At that moment, young Gavroche clearly sensed the heavy stench of blood beneath that bright smile. He knew that even if she wasn't the "adventurer" she claimed to be, she'd certainly seen plenty of bloodshed, and had more than one life on her hands.
But the boy had already been through the battlefield at Lonely Night City. He only hunched his shoulders slightly before summoning his courage and saying, "Our important job at the Donkey Banner is not only to welcome guests from across the universe, but also to help everyone find suitable work."
Shari watched him with a meaningful look but said nothing.
Facing the other woman's abyss-like aura, young Gavroche continued, "All right, New Shenzhou is a little remote. Most of its planets are still under development, and the sector's finances aren't exactly flush. If you really don't want to go there, how about Lumina? Lumina is currently working with New Seville to form a new marine division, slated to become the 54th Division. They need instructors too. Those expenses will come out of Red Maple Industries' accounts, and the pay is generous."
For some reason, the moment he said that, the terrifying pressure vanished without a trace.
"L-Lumina..."
Young Gavroche could clearly hear a tremor in her voice. Of course, that flicker of emotion soon disappeared, and the boy quickly dismissed it as his imagination.
"Kid, what about that ship to the Commonwealth you mentioned?"
"Probably next month." Young Gavroche scratched his head.
"This ticket can only be used once, right?"
The boy nodded.
"These big smuggling ships only come through once or twice a week at most. Sometimes, not even one shows up in a whole month. So if I take another route, I'll have to stay here at least three more days?"
"Well, the boss