The Happy Days of Being a Factory Owner in London – Chapter 21

Stepping In

The enemies have multiplied!

Saturday.

            

There was, of course, a reason Fagin had chosen this specific time.

By the rules, today was a rest day. The apprentices whose families lived nearby had all gone home.

Arna never went to the factory on Saturday afternoons. Instead, she would squat by the River Thames to fish, only returning in the evening to drive a carriage full of her catch back to the factory as an extra meal for the children staying behind.

            

Of course, at least for today, she wasn’t alone in the carriage.

Given Nancy’s warning that two or three people would likely be tagging along with Sikes, Watson and Holmes, worried for Arna’s safety, had brought their guns and were sitting in the carriage, their weight distributed evenly on either side of the frame.

“I told you, Holmes,” Watson muttered, his face pale as he gripped the frame during the furious drive. “We should have just hired a carriage! I would have gladly paid for it!”

            

Holmes’ eyes were bright. He was firmly anchored in place, clearly enjoying the extraordinary sensation of the extreme speed. “My dear Watson, you must realize that taking a hired carriage would have been far too obvious. We would easily be spotted by anyone keeping watch.”

“Taking my carriage is different, though,” Arna chimed in, accelerating once more. “They can’t see a thing!”

“I can’t see a thing in my future either,” Watson said despairingly. “Let’s just hope we don’t—ahhhhh—end our lives prematurely in this carriage.”

            

Flying at this speed, Arna soon drove the carriage to the back of the factory.

She parked, stashed Watson and Holmes out of sight behind some crates in the dining hall, and then carried her bucket around to the kitchen.

Nancy, wearing an apron, was chatting with Mrs. Laura while deftly peeling potatoes and dropping them into a basin.

            

Seeing Arna arrive, Nancy wiped her hands and took the bucket of fish. “Today’s catch?”

“Yeah,” Arna said. “Nancy said she’d help with the cooking today, so thank you for your hard work, Mrs. Laura. You can head home first.”

She had specifically given Mrs. Laura the day off to prevent an innocent bystander from getting caught in the crossfire.

            

Mrs. Laura nodded, packed up the vegetables she had been prepping, tidied the kitchen, and walked out of the factory with her bag.

Once the meal was cooked and set on the table, Nancy brought out the spiked liquor under the watchful eyes of the other children.

“Oh, Mr. Aisas,” Nancy said, producing a chipped glass and blinking. “This is a thank-you for the fish lately. We rarely get treats like this—at least, not until you came along.”

            

Even knowing Nancy’s words were just part of the required plotline, Arna still felt a sense of glee.

“Really?” She beamed, taking the glass and giving it a sniff. “Just for me?”

Just as Nancy had warned, the liquor smelled sour and bitter. Even though Oliver had poured honey in while pretending it was poison, it hardly looked appetizing.

            

Arna brought the rim a bit closer to her lips. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nancy’s face tense up, looking as though she wanted to snatch the glass back. Oliver’s knuckles were white where he gripped the table, and Dodger had gone completely rigid.

With a swift motion, Arna dumped the liquor directly into her backpack¹. She then brought the emptied glass back and slammed it down onto the table with a loud thud.

The whole performance was incredibly fake, but since everyone in the room harbored their own dark designs, no one jumped up to point it out.

            

“Let’s go,” Dodger said, pulling Oliver toward the door. “Fagin is waiting outside.”

He shot a look at Nancy, signaling her to leave quickly. Nancy nodded.

The two groups split up to act, but Fagin, waiting outside the doors, ran into a completely different situation.

            

Seeing the nine men trailing behind Sikes, Fagin’s old face instantly lost its amiable veneer.

“Bill,” he said, forcing the words out. “Didn’t we agree you’d just bring another two or three? That would have been enough just in case… Why did you bring so many?”

It was just one young man. Even if he was a bit capable and knew how to fight, they didn’t need nine full-grown men to deal with him!

            

This was enough manpower to start a gang war!

Bill Sikes’ expression was equally ugly.

“These bastards heard about it and insisted on horning in,” he muttered with obvious venom. “I didn’t invite them.”

            

The pie was only so big; if others took a piece, they would get less. Sikes obviously understood this simple logic.

“Oh dear, then you—you should talk them out of it!” Fagin said in a panic, sneaking glances at the men standing to the side. “Otherwise, once that gold is split evenly, our share won’t even be worth a single pocket watch!”

“They saw this idiot swaggering into a jeweler,” Sikes said. “He sold a massive haul of gold and pearls. The clothes on his back were worth a hundred pounds. His brooch was fifty pounds.”

            

He snorted. “And these guys don’t like the look of him either.”

Fagin inhaled sharply. “You mean…”

“This bastard is far richer than we imagined, and far stupider than we imagined,” Sikes said. “It’s only natural that other rats caught the scent of blood.”

            

He sneered. “If you want to talk them into leaving, go right ahead, Fagin. Just don’t blame me for not warning you what’s going on.”

Fagin fell silent.

His eyes darted about shrewdly. “You take them to find Aisas. The boys and I will start moving the goods.”

            

His meaning was clear: he would handle the safe, and he and his little mice wouldn’t ask for a cut of anything else.

The leader of the five newly joined men grinned.

“Of course, old gentleman,” he said in a gruff voice. “And we have you to thank for finding such a perfect opportunity.”

            

It was thanks to Fagin and his brats having the brains to infiltrate the factory first. They had gotten the tough-fighting factory owner drunk and drugged him, putting him into a deep sleep he wouldn’t wake from.

Otherwise, where else would he find a chance to both wash away his humiliation and make a killing?

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Left alone in the room, Arna sprawled motionlessly across the table. She lazily closed her eyes, planning to rest for a bit to recover some Stamina.

            

She really should have eaten some food first!

The acting had been so fun—especially watching everyone else jump in fright—that she had completely forgotten about eating.

But there was no rush. She hadn’t forgotten to snack while fishing, so her Stamina bar was still more than half full.

            

Meanwhile, Holmes and Watson were hiding behind the crates, ears pricked for any movement outside.

After a moment, Holmes frowned. He made a hand gesture, then leaned down, pressing his ear to the floor to listen intently.

People were clearly approaching outside. The light scuff of boots against the ground. Low whispers.

            

But the numbers were wrong. Too many. It didn’t match what Nancy had said.

…Had Sikes changed the plan at the last minute?

He counted silently in his head.

            

Eight, nine, ten. Ten people. More than double the original estimate.

In the suffocating darkness, Watson, also sensing something was amiss, squeezed closer to Holmes.

He could feel his friend’s nerves pulled taut, like an overstretched spring, and so he asked in a low whisper, “…Holmes?”

            

“Ten men,” Holmes murmured. He let out a cold, utterly humorless chuckle, privately thankful they had both brought their guns today.

Watson’s eyes widened in the dark.

“Ten men?” His lips mouthed the words silently, his hand already dropping to the revolver at his hip.

            

Holmes gave a slight shake of his head.

There was no gunfire yet.

Think fast. Faster.

            

The footsteps were drawing closer.

Mind racing, Holmes’ eyes flicked toward a rickety shelf against the wall.

Since this area served as a makeshift warehouse and dining hall, a pile of lamp oil and old newspapers sat over there.

            

The old newspapers were likely scavenged by Arna and left to dry by the children.

The lamp oil, allegedly bought cheap after some haggling, was intended for the children to use at night. Holmes had no doubt it was meant to last them until the end of time, but right now, it was their only lifeline.

He leaned in close to Watson’s ear and breathed out a single instruction. “When I move, you light those up.”

            

Watson’s grip on his arm tightened drastically.

“Are you mad?” he hissed.

The entire factory will burn down.

            

But to their surprise, before either of them could make a move, Arna lifted her head from the table and sat straight up.

Resting her chin on her hand, she looked toward the door, seemingly aware that a large crowd had arrived. A steel pipe had materialized in her hand from nowhere.

Holmes and Watson exchanged a glance and held their positions for now, waiting to see what Arna would do next.

            

Arna, of course, had already seen ten red dots² marked as hostiles closing in on her map.

She wasn’t panicked. After all, she had brought enough food today. Even if she didn’t have a weapon that dealt 9999 damage, that steel pipe had high Durability. Landing a few extra hits would be enough.

The door was kicked open with a bang.

            

Ten men flooded in like a tidal wave. The one leading the charge was an unfamiliar NPC with a scar on his face. Another man stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, followed by burly thugs armed with knives and clubs.

Seeing Arna wide awake, they froze. The lead NPC stopped in his tracks, exchanging a glance with the men beside him.

The petty gang boss standing next to Sikes turned deathly pale.

            

“Damn it, Sikes,” he cursed, instinctively tightening his grip on his knife as he whipped around to face him. “Didn’t you say he was out cold?”

Sikes didn’t answer him. Instead, he cursed the man inwardly for being such an idiot.

Do you really need to ask why?

            

Obviously, the plan had gone south. What else did he expect? That this robbery had turned into a ball where they would all jump on the tables and sing praises to the Queen?

“Aren’t you going to introduce yourselves?” Arna interrupted.

“Since you asked, I’ll let you die knowing who killed you³. Bill Sikes.” Sikes jabbed a thumb at his own chest, roaring, “You’re that Aisas, aren’t you? The idiot who thought he could just break ribs and not pay up.”

            

His words went in one of Arna’s ears and out the other. She rubbed her chin, scrutinizing the man standing next to Sikes. “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

He looks very familiar. I’ve definitely seen him somewhere, but the impression isn’t deep.

Sikes had no intention of giving the factory owner any more time to react.

            

He took a step forward, his voice turning sinister. “Where’s Nancy? Did she tip you off? Or was it Oliver? I knew those two were completely unreliable. I’ll skin them alive. To think they dared to betray me…”

Arna completely filtered out the unfamiliar NPC’s yapping. She just kept staring fixedly at the familiar NPC, her gaze so intense the man began to sweat cold drops and tremble.

Perhaps it was the way he looked right now that jogged her memory, because a spark of realization suddenly hit her. “Ah! Aren’t you the guy who kindly gave me a large sum of money last week?”

            

He was one of the men who had brought five or six guys to attack her, only to be robbed clean by her, crying and begging for mercy before fleeing in a panic beneath the weight of her immense gratitude.

Arna was overjoyed. “It is you!”

She hadn’t even had the chance to properly thank him last time, and now here he was, bringing another massive crowd to deliver more money to her factory! She really didn’t know what to say!

            

With a deft twirl of her wrist, she hoisted the steel pipe and charged right at them.

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The author has something to say:

Arna: Family, who gets it⁴? Money is falling from the sky! Money is really coming from all directions!!!

            

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