Realizing that the petite young girl before him was likely a super soldier on par with the likes of Judah and The Finality, the middle-aged man's demeanor subconsciously became more serious.
It was a respect that came from the heart.
"Alright..." The man waved his hand, then fanned the shelves with his cattail leaf fan. "But since you're a warrior, it's close enough. Here, take as much as you want!"
"But I really don't need to..." Bianka wasn't sure what to say.
She had only come over for a look out of curiosity, she really didn't intend to...
Bianka's gaze drifted involuntarily to the candies, then quickly darted away.
She really didn't want any, nope, really...
"Sigh..." The man understood that Bianka wouldn't take anything no matter what. After a soft sigh, he sat back down. Noticing Bianka was still standing in front of the shop, looking pensive, the man asked, "Is something on your mind?"
"No... I was just wondering, do the MOTHs even have a candy factory?" Bianka asked, puzzled.
Over the past couple of days, she had learned a great deal from Theresa about the inner workings of the MOTHs and their current situation.
This included logistics regarding vegetable cultivation.
Currently, they weren't growing many types of fruits and vegetables—just things like apples and oranges, which were easy to grow, hardy, and rich in nutrients.
The apples hadn't shown any results yet; after all, it takes a long time for an apple tree to bear fruit.
But the orange trees have already started to sprout small oranges. It was said that they would be able to eat the freshest oranges soon.
But a candy factory... Bianka had never heard Theresa mention one. So where did all this candy come from?
"Ha... there's no candy factory here. And even if there was, all the candy would go to you warriors first. How could there be so many different kinds available?"
"Then these candies are..." Bianka nodded in understanding, but a new question immediately arose.
If there was no candy factory, then these candies...
"These were all found in the city by the folks in the City Exploration Teams," the middle-aged man said with a smile, his hand gently brushing over the candies.
Bianka was taken aback. She hadn't really heard Theresa talk much about these City Exploration Teams, only mentioning them occasionally.
"What are the City Exploration Teams?" Bianka asked, now like a curious child, full of questions.
The middle-aged man was happy to have someone to chat with. He simply grabbed a chair for Bianka, inviting her to sit down and listen to his "exclusive news."
"Let me tell you... these City Exploration Teams might not be as important or contribute as much as you warrior squads, but the honor in it isn't much less than yours!
"These squads are mainly responsible for exploring the city and collecting useful supplies from it, like edible food, some rare devices, and precious metals.
"After all, there are still a lot of people who don't want to go to a dangerous place like the front line. But everyone wants to contribute to the MOTHs and build a foundation for their future, so many chose this less dangerous path."
Saying this, the middle-aged man sighed with emotion. "The Lord Overseer is truly brilliant, to think of issuing the task of supply collection in the form of commissions.
"I still remember when I first arrived at the MOTHs, we were still under a system where each person was allocated a fixed amount of supplies daily...
"Back then... the entire base was lifeless. Everyone was only thinking about one thing: that they had survived another day...
"You could see the end of your days back then. Only those who had joined the MOTHs could truly see a reason to live; everyone else was just aimlessly muddling through.
"Even though everyone understood that the MOTHs were saving them, that they were trying to return the world to how it was, without a goal in hand, you just don't know what you're living for...
"That situation didn't last long. The Lord Overseer issued a commission to form the City Exploration Teams. People could form their own teams, get an access ID card, and then go explore the city.
"Anything you find can be sold to the MOTHs at a price set by the Overseer himself, or you can be like me, spend a few contribution points to open a shop here on the ninth or tenth basement levels and sell what you find.
"With that, everyone suddenly had motivation. Those who could move, went out. Those like me who really can't move around anymore just watch the shop and sell a few things, haha... The Lord Overseer's move completely revitalized us."
"But doesn't it get tiring?" Bianka nodded thoughtfully, then asked on a whim. "If you go out every day, isn't it just like a job?"
The middle-aged man burst out laughing as if he'd heard the funniest joke.
"Hahaha... How could we hate it! Back in the old days, what job was ever done out of gratitude? It was all for survival!
"But this is different! Even if you do nothing, the MOTHs can support you! And most of the things people bring back are sold to the MOTHs at the lowest price. More than earning contribution points, it's a kind of fun for them!
"You have no idea. The young members of my old squad would exhaust themselves every time, but they always left with a smile and came back with a smile, didn't they?
"They say...'We're adventurers hired by the MOTHs, discovering treasure in the wilderness called the city.' Haha, they're having the time of their lives!"
Bianka listened, somewhat mesmerized.
Adventures... That was indeed an activity that one could find great joy in.
"But surely not everyone enjoys this kind of activity... right? For example... some of the girls, or people who are physically weaker. Would they like it?" Bianka asked again.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man gave Bianka a rather strange look.
You guys are probably the last people who should be asking this kind of question...
"Of course. There will always be people who don't like it. But aren't the MOTHs also recruiting for administrative positions? Right now, there are only a few hundred people here, but what about in the future? There will definitely be more people.
"When that time comes, won't the food, clothing, and daily necessities for thousands, even tens of thousands of people, need someone to manage them? And the City Exploration Teams established by the Overseer also need people to manage their comings and goings, register contributions, and so on. If you really don't want to move, you should at least know how to do some basic accounting, right?"
"Here, everyone can find something they're meant to do..." the middle-aged man said, full of emotion.