Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 140: Episode : Laws of Labor

"Get me up," Roxy commanded, throwing the duvet off her legs.

Someone could not just take a genuine break at all?!

"Roxy," Zarek rumbled from beside her, his hand reaching out to stop her. "You are in no condition to handle this. Let Kaelen handle it. He can just chase them away."

"No," Roxy snapped, grabbing Zarek’s arm and using him as a leverage point to hoist her heavy body out of the nest. "The problem isn’t Jareth. The problem is we didn’t give them rules for them to follow..."

Why did she think she would be able to settle this by just teaching them how the coin system works?

She stood up, swaying slightly, feeling a little dizzy. Her back screamed in protest, but she had to go herself.

Once she had steadied herself, she marched outside.

The scene on the front porch was even worse than Kaelen had described.

The sun was barely peeking over the Iron-Wood trees, casting long shadows across the snow. A crowd of about thirty wolves had gathered, drawn by the commotion.

In the center of the clearing stood Jareth. He was a lanky, brown-furred wolf with a nervous twitch in his ear. In one hand, he clutched a rope.

He was dead serious.

Tied to the other end of the rope, kneeling in the snow with his head bowed in resignation, was a younger boy, maybe seventeen in human years. He was shivering, wearing only a thin tunic.

Jareth was currently arguing with Torian, who had come out to see what the noise was about.

"10 coins!" Jareth shouted, waving his free hand. "That is the price of a good milk cow! My brother is strong. He can lift rocks. He has good teeth! Ten coins are a bargain!"

"We do not buy people," Torian said, looking down his nose at the wolf with utter disdain. "We buy furs, herbs. We do not buy people."

"But I need the shiny!" Jareth whined. "You said anything of value! He is valuable! He eats all my dried meat! Take him!"

"JARETH!"

The crowd turned. Roxy stood on the porch, leaning against Zarek’s massive frame. Her hair was messy, her eyes were puffy from sleep, but her expression was pure fury.

Why wouldn’t she be angry? If she wasn’t there, they would have started a slave trade.

Jareth froze. He looked at the Luna, then at the massive Dragon King whose eyes were filled with contempt that promised incineration, and gulped.

He should be very careful with his words.

"L-Luna," Jareth stammered. "I... I brought trade."

Roxy yelled, pointing a trembling finger at him. "Untie him! Right now!"

Jareth looked confused. He looked at the rope, then at his brother. "But... I want to trade. If I trade a cow, it is fine. If I trade a sheep, it is fine. He is my brother. He lives in my hut. Why can I not trade him?"

The crowd murmured in agreement. In the primal world, hierarchy was absolute. The head of the household owned everything in it. To them, Jareth’s logic was sound.

If the Luna’s coins bought resources, surely a strong young male was a resource?

Roxy almost face-palmed.

She stared at the sea of confused faces. She realized, with a sinking feeling in her gut, that they weren’t being evil. They were being beasts.

They lacked the centuries of human history, the wars fought over freedom, and the moral framework of rights.

To them, strength was the only law.

And if anyone was useless, they would rather leave them to their own death.

"Because he is not a cow, you fucking wet dog!" Roxy shouted, her voice breaking with frustration. "He is a person! He has a soul! He feels cold! You cannot sell a person because a person belongs to themselves!"

"But he doesn’t produce anything!" Jareth argued, gesturing to the kneeling boy. "He just sits by the fire, wasting space. I want to convert the cost to profit!"

The younger wolf shivered in fright, not being able to defend himself.

"Oh my god," Roxy whispered, rubbing her temples. "I created capitalism, and immediately they invented the slave trade. Total bullshit."

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Anger wouldn’t work. She needed to give them a new logic.

"Listen to me!" Roxy commanded, her voice projecting over the crowd. "There are new rules. The coin comes with the Law."

She stepped forward, Zarek keeping pace to ensure she didn’t slip on the ice.

"Rule Number One: No Slavery." Roxy declared. "No selling brothers. No selling sisters. No selling captives. If you try to sell a person, the Dragon King will turn you into ash. Is that clear?"

Zarek let out a low growl to emphasize the point.

Jareth gulped. "Clear."

"Rule Number Two," Roxy continued. "Fixed Prices for Goods. And Rule Number Three... Fixed Prices for Labor."

She looked at Jareth, then at the kneeling boy.

"Jareth, you want coins, right?"

"Yes, Luna."

"And your brother... what is his name?"

"Kip," the kneeling boy whispered, looking up with wide, fearful eyes.

"Kip," Roxy said gently. "Stand up."

Kip hesitated, then slowly stood. He was skinny but wiry.

Roxy turned to Kaelen, who was standing by the door, arms crossed, watching her work.

"Kaelen," Roxy asked loud enough for everyone to hear. "We have coins. We have the bank. But we have a lot of work to do to prepare for spring, don’t we?"

Kaelen nodded, catching on instantly. "We do. The wooden wall needs reinforcing. And then we need more land to farm goods. And more cabins to be built, we also need more storehouses, and need more warriors."

"And do you have enough hands to do all that?" Roxy asked.

"No," Kaelen grunted. "My warriors are busy hunting. I need laborers."

Roxy turned back to the crowd.

"You want coins?" she asked them. "You will have to work for every penny."

She pointed to Kip.

"Kip! Do you know how to do heavy farm work?"

Kip blinked. He didn’t understand, but remembering the potatoes, his eyes immediately widened in understanding. "I... yes? I can do that."

"Good," Roxy declared. "Kaelen needs workers and warriors. From now on, the Iron-Wood pays 50 coins a day for labor. That is the Minimum Wage."

She looked at Jareth.

"Jareth, you don’t sell Kip for gold coins and lose him forever. Instead, Kip goes to work for Kaelen and earns coins. He brings the coins home. He buys his own food. He pays for his space by the fire."

She spread her hands.

"That is a Job. Kip keeps his freedom. Jareth gets his household contribution. And the Pack becomes more beautiful. Everybody wins."

The crowd went silent. They processed the math.

"Wait," Jareth frowned, doing the mental calculation on his fingers. "If he works... he brings coins... again and again?"

"Yes!" Roxy exclaimed. "It’s a renewable resource, you idiot!"

Jareth’s eyes lit up. He immediately untied the rope around Kip’s neck. He patted Kip’s shoulder vigorously, almost knocking the poor boy over.

"Kip!" Jareth barked. "Go dig! Dig the biggest hole! Earn the silver!"

Kip rubbed his neck, looking from his brother to Roxy. A look of pure gratitude washed over his face. He wasn’t being sold like meat. He was being given a purpose.

"Thank you, Luna!" Kip shouted, bowing low. "I will work! I will work hard!"

"I want to dig too!" another wolf shouted from the back. "I want the gold!"

"Me too! I can carry rocks!"

"I can fix the roof!"

A cheer went up from the crowd. The concept of "Jobs" had just clicked. They realized they didn’t have to part with their prized possessions to participate in the economy; they just had to trade their energy.

Roxy smiled, "Let’s go back, Z." She whispered to him, and he nodded his head toward her, pulling her into his arms.

He glared at the crowd. "Go to the Alpha if you want to work. Do not wake the Luna again."

The wolves scrambled away, swarming Kaelen, begging for the chance to work for money.

Zarek turned and carried Roxy back inside the cabin. Torian closed the heavy door, shutting out the noise of the newfound labor force.

"You did well," Zarek murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"Barely," Roxy mumbled, her eyes closing. "But Jareth is just one wolf. And the Iron-Wood is just one tribe."

She thought about the Bears, the Foxes, the Lions. She thought about how many "Jareths" were out there, ready to sell their kin for a taste of gold.

"If we don’t set the rules for everyone," Roxy whispered, "the currency will destroy them before it saves them."

More like they will kill themselves for it.

[Who knew you could be this smart?]

I am always smart.

She looked up at Zarek, Syris, and Torian.

"We are going to need that meeting," she said, her voice heavy with sleep but sharp with resolve. "On how to regulate this among all beast tribes. Before someone tries to sell a baby for a fruit tart."