The Rich and the Poor

“Attention.”

A mechanical voice blasted out of the black communication sphere lying beside his bed.

“The Abyss Cube will be reaching Kandar in approximately fifty minutes. We’ll be docking in Black Monocles’s headquarters.”

Voidborn was roused from his slumber, listening to the announcement repeat a second time.

Sitting up, he crossed his legs into a lotus position and closed his eyes to focus his mind. He began meditating, allowing his mind to calm down and regain clarity.

Many things weighed on his mind.

Only five days have passed, yet those same five days seemed to have changed the trajectory of his life.

Diviners. Yuri. Threads. The Wheel.

A mysterious Reborn type, an even more mysterious organisation. He learnt many things, but he had many more things to learn.

What exactly were they after?
What are Rebirth stones?
Why were they called seeds?
What is the pendant?
How was it able to stop Yuri’s influence on emotions?

He needed answers, but a part of him hoped that he would never need to find out those answers.

Karina Yoo Jimin.

A woman who was the daughter of his employer.
A woman who deserved the best.
A woman so beautiful that she should have countless attractive and wealthy men and women far better suited to be her lifelong partner.

Yet she expressed her affection for him.

Voidborn was perplexed.

He knew he should push her away.
He knew he should draw boundaries.
He knew he should be professional.

But yet he didn't.

He didn’t know what he was feeling in his heart.
He didn’t know what to do with his relationship with her.
He wished Penelope would be here to guide him.

Voidborn looked at the huge monitor in his room.

Ten separate screens were displayed on it, showing different views of the world outside the Abyss Cube as it flew towards Kandar.

A golden-orange blush from where the sun rose.
A deep purplish black from where the moon fell.
Both met to form a vertical horizon of rusty pink and magenta where tranquil night glowed into radiant dawn.

He looked at the surroundings, watching hills and plains zip past, watching the approaching city that was growing into sight.

6.20 a.m.

It seemed that they would arrive at seven sharp.

He got out of bed and headed to wash up, preparing himself before he met Jimin for breakfast.

Elian walked into the canteen. Jimin was already there, waving towards him with a bright anticipatory smile.

He acknowledged and walked over to join her at the table.

“You're early.”

Elian watched as Jimin pushed a plate full of food towards him.

“You're always getting food for me, so I wanted to get food for you for once.” Jimin grinned with a scrunched nose. “Did you sleep well?”

Elian nodded, looking at the plate in front of him. It was loaded with food. Four buttery pancakes doused with maple syrup, a generous number of grilled sausages and crispy bacon strips, two sunny side eggs, and two half tomatoes that have been roasted to the point of sweet caramelisation.

Over to the side sat a small bowl of fruit. His favourite yellow, sweet fruit.

Mangoes.

“Let’s eat,” Elian said, picking up his utensils.

Jimin had a similarly stacked plate, and the both of them wolfed down the food as if they had been starved for a day, which they had. Their sparring with Asa had lasted till late at night, and they had skipped dinner from the non-stop training.

“I’m sore all over…” Jimin complained, slicing a piece of sausage. She poked it with her fork and added a piece of bacon, a piece of pancake and some egg white, before putting the DIY protein skewer into her mouth.

“You have good stamina,” Voidborn said, chewing on his own piece of bacon.

“W-Well, that's a very suggestive compliment to say to a lady, Elian.”

Jimin’s cheeks flushed red from embarrassment.

“Is it? You fought the entire night.”

“Y-Yea, I did…”

Just then, voices floated from the corridor.

The door slid open and to Voidborn’s and Jimin’s surprise, familiar faces appeared.

Rei’s arm was hooked around Joy’s, and Senia’s fingers were threaded between Dylan’s. Derrick walked in, eyes fixed on the gadget in his hands as he fiddled with the toggleable music switch, trying to adjust its volume.

Even Robert was here, chasing after Chaewon who was stomping into the canteen with impatience.

“Why are you guys here?!”

Jimin waved towards the Wordwraiths, gesturing at the empty seats across the long table which they were seating at.

The group went to get their food, before settling around the table.

“Both of you didn't know because you were up the entire night,” Rei said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. “How was the training?”

“Tiring. Jimin has a lot of stamina,” Voidborn said.

“Hoh? I bet she did.”

“Shut up, Rei,” Jimin retorted her, but her cheeks were burning red.

She looked at the group, which had taken their seat.

“We were summoned to Kandar as well,” Senia said. “Spellbound’s secondary branch over there had requested for assistance for an upcoming event because of some incident that happened yesterday.”

Joy scooped a spoonful of yoghurt with some strawberry chunks and put it into her mouth.

“Yes. From what I’ve heard, it seemed that a riot took place within the city yesterday,” Joy gave a small frown and stuck the spoon back into her cup of yoghurt. “People were displaying their displeasure at the rising costs of living.”

“Yeah,” Robert said, offering Chaewon a piece of bacon which she nudged it away in irritation. “The people were extremely upset at the growing disparity between the rich and poor, and it seemed to have not only affected citizens from the rural areas, but even those from the suburban areas as well.”

“They call it the K-shaped trajectory,” Rei said. “It’s something that can’t be avoided unless the rich do something about their greed. They take advantage of their expertise and accumulate wealth through growing their investments and assets, inflating both demand and base costs.”

“Is that a problem?” Voidborn asked.

“It is,” Jimin said, setting her glass of pineapple juice down after taking a sip. “If base costs rise, then the base cost of living would also rise. Families who once were able to afford ten packs of rice will soon only be able to buy five with the same amount of money. And what about those who are poor? If they were struggling to even buy one pack of rice before, how would they be able to secure the same amount of food with the same income?”

“I didn’t know you were that well versed in economics,” Robert said, now trying to offer a glass of iced americano to Chaewon. She raised out her palm and rejected it, saying she doesn’t like sugarless drinks.

“I have to take over as the head of the family in the future, of course I need to be skilled in this area.”

Voidborn tilted his head, a perplexed curve forming over his eyebrows.

“But if demand rises, wouldn’t it mean more money earned? Shouldn’t income earned increase as well?”

“It depends,” Jimin replied, acknowledging Voidborn’s concern. “There are three main reasons. The first would be wealth concentration. Assets grow faster than wages, so the rich get richer.”

She poked her sausage and took a bite.

“The second possibility is likely because this demand is aimed mainly at the affluent. When only rich people are buying, demand for everyday necessities starts to skew toward them. As a result, merchants focus more on stocking higher-quality goods, which obviously cost more, making them even less accessible to those who earn less.”

Voidborn nodded, listening to Jimin’s explanation.

“Then what about the third reason?”

“It’s simple. Revenue generated isn’t cascading down to the workers. They go straight into the rich’s pockets and those at the bottom can't catch up.”

“Isn’t this issue always present in society all along?” Voidborn asked. “Why the riot now?”

“Don’t know.” Dylan said. “We aren’t from Kandar after all. We don’t know what’s the situation like over there.”

“Maybe you would know?” Robert looked at Chaewon, still trying to get her to accept his food. He was now offering her some blueberries, which she had finally relented.

“It’s kinda bad,” Chaewon said, popping a berry into her mouth. “The two ends of the city are extremely different. The rich are super rich, and the poor are super poor. I’ve done many patrols, and the disparity is apparent. Walk three streets from the city centre and you'll see children sleeping beside bakeries they can't afford.”

Chaewon shrugged and continued speaking. “The displeasure towards the Empire has been brewing since forever, so I’m not surprised that a riot had finally taken place.”

“Gosh,” Jimin pouted. “I just hope no one was hurt.”

“Guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Gaeul said, appearing from the side. She had grabbed her own breakfast — two slices of cheesecake — settling down into the seat beside Robert. “Why do I have so much work to do…”

“As peaceful as we think we should be given our advancements in the standard of living and lack of conflicts, the world isn’t that simple,” Derrick said, setting down his cube gadget, allowing the tranquil sounds of rainfall to fill the canteen. “The world has never been truly stable. The so-called peace is built upon fragile agreements and treaties that would be broken in the blink of an eye if the situation benefits or threatens oneself. If this thinking the same for individuals, it is much more so for organisations, or even regions themselves.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot imagine a world without conflict,” Gaeul said, chewing on a small bite of cheesecake as she looked at Robert’s desperate attempts with disgust. “Fundamentally, humans or any living thing operate on an ‘everything is for myself’ basis.”

She reached for the glass which Chaewon had pushed away multiple times, taking a small sip.

“Why is it so bitter?” She complained with a grimace, pushing it back to Robert as she shook her head at his dense brain. “Look at what she’s eating — blueberries, pancakes with ice cream. She obviously likes sweet things.”

Robert looked at Gaeul, an expression of enlightenment plastered all over his face.

“Anyway, as I was saying, it is inherent to an organism to act upon anything for themselves out of self-preservation and survival. You may argue that there are people who help people out of goodwill, but most of them act this way due to the unconscious drive of reciprocal altruism.”

“Reciprocal—what?” Jimin asked, stuffing her mouth full with a last DIY-protein skewer she could make before her plate emptied.

“Cooperation due to mutual benefits. If an organism helps another, they have an expectation no matter how small it is that the other organism will return the favour in the future.”

Gaeul watched as Robert came back with two cups of chocolate milk, placing them on the table. He slid one to Chaewon, which to his delight, she took it and drank.

Gaeul pointed to the other cup.

“Is that for me?”

“No,” Robert said, quickly latching his mouth on the cup for a sip before Gaeul could steal it from him. “It’s mine. I want to drink the same thing as her.”

“Tch,” she grumbled. “How narrow-minded.”

“Don't be sad,” a voice floated from the side. A man appeared, placing a bottle that's half a litre big beside Gaeul’s small hand, entirely filled with chocolate milk.

“Jake!” she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. “You're the best as always. I don't need no Robert in my life after all.”

“Who are you?” Jimin asked.

“Ah, some of you may not have met him before.” Derrick said. “He’s the one maintaining the Abyss Cube.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jake. Mechanist Rebirth 3, Machinist.”

“He's my husband, by the way.”

“What? Since when were you married?” Robert exclaimed.

“You didn't see the ring on her finger?” Joy said, shaking her head in disappointment. “I thought I told you countless times that as not only a Scholar, but also as a man, you need to be observant!”

“What—no—come on Voidborn, back me up. You didn't see her ring too, right?”

Voidborn shook his head and frowned.

“I did. Wasn't it obvious?”

“Wha—no? Even you are betraying me…”

Chaewon looked at Robert and gave a small sigh.

“Idiot,” she muttered.

“Jake looks after everything in the Abyss Cube, handling all the different parts that keep the cube going,” Derrick said with a wide smile. “We had a meaningful and wonderful discussion last night.”

He whipped out a piece of oversized paper that was rolled into a scroll and waved it in the air.

“This is the plan that I have for Gunrage after bumping heads with Jake!” Derrick spewed out rapidly, barely containing his excitement as he shared it with Jimin. “You're gonna like it, I’m gonna remodify the entire thing into a…”

Voidborn looked at Gaeul as Derrick rambled on.

“How was your investigation about the incidents?”

She turned to face him after receiving a mouthful of cheesecake that Jake had lovingly fed her with.

“Nothing. I couldn't find anything notable.”

Voidborn looked at his empty plate and fiddled with his fork.

“Nothing…”

“It's unfortunate, but there wasn't anything I could make connections to. I’ll continue to look into it, but my other pressing cases take precedence.”

Voidborn set the fork down.

“I think that they will take action again.”

“Oh? On what grounds?”

“I have a hunch,” Voidborn said. “I think that collecting Rebirth stones is too simple of a motive, and that they are aiming for something larger. Maybe you could try looking at smaller and random incidents.”

“Hunch…” Gaeul muttered. “Alright. I take your intuition to heart and continue to investigate.”

Voidborn nodded.

“Attention. We have arrived at Kandar. We will be docking at headquarters in five minutes’ time.”

An announcement sounded through the overhead speakers of every room and through the spherical communicator that every person held.

“I’ll see you guys in a bit,” Gaeul said, standing up with her empty plate and half drunk bottle of chocolate milk. “I’m heading to settle some stuff. You guys can hang out in the reception area of our headquarters after disembarking while you arrange for your individual plans.”

Jake stood up and took the empty plate from Gaeul’s hands.

“I’ll clear it.”

He then turned to the rest at the table, pointing to a screen large enough for three people to lie on mounted on the canteen’s wall.

“If you're interested, you can watch the docking through the monitor there. You won’t be disappointed.”

Then with a gentle smile, he held on to his wife’s hand and left with her.

“How sweet~” Jimin said, looking at Elian. “Don't you think so?”

“I don't know. Do you want to try?”

“H-Here? Maybe not here…”

Jimin giggled and started daydreaming again.

Just then, the screen flickered to life.

Voidborn looked at it, watching the same ten screens that he saw in his room earlier.

Clouds parted as the city stretched beyond the horizon. Buildings of varying heights towered and pierced into the sky as airships and blimps drifted between them.

The division was apparent.

Kandar was split into three distinct rings segmented by high brick walls.

The rural and poorest sector on the outermost layer. High rise buildings that housed more people that it should, alleyways filled with makeshift shelters built upon rubber mats that barely blocked out rain. Each one was supported by rusted metal pipes tied suspiciously firm with frayed ropes. Many were still asleep, with few trudging across the uneven gravelled ground.

The middle layer formed the volume of the city, modest buildings that probably had more room for lesser people, more liveable for the working class. Different regions served different functions — schools, markets, industrial areas, factories. Bicycles rolled through brick layered streets as people weaved through crowds to work.

Then came the city core.

Mansions scattered across wealthy streets. Parks of flourishing greenery and shopping districts where the rich spent carelessly. Glamorous vehicles rode down cemented streets, driven by professional concierges that chauffeured beautiful women and handsome men for breakfast dates.

The Empire’s castle sat in the centre of Kandar.

The Abyss Cube floated towards it, weaving past incoming air traffic, gliding through buildings.

It stopped before a squarish black building, hovering right in front of it. Voidborn half-expected the cube to descend to the ground, dropping them off.

But the unthinkable happened.

The black building began to move.

The loud sound of gears grinding sounded through the speakers, and the top half of the building began to rise.

Split right through the centre, four metallic pillars extended up, pushing the top half upwards.

“What the hell?” Jimin said with her jaws dropped.

The building continued moving until the top half rose out of the screen’s sight, before it stopped.

Then, the Abyss Cube began moving.

It floated into the gap, settling right between. The building was extended into a taller one as the Abyss Cube was sandwiched between the top and bottom blocks.

“Welcome to Kandar, and welcome to Black Monocle.”

Gaeul’s voice sounded through the entire cube.

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