"HUAAMPPP..." Sylphy woke up from her sleep, noticing that it was already 11 a.m.
"WHAT!? 11 O'CLOCK!? KAI? GABRIEL!?" she looked around and see only two messy, empty beds.
"Ugh... Don't separate again! Kai! You're such a hassle!" Sylphy quickly dashed out of the room and ran out of the bar.
.
.
Meanwhile, Kaizoku, wandering aimlessly, saw many stopped trains. "Ugh... Where am I? So hungry too..."
Kaizoku's words were overheard by an old man with a long orange beard.
The old man called out to him in a loud voice. "Hey you! Help us if you're hungry."
Startled, Kaizoku turned to the side, facing the old man who was working on building new train tracks. "Umm..."
The old man, annoyed by Kaizoku's hesitation, barked. "No 'um, um.' Change your clothes in the back shed! Right now!"
"O-Okay!" Kaizoku immediately ran toward the back shed near the finished railway.
"Such a pain." he muttered to himself.
The room was empty, making it easy for Kaizoku to change.
Kaizoku quickly took off his vest, his long-sleeved shirt, and even his tall boots. He put on a short-sleeved white shirt, rolled up his sleeves, and put on sturdy boots, tightening his belt to make sure his pants wouldn't fall.
Looking in the nearby mirror, Kaizoku noticed something odd. "Huh? Since when did the front of my right hair turn white? Oh well, it actually looks cool, black and white."
After ensuring everything was in place, Kaizoku sprinted back to the old man.
"Huff... Alright, what should I do?"
The old man handed him a hammer. "Take this, pound that big nail into the railroad track."
"Alright..." Kaizoku grabbed the hammer and began pounding the large nail into the train track.
As the old man hammered beside him, he asked Kaizoku. "What's your name, kid? I've never seen you around here. Are you visitor in this village?"
Kaizoku smiled and looked at the old man while continuing to work. "My name is Kaizoku... I'm not from here. I'm just following my friends."
"Oh? We rarely get visitors in this village, a place full of workers just trying to survive."
"We can't live without working, kid. We have to keep making things to sell or use."
Hearing this, Kaizoku remained silent, unsure of how to respond.
"Especially with Lord Thomas always imposing such high taxes. It's tough for those of us who earn below average, usually, blacksmiths earn a bit more."
Curious about the name, Kaizoku asked. "Who is he? Lord Thomas?"
The old man responded with a serious face, lowering his voice. "Lord Thomas is the mayor, or maybe the village chief? I don't really know, but what's important is that he's the leader of this village, controlling everything here."
The old man took a deep breath and exhaled. "He's ruthless. Anyone who dares to oppose or disagree with him is tortured by Lord Thomas and sent to a forced labor camp."
"I've heard those camps are hell for the people there—no food, no water, no pay, but they're still forced to work. Whether it's true or not, it's just a rumor since no one dares to challenge or disagree with him."