Chapter 162: Lead and Silver Coins (16)

Chapter 162: Lead and Silver Coins (16)

****

Thud!

One of the three trucks' cargo area opened, and long-lasting vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, onions, and broccoli tumbled out.

There was no particular need for display. Simply by opening the cargo area wide on the open lot and neatly placing the vegetables in empty green gun boxes, the setup was complete.

Although we lost the trailer on the way and the quantity was nearly halved, since our operational goal had significantly diverged from mere trading, there was not much to regret.

With this amount of fresh produce, the break-even point was ambiguous, but it was more than enough to attract people.

"Alright, beloved brothers and sisters of Dome! We are the long-distance caravan BDSM from Dome 47! Big-Margin! Small-Dream!"

Tap, tap, tap!

"Jaw, the other way around! The other way!"

"Eh? Ah, damn it! B, Big-Dream! Small-Margin! A trading post selling big dreams at reasonable prices! Check out the BDSM caravan's goods! We are in the eastern lot! Big-Dream! Small-Margin!"

Each time Ian's booming voice echoed through the city's alleys, people hiding inside their homes started peeking out one by one.

Doing business right in the middle of a potentially hostile group? Some might say we were desperate for money, but this was a part of a strategy derived from logical and rational thinking.

We weren't sure how much the enemy knew about us, but thanks to Dana, it was certain that we had more information than what the enemy was expecting.

The important thing was to keep that information hidden without getting caught.

By deciding to oppose Dome 38, holing up in a room, pulling out guns, setting booby traps, and all that nonsense would practically advertise we've caught on to your dirty secrets~'. It was better to act as though we were traders who had come a long way, only to unfortunately lose our merchandise to fanatics. Might as well make a lot of money while we're at it that was the attitude to adopt.

"Is is all that really for sale?"

Watching Ian's Hummer from afar, a rather sturdy-looking man among the people who had been just looking around gathered the courage to approach.

A sales smile bloomed on Professor's face.

"My, of course! All freshly grown in Dome's state-of-the-art cultivation facilities, not in the barren wasteland! They're very fresh, harvested less than two weeks ago! But how much were you thinking?"

"Well I don't have much in shillings, but I've got some alloy saved up"

The man glanced around nervously, almost as if dealing drugs, and handed over a pouch filled with alloy.

For a Dome resident to suggest trading in scrap rather than shillings was unusual. Likely, it was illegal funds prepared by dismantling Dome structures.

Fortunately, it seems there are quite a few holes to dig into with this enemy.'

Observing the man's behavior, which was far removed from the normal physiology of Dome, the smile on Professor's face deepened.

He casually opened the pouch to check the alloy lumps with melting and scorch marks, a messy mix of high-quality alloy and scrap metal, clearly not the work of someone involved in this line of work.

"Hmm With this amount, I can't give you much"

"I, I don't need much. It's not for eating-"

"If it's not for eating then?" for new novels

"Gah! No, it's for dinner tonight!"

Thwack!

Caught you!'

The atmosphere was not just devoid of vitality for a Dome, but outright gloomy. Citizens glancing around even while buying food. A man offering illegal funds with a grave face as if heading to a battlefield. Doesn't it feel off? These people are deeply afraid of something, and the act of buying food itself is linked to that fear. Whether it was food control or a ban on trading with outsiders, it didn't matter. The important thing was that we had found a reason to press our guest'.

"If it's not for eating, you surely don't mean it's for ornamental purposes. I see dirt under your nails? Are these goods for seeding purposes?"

"No, no, not at all! That's not it!"

"Ha-ha-ha. What an interesting guest we have here? I understand that Dome regulations prohibit the cultivation of illegal crops outside of approved farmlands. Evading taxes when they are not even that high You're quite bold, aren't you?"

"No, no, that's not it!"

The man, caught in a slip of the tongue, was terrified and attempted to flee, but the left arm that grabbed his shoulder didn't budge an inch, as solid as a steel tower. Only then did the man notice the peculiarly shaped left arm and glove of this intimidating merchant.

"What are you that arm!"

"Well, a merchant, just a merchant. Big-Dream, Small-Margin! Just like you might moonlight as a scavenger, I have a side job as well. By the way, you seem to be a farmer, how come you didn't save even a single seed? They say a farmer would rather starve than sleep without seeds. Did you eat them all out of hunger?"

"That's ridiculous! That's not"

The man, about to say something, clammed up in confusion, shutting his mouth tight like a clam. Vex, who had been aligning rows of carrots, didn't miss the opportunity and subtly pushed forward a green wooden box that had been separately packaged.

Half of the box was filled with fresh produce, the other half with MREs obtained from the station.

I deliberately opened the packaging of the combat ration, tearing open the retort packaging of beans and stewed meat to show its contents. The rich smell spread rapidly, drawing the man's gaze entirely to it. The moment the man unwittingly stretched out his hand.

Swoosh-

As if teasing him, the wooden box moved away from him. Greed was visible in his expression, clutching his stomach. Hunger, I know it all too well.

"Why why are you showing this to me?"

The man's tone had completely shifted to respectful, and Professor gently wrapped his shoulder.

"The reason you know, merchants are quite superstitious. If you make a big profit, they say to give away a tenth of the earnings. If your ledger grows mold, money leaks away. Or."

Snap!

"Sending the first customer away empty-handed brings great misfortune."

Behind the widely opened cargo area and the piled goods, there was a space not visible from the outside, not originally part of the building, thus no need to worry about bugs or surveillance devices in this makeshift chamber.

"It's nothing much. We haven't been here long, so we're not well-versed in the market prices or trends. It's embarrassing for a merchant, but we can't trade without knowing the value. We were hoping you could tell us about the recent food situation in Dome 38, tax allocations, or any other trivial trends."

The man, swallowing his saliva, was handed the opened combat ration.

"A very small favor. For that much, this box full of rations will be entirely yours."

Rumble-

Vex, having finished unloading the goods, timely pulled down the door of the cargo area, and pitch-black darkness descended between the two, invisible to anyone else.

"Seems like a person of no noble stature."

As if responding to my thoughts, there was a knock on the door where our group was. Vex pointed the gun towards the door and slightly opened it, revealing a neatly dressed man through the thin gap. Vex's grim voice greeted him.

"Identity and purpose."

"Ah, such a fierce gatekeeper. Would you mind stepping aside?"

"Identity and purpose."

His pronunciation was more slurred and muffled than usual. Vex understood his physical characteristics well. Small and frail appearance, aged face. Adding slurred speech made him seem like a menial worker to those seeing him for the first time. Since I declared the whole area an operation zone upon getting out of the truck, Vex had been deliberately keeping quiet, carrying vegetables, moving luggage, and sticking to menial tasks. Thanks to that, the man outside, unaware of the gun Vex hid behind the door aimed precisely at his head height, approached with a business-like smile.

"There's no need for alarm. I'm here on behalf of the administrative body that effectively governs Area 38, to convey a message to you."

Seeing Vex sending me a shall we test him?' kind of signal with his eyes, I nodded,

Slowly.

Vex's thumb moved towards the hammer of the revolver he held.

Click-

Flinch!

With the sound of the hammer being cocked, a very subtle, but definite, reaction from one of the assassins.

Observant as ever, Professor noticed. Unlike the other who remained motionless, one assassin's neck muscles tensed for a moment. Caught in the dilemma of whether to inform his unaware ally about the gun pointed at his head or to continue feigning unconsciousness, the sound of the hammer being cocked inadvertently made him tense.

This one came from the administration. Before even starting, we've got a useful card in hand?'

Professor signaled a [de-escalation] with his hands and welcomed the incoming spokesperson with open arms.

"My goodness, such busy officials coming all the way to the humble abode of mere merchants! Had you summoned us, we would have gladly visited the administrative building ourselves!"

"Ha ha ha ha. No..! Ahem! No, it wouldn't be right to summon distinguished guests from afar. But, those people behind you are?"

"Ah, this? Nothing much. Just some new friends we made a few minutes ago. Please, take a seat! You've come to talk, after all, so let me at least serve you some tea."

The spokesperson, who had momentarily stiffened as if meeting an old friend, was probably sweating bullets. He must be wondering why he ended up tied up here.

With bustling gestures, I led the spokesperson to the table and then roughly dragged the administration's assassin over to sit beside me.

Scritch-scratch-

Sssshhhhh!

Whoosh! Whooosh!

Sssshhh!

As Ezel, who had been very eager to "excise the rotten parts of Dome," poured tea for the spokesperson, Vex and Ian grimly tore up the white bedsheet on the bed to make ropes.

The atmosphere screamed that something was terribly wrong.

The freshly made white ropes secured the assassin's limbs to the chair, and as the sound of sharpening knives whispered in the ear of the gagged assassin, his breathing became audibly rough.

The spokesperson? He tried to maintain a calm demeanor by picking up the teacup, but his trembling hands spilled it all, making him look pitiful.

As I wiped the table with the remaining bits of blanket, the spokesperson jumped, startled.

"My, spilling such precious tea. These luxury goods, low in calories as they may be, are scarce and expensive. You seem quite shaky Are you cold?"

"Ye-ye-yes, a bit chilly. Ha, ha-uh-ick! Hh."

Each time I leaned closer to wipe the spilled tea, his trembling intensified. Hmm, perfect. The mood was ripe.

"Vex."

Crack!

At my call, Vex embedded a sharp dagger into the table.

"Ah, please don't misunderstand. We're all quite tired, and for merchants, time is money, isn't it? I heard you had something to say. Let's multitask and hear it while we take care of other matters."

As I casually leaned back in my chair, intertwining my fingers, Ian placed the limp hand of the assassin on the table. The breathing of both the assassin and the spokesperson grew even rougher.

"If I had known you were so busy, I would have come another time Maybe I should return today and-"

"Oh, no need for that. This is nothing more than simple labor for us, akin to peeling a particularly tough carrot, so it'll be over quickly. Unless"

Click, click, click.

"Would you, by any chance, have any connection with this individual?"

"No, no, that's completely preposterous! I, I do not know such an agent!"

"Such an agent' Agent. A-gent."

"Ugh, uh, ugh!"

The spokesperson was now almost holding his breath or holding back tears, unclear which. Compared to the assassin who was still holding back stoically, this one seemed to be of a lower caliber.

Well, at this point with two hostile forces nearby, the messenger they send is just this much. Just needs to deliver a message, can't risk a valuable elite on an assassination threat.'

Watching him turn completely pale, I casually tossed a lifeline.

"Then. Let's hear what you came to talk about. Oh, just a side note. This big friend here tends to get deeply engrossed in interesting stories. If you're a good speaker, this friend might forget all about their duties and dive into your story. Hahahaha! You should stick to the point, say what you need to, and go, right?"

Slowly tracing the assassin's spread fingers on the table with my fingernail, I fixed a meaningful gaze into the spokesperson's eyes. Though I didn't say it aloud, the look clearly conveyed a you know what I mean?' significance, mercilessly drilling into his wavering pupils.

A conversation? Sorry, but if you wanted to talk, you should have sent someone appropriate. Just introducing yourself as a spokesperson' without any introduction or position? That's practically throwing away your hand. Sending such fools our way only compels us to respond in kind.

"Let's see You said you came from the administration. Seems like Dome management hasn't been going well lately?"

"Th-that's because."

Beginning the interrogation' of the spokesperson with a smooth voice, Professor smiled contentedly.

He expected to uncover the darker plots more easily than anticipated if such individuals kept showing up.

****