Chapter 1: 1 Job Hunting Isn't Easy

1 Job Hunting Isn't Easy

"Here for the job interview? Name?"

"Li Ang… Hearing Li Ang Bobby Laien."

Bobby Laien?

Hearing that rather familiar surname, the bored female interviewer behind the desk raised an eyebrow, looked up at the thin, pallid youth in front of the desk, and asked with a hint of surprise:

"Bobby Laien… the Bobby Laien of the Lionheart Duke?"

"No…"

The job-seeking youth seemed already used to being asked this question. He gave a small shake of his head and smoothly explained:

"Although the pronunciation is the same, that Lionheart King's surname comes from the golden lion 'Bobby Laien' on his family crest, while my surname comes from the 'Bobby Laien' of Bobby Laien County. My ancestors seem to have been commoners from there."

"Oh… I suppose so."

The red-haired woman nodded with an enlightened look, amused at her own oversensitivity.

That insufferable family, so proud of their pure golden hair, had barely produced a handful of members with any other hair color at all—how could they possibly have a black-haired, black-eyed descendant? And one who'd fallen so low as to come job-hunting at her place?

After sizing up Hearing Li Ang's attire and staring for a moment at his old coat—washed clean but worn through at the edges until the lining showed—the red-haired woman seemed to lose interest in him. She lowered her head again, then, while scratching something on a form with a quill, said absently:

"Then put commoner for family background. For the rest—education level, religious affiliation, whether you've accepted prosthetic modification, whether you have a micro-difference engine implanted subcutaneously, and what specific crime you committed—report each one in order."

Hm? Wait! What specific crime he committed?

Hearing this, Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but freeze for a beat, then asked in some confusion:

"Excuse me, the last item you just mentioned—does it mean whether I 'have a criminal record'?"

"?"

Hearing Hearing Li Ang's question, the red-haired woman knit her brows, then rapped her knuckles twice heavily on the desk and snapped without ceremony:

"I'd advise you to behave! This is the Cleanup Bureau, not a courtroom! If you hadn't committed a crime serious enough for the gallows, would you be here applying for a job? Whatever you did, just own up to it—don't try to play tricks with me!"

?!

Wait… I was just looking for a job, how did the gallows get dragged into this?

Tsk, all that hedging and hiding—obviously nothing good going on!

Looking at Hearing Li Ang, who for the moment didn't know how to answer, the red-haired woman across from him gave a contemptuous little snort, then rapped the desk again and, with a face cold as if interrogating a criminal, said:

"I'll say it one last time—this is the Cleanup Bureau, not a courtroom!

I neither can nor have any interest in trying you. The reason I'm asking what crime you committed is so I can report your name and have the kingdom's warrant against you cancelled. So you'd better come clean! Don't make trouble for yourself. Understand?"

Warrant?

Mulling over the red-haired woman's words, Hearing Li Ang's pupils contracted slightly as he realized something was off. He then carefully confirmed: "Excuse me… is this the First Sanitation Bureau of the capital?"

"…"

Sanitation Bureau?

This time it was the red-haired woman's turn to be caught blank. She thought for a moment and seemed to understand.

After glancing at the other's somewhat emaciated frame—clearly the result of long-term malnutrition—the red-haired woman, who had just been wearing a look of disgust, fell silent for a moment. She then sat up straight, pointed out the window, lowered her voice, and reminded him with a frown:

"You've come to the wrong place. This is the… Sixth Anomaly Cleanup Bureau, an off-books unit under the Ministry of Police. The Sanitation Bureau you're looking for is under the Ministry of Roads, so it's in that building diagonally across—the one with the long line at the door."

"Oh, oh!"

Realizing he'd come to the wrong place, Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but let out a long breath.

Damn, scared me to death.

No wonder I thought becoming a street-sweeping sanitation worker required being a wanted criminal first—turns out this isn't the Sanitation Bureau I meant to go to.

Also, wasn't this recruitment only for ten positions total? Why is the line at the Sanitation Bureau so long? Is a street-sweeping job really that coveted?

"Sorry for the trouble."

After politely apologizing, Hearing Li Ang looked through the window once more at that long line across the way. Then, as if possessed, he turned to look at the red-haired woman and asked hopefully in a soft voice:

"Um… if you're short on people here too."

"You're not suitable."

"…"

Seeing the light in the eyes of the man—who looked only sixteen or seventeen—dim in an instant, the red-haired woman hesitated, then explained:

"Although the Cleanup Bureau pays well—better than ordinary municipal civil servants—it has a mortality rate of roughly eight per thousand. So unless you're truly at your wits' end, you'd best not come to me."

Eight per thousand?

Hearing the rather cold term "mortality rate," Hearing Li Ang wasn't scared off at all; a small spark of pleasant surprise even flickered in his eyes.

Please—that's barely one percent!

If this were his past life, sure, but in this strange world where steam carriages clog the streets, workers doing things like stoking furnaces, mining, infusing magical energy, or purifying reagents face a baseline annual mortality rate of nearly two percent. And the number of those maimed or poisoned by machinery or reagent fumes is several times that.

And given their average "career span" of around thirty years, a worker who lasts a lifetime without illness or disaster barely exists. A mere annual mortality rate under one percent is practically…

"I may not have made myself clear enough earlier."

Seeing the somewhat tempted look on Hearing Li Ang's face, the red-haired woman shook her head and explained:

"The Cleanup Bureau's mortality rate isn't calculated annually—it's monthly."

"…"

Monthly… eight per thousand a month, so wouldn't that be nearly a tenth per year? This so-called Anomaly Cleanup Bureau loses a full tenth of its staff on average every year?!?!?!

Looking at the utterly shocked Hearing Li Ang, the red-haired woman gave a small shake of her head, then waved him off:

"Now that you understand, off you go. We only take those who've committed capital crimes, or who already carry a controllable 'anomaly.' An ordinary person like you simply can't handle the Cleanup Bureau's work—this place isn't for you."

"Then… sorry for the trouble…"

Along with the red-haired woman's gentle but irrefusable rejection, Hearing Li Ang felt a sharp throb in his temples, followed by a piercing buzz in his ears.

【Due to your twentieth failed job application, you have successfully activated the Bronze Badge "Unemployed Youth"】

【Unemployed Youth: A young person who has temporarily failed to secure employment due to insufficient education, lack of experience, or an economic downturn, among other reasons.】

【Equip Effect: When your parents converse with their peers, they will stably trigger the special status "Evasive Language," automatically steering clear of any topic about you.】

【Advancement Path: If this badge is worn continuously for over two months and you still fail to secure employment, and provided you meet the prerequisite of living with your parents, the badge will automatically advance to the Bronze Badge "NEET."】

【Hidden Trait (No Equip Required): When the "Unemployed Youth" badge is active and your family's total assets are below 200 Gold Wheels, the likelihood of you obtaining a partner of the opposite sex through a blind date will automatically decrease by 80%.】

"..."