Chapter 11: Lawrence and Jayem's Separation
"My name is Drex. I am the manager of this outpost." The middle-aged man introduced himself. With an unbothered look on his face, he slightly bowed his head and said. "We apologize for this guard giving you trouble."
Seeing Manager Drex's action, the burly guard immediately left the scene. They've already been informed before that if ever a manager-level individual steps in, that means they are no longer needed, and they can return to their previous post.
A lot of people don't know this, but the burly man was aware that the reason why manager-level individuals don't need protection is that they've been trained in Avalon. That means they are stronger than the majority of people in Noverra right now, including the guards assigned to this place. And the length and degree of their training determine their strength. Meaning, each manager is different from the other.
If we get treated like this again, we'll take our business elsewhere," Kael said flatly, his words carrying a subtle threat. He wasn't worried about offending the manager, as he was confident that, like the guard earlier, they were under strict orders not to cause trouble in Rustfall without good reason.
Moreover, they came here for business, which meant they were bringing profit. It's common knowledge that one should never harm those who bring profit to one's doorstep.
"Consider it done!" Manager Drex beamed delightfully.
"Let's not beat around the bush and follow me so that we can proceed with business." Manager Drex began leading the trio inside the outpost.
Meanwhile, the group of men secretly following Kael's group was shocked after seeing the countless expensive materials they brought with them.
"Should we report this to the boss?"
"No, we wait!" The leader shook his head.
"Why?"
"Are you stupid?!" The leader smacked the head of his goon. "We need to see what exactly they came here for. If they're simply selling, then we should report to the boss so that they can set up an ambush on their way to the apartment. But if they are actually part of Nexus, then we have to warn the boss so that we know who we are up against."
"Or we can just rob them, right?"
"That's right! Hehehe!" The leader snickered.
Unbeknownst to the boss, the man he ordered to follow after Kael's group had the intention of becoming the boss of a gang himself. In fact, he wanted to replace their gang's boss if it were possible. Depending on how the situation turns out, it will determine whether his dream can come true today or if he has to continue waiting.
…..
If the exterior of the outpost was plain, the interior was just as modest.
Kael wasn't disappointed since he had been inside this place plenty of times in the past. A week from now, this place will start buzzing with countless customers, and they'll have no other choice but to start expanding to accommodate its growth. And as more players start to come in, the better this place will become.
"You can go ahead and show me everything you've got," Manager Drex motioned with his hand. "There's nothing to worry about. Nobody is going to steal from you."
Manager Drew has become familiar with the citizens of Rustfall after staying on this continent for a long time. And one common trait everyone possesses is that they don't easily trust people, especially those who belong to Nexus. So, having one here is a good opportunity to boost their reputation.
Kael, Lawrence, and Jayem started unpacking everything they brought.
Although he was professional, Manager Drew still couldn't help but get taken aback by the amount that the trio brought him. He finally understood why the guard was having trouble after seeing their luggage and bags.
"A total of thirteen huge gold nuggets, and over fifty unknown flora…" Manager Drex counted. "I could give you a price for the thirteen gold nuggets right now, but I'll have to check with my team regarding these flora. Would it be okay if you stayed in here and wait for a few minutes? I'll have a clerk bring you something. Are you perhaps interested in any beverages or snacks?"
"Okay!" Kael nodded. He sees no problem with that.
"I'm really grateful for your patronage." Manager Drew was genuinely happy with their first customer. "So, these gold nuggets, I could give you… Do you want caps or cash?"
"Cash!"
Lawrence and Jayem immediately responded.
Kael simply smiled.
"Okay!" Manager Kim smiled before tapping on his hologram screen on his wrist to calculate everything. "To tell you the truth, the gold in Avalon is phenomenal compared to what we could find in Noverra. Let me tell you why."
Manager Kim grabbed a gold nugget. "In Noverra, 24k gold is soft and easily damaged. So, it is not practical to use it as jewelry. But, a 24k gold made from the gold in Avalon is tough and hard to damage, as if it were diamond. So, if you just happen to bring me a diamond from Avalon next time, trust me, I might be able to get you each a one-way ticket out from Rustfall." He chuckled.
Lawrence and Jayem look at each other in excitement.
Contrary to them, Kael was unbothered. If ever he finds a diamond from Avalon, he'll never sell it to Nexus. That's because a diamond from Avalon is one of the main key ingredients in making weapons.
"So, in total, these gold nuggets are worth ten thousand Novarian Dollars." Manager Kim said after finishing his explanation.
"Anyways, I'll give you everything after we finish calculating every flora you've brought with you." Manager Drex stood up. "By the way, any refreshments?"
"Milk and cookies for me!" Lawrence exclaimed.
"Coffee and bread!" Jayem followed.
They didn't actually eat anything when they left since they were in a hurry.
"Just water for me," Kael casually responded.
Unbeknownst to the duo, the so-called refreshments they offer are actually made from the flora and fauna found in Noverra. In other words, it's not refreshing at all. He'd rather eat dirt from Avalon than any of the edible snacks made from Rustfall. In fact, he barely ate ever since he returned to the past.
Moreover, he could still remember the regret he felt after starting to learn mana from a mentor he hired.
"Your airways and blood vessels are so impure that I'm really surprised you are still alive!"
That wasn't all.
Practically the majority of the edibles invented in Noverra carry with them impurities that need to be cleansed before learning to manipulate mana or every time one uses mana. Otherwise, their overall power will considerably decrease.
Not many people probably know this yet, since only a few people from Nexus are starting to learn how to manipulate mana in Avalon. And even though they had a head start, that actually didn't imply their situation was better than the new players. That was what he discovered from the past, which is the main reason why they tricked people with those so-called useful documents about Avalon.
Not long after, a beautiful female clerk entered the room along with the requested refreshments. She carefully laid them on the table in front of everyone before leaving.
Seemingly in an instant, Lawrence and Jayem completely devoured everything placed on the table, evidently showing just how hungry the duo was.
"Time to take care of the problem outside!" Jayem suddenly stood up from his seat.
"Make sure to do it cleanly." Kael didn't bother to stop whatever Jayem was planning on doing. He actually has another plan in mind, but Jayem's plan could also work.
"He always does things cleanly." Lawrence patted Jayem's shoulder before the latter left.
"I'm surprised you are not coming with him." Kael was slightly surprised since these two do things together most of the time.
"We've started talking about parting ways," Lawrence didn't bother hiding from Kael.
Kael was instantly taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Lawrence and Jayem parting ways shouldn't be something that could happen. Even in the future, the duo was inseparable.
"Oh!" Lawrence hurriedly clarifies. "I'm not talking about splitting as in we will stop working together. I meant starting last night, the two of us agreed that we would start doing things differently. I think you already know about this. I mostly lead our operation while Jayem simply follows whatever I want him to do. We want to change that."
Lawrence grabbed his glass of milk. "We are different. I like to do things openly and things that could potentially attract people's attention. To simply put, I want to become so famous that people throughout Noverra will know about the great me."
He reached for Jayem's glass of coffee. "On the other hand, Jayem wants to remain low-key and have his identity hidden. He doesn't want to stand out. If people know about his existence, it's not because they admire him or want to get to know him more, but because they are afraid of him. Afraid to become his target, afraid that they'll offend him. In other words, he wants people to leave his life alone."
"Avalon's existence is like a beacon of hope for the two of us. It's like everyone's been given an equal opportunity to change our respective lives for the better or worse, depending on how we use this opportunity for ourselves."
Lawrence looked at Kael. "And for that, I'm very grateful to you." He slightly bowed his head. "You don't have to worry, though. We also agreed to join you in whatever group you wanted to create in the future. We might not have received an education and are a lot dumber compared to the people of the other four continents, but we have plenty of experience. And our experiences right now are telling us that joining you would only benefit us."
"Good to know." Kael inwardly sighs in relief. Lawrence's response just now had him slightly worried.