Gender-swapped Saintess: A Survival Diary on Hell Difficulty

"I'm mute, but I will work hard."

Roland observed the goblin girl's actions and expressions, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't be nervous, little one, what's your name?"

The goblin girl wrote new words on a small stone slab.

Tess.

What an overused name! If you threw a piece of mushroom cake out of a window in the lower city, it would probably hit eighteen "Tess" (a popular Taiwanese singer).

Roland thought to herself, but nodded to show that she understood.

"Miss Tess, I'll be frank, a mute person is indeed not very suitable for the waiter position."

"But I'm more interested in your work ability. Could you demonstrate it for me?"

Tess had just shown a disappointed expression when she heard the second half of Roland's sentence. She looked at Roland with surprise and immediately bowed to thank her for the job interview opportunity.

"Thank you for your patience and generosity."

She quickly wrote down the sentence with charcoal and held the slate with the inscription in front of Roland.

"Haha, what a polite little girl."

Roland covered her mouth and chuckled, then turned and opened the tavern door.

She had a pretty good impression of the goblin girl.

As long as the interview performance isn't too bad, she's actually willing to recruit the little mute girl.

……

However, when it came to the interview stage where she had to demonstrate her work skills, Roland was taken aback.

Inside the tavern, the goblin girl cleaned up and registered the dishes with remarkable efficiency, then ran into the kitchen under Roland's watchful eye.

About ten minutes later, Tess brought out a steaming bowl of coarsely ground rice and a small piece of mushroom cake.

Please have a meal.

Tess lifted the stone slab and began to write instead of speak.

Roland was silent for a moment, then silently picked up the metal spoon, scooped up a mouthful of coarsely ground rice, and put it into her mouth.

This meal wasn't exactly delicious, given the quality of the ingredients. Even if you brought back the long-lost sheep, they probably still couldn't cook a decent coarse rice dish.

What surprised Roland was Tess's skill; it was as if she had worked as a waitress in a tavern and had a wealth of experience.

No, it's not just the work of waiters.

Roland raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Little guy, you've worked in more than just deep mines, haven't you?"

Mossy nodded slightly, moved a little closer to Roland, and wrote on the stone slab from an angle that Roland could see directly.

"I used to work in taverns, restaurants, mushroom farms, and the Demon Merchant Guild."

Roland stared in disbelief, grabbing Tess's shoulders and looking her up and down.

She looks like a fourteen-year-old girl, but she doesn't look like an old man at all. Could it be that she's been working since she was born?

"Miss Tess, how old are you?"

Thirty-five years old.

Roland looked at the numbers on the stone slab with a puzzled expression.

Goblins have a lifespan far longer than humans. Even if they don't live a very good life, they can still live to be around 150 years old. At 35, they are no different from teenage girls.

"With so many skills at the age of thirty-five, why would someone as talented as you go to a deep mine? You wouldn't make any money there with your small frame."

Upon hearing this, Tess pointed to herself in confusion.

Roland immediately understood what she meant.

Do you not consider yourself a talented individual?

Tess nodded.

Roland was speechless. If Tess were an employee with such education, skills, and a peaceful personality, Roland Group would want as many as they could in the surface world.

Tess noticed Roland's confusion and realized that Roland didn't know much about Black Iron City.

So she knelt down next to Roland and wrote on the stone slab.

"There are few jobs in Black Iron City, and the competition is fierce."

"Can't speak, and with their weaker constitution, they're no match for the others..."

The goblin girl wrote very quickly, but to save space on the stone slab, her sentences were somewhat disjointed.

However, Roland understood the meaning and continued to ask.

"Then why were you able to find good jobs before?"

"Black Iron City wasn't like this before."

"Later, Black Iron City prospered and became safe, so the population grew."

"There are too many people, too few jobs, wages are getting lower and lower, and requirements are getting higher and higher... The only option is to go to the mines."

When Taiyi wrote about this topic, her writing speed suddenly increased considerably, as if she was recalling the good old days, or as if she wanted to vent all her grievances at once.

After reading over a hundred words, Roland suddenly understood.

To put it bluntly, Black Iron City is facing severe internal competition.

In the harsh and dangerous underground environment, a newly emerging metropolis like Black Iron City is rare, and it naturally attracted a large population.

High population density has squeezed the job market, initiating a vicious cycle of involution.

In this context, the goblin girl is neither quite good nor bad.

She was not as strong as the lizardmen, not as beautiful as the Nightmare Succubus, and not as magically powerful as the pure-blooded aliens. She was also mute, and her knowledge level was far inferior to that of the dwarf demons.

In the early stages, they could find work by being literate and hardworking, but in the later stages, they could only work odd jobs in mines and receive meager wages.

That's right, she wasn't a main miner yet, just a laborer doing odd jobs in the mine.

At thirty-five, she was on the verge of unemployment.

"etc."

"That doesn't make sense either. With your qualifications, you'd be more than capable of doing odd jobs, right?"

Looking at Tess's pale face, Roland could tell from the moment they met that Tess was not in good health, and now was the perfect time to find out more.

"Little one, are you still sick?"

Mossy trembled, her writing speed suddenly slowed down, and she hesitated before writing three words on the stone slab.

"Puffiness".

Dust sickness caused by prolonged inhalation of mine dust is an occupational disease resulting from the dark underground environment.

However, the other world does possess magical power, and the magical races have extremely strong physical recovery abilities. Stronger races can basically ignore it, or find a place with good air quality, rest for a period of time, and wait for recovery.

Of course, this does not include goblins who are half-human and half-human, as their physical condition is too poor.

After writing those three words, Tess didn't dare look into Roland's eyes anymore. She just kept her head down, gripping the edge of the stone slab tightly with both hands until her knuckles turned white.

If I were the boss, I wouldn't hire a disabled person either.

There are just too many people in Black Iron City, so many that the tavern owner has countless choices—hire a lewd succubus, a hot nightmare, or an energetic Argonian maid.

These quick-witted girls may be illiterate, but they are the perfect waitresses for a tavern.

Tess had no idea that, out of her sight, Roland's eyes were practically shining like a 200-watt light bulb.

Unemployed at 35, with no hope of finding a job, mute, suffering from psoriasis and in urgent need of rest, discriminated against due to her mixed heritage...

Holy crap, he's got weaknesses all over his body, a chosen beast.

Roland suppressed her excitement, gently supported Moss's shoulder, and used the heart-shaped tail behind her to lift the goblin girl's chin with its tip.

Tess's delicate face was lifted up involuntarily, and she looked at Roland with a puzzled expression.

Just as she was about to give up, she saw Roland reveal a bright smile.

"It's just dust disease, a minor thing."

Roland looked relaxed and pointed to the surrounding environment.

"The Rotating Golden Sparrow has a beautiful environment and fresh air. Your mixed-race goblin constitution is a bit weak, but after working for a few months, you can gradually recover your health."

Upon hearing this, Tess's lips began to tremble, and though she opened them, no sound could be uttered.

How many months have you been working?

Does this mean I passed the interview?!

She was so excited that she rushed to get the writing slate, wanting to confirm with Roland through the writing.

Roland stopped her, crossed her arms, and spun her heart-shaped tail around, tapping her buttocks to mimic the sound of applause.

"That's right, just as you think."

"Congratulations, Miss Tess, you've been hired."