Leon and company soon reached the alley where they were supposed to meet Mathew and the others. Leon sank down to the ground, tired from standing and walking around all day.
He couldn't explain in words how it felt when his butt finally touched the ground. Normally, sitting on the ground was something he wouldn't have even considered, but hey — he was a beggar now, so everything was on the table.
Shortly after, Mathew and the rest arrived in the alley. Roan was looking exhausted and slumped down right beside Leon. Mathew sank down too, and soon everyone was seated cross-legged on the ground.
They brought out what they had managed to gather for the day.
Mathew and his group had managed a total of 35 iron coins, while Leon and his group had collected 7 copper coins, 26 iron coins, and a single one-dollar paper bill.
Everyone was shocked to see the dollar bill in person. Each of them picked it up, felt it with their hands, and passed it around.
Mira looked at the dollar bill and said with an excited voice, "That's a one-dollar bill! We can exchange it for a gold coin, or two hundred copper coins, or a thousand iron coins!!"
"Shhhh! Keep it down, Mira," Lisa said as she glanced toward both ends of the alley.
"Sorry!" Mira apologized quickly, then asked, "But… how did you get this?"
Lisa shrugged and pointed at Bear. "Ask him. He wouldn't tell me."
All eyes turned to Bear.
"I helped a rich old lady with her heavy bag, and she gave it to me," Bear said.
"How lucky," Lisa and the others chimed in.
But both Mathew and Leon watched Bear closely, observing every shift in his expression.
Leon was certain that Bear was lying. From what Lisa had said, the value of one dollar here far exceeded the one dollar he knew from Earth. Here, copper and iron coins had weight, and a gold coin was worth ten to twenty grams of gold — a huge sum in this world, especially one that felt like Earth before the Industrial Revolution. No one would hand out that much money to a beggar.
Even the kind, wealthy couple he and Lisa had met earlier had only given them two copper coins — and they had been the best-dressed people Leon had come across all day. Most people he'd seen were daily wage workers. Mathew's group had only secured iron coins from them. The only reason he and Lisa had managed to get copper was because of sheer luck.
So he didn't buy Bear's story.
Leon noticed Mathew was looking at Bear with a tense gaze, as if he suspected something too.
Sensing Mathew's stare, Bear shifted uneasily, avoiding eye contact. "Is something wrong, Mathew? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Nothing," Mathew said. "It's just… you seem a little tired today. Look how sweaty you are." He pointed toward Bear's face, which was dripping with sweat.
"Oh, it's just that it feels a little hot in here. Let's head back, guys," Bear said as he stood up, urging everyone to hurry.
The sun had already disappeared from the horizon, so no one objected.
When they reached the alley leading to their broken wooden building, Mathew spoke up. "Before we go near the Cradle…"
But Leon interrupted. "Cradle?"
"It's what we call the building where we live," Mathew explained.
"Oh."
Mathew continued. "Everyone, take out your money. I have 35 iron coins. Give me another 30 so all six of us can complete the quota. Lisa and Mira, hide any extras on your bodies. Boys, give everything you have to them."
Everyone pulled out all the money they had. Lisa gave Mathew her 20 iron and 2 copper coins. Bear handed down all his money — including the dollar bill — to Lisa and Mira.
When they were done, the group stepped out of the alley. Just like the day before, Dan and his group of thugs were sitting nearby.
But unlike yesterday, a small line of children was now in front of the Cradle. At the front of the line was a small table, with a man sitting behind it, a stack of papers in hand.
Mathew was the first to step up.
"It's a total of 56 iron coins and 2 copper coins for the six of us," Mathew said.
"Ohh, if it isn't our hero Mathew and his gang. I heard you caused quite a scene with Dan yesterday," said the man behind the table.
Mathew smiled. "It was nothing, Sir Gill. Just a little accident."
"Is that so?" Gill said, adjusting his glasses. "You didn't meet yesterday's quota, and now you've brought only coins worth 66 iron?"
Mathew, still smiling, replied in a troubled tone, "We did complete yesterday's quota, mind you. We weren't given any food last night and had to be Dan's punching bags. Surely that's worth something."
"As cheeky as ever, huh? Alright, go. Just don't repeat what happened yesterday." Gill waved them away.
Back in their room, the first thing they did was give all the money hidden on Mira and Lisa to Mathew. He dug into the same corner where he had taken out money for Roan's medicine, buried the coins, and tore a piece of cloth from his already torn shirt to wrap the dollar bill before hiding it as well.
"Why do you always tell me and Lisa to hide the money, Mathew? Can't you just keep it from the start?" Mira said, sounding quite annoyed. "I mean, you end up with it anyway when we give it to you. So why?"
Mathew, satisfied after burying the money, replied without looking back, "It's a safety net."
Mathew glanced over at Mira and Lisa and continued "If, by any chance, Gill or Dan decided to search us for hidden money, you two would be our safety net. The higher‑ups in the gang are strict about gang members touching girls. Dan and Gill wouldn't risk getting punished for it, so they wouldn't search you as easily. But with us? They wouldn't hesitate to strip us down to bare skin if they felt like it."