Levi and Baku looked back, only to discover in astonishment:
The middle-aged man furiously cursing in Zaunite slang was actually their factory boss, who was usually dressed in a sharp suit and carried himself with refined elegance.
"M-Mr. Ivern, w-what are you doing here?" Baku was scared silly. "W-We were just, just joking around..."
"Joking?" Mr. Ivern completely discarded his usual grace today. "Let me tell you—if you ever dare to joke about my daughter behind my back again, I'll have the Enforcers kick you right back to Zaun!"
Baku clamped his mouth shut, trembling with fear.
Levi also felt incredibly awkward.
"Levi!" Ivern snapped at him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ivern..."
"Enough, I don't want to hear your nonsense." Mr. Ivern huffed angrily. "You little brat, you still have the mood to make vulgar jokes here... but I came here specifically looking for you, do you know that?"
Levi's heart sank.
'A lowly apprentice like me, being sought out personally by the boss? This probably means something bad is about to happen.'
Sure enough, Boss Ivern asked in displeasure, "Levi, did you take out a loan from a loan shark?"
"I..." Levi's expression worsened.
If you asked a Zaunite who the worst people they encountered in Piltover were:
Piltovan business owners, Piltovan landlords, or Piltovan Enforcers.
What would they choose?
The answer was D: Zaunites.
The ones who treated Zaunite apprentices the worst in Piltover were their fellow Zaunites.
These scumbags formed gangs and ran the underworld in Piltover, yet they never dared to bully Piltovans, much less act up in front of Piltovan Enforcers.
They only targeted the Zaunite apprentices in Piltover, ruthlessly exploiting their own people.
If the wealthy merchants of Piltover were vampires, then these Zaunite gangs were juicers—after the vampires sucked them dry, these gangs would come over and squeeze out the very last drop of marrow left in their bodies.
And unfortunately, Levi had gotten involved with these bastards.
Previously, to pay for his sister's medical treatment, he had borrowed money from a Zaunite gang. With the exorbitant interest compounding, the debt had long since ballooned into a number far more despair-inducing than his rent.
"Those thugs from the Iron Fist Gang even came straight to the factory during the day—they asked for you by name to collect your debt!"
"Levi, I advise you to handle your own affairs properly. Otherwise, if you delay the factory's production..."
"I won't keep you around anymore."
"I understand," Levi sighed.
He knew Boss Ivern wasn't afraid of those gangs, but he certainly didn't want to offend them either.
At the very least, there was no need to cross them for the sake of a lowly apprentice.
"Good that you understand."
"You're on your own."
Ivern dropped his final words and turned to leave.
Baku, along with the other observing coworkers, cast sympathetic glances at Levi.
Everyone realized that Levi was probably going to be fired.
"Wait, Mr. Ivern," Levi suddenly stood up, calling out to his boss.
"Is there something else?"
"Mr. Ivern," Levi carefully weighed his words. "Could I get an advance on next month's salary? You know my current situation..."
He didn't even need to pretend to be miserable; he was already miserable enough.
The coworkers watched closely, showing expressions of shared dread and sympathy.
"Are you kidding me?" Without a moment's hesitation, Ivern coldly rejected him. "Levi, you actually have the nerve to ask me for an advance? You know exactly how many circuit boards you ruined last month and how much Mithril you wasted, don't you?"
"The fact that I didn't deduct your entire salary for the past two months to make you pay for the damages is already generous enough."
"Yet you still want an advance on next month's?"
"Why don't you just rob me instead!"
Levi was completely speechless.
The boss everyone thought was cold on the outside but warm inside from the original owner's memories now seemed to be nothing but cold.
But what could he do? Tomorrow, the landlord would bring the Enforcers to kick him out. If he couldn't produce the money, he would have to crawl back to Zaun.
"Mr. Ivern..." Levi wanted to try and fight for it one more time.
"Enough!" Boss Ivern impatiently cut him off. "Don't play the victim in front of me."
Saying that, he glared fiercely at the observing workers.
"What are you all staring at? It's still working hours!"
The workers hurriedly buried their heads in their work, not even daring to steal another glance.
Then, Ivern looked back at Levi. "Levi, if you don't want to work, then don't. Stop disrupting production here—"
"Half of your pay for today is docked. Go stand outside as punishment!"
With that said, without waiting for Levi to react.
The two factory security guards who had been following the boss perceptively stepped forward. They hoisted Levi up from his workstation like a helpless chick and dragged him all the way out of the workshop.
The workers all gasped in shock.
Even his best friend, Baku, shrank his head back and didn't dare to speak.
And so, just like that, Levi was roughly kicked out of the workshop and forced to stand outside as punishment.
His tattered work uniform was very thin. The night wind, carrying the moisture of the harbor, made him shiver uncontrollably.
'Sigh...'
'The original owner thought Ivern was a good boss with a tough exterior but a kind heart, believing that if he brought up his difficulties, the boss would definitely help. But looking at it now...'
'It seems Ivern is just one of those "philanthropic" bosses. Normally, he doesn't mind giving his employees small favors and calling them his brothers and family. But once something actually happens and the employee loses their value... they toss them aside like used toilet paper.'
'Those damn thugs actually came all the way to the factory to collect the debt.'
'Now Boss Ivern is clearly afraid of trouble and wants to just "graduate" me from the job. Why would he ever make a losing deal and give me an advance on next month's salary?'
Levi sighed inwardly.
But just as he was complaining internally, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed behind him—
Looking back, the person approaching was none other than Mr. Ivern!
After inspecting the workshop, he had come looking for him alone.
"Boss?" Levi was somewhat surprised. "What the f— *cough*, why did you come out here?"
Ivern didn't speak. He just walked over with a cold expression and handed him a small cloth bag.
When Levi took it, he realized the bag had some weight to it.
"This is?"
"Your salary for next month," Ivern replied.
"You're willing to give it to me?" Levi was puzzled. "Then why did you just..."
"There were too many people inside just now."
"I run a factory, not a charity. I can't just hand out money to anyone who comes crying to me."
"At the very least, I can't set that precedent in the factory... Otherwise, if everyone comes to me for money whenever they have family troubles like you did, I wouldn't be able to manage this place."
Saying that, Ivern shot him a displeased look.
Levi was stunned for a moment before gripping the coin purse tightly with a complex expression. "Thank you... Mr. Ivern."
"I swear, I won't tell anyone about this."
"Good." Mr. Ivern's expression softened slightly.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Is one month's salary really enough to solve your troubles?"
"It's enough for the emergency. I'll figure out a way for the rest," Levi said confidently. "Don't worry, I won't bother you again."
"Hah, what way could you possibly figure out!" Ivern lectured him, showing genuine concern. "Once you get involved with loan sharks, you're doomed. Why were you so stupid as to trust your fellow Zaunites?"
"I didn't trust them either. But I had no choice, my sister was sick at the time."
"You have a sister?"
"Yeah, she's eighteen now."
"Is she here too?" Ivern actually began to patiently make small talk with a lowly apprentice like him.
"Yes, I brought her here."
"An apprentice?"
"No, my sister is an international student. She's studying Hextech Mechanical Engineering at the University of Piltover."
"Your sister is at the University of Piltover?" Ivern paused slightly, then, as if recalling something, spoke to Levi with deep emotion. "Not bad. Your sister has a bright future."
"Zaunites just have to be willing to put in the effort to study. Only by studying better and harder than all the Piltovans do you have a chance to stay here. Piltover is ultimately a place where anyone can achieve their dreams... as long as you're willing to persevere."
"Huh?" Levi was slightly taken aback. He felt like he could faintly hear an underlying meaning.
"Keep up the good work," Ivern finally patted his shoulder. "Everything will get better."
With that said, the boss finally turned and left.
Ivern's figure gradually faded into the distance.
Suddenly, Janna poked her head out of Levi's pocket.
"He is also Zaunite," she sighed.
"You know him?"
"Yes, I saw him by chance over twenty years ago." Janna had always been active in the twin cities, and a goddess never forgot anything. "He was just an apprentice back then, just like you, supporting his girlfriend through university."
"To ensure their next generation could be born in Piltover, they worked desperately hard."
"But after not seeing him for over twenty years, he has changed somewhat."
"How has he changed?"
"The old Ivern was a good person."
"Isn't he still one now?" Levi felt that this boss was already pretty great. He was a good person.
"He is still a good person, yes." Janna merely lamented.
"But he is no longer pure..."
"He clearly sympathizes with the Zaunite apprentices, yet he is still only willing to pay you wages barely enough to survive on. Even when he kindly steps in to help a worker, he has to do it sneakily to avoid others. He is terrified that his good deeds will ruin the factory's 'rules,' and that his conscience will hinder him from continuing to make more money."
"It is as if the sole meaning of his life has been reduced to accumulating wealth. For that, even if every part of him resists it, he must force himself to become cold and ruthless."
"Wait..." Suddenly, as if realizing something, Janna asked, "Mr. Summoner, is this what you meant by..."
"The alienation of humanity?"
"Eh?" Levi paused for a moment, then let out a short laugh. "You learn really fast, Janna."