The Doll Has a Name Chapter 12 - Recruitment Ad

The sailors exchanged hand signals, and the ship swiftly passed through the gate, picking up speed.

 

Gradually, the vessel was making its way into the heart of the city. 

 

Unable to focus on her book, she fidgeted with her fingers until, before she knew it, the gangplank was lowered at the dock.

 

“Thank you! Please sail with us again!”

 

Caught in the rush of disembarking passengers, she was swept along in the chaotic crowd.

 

‘I haven’t even memorized the map yet…’ 

 

The worry flitted through her mind, but there was no time to hesitate or look around.

 

‘Is this it? The Grand Plaza?’

 

Whether by unexpected luck or simply following the bustling crowd, she had arrived at the Grand Plaza she’d been hoping for.

 

She recognized it as the Grand Plaza thanks to the city hall building she’d seen in the book’s illustrations. True to the city’s mercantile identity, the town hall’s bell tower was adorned with a statue of a figure holding a scale and a telescope.

 

Standing in the middle of the square, it truly sank in that she was in an unfamiliar land. Her hands were now full of pamphlets and flyers she’d been handed along the way.

 

Here, people seemed divided—some ignored them outright, while others selectively accepted them.

 

“I must’ve been oozing country bumpkin vibes.”

 

Still, she found them fascinating. 

 

‘Too much so to throw away.’

 

Stuffing the papers haphazardly into her bag, she took a seat by the fountain. She was about to catch her breath and plan her next move when a boy in a baker’s cap darted up to her. 

 

A newspaper boy.

 

“Would you like a paper?”

 

His lisp, caused by a missing front tooth, was oddly endearing. Since she’d been meaning to buy one anyway, the timing was perfect. 

 

As Kise rummaged through her pocket, the boy spoke fluently, “We’ve got the Mercà Times and the Rikent Daily. You can buy just one, but if you get both, I’ll throw in an economic weekly as a special deal! Two papers for the price of three! And since it’s Monday, you know today’s the day the weekly comes out, right?”

 

So… a forced bundle sale, huh? Now, of all times.

 

Since it’s no longer morning, those who wanted to buy newspapers have already done so.

Judging by the time, it’s exactly discount hour. These kinds of items could only be offloaded to someone like Kise—a fresh-off-the-boat foreigner in Mercà who obviously just arrived.

 

‘Hah.’

 

She was slightly taken aback by the sales tactics of a child whose baby feathers hadn’t even fully shed yet, but she decided to view it favorably.

After all, she had more than enough left from the ship fare, so it didn’t matter much.

 

“Alright, I’ll take both.”

“Customer! An excellent choice!”

“You’re a sly little one, but quite capable. May the goddess’s favor stay with you today.”

 

With a gentle smile, she offered pure, unfiltered praise and a greeting. The faint makeup made her already beautiful face even more radiant as she smiled. 

 

The boy, who had been staring at Kise as if mesmerized by her beauty, exclaimed in admiration.

 

“Not at all. Just seeing the beautiful jewels shining in your eyes, signora, has already brought me luck today. Your blue eyes are like the cold heart of a mermaid.”

 

Then, blushing shyly, he fidgeted awkwardly. Kise immediately froze at the sight.

 

What is this? This freshness…? Is this also customer service…?

 

A flirtatious advance from a young boy in the middle of the square, in broad daylight.

 

Culture shock, what a culture shock.

 

On this refreshing afternoon, those words were the only ones floating in Kise’s mind.

 

🫧

 

After buying the newspaper from the lively boy, Kise headed straight to the bookstore.

 

A bookstore is the perfect place to gauge the current interests and tastes of a region. By looking at the best-selling books, one can indirectly understand the thoughts and perspectives of the people here.

 

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of books, Kise nearly lost her way inside the massive bookstore. 

 

After asking a clerk for help, she bought one magazine on the latest trends, along with the best-selling book in both the fiction and non-fiction sections.

Her purchases were a full-length novel titled Future Report and a steady-selling book with a rather lengthy title, Invisible Influence, The 100 Companies That Will Change the World.

 

“Whew…”

Carrying the suddenly heavier load, she booked a room at a decent-enough inn behind the square.

Exhausted, she collapsed onto the bed the moment she entered her room. She didn’t even want to lift a finger.

So this is what they mean by ‘still not adjusted to the time difference.’

 

“Your meal, as requested.”

How long had she been lying there, nearly unconscious?

A maid brought up a neatly arranged one-plate meal. 

 

Seeing how tired Kise looked, she set the main dish and a teacup of warm drink on the table for her, then tidied up the utensils. I

 

t was excellent service, especially for the cheap room rate.

Moreover, when Kise, out of habit, tried to leave a tip, the maid simply said, “We don’t accept tips in the Rikent Republic,” and left—a statement so profound it felt almost like a famous quote.

Sitting in the chair, Kise vowed then and there to wholeheartedly love this country. She glanced over the lunch set—costing 3 ducats, the currency of Rikent, including the drink—as if reviewing it.

The meal consisted of a rooster dish marinated in sauce and a rich-flavored cocoa. 

 

Simple, yet elegant.

Shall I give it a try? 

 

Following her usual routine, Kise cut a tempting-looking piece of chicken and sniffed it first.

Instantly, her eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Wait, is this… nutmeg?”

No mistake. The sauce on the chicken carried the unmistakable, strong aroma of nutmeg.

 

Nutmeg couldn’t be called an expensive spice, but neither was it cheap enough to be considered an affordable seasoning.

It wasn’t priced low enough for ordinary households to freely add it to their meals—at least, not by the kingdom’s standards.

 

“And yet, they just threw it in like it was nothing. For a measly three-ducat dish.”

So this was what a wealthy neighborhood was like. 

 

The novelty was striking. Come to think of it, on the saucer of the cocoa-filled teacup, there had been a small, white paper-wrapped bundle…

 

With a sinking suspicion, Kise quickly unfolded it. Sure enough, inside were finely textured sugar cubes.

…Tsk. How could anyone lose their appetite over something like this?

 

Yet another surprise. Cocoa stirred with a teaspoon of sugar was a drink only nobles could afford—again, by the kingdom’s standards.

But to see a commoner so brazenly waste sugar on a mere cup of tea, a bold innkeeper offering such extravagance—this was Kise’s first time witnessing such a thing in all their years.

 

Spend just a week here, and they might turn into a full-blown materialist or a worshipper of wealth.

 

Chewing through both shock and food, Kise pulled over the newspaper bought from the square. Reading while eating was a serious breach of noble etiquette, but they were no longer some high-and-mighty aristocrat anyway.

 

Time was something that demanded reverence, where even the ticking of a second hand should embody frugality. 

 

Or at least, it was generally better to live that way.

 

Their eyes briefly caught a fashion ad—Even men sometimes want heels, not just insoles—before quickly skimming through the Mercà Times and Rikent Daily.

 

After finishing, they unfolded the weekly magazine they’d gotten as a bonus. The first page boldly declared: ‘The Era of Real Estate is Over! Now is the Age of Art Investment!’ followed by crass lines like ‘The lives of unknown artists are emerging as attractive investment opportunities.’

 

Kise Ohara, who had been automatically frowning, suddenly widened her eyes at the next page—a fresh notice occupying the entirety of page two.

 

〈Marée Société Co., Ltd. – Recruitment Notice (Ongoing Hiring)

• Department: Business Support

• Positions: 1

• Experience: Not specified (open to both new and experienced candidates)

• Preferred Qualifications: Proficiency in foreign languages

• Monthly Salary: 320–350 ducats

• Process: 1st round written exam, 2nd round interview

• Application Method: Submit the company’s resume form in person at the 1st-floor office or by mail (Address: 6 Melbur Street, Jester Sign Building)

• Deadline: Ongoing until the position is filled

• Preferred Candidate Profile: None. The CEO will hire you on the spot if they like you.〉

 

It was a refreshingly clean and straightforward job posting. 

 

Despite taking up an entire page, it embraced an unconventional use of white space, distilling only the essential information without any fluff.

 

No clichéd embellishments like, ‘Our company is this and that, making it the perfect, iron-clad workplace you should apply to right now!’ 

 

Even the basic company details, usually sprinkled with magical exaggeration, were neatly omitted.

 

“Are they that confident? Do they just trample over self-promotion?”

The audacious simplicity of the notice oddly drew her in. Besides, a monthly salary of over 300 ducats didn’t seem bad at all.

Based on the prices she had checked earlier, around 60 ducats could get her a decent apartment on the outskirts.

It was enough to live slightly more centrally while allowing for a bit of indulgence.

 

“Marée Société. Marée Société…”

 

If this company truly had the credibility to be so audacious, it would undoubtedly be included even in the nonfiction book I bought today.

Driven by an inexplicable certainty, she placed the book she had carelessly left on the table—The Invisible Influence: 100 Companies That Will Change the World—on her lap and scanned the table of contents with hawk-like focus.

 

The contents were broadly categorized by industry, then alphabetically sorted within each section. 

 

Construction, food, shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, entertainment, trade…

 

“Found it. Trade. Marée Société.”

 

Sure enough, it was listed in the book. 

 

As her prediction proved correct, a shallow sense of anticipation surged within her, swelling like a seesaw.

 

Flipping to the page with a swift rustle of paper, the information that had been so coolly omitted from the job posting came pouring in all at once.

 

《…The largest trading corporation in the Republic. It employs approximately 20,000 people, including staff stationed in overseas branches. 

 

Among them, around 200 serve as chief navigators and traders, while the rest include mechanics, engineers, and even mercenaries.

 

Established through public investment, it has shown steep growth ever since. It does not shy away from direct clashes with foreign fleets for trade, even engaging in localized conflicts. 

 

The company also invests heavily in shipbuilding technology and holds a pioneering role in discovering new trade routes.》

 

Just one paragraph in, and it was already getting exciting. Since it was officially verified, it certainly didn’t seem like the kind of place that would withhold wages.

 

Having undergone very, very long indoctrination as a baby idol, Kise’s dreams and ambitions had long since met their fate in the antiquities.

 

What she had once wanted to do, what she had even hoped to survive for—it was all so distant now that she could barely remember.

 

But not her sense of adventure. At least that still lived vividly within her heart.

 

Ah, this uncontrollable spirit of exploration.

 

With her arms crossed, Kise, who had been deep in thought, finally made up her mind and promptly tore out the page with the job posting in one swift motion.

 

Rip! 

 

Holding the torn sheet of paper, she took a deep breath. She would go. She would go. It wasn’t that she wanted something grand out of life or aspired to achieve anything extraordinary. 

 

She just wanted, before she died, to be able to say, ‘Alright, that’s enough. I’ve done it all. It was a life worth living.’ 

 

That was all.

 

And as anyone would know, even that was already something big and remarkable in itself.

 

Scanning the posting more carefully, as if double-checking, Kise let out a low hum when she spotted item number 8: ‘Open applications, interviews conducted on a rolling basis.’

 

For a company popular enough to have applicants lining up, leaving the hiring period open-ended like this could only mean one thing—those who applied would be ruthlessly, relentlessly, mercilessly scrutinized, over and over again.

 

If they just wanted to hire someone average for average work, they wouldn’t go to such lengths.

 

This could only mean one of two things: either the interviewer was a professional critic, or the position was so high-level that it demanded exceptional skills. 

 

Most likely, it was one or the other.