Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 571: What a Waste Not to Be in Sales
In the end, the only one who returned to Lungmen was Steven.
If they wanted to meet Steven's condition, Kal'tsit would have no choice but to contact the rulers of various nations using her former identity. The matter was simply too significant. With heavyweights like Nian and the Emperor as witnesses, their involvement was absolutely indispensable.
As for Steven—the person at the center of it all—he could afford to quietly slack off for a while until the other side reached a conclusion.
However, when he tried to temporarily board his Ebony on Rhodes Island, he was met with firm opposition from Kal'tsit. She repeatedly warned him that, if possible, he should avoid letting that flashy mount out in public.
Steven himself might not feel anything, but that didn't mean others could ignore the sudden appearance of a terrifying beast the size of a building. Not to mention the overwhelming aura and pressure it emitted—it was easily on par with other Feranmuts. Something essentially equivalent to a walking nuclear weapon would need an explanation no matter where it appeared, right?
On top of that, the creature Steven called a Nergigante looked like it was born purely for battle. Wherever it showed up, chaos would surely follow. Especially now that they were within Yan's territory—and Yan just happened to be the strictest nation when it came to regulating this kind of beast.
So, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Kal'tsit patiently tried to persuade Steven not to release that thing for the time being.
"But I finally caught such a badass mount. If I don't show it off, isn't that like wearing fine clothes in the dark? What a waste!"
Rubbing his chin, Steven looked at the Pokéball in his hand that contained Ebony. This item from Minecraft was as reliable as ever—no matter how massive his "little sheep" was, it could still be stored inside a tiny ball not even the size of his fist.
Sure, it felt a bit bad to keep it locked up right after getting it. But on one hand, the creature needed time to recover through sleep, and on the other, Steven had promised it plenty of food. Under those conditions, the Nergigante didn't seem to mind much.
Ironically, it was Steven who felt dissatisfied. Finally getting such an awesome mount and having nowhere to show it off? That was seriously frustrating. That was also why he had originally wanted to leave it on Rhodes Island.
Just imagine—taming such a massive, ferocious monster. How impressive would that make him look?
Unfortunately, Kal'tsit had rejected the idea. With no other choice, Steven settled for putting it back into the ball. When the time came, he'd ride it out in the tundra or Iberia—surely no one would complain then. Whether it was the guerrilla fighters in the snowfields or the Inquisition of Iberia, they'd probably welcome it as a powerful ally.
With that plan in mind, Steven continued imagining how to pull off a flashy debut. Then, in the next moment, he teleported straight back to the entrance of Lungmen's slums.
No one noticed him stepping out from an empty alley.
It wasn't until Steven arrived at the small shop run by Hei Ye—something that could barely be called an inn—that the pure, curious gazes peeking out at him snapped him out of his wandering thoughts.
"Why are you all staring at me like that? Is there something strange on me?"
Noticing the children's eyes, Steven looked down at himself in confusion. After confirming that there was nothing unusual on him, he scratched his head and asked the kids—who quickly ducked back inside upon hearing him speak.
Steven had always had a soft spot for human "younglings." As long as they hadn't gone down the wrong evolutionary branch and turned into bratty little monsters, he tended to treat kids with far more sincerity and patience than he ever showed most adults.
After all, who wouldn't like innocent, adorable, well-behaved little bundles of softness?
"N-No, it's just… Sister Hei Ye said we had to wait until big brother came back before we could eat. She even made our favorite braised pork today… we only get that during festivals…"
Perhaps sensing no danger from Steven, one of the children—no older than ten, and clearly the leader of the group—stepped forward timidly and explained.
Steven recognized her. She was the same little girl who had nearly tricked Centaurea out of her wallet before.
Judging from the way she kept swallowing unconsciously, it was obvious the children had already been waiting to the point of near desperation.
"Then that's definitely my fault. Being late for something as important as a meal? Yeah, I owe you all an apology. How about this, to make it up to you, I'll treat you all to some candy later."
With a warm smile, Steven bent down slightly as he spoke. If Kal'tsit had seen this, her reaction would probably have been even more dramatic than when she saw something bigger than Zorah Magdaros. After all, this was Steven—the absurdly stubborn, unreadable man who never let himself take a loss. Who could have imagined he'd sincerely apologize to a group of children over something like this?
It just didn't make sense.
"Um… no, it's okay. Sister Hei Ye said we shouldn't accept things that we didn't earn ourselves…"
The little girl's eyes sparkled at the mention of candy, but she quickly bit her lower lip, shaking her head as she refused.
It was hard to believe words like that came from a child raised in the slums—especially when their guardian was, until recently, a full-fledged thief. That only made it all the more remarkable.
"That's a good mindset. Then how about this—I'll ask Sister Hei Ye to take all of you out later. My treat. That should be fine, right?"
Seeing how sensible she was, Steven's expression softened. He reached out and gently ruffled the girl's somewhat frail head, narrowing his eyes with a faint smile as he spoke.
No wonder some people enjoyed being around kids. As long as you filtered out the troublesome brats, these little humans really did have a way of healing the heart.
This time, the children had no reason to refuse. Delighted, they gathered around Steven and followed him into what could barely be called the inn's "lobby." Once inside, they obediently returned to their seats, waiting patiently for the meal to begin.
Hei Ye, acting as half the head chef, poked her apron-clad upper body out from the smoky kitchen. Upon seeing that Steven had returned, she quickly ducked back inside.
"You're back? Then get ready to eat. You've already paid for your meals, so I'm not about to feed you garbage. Honestly, eating here is way safer than outside—at least my kitchen won't randomly throw in bonus ingredients like cockroaches or rats."
Hei Ye's voice drifted out from the kitchen. The way she brought money into every other sentence no longer felt as grating as before.
Considering she was raising such a large group of children all by herself, it really wasn't hard to understand why.
Still, being a thief wasn't exactly a sustainable career. One wrong move, and she could end up getting hauled off by the Lungmen Guard Department. And when that happened, who would take care of these kids?
"I'm only renting a place for a few days at most. But you? If you keep this up, there's no future in it. You've got good skills though… how about I introduce you to a job?"
Steven fiddled with the simple but fairly clean utensils in his hands, then turned toward the rabbit-eared girl still busy in the kitchen and casually made the suggestion.
"Huh? You want to hire me as a cook? Sorry, but the stuff I make is barely edible."
She answered offhandedly, but judging from the smell drifting out of the kitchen—which couldn't exactly be called appetizing—she probably wasn't lying.
"No, of course not. I just think… with that mouth of yours, you'd make a great salesperson."
Steven recalled the way she enthusiastically pushed her goods every time money was involved—her expressions, her tactics—and he was already convinced she had an extraordinary talent in that field. With her eloquence and quick thinking, staying here as a petty thief was a complete waste. She needed a bigger stage to really shine.
"Huh? Sales? Selling what? I can help you haggle, sure—but selling things? That requires capital, doesn't it? I can barely afford to feed this bunch of kids right now. You expect me to have the time, money, and energy to figure out some new business? Or what—are you planning to sponsor a complete stranger you just met?"
Hei Ye walked out of the kitchen carrying a large pot of steaming stew, her tone laced more with numb resignation than anything else.
"That's… not impossible."
"Huh? Then what do you want me to sell? Smuggled goods?"
"Of course not."
Steven grinned.
"Potatoes."
"…Huh?"
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 617: A Bold Guess[1]
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628