I’m a Rookie, but I’m an Experienced Professional - Chapter 48
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 48
“Phew, I’m done.”
With help from Teo and others I had assisted before, I successfully completed the survey from Districts 6 to 10, and even the outer districts.
For Districts 1 to 5, I investigated them myself on foot.
All that remained was organizing everything into a report format to submit to the Lord.
This wasn’t difficult since I’d done it so many times I could do it in my sleep, but the problem was the volume. Even calling it “this week,” with the weekend excluded, only tomorrow remained.
In other words, it meant I had to work overtime today.
It also meant I wouldn’t be able to go home since the stagecoaches would stop running.
‘Whatever, working overtime for just one day isn’t a big deal.’
Compared to the autumn rainy season, this was nothing.
Thinking about surprising Callix Crowbell tomorrow actually made me hum a tune.
“Eileen, did you hear that story?”
While I was diligently writing my report, Alan Kranter asked with an excited expression.
“What story?”
“Starting from the next night shift, they’re going to use magic lighting.”
Magic lighting was a magical tool that used Arcana as a light bulb, incomparably brighter than candlelight.
With maintenance costs so low that a single piece of Arcana the size of a pinky nail could last a year, it was quite common among magical tools.
All the lighting used in offices and The Lord’s Castle was magic lighting too.
But that was only true for the middle and upper classes – most commoners still used candles.
Naturally, we had used candles during the previous drainage construction as well.
But suddenly they’re using magic lighting?
“Drainage is important for preventing summer floods, right? So The Lord allocated a special budget for it.”
Ha, he treats me so carelessly while taking proper care of his territory.
“Ah, those must be the magic lights for the night construction.”
Just then, as employees came carrying boxes, Alan Kranter scurried over to them.
“You’re bringing the magic lights, right?”
“Yeah. The Management Department asked us to find out how many are needed for night work, so we brought them to check.”
“Then we’ll need Eileen’s help. Eileen, come over here!”
Sigh, are they calling me for even trivial things like this?
I understood they were worried since they’d never done drainage construction before, but it was still a bit annoying.
Especially when I had so much work to do like now.
“Eileen.”
“Yes, yes. I’m coming, I’m going.”
I swallowed a sigh and stood up.
“Look at this.”
Alan Kranter took out a magic light from a luxurious wooden box and showed it to me. The magic light made of crude iron looked like a lamp mainly used for camping.
“It looks different from the ones we use.”
The magic lighting used in the office was made of glass and shaped like a round orb.
“If you use glass lighting outside, it might break, so they made it with iron.”
The employee who brought the magic lights answered.
Oh, whoever thought of this was quite clever. Impressive.
“They said if you put Arcana in here, it lights up.”
“Let’s try it once.”
Alan Kranter took out Arcana from the magic lighting used in the office and put it into this device.
Then a blindingly bright light burst forth.
“With this much light, there’d be no problem working late into the night.”
Light was exactly the biggest problem when doing construction in the evening.
“Late into the night? How late are you planning to work?”
“Well, around 10 o’clock should be fine, don’t you think?”
“I’m against it. Working until 10 o’clock would interfere with the next day’s work.”
Alan Kranter shook his head in disgust. The other employee nodded in agreement.
“That’s because you come to work the next morning, but people doing night construction come to work in the afternoon.”
“Still, 10 PM is too late.”
“Right. People doing physical labor need to rest properly.”
They do all-nighters like it’s nothing, but oppose the workers doing the same.
It was a bit unexpected, so instead of answering, I just shrugged my shoulders.
“The light is bright, but since the construction area is wide, we’ll need a few more lights, right?”
I nodded at Alan Kranter’s question.
“Yes. It depends on which area we’re working on, but we’ll need at least 3. For outer area construction, we’ll need 5 or more.”
“Good. I’ll tell the Management Office right away.”
After the employee left, Alan Kranter carefully removed the Arcana from the magic light.
“You know, every time I see this Arcana, I think it’s really beautiful, don’t you?”
Then he made sentimental remarks that didn’t match his appearance.
“Every time I see this, it reminds me of the ocean.”
“What? The ocean?”
Arcana was so red it reminded me of rubies.
But it reminds him of the ocean? I was bewildered.
“When I look at Arcana, it reminds me of a forest with deep green foliage.”
An employee passing by added to the conversation, making the confusion even greater.
“Hey, that’s because Stern can handle mana, so it looks that way to you.”
Alan Kranter scolded him as if he was showing off, then held the Arcana toward me.
“What color does this look like to you, Miss Eileen?”
Red.
I swallowed the words that rose to my throat. I had a feeling I shouldn’t answer that way.
“By any chance… does Arcana look different colors to different people?”
I felt I needed to clarify this, so I asked.
“That’s right.”
Alan Kranter innocently told me everything he knew.
“To people with mana, it looks green, and to ordinary people like me, it looks blue. Oh, and to priests with divine power, it looks white.”
“Are there any other colors besides those?”
“No. Not that I know of.”
As I thought, I shouldn’t say it looks red.
“But why do you ask?”
“Oh, I just learned for the first time that Arcana looks different colors to different people.”
“Really? Well, since Miss Eileen never attended the Academy, you might not know.”
Alan Kranter said they teach this in the first year at the Academy, giving me unnecessary information.
“Alan Kranter. You need to head to the site soon, so stop playing around and get ready.”
“Ah, yes! I’ll get ready right away!”
Alan Kranter put the Arcana back in its place and returned the magic light to the box.
“See you later, Miss Eileen.”
After Alan Kranter left, I returned to my seat but couldn’t concentrate.
The fact that Arcana only looked red to my eyes kept bothering me.
* * *
My unsettled feelings about Arcana were only temporary.
Thinking that I might lose to Callix Crowbell if I continued like this, my non-existent concentration miraculously surged up.
“Here is the report you requested.”
Thanks to that, I completed the report on time and placed it on the Lord’s desk.
“Good work.”
Callix Crowbell answered indifferently without even glancing at the report I had made.
‘So he really did assign this to mess with me.’
Irritation welled up, but I suppressed it firmly.
If I lashed out at him now, I’d only face greater trouble.
“Then I’ll take my leave now.”
“Just leaving like that?”
I bowed and was about to turn around when Callix Crowbell asked.
“Don’t you have more to say to me?”
More to say? What?
As I looked at him in bewilderment, his eyebrow rose at an angle.
“You must have received the new magical lighting?”
…Does he perhaps want me to thank him?
“Yes, I received it. Thanks to your consideration, I believe we’ll be able to proceed with night construction smoothly. Thank you very much, my lord.”
As if that was indeed what he wanted, Callix Crowbell nodded with a satisfied smile.
‘What a strange person.’
I’m doing work that benefits his territory, so why does he want to receive thanks from me?
“And what else?”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t you have more to say?”
More to say at this point?
I thought carefully, but nothing came to mind. So I just blinked and stared at him, and the smile disappeared from his face.
“This.”
Callix Crowbell picked up a stack of documents and held it out toward me.
“Process this by Monday of next week.”
Today was Friday, so processing it by next Monday meant working on the weekend too.
I could work weekends if it was urgent, but the work he gave me wasn’t urgent at all.
It wasn’t even work that a City Planning Department employee should do.
‘He’s being spiteful again.’
What had touched his nerves this time?
No matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind, leaving me bewildered.
“Can’t you handle it?”
As I stared blankly at the documents, Callix Crowbell asked with a smirk. His gaze seemed to say ‘you can’t even do this much,’ scratching at my pride.
“No.”
I gripped the documents tightly and answered clearly.
“I’ll have it processed by Monday.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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