, but pay’s good. Fifty gold coins monthly!"

Only fifty?

Xia Xin thought life-draining labor here deserved more… The ID and uniform cost ten coins already!

Damn capitalists!

"Um…" Xia Xin asked the girl. "Why help us back there?"

She’d noticed other workers were indifferent—soulless machines ignoring everything.

Without her, Xila would’ve fought.

"Um… why…" The girl smiled softly. "I’ve faced hard times too. I just help when I can… That’s all."

"I see." Xia Xin felt deeply moved.

This kid’s an angel!