Whether it's Russell or Ice Water, or Kasumi......

The three of them don't happen to be the type that pays attention to pomp and circumstance.

Because it was almost time to eat, the three of them didn't bother to leave the café to find a place to eat.

After discussing it with each other, we found that everyone had nothing to eat. So I decided to put some sandwiches, cakes, ice cream and other foods in the same place and deal with them a little.

By the way, the oversized ice cream was ordered by ice water.

Although Russell also mentioned that it is not good to eat ice cream on an empty stomach at night...... But he was blocked back by Bingshui with a smile and a sentence of spiritual difference.

It's not easy for him to ask the other party, "What are the characteristics of your spiritual relatives?" This topic is a little too private.

Of course, the money is still paid by AA.

This is mainly a tacit understanding of everyone in order to avoid some troubles.

According to the rules of the company, when people of different ages meet for the first time, in order to show their attention to the younger or younger generations, the older party will often invite the other party to a meal to show care;

And when the elder party resigns, is promoted, or transferred to other empty islands, and the two sides may never see each other again in the future, how many of the juniors who have eaten that meal back then can still remember the kindness of these years and recognize the other party's support, and they can be invited back.

The specifications of these two meals are completely different from the usual treats. It usually indicates the degree of value to the other party - how many people will come when they leave the company usually means how popular and moral they are in the company.

This is theoretically a rule shared by the seven empty islands, and it seems to have been brought from the earthly era. It's just that the intensity and details of the execution vary from one island to another.

When Russell was still in college, he heard that something big was going on on Happiness Island.

That was about four or five years ago: because there was an executive of Tianen Group, no one came to say goodbye when he retired, and finally chose to commit suicide by poisoning at his farewell party.

Even because he didn't have to go to work every day, it took two days for the body to be found.

After all, he was an executive of the head office, and his status was quite high, but he died in such a trivial matter. This incident caused a considerable degree of discussion on the Internet, and even spread to the island of Sogo.

After that, anonymous editions on the web made very fierce criticisms of the custom.

So later, the Tianen Group pushed the boat down the river and banned this rule on the whole island. By the way, the criteria for examining happiness have been tightened.

But there are still some old antiques, or very traditional people, who still adhere to the principle of "treat to dinner when we meet for the first time" - such as the old elf that Russell met on the airship, Amirus.

Eventually, this "forbidden" quickly swung to the other end and became a new custom: people were not allowed to go to dinner with each other when they first met, no matter how good the conversation was or how close the relationship was. Be sure to wait until you see each other again before you can eat together.

At first, it was because everyone was very taboo about it, and I didn't know if the other party would think about the meaning of the meal.

As a result, it became a new "ritual". Many experts have come up with various explanations for this, trying to make it more scientific and reasonable.

"In fact, these sick rules are the epitome of the sick life and society on the empty island."

Russell nibbled on a sandwich and said casually, "Think about it, is it the rule itself that killed that executive?" ”

"-He was the one who killed that man."

Xia frowned: "No matter what, it's too much for a person not to come."

"After working in the head office for more than 40 years, I don't know how many people I have brought with me, but in the end, there is not even a person who is willing to give him a ride. This means that this person has reached the point of causing public anger. ”

"Not necessarily."

Bingshui put his left hand on his cheek, scooped up the ice cream with his right hand, and said quietly: "Maybe it's possible that everyone has forgotten him, or he is too busy at work and just in time to work overtime." Although the probability is small, it is not impossible.

"The real problem is...... He had already guessed it, or felt it. Otherwise, how could he bring poison to the banquet to see him off. ”

"It's pretty much the same. But you don't realize the crux of the matter...... In fact, the real problem is not the banquet itself. ”

Russell shook his head: "If everyone is doing well, then this kind of gathering is not a pressure at all, but a 'team building' that unites new employees and bids farewell to old employees." Even the company can pay for a part of the reimbursement, or rent a certain hotel for a long time in exchange for a membership price or something...... After all, it actually helps to improve team cohesion.

"And it's been around for at least a hundred years. There was such a rule before the Sky Age, why didn't it happen until the last few years?

"The reason is simple...... Because the company's development began to slow down.

"When everyone's life starts to be bad, they will look for reasons and find a responsible party. And in the end, people vent some of their hatred into this tradition, and reverse it, trying to make changes to their lives.

"The act itself is like a rain dance. If it rains, it is effective; If it doesn't rain, then the heart is not sincere enough...... But in short, you don't need money to try. Just asking for peace of mind. ”

“…… Has development slowed down? ”

Xia was a little puzzled: "But I think the income of Tianen Group seems to have been improving." ”

"Yes."

Bingshui on the side nodded.

She looked at Russell with great admiration, and at the same time explained to Xia in a whisper, "Because of the lack of supplies. ”

“…… Running out of supplies? ”

Kasumi was a little unable to understand the word for a while.

Or rather, most people in this era are like that.

Schools don't teach ordinary people where the food they eat every day comes from and where the materials for their various commodities come from...... Basically, the knowledge of the Earth Age is not taught in schools. Because once taught, it's hard to explain why they moved to heaven.

In most people's minds, these are all shipped out of the ever-roaring factories in the lower city.

These supplies are not worth valuing, and even the gangs in the lower city will not move their stronghold to the vicinity of the factories that produce important supplies.

What is the earlier form of the material for those products...... They don't know anything about it.

"Haven't you noticed that prices have started to rise in the past few years?"

Bingshui said slowly: "Yes, you are the eldest lady, you shouldn't be able to notice it." ”

"I'm still aware of this - but prices have been rising, right?"

Kasumi asked rhetorically, "Isn't it because of the battle between Angel and Lower City that too many factories have been destroyed because of the recent increase in prices?" ”

"That's right. But in fact, the uneven rate of price and income increases began about seven or eight years ago.

"Because of the fierce market competition, companies can only choose to forcibly occupy the market niche by making profits, or increase prices in tandem with strong competitors who can dominate the market. This has led to the rate of market price increases, which in fact lags behind the real price climb. ”

The short-haired girl shook her head: "I guess you don't know...... This is because there are fewer raw materials. ”