Chapter 147: Lead And Silver Dollars (2)

Chapter 147: Lead And Silver Dollars (2)

[Daaaamn shes not your average bh!]

Hey. Shes still a kid, dont call her a bh.

[Whaddya mean? Shes 10, so shes lived over 10 times longer than me.]

Well, when you say it like that.

Synthia Batross. Daughter of Luwil Batross, companion back in the 14 Special Ops Squad. Unlike his father, who looks like a scammer from Macao, her white skin and defined facial features made it clear that she was going to be a heartbreaker when she grew up.

Special note, she has the tendency to steal. Confirmed her habit of collecting and hiding anything and everything, from food to small bolt scraps, under the bed. I heard Vex say that he was going to take care of this while I was gone

Heeheehee. Thank you Mister Gunyong!

Its my pleasure! Its thanks to you saving our spot last time that our familys living so comfortably these days! So our little Miss, dont hold back and tell us any time you need something, alright?

Okay! Say hello to your wife, too, sir!

I will! And make sure to keep that promise! To ask Mister Gyosu to name our baby!

Dont take it back later if its weird!

Just what did you take care of, Vex?

In the past month, the cute little foxy girl appeared with a couple more tails attached to her.

Just look at her right now. Shes met about 20 people in just this area, and every one of them took out at least a handful to at most an armful of scraps from their bags or pockets and added it to the cart, and she isnt even pushing the cart, some buff looking man is.

At first, I thought she was doing business. Though fried Radiation Scorpion shell was a delicacy, it wasnt especially filling, and it was the oil that people didnt have to fry it. The shell was possible to get with some effort. So I thought that the reason why everyone was paying different amounts was because Synthia didnt properly know the concept of trading just yet.

But as I kept on watching as I followed her, I could see that it was a little different from that.

Ah, Miss. Please take good care of us. This is this weeks share.

Miss Synthia, Im sorry, but the farming has not been going that well recently, so this is all I

Thats why I told you to settle down in a place thats less organized. It might be more uncomfortable to live in, but there are more things to dig out there.

Its been years since Ive wandered around with my mother, so I wanted to settle down somewhere safer this time so I can treat her better

Hahh. Alright. I wont take it today, so come out sometime to the village when we need a helping hand.

Oh goodness! Of course, I will! Please deliver good news about me to Mister Gysou!

Even though all the fried shell was gone, the people continued to hand over scraps.

And Synthia acted like she knew everyone living around the shelter.

Dumb survivors have been long dead, and those without ambition were all betrayed and killed.

Since the Wastelands people wouldnt hand over anything that might be worth something without anything in return, the scraps piled on that cart were the cost for something.

Based on Synthias behavior, the way shes going around the outskirts of the undeveloped zones around our shelter as if on patrol, and asking the people how they were doing, this is

[A lord?]

Similar. Protection fees, taxes, tributes. I told them not to put it in front of the house, so this is what theyve been doing?

Not to offend Vex, but as someone who didnt have the proper education when he was younger, Vex didnt have the knowledge to arrange something like this. Vex didnt teach her this.

And since there was no way Ian, who was away since the day I went in the pod to do some big trade at the Dome, would have been able to teach this to her either, this was purely thought out by Synthia.

I was just going to let her off with a scolding and a pinch to the cheeks because it was cute that she was trying to do something on her own, but this deserved a full swing, not a small pinch.

Creeak, creeak!

Mmm Can you really take this by yourself? If Mister Gyosu Park allows it, then I can take it up to the front of the shelt

N-no, you dont have to! Daddys a little sensitive, so he doesnt like outsiders near the house!

I see. But to think he still set a border and accepted people to live past it. What a generous person. Then be safe, Ill see you tomorrow!

See you!

And so Synthia dragged the full cart toward the shelter. She continued to wave with a bright smile until the man that pushed the cart for her disappeared from sight, then switched faces instantly and put on her goggles.

As if she had done this already many times before, Synthia took out several wooden planks from the corner of a building and placed them on top of the bumpy alleyway, then started to push the cart over those plants.

Rollll, thunk! Roll, rollll!

Hahhh. I can do it. I can Doo! It!

In order to have a better view of mutants or people that came near, our shelter was located on top of a slightly elevated area. Synthia would push the cart a little, place a rock under the wheel to rest, then push the cart again.

[Shouldnt we go help her? Shes gonna get herself hurt.]

Lets wait and see. Ill have to see what she does at the end.

Drrr-r-r-r-r

Hagh, hahh! Almost there. Almost- huuup- there!

In the end, Synthia succeeded in pushing the cart all the way up to the shelter by herself. But the place she took the cart full of scraps was not the new shelter that was being used for storage, but my old storage shelter room in the one the four of us were living in.

I knew it.

The storage room is full of junk that Ive collected for the last 7 years. But anything valuable that was in it was either sold or traded, and the things left in here were ones questionable to use, quite literally being just junk without any real value. Since I now had enough money, I didnt really care about selling scraps, and though we lived together, I told Vex that the stuff here was mine, so all sorts of trash were scattered around the place.

Clatttttter!

In the middle of all thank junk, Synthia poured out all of the taxes that she collected today, then took off her goggles and started to sort the scraps with her little hands.

[But why bother to do it here of all places? I thought you were using that new shelter as a storage room. There should be some leftover room there because the caravan didnt start up yet.]

But both Vex and Koduro organize that place. You could say that this is a sort of hideout for her. I told Koduro that Ill sort this place myself, so even he doesnt come in here.

[Shes trying to avoid other people? Then dont tell me thats?]

Yep. Its allll- hers. She came here to hide it.

Well. How do I put this? What she was doing was shrewd as hell, but looking at her now, it was as sloppy as you expect a 10-year-old to be. Its just like when you play hide-n-seek with kids, and they hide behind the curtain, thinking you wouldnt be able to find them. She passed through the main gate that a housing AI, Koduro, manages, and she thought she wouldnt get caught.

[Lets see. Then she was selling out our name to collect protection fees from nearby survivors, then stowing it away all into her back pocket thats a criminal if I ever saw one. I dont think you should let her off with this, even if its your friends daughter. What are you gonna do?]

Do I even need to answer that?

Professor rose up from behind the shadows of the junk pile, then silently approached Synthia from behind.

Ill shake out every single penny until she cries about it.

A massive arms shadow fell over the little girls head.

Screws are metal, so to the left. Half of a plastic dish should I put it in meltables for now?

The outdoor activity clothing that Uncle Vex gave her was sturdy and did an excellent job of keeping the dust out, but it was that much stuffier and made her drenched with sweat even after a little bit.

Phew. Done!

Wiping off the droplets of sweat on her forehead, Synthia switched her glance between the small scrap pile and watch with a satisfied expression. 5:48 AM. It was close, but if she got washed right now, then she should be able to get back in bed before Uncle Vex came back. Another morning well used

Grab!

Its damp in there. The metals going to rust soon.

Kyaaaaa! W-who is?!

The moment she felt an immense pressure clasp around her collar and her two feet float into the air, Synthia took out the small dagger inside of her jacket and stabbed the hand holding her by the collar as she was taught.

[Im a little hurt you say that, Dad.]

Eat s**t, Hyde.

Schnff, hic, Dont take it, Gyosu. Im sorry, I was bad. But please dont take it

I understood her situation, but I couldnt just let this happen.

Gyosu pulled away Synthias hand that was on his pants, then pushed her aside from the pile she was trying to protect, then gathered the pile of junk together with his left hand again.

Now. Synthia?

Eeehk, sniff! Mmrgk

Hey, hey. Stop! Im not taking it. Im not going to take it away, so you can stop shaking and come here. Look closely. This is the seed bag that you received, and these are the screws that you got as comfort fees, right?

Nod.

Telling her that I wont take it must have calmed her down, as Synthia now only had big droplets of tears left in her eyes as she nodded. So I took out a few select items from her pile and showed them to her.

I dont know who gave it to you, but what that person gave to you, saying its an incredibly rare seed is just a single grain that cant sprout and isnt even worth a bite of food. This bolt and nuts threads are all worn out, so theyre a lot less valuable than regular bolts.

I-I dont know anything about how much they are. Im just fine as long as people are happy after they give me

Yeah, yeah. Thats on you. But these items show thats not the case for some people.

Hic, hiccup?

They lied to you that these are expensive. That means they think youre collecting something valuable for this comfort fee but dont want to give it. You never told them to give you a certain amount or give them a lot, but after you started to go around routinely to collect this comfort fee, the people got the idea that they wont be protected if they didnt pay the comfort fee.

After trying to understand what I was trying to say and becoming even more frightened than before after she seemed to understand, Synthia sobbed out a response.

I didnt think that would, hic! I just didnt want people to be scared, to live happily together

If the world worked like people wanted it to, then Luwil would still have been your dad, and I would have been just a playful uncle. The world is a lot more complicated than you think.

Hic! Hieugh! Euck, mmph!

Uh I was trying to lighten up the mood.

[Amazing job, lad. Talking about her dead dad in front of her. Are you actually stupid?]

No, but not that she looks scared.

[Hint. When we went to Old Man Woojins. You remember?]

Ah.

Synthia was trying to hold back her tears, her face continuing to get paler.

Only then did I realize what she was worried about.

I tried to hug her, but her junk was stuck to my left hand, so I just draped my left hand over her and pulled her close to me.

Its alright.

Schnnph, hic?

Youre only 10 years old; you could still make mistakes. Youre still welcome to live here, and I dont care whether you call me Dad or Uncle or Gyosu.

Youre not throwing me away?

Yeah.

Even though I cant be cute and clingy like other kids?

Dont. Its weird when kids do things they didnt do.

Even though Im a bh without any parents and steal and do other bad things?

Which number parent said that? Tell me. Next time I go to the Dome, Ill go sew that bastards mouth up.

The way Synthias face paled when she saw me. It wasnt just the fear of being caught, but the fear of being abandoned because she was caught. The desperate excuses that followed, and the pleas to not abandon her too.

[It must mean she liked this place that much.]

Oh. That feels nice when you think about it that way.

[Now then, lets finish up this comforting! Hurry! You know what the kid wants to hear! Like, I love you~ or Lets live together forever.]

Eugh, nope. Too much.

Just when I was worried about the situation getting awkward, I saw Synthia, two hands clasped over her hand, trying to keep the tears in. That reminded me it wasnt easy for a 10-year-old to be doing that.

Which one told you not to cry?

Hic! Second dad He said it was too noisy, hell throw me away if I cried

Damn. There are so many fing assholes in this world. Making a damn 10-year-old not know how to cry.

I didnt know what it felt like to not receive the love of my parents. Because I received too much from them, and it was their love that brought me all the way here.

But I at least knew that it wasnt right for a normal child to hold in their cries to the point they couldnt breathe.

Still hugging Synthia close, I slowly pat down her back with my right hand.

Now, copy me. Wahhh~

Hc, hic, huh?

Hurry. Do what I do. Wahhh~ Im gonna throw all this away if you dont.

A, aah, wahh, hnf, aaahh.

There you go. You can cry in our home, so cry all you want and shake it off.

Waaah, uahhhh

Alright. One more time.

Clasp.

Synthias grip on my clothes tightened,

Uahhhh, ahhhhh, wahhhhhhh!

Hah, finally. I was about to pass out for you there.

As if a clogged pipe finally opened up, she started to sob uncontrollably.

Uwahhhhhhhh! Hic, sorwyyyy, Ill never do, hic!

Yeah. Its alright as long as you dont repeat your mistakes.

Huwahhh, sob, whhhh

As if she was letting out the past tears she wasnt able to let out in the past, Synthia continued to cry for a long while.

This isnt good. I heard Santa doesnt give kids who cry presents.

Huahh, present, mine. Im not crying anymore hiih! Gyosu said it was okay one time. Its only one time, so give me sob!

Alright. I will so lets stop crying and go eat breakfast, hm?

Hic, eugnngh.

Even with all sorts of efforts, Synthias tears didnt stop, and until Vex came back and ran into the sound of Synthias crying with a pale expression, Gyosu needed to toss out all sorts of petty jokes to comfort Synthia, who continued to hang to his shirt and cry.

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