Work? Nutrient rations? Wages?
Hearing this, Annie and the others were, at first, taken aback.
Bidding the third, fourth, and fifth children stay put obediently at home, Annie and the rest followed the crowd toward the nearest square. Here a virtual figure of light was announcing something, and around the square were several projected virtual screens with information written on them.
Annie, her mother, and her sister stared at those virtual screens. On them was recruitment information, divided into two sections.
One was recruitment for the industrial base. It was written out in great detail: simply work, and one would be allotted a certain meal allowance. The lowest-grade trade, for instance, could draw three nutrient rations a day, plus wages of 0.3 star coins a month. The wages weren't high — but the point was that meals were included! And all the trades were divided into 10 grades, sorted by ability at the work. The treatment at each tier was entirely different. The highest, grade 10, for instance, came with a five-star-coin meal allowance — dining on food made from natural ingredients in the staff canteen — plus wages of three star coins a month. This treatment, mind you, was fully the equal of a senior officer's in some lord's fleet!
Beyond this, they were also recruiting Owl Dragon Fleet crew — women only — to serve aboard the interstellar industrial ships.
"The treatment's this good!" Nana stared at the recruitment notice, her eyes shining.
Beside her, Annie's mother said in excitement, "By these terms, keeping your little brothers and sisters fed won't be the least problem." Before, Annie's mother had worried what they'd do once the first month of free nutrient rations the Owl Dragon lord had promised came to an end. Now here was a way out!
Beep, beep, beep.
Just then, Annie's handheld terminal popped up with a message. This was a message sent to all Owl Dragon Fleet crew. On it: the benefits for all Owl Dragon Fleet crew had been updated. The crew's benefits, too, were divided for now into 10 grades, according to the height of one's post. A crew member serving as a department head, for instance, ranked high. Those serving as captain, deputy captain, secretary, and the like, higher still. A tiered promotion system like this could kindle everyone's drive to better themselves — work hard, and once promoted, the treatment got better!
Annie, for example, was for now sorted into the eighth grade, counting as one of the higher-benefit ranks in the Owl Dragon Fleet. Her monthly meal allowance was 30 star coins. And she could draw wages of 10 star coins a month besides. This was several times better than an ordinary worker's!
This Owl Dragon crew's benefits had also been posted below the ordinary workers' terms; set side by side, the two left no few people in an uproar. The treatment was almost too good. A pity only women were being recruited — otherwise no few of the male dwarves present would have wished to sell themselves to Zhao Chen outright.
"Big sister, I want to be like you — join the Owl Dragon Fleet!" Nana said suddenly, her eyes firm with resolve. Nana hadn't yet come of age, but the Owl Dragon Fleet set no limit on that; one need only possess qualifying ability. Nana's talent might fall short of Annie's, but she too was a very fine interstellar artisan!
"I think that'll do — with the two of us earning wages then, we can easily support the family," Annie said, excited.
At this moment, the good days seemed to beckon to these dwarves, scattering the gloom from their hearts. When they'd chosen to migrate here, they'd had their worries. Now, not one of them regretted the decision they'd made. They'd left their native soil, yes — but here they would meet a brand-new life.
T3 Blizzard — Bridge
"Since the latest ordinary-worker terms and crew terms were released, the response has been very good. As of five hours in, at the several recruitment points we've set up on the planet, ordinary-worker applications have already broken 10,000. Crew applications have broken 1,000. That said, these still need to pass a follow-on skills assessment before they can formally join the work." The succubus Bessie reported all this beside him.
Zhao Chen sat in the captain's chair, a faint smile on his face. "This is all within our expectations."
"But… Commander, aren't the standards you've set a touch high? The wages above all — for our crew, they need only their food and drink met; paying wages besides serves no real purpose. And a good many of the crew are slaves you purchased…" the succubus Bessie said. The crew benefits she'd originally proposed had, in fact, been only a third of the present ones. In her view, treatment like that was already quite fine; she'd never imagined the Commander would triple it outright!
"Since they've become crew of my Owl Dragon Fleet, I treat all alike — there's no such thing as slave or not-slave. And I want everyone to know: so long as they put their hearts into serving the Owl Dragon Fleet, the Owl Dragon Fleet will surely give back in kind. We will never fail anyone's efforts. So we'll go by these terms I've set. As our Owl Dragon Fleet develops, and does better and better, these terms will be revised upward step by step too," Zhao Chen said gravely.
To treat crew differently merely because one was a slave and another was not would very likely breed internal strife. Zhao Chen would never do so foolish a thing, losing the great for the small.
As for whether the treatment was too generous — Zhao Chen understood well enough: if you want the horse to run fast, you feed it good fodder. As for the wages paid out to them, in time he'd arrange some goods aboard the ships — fruit, clothing, and the like. And then wouldn't the money go right back to circulating in Zhao Chen's own pocket? The dwarf city was simpler still: he'd set up a few outlets selling natural foodstuffs — liquor, say! Zhao Chen was sure that once these dwarves drew their wages, they'd turn right around and spend them on liquor. In truth, the cost Zhao Chen bore was less than a tenth of what it appeared on the surface! Winning hearts at the smallest possible outlay. A business like this — could there be a more profitable one?
"With treatment this good, might you consider a raise for your little sister too?" A video window popped up — on the other end, Zhao Wan'er, teasing.
"Ahem, ahem — we treat all alike," Zhao Chen said, feigning gravity.
Zhao Wan'er rolled her eyes, then got down to business. "You're back at just the right time. The term at the academy's about to end this semester, and I mean to make a trip back. Things here on the dwarf planet are more or less on track now — steady, step by step, will do."
"Then let's go back together; as it happens I need to make a trip to the academy too. As for things here, they can be left to Annie and Bessie to handle," Zhao Chen said. Zhao Chen's annual mission was to graduate from Northstar Academy, which meant he'd likely have to go through the motions there. For the rich reward of that annual mission, this much show of face was worth making. What was more, going back now would let him just catch the moment those four warships rolled off the line and entered service at the Owl Dragon base. Three of them were T3 warships. That, without question, would raise the Owl Dragon Fleet's strength by a great margin.
"One more thing, Wan'er — get in touch with Jiang Hong and have her put out the Owl Dragon Fleet's recruitment notice within the system. Our system may not have much talent, but so long as they're willing, and pass a basic physical, we can recruit them all," Zhao Chen said. Once the T3 Goddess Academy-class ship entered service, Zhao Chen would be able to train these recruits swiftly!
"Women only again?" Zhao Wan'er fixed her eyes on Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen smiled faintly. "Need you even ask?"
Zhao Wan'er threw Zhao Chen a roll of the eyes, then went off to see to it.
Having settled the business of the dwarf planet, Zhao Chen and Zhao Wan'er together piloted the freshly refurbished T3 Blizzard back to Northstar Academy!