I take Scarlet Rose and place it in its case.
"So why did you come? It's two black tokens for our daughter's maintenance," she said in a relaxed tone as she rested her head on the counter.
Before answering, I place the Smiler's core on the counter, and Daysy opens her eyes wide and asks me:
"Did you kill him using Scarlet Rose?"
"Yes, but I needed six bullets. Still, it was effective," I reply.
"Wow, I'm a genius!" Scarlet Rose is great!" She paused, then said to me, holding the Smiler's core: "They'd give you 1,300 black tokens for this core at any of the guilds.
"Take care of the core. I came for Stoker. Give me a revolver holster too," I said as I looked at the weapons on the shelves.
She goes to the back of the gun shop and brings back the imposing black revolver. I put the holster on my side, and then holster Stoker, which already has its five bullets in the chambers.
Now I have a revolver on each side. I feel safer.
"Daysy, the revolver you were going to give me as compensation." How much do you want for it? I ask her.
She doesn't answer me right away. First, she goes to the back of the gun shop and returns a moment later with a box. She opens it, and inside is an elegant white revolver.
"It's a gift." You can think of it as a gift from a friend," she says.
"No, I'll pay for it. I don't plan on being just your friend," I say as I take the revolver and weigh it in my hand.
She smiles and then says,
"Then it would be 250 black tokens if I take into account the remaining value of the Smiler's core."
"Do you know a woman called the Lady in Red?" I ask her as I take the 250 black tokens out of my backpack.
"Yes, she's a feared hunter from the Babel guild. If you want to live in peace, stay away from her." She replied as she placed a box of ammunition on the reception counter.
"I wish I had known that before," I think, and then I open the ammunition box, inside which there are white bullets, and place one in the cylinder of the white revolver. When I put the cylinder in place, the bullet absorbs my fear, but to a lesser extent than Scarlet Rose does. Shortly after, she tells me:
"It's the prototype. Although its power is less, it can kill monsters with 1 or 2 skulls. It doesn't have a name."
"Then we'll call it Ghost," I say, and then I put Ghost in my backpack.
"Are you staying?" she asks me.
"Yes, I accept the invitation," I reply.
"Go to the back of the armory, walk to the end where you'll find a cobblestone path that will take you to the mansion," she tells me.
••••
As I walk, at the back of the armory I see remnants of materials used to make weapons, mostly iron, obsidian, and remains of monsters and supernatural beings. When I reach the end, I see a path paved with gray stones, just as she told me, and at the entrance to the old mansion there is a tall, robust man with gray hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing a beige shirt with a vest and brown pants. His face is lined with wrinkles that betray his age.
The man is walking a muscular, menacing-looking dog, and next to him is a young woman who looks like Daysy but appears to be about 15 years old, wearing a white dress.
"Grandpa, my sister invited a boy," says Daysy's sister.
"Ha ha, what should we do?" I don't think Roc has eaten," says Daysy's grandfather in a relaxed tone.
"I'm sorry to bother you," I say calmly. If you ask me to leave, I will.
"Don't worry, we're just joking. You can come in," says Daysy's grandfather.
I walk towards the entrance of the mansion, and Daysy's grandfather elevates his fear, which is greater than mine. "That was a clear warning," I think immediately
••••
It's six in the morning, and I'm in the armory drinking coffee.
"Are you leaving so early?" Daysy asks me in a somewhat cheerful tone.
"Yes, I haven't gotten used to Squad Z yet, and I need to learn how the squad is organized and what the missions are like." "I reply, although mainly, I don't want to stay too long in the central area, so that if any mishap occurs, I'll still have time to leave the central area on time and avoid the fine.
When I finish my coffee, I place the empty cup on the reception counter, sling my backpack over my shoulder after putting away the holster I bought for Ghost, say goodbye to Daysy, and leave the armory.
••••
As I walk through the streets of the central area, I remember the chicken soup dinner, which was actually chicken broth with a few pieces of chicken because a whole chicken is a luxury that costs 30 black tokens.
The bread I tried last night was soft. They may not eat like rich people, but I must say they eat better than I do. Luckily, fear keeps me strong, or I would be skin and bones.
According to Daysy, the food products sold to the public are grown in Area A of Ciudad Rodem. But the quality products actually come from the two big cities that compete for the title of best city.
"For now, I just have to focus on what's in front of my eyes. It would be stupid to think about something far away when I haven't even managed to have a stable life, if that's even possible in this world." In the end, I stop rambling and sit outside the "Mysterious Blacksmith's Shop."
An hour later, the gaunt man from the blacksmith's shop opens the door and asks me:
"What do you want, boy?"
"I want to buy cheap swords," I reply immediately.