"Refugees?" The guard standing at the entrance to the closest city frowned as he stared at the two bald heads before him and inspected their Refugee IDs, "Your purpose of visit?"
"For work, sir," Inala said and caught the IDs thrown back at him by the guard.
"Your details have been recorded." The guard said and motioned for the duo of Inala and Wittral to enter the city, "As refugees, you're not permitted to stay in the city during the night. Leave before sunset unless you wish to be blacklisted."
Once blacklisted, it'll be impossible to enter that city ever again. Inala didn't have any intention to mess up as he thanked profusely and hurriedly dragged Wittral through the city gates.
"I'm pissed!" Wittral growled in anger once they were inside, "Weak fucks like that dare talk shit! Darn, their fragile bodies and their lack of taste in beauty."
"Don't try to kill them, even by mistake." Inala spoke with a stern voice, "We have a bit more than twenty Prana. I know you're strong enough to kill Free Humans at the Body Stage with that small amount, but we won't be able to escape afterwards."
"Twenty Prana isn't sufficient for you to use Subtle Terrain Domination for long."
"I know…" Wittral groaned as he massaged his aching forehead.
At present, after obtaining the Secondary Nature of Royalty, Wittral became able to freely switch between human and Pranic Beast forms. It was no different from changing genders. He only needed to expend Prana to transform and didn't require any Prana to maintain the transformation following that.
Inala's original form was his male form. When he transforms into a female, he needs to expend Prana for the transformation. Following that, Royalty ensured his female form became his original form. Therefore, it didn't require any Prana for the female form to be maintained.
But as Inala was a Mammoth Clansman, when he transformed into a Zinger, he needed to expend Prana every second to maintain the transformation.
Wittral's case was different. He was a Pranic Beast born as a human. Since both his forms were his natural state of being, Royalty recognised them under its effect. And under the Boar King's influence, Wittral became somewhat similar to the Boar King in this regard.
Now, whether it be to change genders or change forms between human and Pranic Beast, Wittral only needed to expend Prana for the transformation. His transformed form would automatically become his base state.
This meant that he could become an Empyrean Snapper and revert back to human form without issues. No matter how strong a Free Human was at the Body Stage, Wittral could transform into an Empyrean Snapper and swat them to their deaths.
"I know what you're thinking, but control yourself." Inala warned, "Don't be impulsive. You're no longer at the Cooter Clan where you don't have to face the consequences of your actions."
"I know, I know. I'm just expressing my irritation." Wittral grumbled, "If only I had a picture of you, I could keep myself calm."
"Fine, I'll draw one for you later." Inala sighed.
"I want one for your bald self," Wittral revealed a smug grin.
"Go, die!" Inala cursed in response.
Labour Association!
An hour later, Inala and Wittral entered a five-storey building meant for daily wage labourers to find work in a variety of odd jobs. As refugees, it was impossible for Inala to start a business. Hence, he needed to grind his way up into citizenship first.
In the large hall occupying an area of 3000 square metres stood a bulletin board littered with bamboo plaques, with each containing a work for the day.
Though afar, with the words small, the moment he entered the hall, Inala was able to easily read through the details.
[Street Sweeping: Erutal Street, 80 Nariga]
[Garden Maintenance: Flook Mansion, 140 Nariga]
[Pet Care: Flook Mansion, 160 Nariga]
There were plenty of missions. The Labour Association staff were just placing the bamboo plaques. Usually, the interested individual would grab their desired bamboo plaque and get it notarised on the counter.
Once notarised, the job was theirs for the day, which meant that irrespective of who did the work, as long as the work was done properly, they were entitled to the dictated pay. This was how the Labour Association introduced the refugees into the Brimgan Empire's society.
Eventually, as the refugees continue to work, they'll eventually contribute enough to become citizens. But that didn't mean the Labour Association was meant for refugees. It simply took care of the refugees.
Plenty of citizens were daily wage labourers to meet their needs.
Wealth was unevenly distributed in the Brimgan Empire. All people with power lived on the Southern Veins in large mansions, controlling the resource-producing regions.
The powerless lived on Geyser Cups floating on the Northern Lakes. Each Geyser Cup was owned by a powerful cultivator who was a relative to a family situated on the Southern Veins.
Even though resources in the Northern Lakes were plenty, the risks were higher too, as the water levels, tides, water composition, etc. of the lakes changed continuously. Moreover, as the Geyser Cups were constantly displaced along the changing Northern Lakes, it was impossible for most of the commoners living there to live stable lives.
As a result, they took on a variety of jobs depending on where their Geyser Cup moved. If it was closer to a Southern Vein, the commoners took up labour, because it was a profitable venture for the time and effort required.
Consider the street-sweeping mission. The street needing to be swept spanned an area of ten thousand square metres, which was a bit more than an hour's work. Using Spirit Weapons, a perfect job could be completed.
Or even otherwise, it could also be performed manually if the labour wished to conserve their Prana. The compensation was 80 Nariga, which was enough to buy a simple meal and save a bit.
Due to their abundance of resources, things were cheap in the Brimgan Empire. Their currency, Briga was specially manufactured by the Brimgan Empire to be unique, updated once a century to avoid hoarding.
The currency currently in effect was called the Briga, with one Briga equalling eight Parute Fruits. Nariga was a smaller unit of currency, with a hundred of them equalling a Briga.
In a day, a cultivator could easily complete four to five jobs, earning a sufficient amount for their daily needs. Of course, doing only that much would take forever for Inala to become a citizen.
"It's better to become a citizen as quickly as possible, right?" Wittral whispered upon watching a crowd of people swarm in and fight for the well-paying jobs, making the place noisy.
"Yes, and it's for the best to take jobs with the highest amount of interaction with people of power as possible." Inala nodded and used his Tertiary Nature of Tangible Psychokinesis to grab two bamboo plaques from the top.
He gave one to Wittral, "So, we'll start with this, since not many people select such jobs."
"You sure about this?" Wittral frowned, "There's a reason people avoid such jobs. It must be a hassle."
"Indeed," Inala nodded, "And the owners will constantly complain at the slightest issue. So, it's a waste of time for others. But we're different from them."
He patted Wittral on the back, "With you around, this will be a cinch."
"I see," Wittral nodded and stared at his bamboo plaque, "Pet care, huh?"
"I'm surprised the cultivators here rear Pranic Beasts as pets."