One should never wear his best clothes when he goes out to fight for freedom and truth.
In Cinder Row slum, Jammy was the only one with good clothes and yet, he joined Zane’s fight.
He was the first one to accept and naturally, all eyes drifted to him, including Zane.
"Sorry?" He said.
Jammy nodded. "I accept your idea. I am with you."
Zane frowned. "Weren’t you the one who was the most against ?"
Jammy shook his head. "I wasn’t against you. I was just checking your ttle. Thinking about change is one thing but making others hope for it is another. I wanted to see if you can handle it."
"Don’t you work for the Aristocrats?"
Jammy scoffed. "I work for them, yes. But do you think they hug the mont they see ? The bastard doesn’t even take money from my hand. He makes keep it on the table and then picks it up. I might have a decent job, young man. But it doesn’t change the fact that I am a Gutterborn as well."
"How should I believe you? What if you rat out to your employers?"
Jammy nodded. "I like it. You are a smart one. But I’ll quote you here. Even if I rat you out, they will kill you. But you were dead the mont you were born as a Gutterborn. Your words"
Zane squinted his eyes and Jammy took a puff of his cigar before raising his hands.
"I will help you in various ways. Don’t worry. You can trust . But for my full loyalty, you have to answer one question."
More questions?
Zane’s mouth was dry from speaking but he nodded anyway.
Jammy wasted no ti and asked his question.
"Tell about that scar on your chest?"
Zane frowned.
He wasn’t expecting such a question, nevertheless, there was no harm in answering.
He looked at his crimson red plus shaped scar and suddenly realized that there was harm in answering.
He couldn’t tell his scar changed shape because he got a system. The system had warned him about revealing its existence as soon as it had appeared.
He thought for a while, not wanting to take a lot of ti, and constructed sothing to tell.
"I have had this scar since birth. I don’t even know or rember how I got it."
Jammy nodded and stared at it.
"Was it always like this?"
Why is he asking that? Does he know it changed shape?
Jammy shouldn’t have asked such a thing unless he had sothing in his mind.
Had he seen this scar previously and recalled it used to be a X?
Zane again waited a while before answering as he tried to figure out if Jammy knew about the original shape of the scar or not. He tried to think and no matter how much he thought, he was sure it was his first ti interacting with Jammy face to face.
So he chose the direct approach.
"Why are you asking that? Do you think it changed shape or sothing?" Zane asked, laughing a little as to convey normality.
But Jammy didn’t change.
His eyes remained on the scar with seriousness.
"Just answer the question. Was it always like this? Many things depend on your answer. And don’t lie. I will know."
Zane gulped.
He didn’t get the assurance that Jammy knew about the original shape of the scar but he surely understood that Jammy was interested in it.
Fine. I won’t lie.
Zane made up his mind.
"No. It used to be an X. But now it has changed shape and I don’t know how. Probably because I grew up."
Zane went silent after that.
Grew up? The only thing that grew was my height.
Zane was as malnourished as others in the slums.
He only hoped Jammy buys his answer as he watched him closely.
And the next second, he heaved a sigh as Jammy’s gaze softened but then, a rare sight was seen.
The man smiled.
Zane raised his brows as the man looked genuinely happy.
The surrounding n were also taken aback by the smile as they had always found the Janitor in an irritated mood.
But before they could take in more of the rare sight, the smile vanished and Jammy returned to his cigar.
Zane watched him with question marks like others and under their gazes, Jammy announced in his usual calm voice:
"You have my support. Do what you want."
Zane broke into a smile and just as Jammy answered, sothing else popped up.
[ Does the Host want to make Jammy the Janitor his subordinate? ]
So it triggers the mont it senses soone wanting to join .
Zane thought for a while about accepting Jammy.
The man is weird and a chain smoker but he has connections or at least, he knows the Aristocrats that might be of use to soday. But why did he ask about the scar anyway?
Zane wasn’t able to find any suitable reason for asking about the scar but then recalling Jammy’s smile, he made up his mind.
Yes. I accept.
"We accept too!"
Zane’s brows shot up.
A collection of voices had spoken at the sa ti and it didn’t need any genius to understand what happened.
The people accepted Zane as well.
For a mont Zane thought they heard him talking in his mind.
Nevertheless, Jammy’s acceptance opened the door and if such a man accepted it, they saw nothing wrong and were ready to follow Zane.
They cheered for the sa man whom they were laughing at.
Fork, Mickey and Herring’s mother were among them and it had been a while since he saw smiling faces in the slum.
All because of him.
[ Does the Host accept these 10,984 people as his subordinates? ]
Zane wasted no ti and answered the obvious.
I accept.
The system went silent, preparing for the next windows while he soaked himself with the vigor of the crowd.
So people were standing out of their huts, and most were standing among the crowd, but all of them had smiles and most of all, hope.
I have to work harder now. But before that...
Zane looked at one eyed Mickey, and other children with hollow cheeks and sunken stomach, and then at injured and weak won, and won who were holding their newborn in their arms while cheering.
He bit his lips, put the idol back on the ground, and raised his hand again.
The cheers stopped.
He dropped back his hand and locked eyes with them once more.
"Now that you accepted . I want you all to follow a new reform right from this mont. I have said that I will send you money. Enough money to live, drink and... not harm children."
The people listened with utmost attention.
"No harm should befall upon the children from the people living here. I don’t want any justification by ntioning your past. This cycle of pain should break. And it will break now.
If I find any harm happening to the children by a resident of a slum or a Gutterborn residing here, I will stop the flow of money to that person and banish him out of this stair to freedom. Is that clear?"
Zane made sure to speak as slowly as possible but the people weren’t slow.
"Yes!" They answered right away.
Zane nodded. "Now the second thing."
They paid attention.
"The won should be treated with care. Prostitute or not. Selling the body doesn’t make it numb to pain. Act like a custor and if you want to do sothing extra, ask her permission or pay her more. But no one should force himself upon them.
And no one should touch them inappropriately when they aren’t working. If they are out of their house, then she is just a woman. If you can’t do brickhauling all day, then don’t expect her to do her job all day as well. If this rule is broken, the punishnt is the sa."
Zane walked towards the children and sat on one knee in front of Mickey.
"It is crucial for people like us to keep sympathy for each other. Those shiny hyenas want us to be divided. They want us to fight with each other so that we don’t fight for each other. But we need to keep our humanity alive. How can we expect others to treat us as Humans..."
Zane placed his hand on Mickey’s shoulder and almost betrayed a tear when the kid smiled.
"When we don’t do it ourselves."
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