The next day was a bit weird. It was sunday which meant the inn stayed closed, and only served the people who resided there.
As a barmaid Veronica had very little work to do, so she spent most of the day learning the ancient rener language. At midday she went upstairs to serve the few customers, and in that time she overheard some interesting conversation about the city.
"...They cut the wages again..." Said a well dressed man to his wife, or mistress. The woman drank a bit of wine before looking at the handsome man with an alluring smile.
"So what? It's not like it will affect us, we are way more wealthy then those workers back in the Dirt District." She spoke in a tone that suggested an educated upbringing, but not on the level of nobles.
'Mid middle-class who married to a high middle-class factory district manager or something like that... *sigh* What a horrible human being, not even a hint of remorse for those poor souls...'
Veronica really wanted say a few words to the lady, but she didn't want to get scolded by Suze. So instead she just brought out their food and sat at the bar still in hearing range of the conversation.
In front of her James was pretending to clean the counter. When she sat down he looked up, but seeing where her attention was he just chuckled and went back to cleaning.
"No you don't understand, the workers are protesting! If you go near the Courthouse you will understand... Things are changing, and it seems like the factory workers are finally realizing that we don't pay them nearly enough of what we make."
'Disgusting... What a disgraceful human, being all sad because people don't want to be slaves of the system!...'
On Veronica's face a deep scowl appeared. On the counter she heard glasses clanking and drinks being poured. She turned around curiously, and soon found a drink in her hand.
James smiled down at her, then raised his own glass and whispered so the pair wouldn't hear him.
"To the less fortunate! May they live a better life!" Veronica smiled back at him appreciatively and they both drank their whiskey.
After that they stayed silent for a minute or two, but then she got curious.
"So... What's going on in the Dirt District?" With a large sigh James poured another drink for both, then took a small sip.
"In the factories there were mass layoffs and wage cuts. It is horrible what those people are doing to the workers, but the worst is that they either take the bad wages, long workhours and toxic environment, or let their families starve..."
Veronica's hand around the glass gradually turned white from the anger. James quickly took the drink from her, before the glass broke. After another minute or two she finally calmed down enough to speak again.
"I just don't understand... Even from the perspective of the owner, making the working conditions so bad may get them more money in the near future, but that won't last..."
On James's face a very interested smile grew, he waited for her to take sip and continue.
"What will happen when the workforce dies, or gets sick physically and mentally! What will happen to their precious factories and machines when the working class had enough. They will break those machines and burn those factories..."
The smile on James's face increased in size, and he motioned Veronica to come into the kitchen. Since she had nothing else to do and her mood was too angry to study, she followed.
The kitchen was empty which meant that Suze was taking a break somewhere. They both went to the dining table and sat down. As usual James poured more drinks.
"You are more right than you know... *sigh* This is exactly what happened in the Dracon Empire. As you know they were the ones to make the factory machines we currently use, but their workers weren't too happy about it either..."
Veronica tilted her head a bit, as a history student she knew a lot about her own world's industrial revolution. That's where she got the idea of workers breaking machines, but she never realized that the Free Cities weren't like 19th century England... This wasn't the origin of those machines.
"So what did the Emperor do?" Her question was serious, but James just laughed at it.
"Since when did the Emperor care about anything related to his own country... He didn't do anything, instead the ruling council decided to use the vast wealth of their empire and give the workers livable wages. They made this decision quickly and efficiently before things could've escalated..."
James wanted to continue, but Veronica finished the sentence for him. "...Unlike us..."
*Sigh* "Yes... It is good to live in a democracy, it means you have more power over the government... But it's also a curse since everything needs to be approved by many different parts of said government... It's just simply inefficient."
They both stayed silent again each struggling with their own thoughts. Neither have even noticed when Suze and Sofie walked in. They stood in the kitchen doorway and looked at each other with raised eyebrows, then they decided to announce their presence.
"Hey, what are you talking about?..."
As Suze spoke Veronica yelped and jumped to her feet, which cause everyone to laugh. Embarrassed she slumped back down into her seat and with a pout drank the rest of her whiskey.
The rest of the day went by quickly. They mostly just sat around and talked, the atmosphere was joyful, and Veronica took great pride when she managed to make Sofie laugh... Bringing any emotion out of that girl was a great challenge.
When the bell chimed 10 pm Suze and Veronica got ready for the ascended gathering. Each wore a different kind of fancy dress, which confused Veronica a bit. She never wore such nice dress, so why did she had to now?
"...Because we have to hide our identity. But I will explain it on the way... Oh, we will also use a private carriage for the journey... It is more safer that way." An even more bewildered Veronica nodded, then they went outside and got onto said carriage.
Unlike what she expected they didn't go towards the Dirt District, but the opposite way.
"Where is this place anyway?" She asked, but Suze didn't answer for a while longer. She was rummaging through a backpack and took out two expressionless masks for them to wear.
"You don't have to put them on yet. But in this event everyone was going to wear one. It is one of the unsaid house rules, makes hiding your identity easier, and everyone has to hide it. As you will soon witness a lot of money changes hands in a place like this, which means people will try to steal and even murder others for rare items."
In response Veronica nodded with understanding, then tried on the mask. It wasn't anything special, pure black which hid all of her facial features except the eyes. Since she said nothing Suze continued.
"They do have other measurements against members hunting each other. They have protection against divination and everyone goes away at different times."
They stayed silent for a while longer watching the streets pass them by. At night lamppost lit the road and gave carriage drivers the ability to see. In the past it caused a big issue, lot of accidents and way higher crime rate.
"So what will this gathering be like?" Suze shook her head a bit, she was deep in thought it seemed.
"Well, it is an ascended gathering. There will be a list of items, which is updated each session. All the items will have a price and everyone can bid on them, anonymously of course. The highest bidder wins, basic auction format."
The carriage rolled on, getting closer to their destination, wherever that may be. The houses outside started to get bigger as they approached the Court District. This raised a few red flags within Veronica, but before they got to the main square the carriage turned down on one of the side streets.
The journey went on until they reached the edge of the Market District. The houses were still the size of mansions, but much smaller than near the Court Square.
When they stepped out of the vehicle the masks were already in place. Suze said they will walk another street before reaching the actual house, but someone could see them on the way.
The carriage was paid to wait for them here. She didn't even want to think about how much did this trip cost.
'Are the Miles family really this wealthy? They are certainly good at pretending to be middle-class... And when am I getting paid?'
She used these useless thoughts to calm her nervous mind down. It would've been a lie to say that she wasn't excited... and worried.
'Judging by how Suze introduced this place, it was quite dangerous. Especially if we take an item that someone else really wants!'
The two of them walked down the street, and they soon reached a well lit house. The coloring was pure white which gave it a bit of holiness in Veronica's eyes. The house wasn't too big, but it was still at least three times the size of the Miles Inn... If you exclude the basement of course.
In the main door stood a tall, masked man and as they walked near him he held out his hand. Suze reached into her bag and took out a paper. The man looked at it once, then nodded and opened the double door for them to walk in.