Erosa's economy was a wobbly one. It wasn't the worst among the three continents but it certainly wasn't the best. The local currency was called Nots, beige paper notes with the image of a mountain that had a jarring sun glare behind it, a silhouette of a man at the very top being barely visible. At least that was the main detail.
As stated before, all three continents adopted similar economic and political systems, but their effects were vastly different.
Erosa was currently experiencing inflation. Hyperinflation, as a matter of fact. Basic goods such as the equivalent of bread in this World were valued at 89Nots, clothing and other goods having atrocious prices if one used the 'proper' channels of purchase.
People in the Low value Districts were left to integrate and assemble what they called the Double Underground. An illegal society of fundi that orchestrated a more... manageable flow of the currency so as to lower prices. This group was also responsible for communing with the Law Sterns to ensure that they were not sold out.
The continent of Asha held the highest valued currency called Pess, which would usually never be seen in Low Value Districts. The exchange rate for Pess to Not was 1:45, which said something about the difference between the two continents.
The bright sunlight kissed the land again, Denva waking up with a splitting headache from being unable to sleep properly. He rose from the bed and breathed out deeply. As he stood, a piercing pain shot through his soul making him grimace at the combined bombardment between the wound from the spear and the headache.
He powered through and took a shower, putting on a set of new clothes as he opened the door to venture out of the room. As he walked out, he saw a small figure grinning while swaying back and forth before him and he hid away the turmoil in his mind.
"Good morning, brother!" said little Charlie with a cheery expression.
"Good morning Chubby Chubs," said Denva with a smile as he picked up his sister.
"You're supposed to say the last part!" Charlie pouted.
Denva pinched her wobbly cheeks before walking to the dining while debating with her about her ideal nickname. When Charlie saw that she was losing argument ground, she swiftly threatened to eat Denva's breakfast to which he punished her by... throwing her into the air a few times.
As they reached the dining, Denva was almost perturbed to see two plates of food with what looked like cornbread and two boiled eggs soaking in an aromatic stew that taunted his hungry stomach.
"Good morning, mom," voiced Denva as he sat down, seating Charlie by his side.
"Good morning, son. How was your night?" Synthina asked as she came out of the kitchen with a dishtowel in her hand, a smile plastered onto her face.
"It was alright," Denva said as he recognised the look on his mother face. It was the look of someone trying to hold in their depression from her children. He recalled doing the same when he had to hide the fact that he was dealing with powerful enemies from his children with a smile, while on the inside, a malevolent scowl would be hiding in the depths of his soul.
"Don't you think you're overworking yourself mother?" asked Denva as he began to eat.
Synthina gave a short laugh before sitting down.
"Why would you say that?" she asked.
"The cleaning, the cooking. You always seem to have it all done by the time everyone wakes up. It wouldn't hurt to take a break," said Denva trying to be subtle.
"Actually it would. I'm not like you or your father. I barely had a decent education growing up but I did get good tutoring on the basics. Being punctual, being mindful of my family and being here whenever you need me.
I may not be going out there to work in an office but I can be the one to cheer you all on. It would hurt if I lost the one thing I can do without breaking a sweat," said Synthina as she patted Denva's shoulder.
Denva smiled. Giving a comparison to his original mother and Synthina was like comparing the difference between the sunny sky and the dreary night.
"Well, I'm glad you're good at it. I could get used to waking up with life like this every day," said Denva knowing full well he would be kicking the hornet's nest. But that was the point.
Synthina's brow shot up and she held his shoulder with a smile that was not a smile.
"Don't get too comfortable. You can only expect your wife to keep such a commitment. Soon, we'll be kicking you out," she said.
"Yes, ma'am," said Denva nervously.
Clink, clink!
Denva turned to his side and saw Charlie racing with her spoon through the last of the food on her plate while beginning to ogle his.
"Hey, slow down!" said Denva with a concerned visage.
"I CAN'T!" exclaimed Charlie before she almost leapt into his plate.
***
"Ah, here we are," said Johnn while prompting Denva to take in the site with the work he would be doing for the next month. Denva wore a black shirt with a pair of grey shorts, on his feet a pair of what looked like dark strap sandals.
Since it was going to be a hard day with heavy lifting, Denva did not bother wearing anything that would be pleasing to the eye.
He had given a heads up to Synthina that he would be resuming his work with Johnn to earn a few extra bucks and to work on harnessing his World Essence for the Selection which got him an immediate thumbs up and a lunchbox.
The place he would be working starting from today was a site which was in close proximity to the damaged area within District 9. The place which had been ravaged by a World Titan.
Construction of facilities to be used by the public using that land was about to commence as there were many essential structures which had been destroyed; hospitals, residences, schools etc.
From the distance, Denva could see several large trucks carrying massive sacks of cement and tools to be used for the large scale project.
"This is it. We'll be offloading all these things and going back to grab a few more. That's all the work for today. For someone like you, that is. In the following days we'll be laying the foundation for the first buildings and working our way from there," said Johnn.
"I see," said Denva as he overlooked 23 trucks carrying more than 50 of the massive bags each. Each bag must have weighed at least half a ton. "How much are you paying for this?"
"Well, the Erosa National Authority (ENA) has been pretty generous. They can't blatantly refuse to help us rebuild our homes, so they gave us a bit of support. It feels funny saying that as if having our own people help is some kind of undeserved charity. 2Nots per hour."
"That's good money," Denva said.
"I know right. You just decide how long you want to work. However, you should beware. You're not the only one with World Essence," said Johnn.
"I'll keep that in mind," said Denva reading in between the lines. There would be no special treatment for him since other individuals with World Essence had been hired as well.
"Speaking of which, why can't I sense your World Essence? Are you a prodigy who can already hide its presence in the body at such a young age?" asked Johnn in an inquisitive tone.
He had noticed since yesterday this peculiarity but chose to hold himself back.
"Maybe. I'm going to become a Seeker after all," said Denva with a cheeky smile.
"Of course," said Johnn as he shook his head. "Get to work."
Denva walked over to one of the trucks and looked at the looming mound of bags, waiting for him to strain himself. Now, he didn't have World Essence and he had to wiggle through how to explain it to others every time.
While Integration enhanced the soul so as to effectively amplify the body, later on, those who hadn't begun the process of Integration could directly feel it in their bodies. It wouldn't do much in the way of enhancing their physicalities compared to Integration, but it did give them significant boosts.
While Denva did not have World Essence, he could still carry out this brutal task as his body had been enhanced already.
Denva could hear the arrival of a few other men who greeted Johnn before they began working as well. Some of them looked at Denva with surprise, pity or even disdain as they couldn't figure out why this kid would be willing to risk his body with such an arduous task.
Denva didn't pay them any mind. One of the men who had already been here climbed onto the truck and wore a friendly smile as he looked down at Denva.
"Hope you are stronger than you look, kid. These bags are pretty heavy," said the man as held the bag at the very top.
"Hit me," said Denva as he prepared to receive the bag.
The man shrugged and pushed the heavy bag over to the side of the truck where it rolled down and headed for Denva!
The young man bent his legs and received the heavy bag with a grunt, veins popping on his arms and neck as he steadied himself.
He took a deep breath and carried the bag slowly over to a distance away where the bags were supposed to be placed.
As he carried it on his back, walking as slowly as he could, he garnered the snickers of the other bulky men who hurled the bags with lesser effort while walking briskly to drop them off at the separate respective points so as to avoid having them pile up again.
Denva dropped off his first bag and breathed out.
His body was already screaming from the burden it had experienced, but Denva did not give it any heed.
"Hey, kid. It's not worth it to hurt yourself like this. Whatever you're trying to prove, it won't matter when you're crippled," said a man who appeared from behind Denva with a solemn look.
Denva gave him a polite smile before responding.
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine," he said.
The man gazed at him for a few seconds before grunting in displeasure and walking away.
Denva went up to the truck again to receive a second bag.
He wasn't doing this for the money or for simply bulking himself up. He knew a way for a body to adapt to Essence quicker than any. He would have loved to do something more drastic, but this way was a bit better in terms of convenience.
A full week of pressuring his body would do him wonders before he started on his path to Integration (cultivation) from scratch.