Chapter 179: A Ripper (2)
Chapter 177
"Now, the information?"
"Of course." The shopkeeper grinned immensely as he turned to face Kai in order to give him his undivided attention.
"A safe zone, as the name implies, is an area which the military has actually deemed secure enough to be explored and, in your case, safe enough for your expedition.
The type of beasts there aren’t something too strong for someone with substantial strength. It’s an area with weak creatures and is very much explored."
....
"... Further ahead is the partially safe zone, otherwise known as the orange zone," the man said as he walked towards the glass casing and opened it up.
Pulling out a folded piece of paper, he unfurled it to reveal a weathered map.
He turned the parchment towards the kids for about ten seconds—just enough time to allow them to see several spots marked with green arrows, while orange and red arrows occupied different territories.
The moment the ten-second mark hit, he quickly turned the chart away and then folded it back into his hands.
"The green zones are the safe zones. Perfect for your little expedition, while the orange marks are filled with slightly stronger beasts compared to the green zone. Then, the red mark is the danger zone.
The military has been unable to completely map that part as they are still stuck in the orange zone.
When all zones have been deemed safe enough and marked green, a planet can finally be registered as fully conquered. And everything will be normal."
The keeper paused for a second, then let out an awkward, dry chuckle.
"... Well, as normal as it could be. After all, this is a Tier 3 beast planet, which is what makes it all the more dangerous. Green zone or not, this is not something for kids."
Chloe lifted a brow, her expression skeptical.
"Yet civilians live here?"
A solemn look flashed across the man’s face as he turned his face away, his previous greed momentarily eclipsed by a shadow of weariness.
"As if we have a choice," he muttered under his breath.
And of course, Ray’s heightened hearing caught the remark clearly.
Turning back around to face them, the solemn look was gone; instead, the greedy glint was back in its place as the store owner stared at them.
"Well, I have given you all information worth the amount you paid. So, are you going to get anything else?"
Kai sighed and then looked at the flat books resting on the shelf.
"What are those?"
"Guide books detailing the types of beasts one should expect to find in the different green zones. Their strengths, species type, and specific weaknesses."
Chloe raised an eyebrow, looking confused.
"Huh? If a book is already created for that, then why did the Corps say we need to scan the beasts and plants here?"
Ray facepalmed himself while shaking his head at her lack of focus.
"I think you missed the part where they said this is a partially conquered planet. So our job—or the purpose of this expedition—is to detail the unknown information for them."
Hearing his teammates speak, Kai just shrugged and decided to finalize his purchase.
"Uh... we will need some sunscreens, two bottles; a guide book..." He kept naming things while Ray listened attentively.
"... And lastly, a ma—"
Leaning in, Ray whispered urgently.
"No need to get the map. Trust me."
Kai stared at his friend for a few seconds, wondering why he would stop him from getting a map that would show them which place was safe or not.
Without a map, they would be wandering blindly into potential death traps.
"And a?" The shopkeeper asked with a raised brow, waiting for the final item.
Sighing, Kai turned away.
He decided to put his trust in Ray, no matter what his friend was thinking or what hidden plan he might have.
"No... that’s all we want."
The shopkeeper stared at them for a few doubtful seconds, his fingers lingering on the weathered map in his hand as if he couldn’t believe they would pass it up.
"What about a map? Don’t you need one?"
Kai shook his head firmly, his expression one of feigned disappointment.
"Unfortunately, we are on a tight budget. So we won’t be able to afford it."
The blonde-haired boy lied through his teeth without a hint of hesitation.
But technically, it wasn’t a complete falsehood, as he really was on a restricted budget at that moment.
On their way to the store, he had convinced the others that he would pay for whatever they might be getting there.
They had initially refused, but after a bit more persuasion, they finally gave in to his generosity.
The young leader had been thinking that the items in the shop would be relatively cheap, but he hadn’t accounted for just how greedy the shopkeeper truly was.
The man was adding extra credits to every single thing he was selling.
While making a profit was just business, that usually meant adding two or three credits more; however, this man was slamming them with an additional five credits on every single purchase.
It was a staggering amount for people like Chloe and Ray, who came from humble backgrounds.
On a normal day, it wouldn’t have been much for Kai, but unfortunately, his family wasn’t sending him much to begin with.
They provided monthly allowances, but the sum was far from extravagant.
With a heavy sigh, he shook his head, his thoughts drifting away.
’What should I have expected? It wasn’t like they were happy with my decision to begin with. They wanted me to be like my brother, but unfortunately,’ He lifted his head to stare at the ceiling while the merchant was running around trying to gather the various items they had ordered.
’... I just don’t want that life. It’s not for me.’
Within a few minutes, the shopkeeper had everything ready for them.
He packaged the goods quite nicely while handing them over to Ray, who scowled at the man for a second before finally collecting the bundle.
After making the transfer of a whopping two hundred and fifty credits, Kai turned around and began exiting the store.
’Welp. Half my allowance gone in one single day.’
The shopkeeper was elated, his eyes practically gleaming as he waved at the kids who were already at the door.
"Bye! Thanks for the patronage. Do come again!"
Kai and Chloe had already stepped out of the store, leaving Ray to turn back for a second with a deep frown etched on his face.
’Like hell we will come back, you robber.’
He pushed the door open and lingered for a few seconds as a sinister smile curved his lips.
Using his heightened abilities, he focused his gaze on the interior of the shop one last time.
’... At least even though it’s not much, this would be a nice little payback for your greediness.’
With a silent, dark cackle, he fully exited the shop and let the door swing shut behind him.