Looking at the last message from Fran, Squire went blank, her overloaded mind reduced to the static of lost signals.
Was she going to take the fall for the accident in the Reform Department?
Just firing Fran wouldn’t be enough to explain things to the board?
What did that have to do with her? She had even tried to persuade Fran!
Fired.
Those two simple words stabbed into Squire’s chest like a serrated watermelon knife, catching her completely off guard.
Her already dull eyes grew even lifeless, and her face turned pale and colorless like squid.
She was going to be unemployed.
Once that bleak thought surfaced, even the tasteless cheap hotpot became utterly unappealing.
Her mind was filled with thoughts of going back to the company to pack up her things…
Though, there didn’t seem to be much to pack in the Executive Department.
Losing her job meant next month’s rent would be in jeopardy, not to mention her little sister’s university expenses.
The pressure of life crashed down on Squire like a flood breaking through a dam…
Nan Gong Xiwang saw all of Squire’s despair clearly.
“Little Lucia, is something wrong?”
“Miss Nan Gong, I…”
The word ‘unemployed’ was impossible to say out loud; it would only lead to questions about what kind of work she did.
Although the Work of the Weird had decent pay, it still made one socially distant.
After all, the job was about causing trouble for ordinary people and destroying existing social order…
So Squire could only say this:
“I want to start earning income through manga as soon as possible. Could you give me some guidance about online serialization?”
“Why the sudden change of heart? Is it related to the message you just got? Are you short on money?”
“…Something like that.”
Lucia’s hesitation clearly hid some unspeakable secret.
Nan Gong Xiwang wanted to understand her situation better but feared hurting this sensitive girl harboring a secret.
After hesitating, she comforted her:
“Don’t rush. With your level, becoming famous is no problem! If you have financial trouble, I can help, though I don’t have much money either. But if you can’t pay rent… you can come live with me next month?”
Though Nan Gong Xiwang’s loft apartment was also in the Blue Court area, it was near the subway station, much better for transportation and safety.
She lived alone with an empty attic—letting Lucia move in would give her company.
“No, that won’t work…”
But Squire immediately shook her head.
Room-sharing was obviously impossible.
She wasn’t confident she could keep her secret under the same roof.
She was still male after all; just because Miss Nan Gong was unaware and unguarded didn’t mean she could comfortably take advantage of that…
“I’ll find a way to increase my output and meet the serialization requirements, so… please help me improve the quality of my work, Miss Nan Gong.”
If she was unemployed, she could draw at home twenty-four hours a day—that might allow her to keep up with serialization speed…
And she had to keep up, if only for her little sister.
Fortunately, she had gotten a signed cap from Pure White Storm today, which was worth a lot and still appreciating in value.
If she really needed money, selling that signed cap could solve her immediate problem.
“No problem, but don’t rush. This can’t be hurried. Stay calm for now and work on the script these next two days. Let’s get the work done first.”
“Mm!”
Squire took a deep breath and calmed her trembling hands.
The sudden blow had thrown her into panic, not at all showing the mature composure of an adult.
It was just unemployment! Central City was full of opportunities. At worst, she could go home and fish!
“That’s right! Here, have some more~”
Nan Gong Xiwang cheerfully added meat to Squire’s bowl and said:
“I guarantee with my professional eye, your manga will definitely become popular!”
But such a guarantee clearly did not reassure Squire.
Faced with the pressure of unemployment, her mind refused to calm down.
“Miss Nan Gong, about the character marketing you mentioned earlier… do you have any plans?”
She stared at the pile of meat in her bowl for a long moment before speaking.
To become a legitimate manga artist!
She had declared this confidently before, but reality had shaken her resolve quickly.
Squire knew it was embarrassing but helpless people often gave up things.
“No, don’t think about that now.”
This time it was Nan Gong Xiwang shaking her head.
“Lucia, your pride can’t be so cheap as to give up at the first setback, can it?”
“Mm.”
That was right; she couldn’t do that…
Awakened by Nan Gong Xiwang’s words, Squire calmed down a bit.
“So leave the promotion to me! I’ll make your manga famous! But first, you need to draw something that satisfies me, okay?”
Miss Nan Gong was like an angel appearing just when she was at her lowest!
Grateful, Squire started eating the meat from her bowl…
“Ugh, cough cough cough!!”
She almost choked on the spicy meat.
The slices were pulled from the spicy beef broth.
Nan Gong Xiwang sent Squire home and stroked the girl’s head as she reminded her.
“If anything comes up, remember to find me on Qtalk, okay? If I have any ideas, I’ll contact you. Don’t forget to check your messages.”
“Mm, goodbye Miss Nan Gong.”
Squire nodded shyly and waved her hand from inside the wide sleeves.
Being treated like a child, Squire didn’t argue.
Children get more care—though it was a bit sneaky, she recognized the hidden benefits of this body…
“Sigh~”
Only after Nan Gong Xiwang left did she sit down on the only chair in the room, sighing.
“Nyx, what should I do?”
[Suggestion: Take this chance to turn over a new leaf and debut as a hero.]
“Huh? Asking you questions is my mistake. Your suggestions are never reliable…”
Nyx’s reply made Squire smile bitterly; she never thought she was cut out to be a hero.
Holding her pen, staring at the drawing paper on the desk, she thought for a moment and asked again:
“Can returning you to World Tree Technologies get me money?”
[Impossible. Nyx suggests you stay calm.]
As if truly worried Squire might do something reckless, and wanting to prove its own value, the Nyx driver added:
[Regarding manga serialization, Nyx can act as your assistant to help.]
“Oh? How will you be my assistant?”
Just asking caused the tentacles hidden in Squire’s hair to automatically emerge, transforming at their tips into pencil, marker, and brush pen shapes.
[Backgrounds, effects, tone overlays, all can be handled by Nyx.]
“…Can you really do it?”
[Nyx is connected to your central nervous system, recording your data, able to reproduce your drawing techniques, and read your thoughts in real time.]
To prove its capabilities, Nyx manipulated Squire’s tentacles and quickly sketched lines on the blank paper.
The magical girl Clara, which had been just a line draft, was completed in less than a minute.
“So fast.”
Most importantly…
This finished work was exactly the Clara in Squire’s head.
Not only could it manipulate her tentacles, but it could read her thoughts.
At this rate, she might become Nyx’s puppet.
Though that future was terrifying, Nyx as a manga assistant was flawless.
Unlike other AI assistants with obvious printed feels, Nyx’s drawing was created stroke by stroke, exactly like Squire herself…
No, in terms of efficiency, it had already far surpassed Squire.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.