Chapter 34: A Ray of Light
Osena looked around, taking in the sight of a large construction site.
The Governor’s territory, the so-called “Land of Redemption” proclaimed by the benevolent, seemed quite different from what she had imagined.
After the end of last winter, her homeland, known as the “Southern Provinces” by the people of Revival City, experienced a large-scale mutant monster wave.
It was a tremendous disaster, and many settlements were completely destroyed.
Barely surviving the mutant monster wave did not mean the end of the catastrophe.
There was no time to plant crops in the spring, and after enduring a winter and fighting against the mutant creatures, people lost a significant amount of food stocks.
Hunger and material shortages plagued the Southern Provinces.
What do people do when they can’t survive?
They turn into demons.
Osena and her brother originally lived well.
The Southern Provinces’ land was relatively fertile and less affected by the Waste Energy Storm, so many settlements here could survive through agriculture.
In fact, the Southern Provinces were a crucial grain-producing area, supplying food to tens of thousands in both the inner and outer city of Revival City.
Osena’s father was a plantation owner.
Before everything collapsed, their plantation housed over ten thousand people.
During bountiful times, they could feed everyone and still have a surplus to sell for industrial goods.
It is conceivable that Osena’s living standards were like those of a little princess, far exceeding that of the vast majority of people in this wasteland.
But all this collapsed at the turn of spring and summer.
Numerous external raiders besieged the plantation, followed by internal riots.
Under the protection of guards, her family attempted to break out and escape the plantation at the last moment, along with many non-rioting residents.
In the chaos, she was separated from her father.
Using a false identity, smearing her face with ash, and cutting her hair…
She and her brother followed the refugee crowd and eventually ended up in Revival City.
In between, she suffered countless hardships.
For a bite of food, she was willing to do anything, even the smallest job that could get her a little food was enough. She even begged, fought with people, stole, and deceived…
Before everything fell apart, she was taught to be a proper lady. She never imagined she would end up like this.
But she persevered.
For the past few months, she was starved to the point of fainting, and her barely ten-year-old brother was malnourished.
But at least, they were still alive.
However, she often found herself in a state of confusion.
If she had never experienced the good life, perhaps she could have continued to wallow in the darkness. But just a few months ago, she was a little princess, the apple of her father’s eye, worried about the appraisal and restoration of pre-war art pieces purchased at high prices, helping her father manage the plantation, and balancing the books.
Now, she was troubled by what to eat the next day.
More crucially, this kind of life seemed endless, with no hope, no light in sight.
She felt like she was about to give up.
She had thought more than once that in such a terrible world, perhaps dying would be easier?
But every time she saw her brother’s eyes, she would push that thought aside and grit her teeth to endure.
Interestingly, she had not been particularly close to her brother, who was seven years younger, often finding the mischievous little brat annoying.
Yet, in these past few months, she would rather die than leave her brother.
Once, when her brother was kidnapped, she bit the kidnapper like a madwoman, getting beaten until she was covered in blood but refusing to let go.
She didn’t know why; she only knew that anyone who dared harm her only remaining family would have to face her wrath.
But she still sadly understood that they were on the brink of not surviving.
The chaos in the Southern Provinces had far-reaching effects.
The scarcity of grain imports caused food prices in Revival City to soar continuously.
With her odd jobs, it was becoming increasingly difficult to feed herself and her brother.
Recently, an even worse piece of news arrived: it was said that the largest grain merchant in Revival City had disappeared. Consequently, food prices in the city became even more volatile.
At this time, a merchant opened a free porridge shop in the slums outside Revival City.
Anyone could get a serving of hot porridge, provided they listened to the full declaration made by Planetary Ruler Gu Hang on his first day in the wasteland.
She fought with someone to secure a spot for herself and her brother.
The so-called Governor’s declaration was quite lengthy, and at the time, she only wanted to hear as little as possible so they could quickly eat. She couldn’t remember much of the Governor’s declaration.
But one sentence she remembered very clearly: The Governor will ensure that everyone who submits to him will have a good life.
The next day, the porridge shop was still open, and she returned.
This time, however, she was told that those who had eaten once were not allowed another serving unless they were willing to follow the merchant’s caravan to the Governor’s camp and become the Governor’s subjects.
She didn’t hesitate much and pressed her handprint on the paper.
A few days later, when the caravan set off, she and her brother came along.
Following the caravan to the Governor’s camp was partly due to the necessity of survival, but it also carried a desire to change her situation, to seek some light and hope.
She thought she would see a fairly developed city, but instead, she saw vast expanses of dust.
There were quite a few simple cement buildings already erected, but many more were still under construction.
However, seeing the massive construction within the camp, it seemed there would be no shortage of job opportunities.
But could her small frame handle construction work?
With her mind in a whirlwind and uncertain about the future, Osena held her brother’s hand and followed the arrangements to the registration area.
When it was her turn, the registrar asked some basic information.
Name, age, skills, what she wanted to do…
She answered truthfully.
“Eh?” The registrar suddenly exclaimed, “You can read and write?”
“Uh… yes.”
“That’s fantastic!”
The registrar was overjoyed, “Go to that table over there and fill out another form. Congratulations, you’ll get a good position.”
Osena, still confused, went over.
There were hardly any people at that table.
After filling out a form, she was assigned two jobs: during the day, she would work as a clerk at the soon-to-be-established textile factory, arranging and executing production plans, compiling production results, and managing the production process…
The second job was to teach at the night school literacy classes.
The job assignments reassured her.
This was something she was truly skilled at; she used to assist her father with management tasks back at the plantation.
Although that was agricultural management and this was clerical work in a textile factory, it was still better suited to her than manual labor.
Especially after hearing about the benefits, she was even more motivated.
According to the work points system, the material rations she could earn daily would be more than enough to support herself and her brother, and she could even save a substantial amount.
Although everything was incomparable to her days as a little princess, it was the only ray of light she had seen during these months of hardship.