Chapter 75 - Sasha's Day Off

<---Chapter 74 - Education Access|Table of Contents|Chapter 76 - A Warning--->

"End of the line! Get off!" A loud female voice hollered from the front of the arctech wagon, frightening the dozens of blindfolded and cuffed men packed like sardines.

A rush of fresh mountainous air blasted the interior of the wagon as the doors opened, a stark difference from the usual smog-filled stench that permeate Raktor. The blindfolded men staggered about as they tried to stand, only to be forcibly dragged by others outside the wagon.

One by one, the blindfolds were removed, revealing the blinding rays of sunrise and the staggering peaks of mountains in the midst of a dense forest, cold gusts rustling through the leaves of Euria trees all around them. One of them glanced down at the hand gripping him, noticing that it was a weird shade of green before realizing he was face-to-face with a hobgoblin, its grin ferocious.

All around them were wooden palisades mixed with a few watchtowers, all manned by trained goblin warriors and archers. Their aggressive demeanor frightened the men into submission, though some still tried to fight back against their restraints.

One of the more daring men spoke out in defiance towards the lady disembarking from the wagon, trying to shrug off the hobgoblin holding him back. "But ma'am, where exactly are we? This isn't Raktor!"

"This is what happens to Seven Snakes recruits who don't follow orders. Don't blame me, you chose this yourself. Take them into the caves." The lady gave a knowing smile, the hobgoblins hauling off the screaming recruits into the depths of the tunnels.

"Welcome to Culdao Peaks, Lady Monica! This is our first time meeting in person, it is always a pleasure to meet a viper!" At the same time, Feldon marched forward, saluting Monica firmly with respect, only to earn a suspicious glare.

"Cut the Lady and the crap. Where's Merissa? She's the one supposed to keep track of the transfer. Why is it you?"

"Oh, she told me that she's busy today handling other important issues. I'll be in charge for today." Feldon puffed out his chest smugly.

"Is that so...? Last time you were in charge you single-handedly damaged the water pipes. Hopefully that won't happen again."

"Of course, Ma'am Monica, viper!" Feldon saluted again.

"Alright, enough with the fucking salutes. Make sure those damn recruits get their proper taste of training." Monica groaned, but internally she relished at the authority she commanded, far different from her previous thug self, scampering around with Adrian and Eric.

Feldon nodded. "I'll have them shaped up in a month or two, guaranteed! Lets have the wagon unloaded."

The rest of the wagon's load was made up of household appliances and other tools to improve the standard of living for the goblins living in the first den. "Yes! Finally I get a basin of my own!" Feldon clenched his fist in victory as he sorted through the goods. "And two kegs of beer! YES!"

"Where's the shipment?" Monica glanced around, not noticing any boxes of Euria Seeds or regenerated arcite ore around.

"We haven't finished organizing them yet, but most of it is ready in the den. Since its your first time here, perhaps you would like to visit the den?"

Monica followed Feldon into the goblin den, still hearing the distant screams of recruits as they were unceremoniously left for dead in the training caves, forced to fight off feral humans and rebel goblins. The den still had plenty of failed tattoo experimental subjects and rebellious prisoners left to use as combat practice. A simple month or two in there would desensitize anyone to the idea of killing.

The central cavern of the goblin den had been clearly overhauled, with the infrastructure becoming more and more modern. If it were not for the young goblins running about and playing, Monica would have assumed it was an underground human city. Multiple mechanical shafts were attached to small little wooden wheels that skimmed the top of an large underground river, which transferred energy into arcia regenerators that refueled arcite ore.

Elevators and minecarts served as easy transportation throughout the now expanded den, while a myriad of food stalls served fresh produce delivered right from the goblin kingdom, though many of them had a disgusting stench that seemed to only attract goblins.

"Want to try a Sahusa Radish stew?"

"What the hell is a Sahusa Radish?"

"It's the new plant they are growing real real fast in the goblin kingdom. Like two weeks or so, a bit spicy. It's pretty amazing." Feldon brought her to a stall, pointing out the bland soup that was filled with slices of radish and its murky leaves, nothing else. A few dozen goblins were happily slurping away, chugging the stew down before ordering seconds.

For Monica who had lived her entire life in Raktor, the lack of obvious flavor in the stew disgusted her. "Are you sure it's amazing?"

"Yea! You might puke for the first five bites, but you get used to it after thirty bowls. It's an acquired taste."

"I'll bet. Looks, I got places to be. Where's the shipment?"

"Right here." Feldon motioned at a supply depot, where workers were already loading gurney sacks of arcite ore into wooden crates, with eighteen crates ready to go.

"Good. By the way, where is Sasha?" Monica glanced around. "I was hoping to meet her properly for once." She had only interacted with her momentarily during the Ilysian Punk War, but not enough to really know her. Monica was slightly intrigued as to the only other female viper in the Seven Snakes, wondering what Sasha was really made of.

"Oh, she told me that she's busy today handling other important issues."

"Weird, you said the same thing about Merissa."

"Did I? Haha, I guess ladies are always busy. Just like Ma'am Monica right here-" Feldon nervously chuckled, instinctively reaching out to pat Monica on the back before a sharp glare from her stopped him dead in his track.

"Get the ore and seeds loaded up. I'll stay longer next time."

"Of course, Lad- I mean, Monica."

Strange, what's wrong with him? Monica wasn't too bothered to find out. Her job was simply to handle transportation, not investigate administrative issues. She returned back to her wagon, immediately setting off back for Raktor down the winding path through the mountainous forest.

Now, I should be able to make it back before noon if I hurr- what was that noise?

Monica immediately halted the wagon, hearing some movement among the crates that had been loaded by the goblins. Grabbing her handgun, she carefully stepped off the driver's seat, heading towards the back where the sound was coming from. "Alright, I don't know who you are, but nobody gets a free ride from me without asking. You got one chance before I start blasting."

Nothing but silence answered her, prompting Monica to board the back and begin searching the crates one for one. Grabbing a crowbar, she pried open the lids of the very first crate, only to find Merissa hiding within, staring back at her in obvious shock.

An awkward silence passed for a brief moment as they stared at each other, each contemplating what the hell was going on. Before Monica could recover from her surprise, Merissa grabbed the lid back without a word, carefully slinking back into the recesses of the crate while closing the lid, as though nothing had happen.

"You think closing the lid means I don't see you? Get the fuck out of the crate, Merissa!" Monica fumed, wrestling for control of the lid while Merissa dug her fingers into it, clinging on for dear life while leveraging her bodyweight against it.

Unfortunately, Monica was far stronger than her, eventually lifting Merissa and lid together and tossing her onto the ground. "What the hell are you doing smuggling yourself onto my wagon? Weren't you supposed to be watching over the Culdao Peaks?"

"I'm sick of taking care of the fucking goblins!" Merissa suddenly burst out, throwing a tantrum. "I want to see the city! I want to see the shopping arcade! I want to eat good food! I want to watch light-thrower shows! By the way, this are not my desires. I'm only translating for her."

"Her?" Monica suddenly felt a presence behind her emerge from behind the crates, turning around to face the mute Sasha, seemingly staring at her without any emotions.

"Sasha says she wants a day off." Merissa began speaking for Sasha.

"Did Kyle approve of that?"

"Sasha says Kyle only acknowledged it, but never really gave a fixed date. Seeing as nothing much is happening and all the rebels have already been caught, it's time for the day off."

"Okay, let me ask Kyle first and -"

"No, no, no! He won't agree to it! We need to do this secretly. It won't matter as long as he doesn't know."

"What if something happens at the Culdao Peaks while you guys are gone?!"

"Feldon can handle it! We trained him for long enough. Plus there's King Sahusa and Gulak too. And if they try anything funny, Sasha and Kyle will beat them back into oblivion." Merissa mimicked a fighter, punching the air with a 'fear-inducing' one-two that had her tire out already.

"Right..." Monica glanced back and forth between Sasha and Merissa, noticing Sasha barely showed any noticeable signs of communication. "Wait, how the hell are you translating her words?"

"It's an acquired skill." Merissa scrambled up to Monica, clinging onto her clothes even as Monica tried to shrug her off. "PLEASE, MONICA! I've spent months in the dens, I want to see the improvements to the Seven Snakes District! I can't keep hearing about it and not seeing it!"

"I can get some men to use a light-capturer-"

"NO! I WANT TO SEE IT! WITH MY OWN EYES!" Merissa motioned towards her two pupils, nearly jabbing into them before flinching.

"Is this your words or Sasha's?!"

"Both!"

Monica hesitated for a moment, before finally relenting. "Fine. But if Kyle finds out about this I'm throwing the both of you right under the wagon."

Merissa immediately scampered past Monica, sitting on the front passenger seat with Sasha, who was surprisingly already there. "No problem, we can handle it."

Monica's delivery trip was suddenly transformed into a tour of sorts, as Merissa and Sasha stared intently at the village huts and farms beyond the walls of Raktor. "Sasha, you came to Raktor before, haven't you? To save Keith?"

"Sasha says she was there on a mission, so she never really had time to experience the city."

"There isn't much to experience, really. Just a lot of soot and smog, and endless workshops or factories along with poorly maintained roads, not to mention the faulty arctech lights... why the hell are you two getting excited from what I'm saying?! I'm saying bad things!"

For Merissa and Sasha who had been kidnapped from their homes from a young age, they had never spent enough time in a city, so they gazed in awe as the wagon rolled past, intermittent gasps of excitement as they frantically pointed at 'weird' buildings and statues. "Look at the guard towers, they are so tall! The enforcers on them look so tiny from here!" Merissa patted Sasha's shoulder rapidly.

Monica rolled her eyes as they crossed the gates without issue, revealing the full extent of the cramped Raktor roads. They were now in the West Sector, the wagon lurching forward at an excruciatingly slow-pace as Monica tried to navigate past the departure depots, where countless convoys were waiting to depart to other towns and adjacent counties.

The main street past the entrance gate was a hodgepodge of merchants and traders from all walks of life, searching for the best bargain in the famed city of dreams. Tributaries of the grand river running through the very center of Raktor were filled to the brim with countless sampans and gondolas of various sorts, their goods hailing from far beyond the reach of the Yual Dominion.

Amdist the bustling throng of people, West Sector enforcers decked out in heavy arctech knight armour towered over the crowd, their engravings glistening under the sunlight as they scanned for any suspicious activities and performed regular checks on each batch of cargo entering or leaving Raktor's borders. The recent revelation that the Ilysian Punks had been smuggling weapons to Versia now had the Sanctum of Yual on high alert, under Count Leon's orders.

Just beyond the crowd, Monica spotted a few skulking children, their necks clearly marked with the insignia of the Violet Demons. They served as the scouts, keeping an eye out as the Violet Demons associates broke open the laced walls of inconspicous crates to retrieve their contraband, illegal herbs and spices grown in other counties.

Sasha peered out of the murky window of the wagon's cabin, examining the various people walking about and checking their outfit intently. There were a few adventurers and mercenaries decked out in similar armour as she was perfectly functional but leagues below the dainty ladies that sauntered past the wagon.

Monica noticed her clear fascination with fashion, taking a chance to get to know Sasha better:" If you want a new city outfit, the shopping arcade does have a tailor or tw- yes, yes okay! I'll bring you there after this stop, no need to pat me so violently!"

The trip continued on, with Monica pointing out the various streets and buildings along the way to her next stop. The wagon came to a halt outside a non-descript building that looked just like any other, with a lone man waiting on the steps.

As soon as the wagon stopped, the man sprung into action, heading to the back of the wagon and unloading the Euria seeds crates quickly, with Monica helping out. This was the headquarters of one of the shell companies, who helped to lower the price of Euria Seeds across the city.

Sasha was hardly interested in the distribution in seeds, instead paying her attentions to the various storefronts along the way. Toy shops, artisan cafes and flower shops held her attention the longest, her never seeing such establishments before. Even bookstores were a foreign concept to her, despite having learnt how to read and write.

They soon reached the shopping arcade, Sasha's mouth dropping at the enormous sight. Mountains were one thing, but she had never seen such a large man-made structure before, especially one that seemed to have elegant curves rather than ugly blocky designs like most of the buildings in the West Sectors. The outer plaza was filled to the brim with workers and residents enjoying their time off, enjoying food and snacks in the warm sun while others queued up for the free public bathhouse, holding wooden baskets filled with their laundry.

Monica drove them into the supply depot, a basement floor underneath the shopping arcade where the central node of the distribution network was. Drivers regularly came back and forth, shuttling workers and residents around in a designated line while secretly shipping alcohol and Euria-infused potions to smaller thug rackets outside the Seven Snakes district. Merissa carefully examined the various types of potions, having never truly seen the outcome of the countless Euria Seeds that she had been in charge of harvesting.

"Interested in this?" Monica waved a little glass bottle filled with whiskey as she stowed away her gear and arctech radio into a nearby locker. "Come on, there's a bar nearby."

Despite their original excitement, Sasha suddenly gave a knowing look to Merissa, who's face in turn was in complete shock. "Fuck, I didn't bring any rakels!"

"What? Are you two dumb? Everything is for free - Sasha's a viper! If she doesn't drink free, who does?!" Monica laughed it off, leading them past the throng of drivers and workers unloading the various trucks. The trio headed towards a normal metal door plastered with the sign "EMPLOYEES ONLY", opening only to reveal a rowdy bar filled to the brim of other Seven Snakes members.

The bar was far from the usual rowdy downtrodden watering holes that Sasha had been forced to clean at the forest fort when she was a slave under Paulie. Instead, arctech lights lined the grooves of the ceiling, giving a ethereal aurora feel to the entire decor. The furniture was flushed with luxurious materials purchased from the best dealers in the South Sector, chairs and barstools well-built and able to withstand the raucous behavior of the associates, workers and residents alike.

As soon as Sasha entered through the door with Monica, some of the associates who were taking time off instantly hushed down, staring at the three ladies who were clearly out of place in the male-dominated bar. Merissa immediately felt embarassed by the simplistic dress that she was wearing, a far cry from the trendy clothes that she had seen on the streets, while Sasha was far more concerned with why they were staring so intently.

"Ah just ignore them. Virgins who never seen a girl before in their lives." Monica scoffed as she led them through, brushing past a few stunned associate and shoving them violently out of the way. A wave of murmurs erupted through the associates, while the fresher recruits had no clue who the three of them were.

"Fucking greenhorn, that lady over there in the armour is Sasha, Kyle's left-hand." One of the veteran members slapped the arm of a confused recruit. "Don't fuck with her, or any of them. No idea who the small one is though."

"Left hand? I thought Damian was his right-hand?"

"How the fuck did you even pass the training? Humans have two hands, idiots!"

"Don't know, she doesn't look that strong. A bit fit, sure." One of the more egoistic recruits barely gave a glance at Sasha, immediately dissing her.

"I'll write that on your headstone when she comes for you."

Sasha didn't mind the whispers spreading around her - actions always speak louder than words, a concept she was physically inclined to. Yet she did not act against the recruits, ignoring them and following Monica to the bar, where Eric Dicar was reading a pamphlet of sorts, sniggering to himself in clear fascinations at its contents.

"ERIC!" Monica slammed the table forcibly, frightening the nearby recruits to give up their barstools. "Three lemon-flavored soju for the new ladies in town."

"Oh my, bringing new girls for Slavin? Maybe I'll have a go fi-" Eric glanced up, before performing a double-take. He hurriedly stood upright, bowing towards the two ladies. "Uhm, sorry, I mean greetings, Lady Sasha, I'll have your drink for you right away."

While Eric was scrambling in an obvious fluster, Sasha was utterly confused by the reaction, only to be distracted by the upbeat voice of a presenter blaring through a radio near the bar counter.

[In updated news - terror in Kregol as gang violence has reached an all-time high. Word on the street is that a major gang from Raktor is expanding their businesses into neighbouring counties. Count Kreig has requested for intervention from Count Leon, though it yet remains to be seen the outcome of such negotiations, if any.]

"Must be the Ardent Cretins. The rest of the major gangs are too caught up in dealing with each other." Monica remarked as she rummaged about the bar's various empty bottles.

"Why are the Ardent Cretins so strong?" Merissa asked, she and Sasha slightly oblivious to the power structure within Raktor as former slave girls out in the Culdao Peaks.

"Don't you know? Their leader, Ares Ulras, is a beast. I heard almost no one can compare to him - I wouldn't be surprised if he was personally fighting Kregol's gangs to submissions. He and Sebastian rose out from nothing, creating the major gang over the span of three years. When I was young, I recalled the South Sector still had more than fifteen gangs. Now? Less than four remain, not including the Ilysian Punks - and we're one of the four. A miracle by any measure of the word considering our pitiful start." Monica rambled, before pouring a small flask of whiskey out onto a cold shot glass. "Now that the Ardent Cretins are expanding beyond Raktor, it might be time for us to do something similar. Here, give this shot a try."

Before Sasha could grab the shot glass, Merissa clenched Sasha's arm tightly, wagging her finger. "No killing if you get drunk, you hear? If you kill anyone, Kyle is going to find out!"

Sasha rolled her eyes, shrugging off the weak Merissa and downing the glass in one motion. "Hell yes! Finally someone proper to drink with instead of them weak boys." Monica grinned widely, patting Sasha vigorously.

"Who are you calling weak?" A suave voice wafted in from behind. "Can't be having you talk us Seven Snakes down in front of such beautiful and stunning ladies like these two." The owner of the voice tried to rest his hand on Monica's shoulder, before Monica violently gripped it, nearly crushing the hand. "OW OW OW OKAY OKAY STOP!"

"What the hell are you doing here, Niko? Weren't you supposed to check out Thresher Street and its printing presses?"

"Got word that two new beautiful ladies were in town, following Monica along. Had to get a glimpse myself."

"Who told you that?"

"I have my sources from certain observers." Niko adjusted his collar and his peaked cap, chewing on a Euria Seed as he shoved the recruit next to Merissa away, sliding in in a slick movement. "Hello, pretty. Name's Niko, Seven Snakes' number one viper. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. If I may have the honor of knowing your name, Mademoiselle?"

While Merissa was slightly irked by the sleaziness of Niko, she couldn't help feeling a little better being talked up this way.

"Don't answer him." Monica interrupted. "He's still chasing someone else."

"Come on, I already broke up with Emily three weeks ago!" Niko brushed his fringe under the cap.

"And it was a pretty bad one. Saw you crying your heart out on the ground the other day just outside here. Saying you wanted to get back with her and all that."

"It wasn't bad - It was a mutual agreement, we had our misunderstandings that I'm sure will clear up over time."

"Yea because you were hitting on every pretty lady you saw on the street once you became a viper."

"Allegations that may have some weight. Or it's more than they were astounded by my good looks. Just can't restrain my charisma. Now what say I buy you two a drink or two, hmm? Or maybe three drinks?"

"Forget it, Niko, they are drinking free." Eric returned with the three lemon-flavoured soju, decorated nicely in a cocktail glass with mock umbrellas inside.

"Drinking free? I didn't know today was ladies night? Well then, how about you two and I scoot over to a cafe just upstairs? They got pretty good ice-cream and cakes that we can enjoy slowly." Niko stood up and was about to put his arms around Merissa and the other, only to find the slightly excited face of Sasha staring back at him, her expression intrigued.

"Sasha says she wants to try the ice-cream and cakes." Merissa translated.

Niko almost yelped on the spot, flashes of the gruesome mess filled with bloody bits and human limbs that he had to clean up after Sasha's battle with the Ilysian Punks. He hurriedly retracted his arms and immediately took two steps back. "Well, uhh, since it's ladies night, I'll leave the ladies to it, then. Don't need to worry about little old me, haha!"

"Hold on, you said you were going to buy us a drink or three?" Merissa taunted. "I was really looking forward to the three drinks." Sasha nodded in agreement, Niko's face pale as he glanced between them and Eric, trying to look for a way out.

"Come on, Eric, all Vipers drink free, right? I'm a Viper too?" Niko tried to snake his way out.

"Well, theoretically, Merissa isn't a Viper, so she had to pay at some point." Eric tapped the blackboard hung up on the wall behind him, the list of prices.

"Grrr... FINE!" Niko pulled out a bunch of rakels, sliding them over to Eric. "Get them three of the cheapest beers!"

"I don't want beer, and neither does she!" Merissa retorted, Sasha nodding vigorously in agreement.

"Then what do you want?"

"I want three of the most expensive drinks on that board!"

Soon, Niko's spare change in his wallet was largely empty, Monica and Eric sniggering as Niko left defeated. "Next time better check who you're trying to flirt with first!" Monica hollered after the disappearing figure of Niko. "Dumbass, not even sure why he's a viper. At least he got guts and blind courage. You met him before, haven't you, Sasha?"

Monica expected a reply from Merissa, but instead turned to find two slowly spinning barstools, Sasha and Merissa conspicuously missing along with Eric holding a fake smile. Before Monica could question Eric on their disappearance, a familiar presence was already approaching her from the side.

She immediately stood up and bowed towards the approaching person. "Boss, what are you doing down here?"

"I was in the vicinity, and thought to check up on operations here. I was also planning to inform you of your next task... Were you drinking with someone?" Kyle glanced over Monica's shoulder, looking at the three cocktail glasses still filled up.

Monica swiveled back, only seeing Eric's nervous expression with a frozen smile on his face. "Huh...? Err yea... I mean no, uhhh.... I was planning on drinking all three!"

"Hmm." Kyle squinted his eyes, looking around the bar. The originally ecstatic atmosphere had simmered down immediately on his arrival, some of the recruits still sipping their beer with their eyes wide open staring at him, glancing back and forth. Only the tense slurps of alcohol could be heard over the music playing from the arctech radio. "Anyway, next task is to distribute these pamphlets around the districts." He pointed towards Eric's pamphlet that was on the counter.

Monica picked it up, reading the title only. "Are we selling this?"

"No, just drop them off at all the known slum areas. Distribute it for free to anyone. As many districts as you can by today."

"Right, I'll get it done."

Kyle nodded, about to leave before he suddenly turned back, surprising Monica and frightening Eric. "Right, I wanted to also say that there's a few new variety of ice-creams and cakes in the cafe, courtesy of Haui's recent experiments. Perhaps you could invite some of your friends there?"

"But I don't have any friends like that...?" Monica was slightly flabbergasted, but Kyle was already leaving before he even heard the reply.

"Okay, he's gone. Now, can you two stop hiding under the bar and sipping on the half-drank bottles for free!?" Eric grabbed Merissa by the shoulders and lifted her up, Monica finally realizing what just happened.

Sasha deftly slid over the bar counter back to her seat, neatly avoiding the cocktail glasses and acting as though nothing had happened, taking a sip. The fruity taste of the drink brightened up her expression immensely, and the drink did not last long as she drank all of it in one shot. Monica had to hastily grab the mock umbrella away from Sasha before she ate it. "It's a prop! Alright, we gotta go now. I got work to do."

As soon as Monica said that, Sasha and Merissa were crestfallen, relcutantly nodding as they prepared to leave the bar. Monica groaned, wondering why she felt like she was raising two daughters. "FINE! We'll get the new ice-cream and cakes, alright? We'll get you a new outfit too, but you only get an hour top!"

Various snack stores were open in the shopping arcade, selling all kinds of wacky food and wondrous invention. Sasha peered at the printed drawing of the new ice-cream, reading the title. "What the hell is a Sour-Faced ice-cream?"

"Fuck if I know, but I'm getting one for each of us." Monica soon returned with three ice-cream cones filled with what seemed to be greenish gloop.

Despite the unappetizing facade, the smell was tremendously enticing, Sasha hurriedly taking a bite. Her mouth was instantly awash with a stinging sour sensation that drilled into a her jaw, her mouth contorting in tension.

Monica and Merissa instantly burst out laughing at the sour-face of Sasha. They each took turns making fun of each other, before trying the rest of the cake. The staff member of the store hurriedly scooped as much as he could of every variant, handing them over to the voracious trio. Before he could charge them for anything, the manager immediately stopped him. "If you know what's good for you, don't."

Their shopping trip was brief but vicious, Sasha finally obtaining an clean prim and proper outfit well-suitted for city excursions. Despite her previous fascination with the large skirts that the ladies boasted outside, she found them cumbersome and heavy, instead opting for a simple red sleeved shirt with a high-waisted pants that both looked good and provided for better freedom of movement. Merissa hardly cared about combat, instead grabbing the best looking dress and strapping herself in, wearing countless layers beneath just like the other city girls. "Alright, come on out. Feeling posh enough yet? I've got work to do and it isn't babysitting you all the entire day!" Monica had to urge them out of the clothes shop before they tried on every single outfit in existence.

Happily enjoying the cake and relishing in their newfound outfits, Sasha and Merissa enjoyed the rest of the trip, with Monica delivering the pamphlets all over the city to the slums. Destitute kids immediately scrambled over, expecting some sort of donation or food, only to receive stacks upon stacks of freshly printed pamphlets.

"Its free for you all. Distribute them, give them away, sell them, I don't care. Make sure it gets around." Monica took off as fast as she arrived, leaving the kids giggling to themselves as they browsed through the various pamphlets.

Sasha spotted the kids' excitement in the rear-view mirror, wondering what was in the pamphlet. She retrieved a copy from the back of the wagon, reading it intently before she let out an audible gasp and hurriedly packed it back in. Merissa noticed her weird behavior, immediately grabbing the pamphlet and pouring through it, suddenly recoiling in shock. "Eww, what the hell?! Why is Kyle distributing this? Monica, have you actually read this?"

"Isn't it just a random article?" Monica shrugged. "No, I haven't read it."

At the next stop, Merissa stuffed the pamphlet into Monica's hand. "Read it, it's demonizing us!"

Monica relented, flipping through the pages before bursting out into laughter much to the chagrin of Merissa and Sasha.

"How can you laugh? Why is he entering such a business? We already make more than enough from our existing ventures!" Merissa stomped her foot. "Did Niko put him up to this?"

"What can I say? Our boss really knows how to draw the crowd in."

<---Chapter 74 - Education Access|Table of Contents|Chapter 76 - A Warning--->