Chapter 516: The Little Mouse’s Discovery
Chapter 516: Chapter 516: The Little Mouse’s Discovery
"Just a little longer. Tomorrow, we can trade the extra supplies we can’t carry for Holy Water, and we’ll leave as soon as the trade is done."
Justin Stone looked ahead and continued, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders,
"Our efforts weren’t in vain. We’re finally getting the Holy Water."
"Thirty tons of supplies. We’re letting her off cheap."
Chloe Ainsworth said in a reluctant tone.
Justin Stone scoffed. "It only sounds like a lot. One ton of grain is just twenty 50-kilogram bags of rice.
Thirty tons of grain is 150 bags of rice. We got lucky a while back and cleaned out the entire granary in Quelldra County. What are 150 bags of rice to us?"
Chloe Ainsworth seemed to feel a bit better after hearing that.
"That’s true. If you go by weight, that granary had tens of thousands of tons. Trading a little over a hundred bags for six bottles of Holy Water is definitely a good deal."
"So... are we not waiting for those merchants?
If we waited for them, we could have traded for ten bottles at once."
"...With this god-awful weather, it’s a question whether those guys will even show up. If we wait any longer, the people from the command center will be back, and I won’t be able to escape even if I want to."
"Besides, this Nina Jacobs is a well-known figure in City D Base. She’s one of those hero types who likes to show off. For the sake of her reputation, there’s no way she’d try to trick me with fake Holy Water."
As their conversation continued, Nina Jacobs listened, her mind racing.
’Those merchants Chloe Ainsworth mentioned are probably the ones selling the Holy Water, just like the two who sold it to Mordecai Quinn back at Meridia Base.’
’So Justin Stone was waiting here for those merchants.’
’But I got here first, and I also brought Holy Water.’
’The people from the command center being away gave Justin Stone an opportunity, a window to prepare. The reason he’s so desperate for the Holy Water is just so he can make a run for it as soon as possible.’
’So it’s very likely Aidan Keaton did something, which is why the command center sent people to investigate, or maybe to remove him from his post?’
’No wonder he’s in such a hurry.’
’But the supplies from the Quelldra County granary... so Justin Stone was the one who took them?’
Nina Jacobs didn’t find it that strange, since Riventon Base wasn’t too far from Quelldra County.
After taking tens of thousands of tons of grain, giving up thirty tons was truly a drop in the bucket for him.
"Still too naive,"
Nina Jacobs muttered to herself.
’At least, in her opinion, Justin Stone wasn’t going to get away so easily.’
However, this wouldn’t affect her trade the next day.
The next morning, Nina Jacobs found that Nia had locked herself in her room again, showing no signs of coming out.
Chloe Ainsworth brought a lavish breakfast for four and also informed them of the time for the upcoming trade.
"I understand. I’ll have my friend, the Space Superpower User, handle the trade in person,"
Nina Jacobs stated.
’Thirty tons of supplies was indeed just over a hundred bags of grain.’
’But it was unrealistic for her to transport such a heavy load by vehicle, so she still planned to use her Claire Warner identity for the trade.’
Chloe Ainsworth was a bit surprised, but after consulting with Justin Stone via walkie-talkie, he agreed.
"Only my friend will be going to the trade. You have nothing to worry about,"
Nina Jacobs said.
She had already snuck a Little Zombie Rat into Justin Stone’s office late last night, hiding it behind a large potted artificial plant.
’If they tried to pull any tricks, she’d know in advance.’
"Miss Jacobs, you jest. It’s just that the competition for Holy Water is fierce, and the Base Commander doesn’t want too many people to know. So, we can’t help but be a little more careful."
After speaking, Chloe Ainsworth glanced up at the railing on the upper floor. She seemed to see a figure appear there.
’But since it was Nina Jacobs’s friend, and Nina herself would ultimately be the one taking the supplies, it was none of their business whether the friend overheard the details of the trade or tried to snatch the supplies for herself.’
Chloe Ainsworth left quickly.
The trade was set for two hours later in the same office Justin Stone had used yesterday.
After Chloe Ainsworth left, Nia, who lived upstairs, finally came pattering down the stairs.
Nina Jacobs knew the person who had appeared upstairs was Nia, but she wasn’t worried about Nia overhearing.
Nia, however, stared at the closed door with a puzzled expression.
"I think I’ve seen her before,"
Nia said uncertainly.
"Where?"
’Nia must be talking about Chloe Ainsworth.’
’Nia had never been out on her own before. If she had seen Chloe Ainsworth, could it have been within The Aegis Conclave?’
"To be precise, I haven’t seen her in person. I saw her photo in the organization’s member list."
’Chloe Ainsworth was beautiful and had a great figure. It was her slightly raised chin, a look of pride, that felt familiar.’
That’s why she immediately hid when she saw her from upstairs.
"Are you saying she might be a member of The Aegis Conclave?"
Nina Jacobs asked.
Nia nodded. "Anyway, if you’re trading with someone like that, you’d better be careful. The Aegis Conclave is short on supplies right now. They’d do anything to get them."
"Well, that makes things interesting,"
Nina Jacobs said after hearing this.
’It wasn’t impossible for Chloe Ainsworth to be a member of The Aegis Conclave. In her past life, key personnel in various bases were eventually exposed as members of the same organization.’
’That organization was The Aegis Conclave.’
’But Justin Stone probably didn’t know about this.’
The six bottles of "Healing Potion" had already been transferred into ordinary bottles. After wandering around Riventon Base by herself for a bit, Nina Jacobs changed into her Claire Warner disguise in a deserted restroom.
The trade with Justin Stone went smoothly. Nina Jacobs also took the opportunity to ask for a small number of Crystal Cores, which gave her some more System Experience.
’After all, every little bit helps.’
"I heard you and Captain Jacobs are leaving today, Miss Warner?
Are you returning to City D Base?"
After the transaction was complete, Justin Stone looked at the unfamiliar face of Claire Warner and asked enthusiastically.
He still didn’t know if the six bottles of Holy Water were real or fake.
But with the precedent set by Aurelius Marshall’s case, he believed that Nina Jacobs, who already had a certain reputation in City D Base, wouldn’t deceive him.
"That’s right. Any longer and our car will probably fall apart,"
Nina Jacobs joked, wearing Claire Warner’s face.
’She had already collected the thirty tons of supplies from the office—exactly 150 bags of pristine white rice and flour.’
’Justin Stone hadn’t intended to double-cross her.’
’But the Little Zombie Rat she’d left behind had discovered something unexpected.’
’Justin Stone was actually a Space Superpower User.’
’He had taken out these supplies himself.’
’The outside world only knew him as a Water Element Superpower User; no one knew he also had a Space Element Superpower.’
’No wonder he was planning to abscond with the supplies.’
’Perhaps his space wasn’t short on supplies at all...’
"Hahaha, Captain Jacobs has a point.
Then I won’t keep Captain Jacobs waiting."
In the extreme cold, very few survivors ventured outside the base anymore.
It wasn’t just because of the harsh weather; vehicles breaking down at any moment were also a major safety hazard.
Fluids inside cars could freeze and burst the lines at any time. Tire pressure would drop rapidly, leading to blowouts. Electric vehicles suffered from drastically reduced range and might not even start at all...
Watching Claire Warner’s departing figure, Justin Stone was in high spirits. He even started humming a little tune.
"Should we send someone to kill her?"
Just then, Chloe Ainsworth came out and asked.
"Killing her would be easy, but it would only create unnecessary complications. The one behind her, Nina Jacobs, is not someone to be trifled with."
And City D Base isn’t to be trifled with either.
"Don’t worry. Besides you, no third person will ever know about my Space Element Superpower,"
Justin Stone said.