Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Thermos Flask

Things like mineral water and soft drinks were so valuable, she was always extra careful, afraid someone would steal them. That’s why she decided to deposit the ticket right away.

Full of anticipation, she stuffed the scratch-off ticket into the Lucky Cat. A moment later, it spat out a sleek, jet-black thermos.

The woman was immediately a little disappointed. ’What good is a water cup?’ she thought. But then she picked up the small instruction card to read it.

The more she read, the wider her eyes grew. This was unbelievable! To think there could be such a magical prize!

She exclaimed excitedly, "Boss Hart, can you take a look at this for me? Is what this says for real?"

Lily Hart rarely refused the girls’ requests, so she immediately turned to look, reading aloud, "Thermos. Can produce water three times a day. Temperature is constant."

She was surprised, too. ’The prizes today are getting more and more incredible,’ she thought.

Lily Hart nodded and assured her, "If it’s from the lottery shop, it’s definitely real. Don’t doubt it. You can give it a try."

The woman immediately opened the lid. The first thing she saw was pure water, which even reflected her own somewhat dusty face.

The thermos wasn’t large. There were measurement marks on the outside indicating 500 milliliters. The woman swallowed hard.

She drank the water in the cup in one go. It was sweet, cool, and refreshing—the taste of mineral water from her memories, without a single impurity or strange flavor.

After she finished, both Lily Hart and the woman stared at the thermos expectantly.

In less than two seconds, the thermos refilled with the same pure water, appearing out of thin air.

The woman cried out, "It’s real! It’s real! It’s real!" She couldn’t help but repeat it, overcome with excitement.

Lily Hart saw it for herself and nodded with a smile. "Yes, it’s real. Make sure you protect it well~"

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over the woman’s head. She calmed down instantly.

’That’s right. Innocence is no protection when you’re carrying a treasure. And who that’s survived ten years into the apocalypse could possibly be a good person?’

’Especially the residents of Spring-Watch Base. They’re a bunch of animals who get red-eyed with jealousy whenever they see someone with good supplies. Even if they can’t have it, they’ll destroy it.’

Lily Hart pointed to the hotel next door. "You can go there to lie low for a while. There’s an Eighth-rank Superpower User and a Protective Shield. No one would dare cause trouble."

The woman checked her Crystal Core balance. She had less than a hundred, but she immediately decided to check in.

She was long sick of Spring-Watch Base anyway. Now that she was carrying a treasure, she wouldn’t dare stay there a moment longer.

"Thank you, Boss Hart!" The woman clutched the thermos to her chest and scurried furtively toward the hotel.

Boss Leo was having a meal in the RV, but the hotel wasn’t closed. She could wait in the lobby.

Only after handling things on her end did Lily Hart sit down to eat, recounting the rare treasures from today’s scratch-offs to her companions.

"First, there was the sapling that can improve soil. Then, the fruit tree that can bear a different fruit every day. And now, a thermos that automatically produces water every day."

Everyone was stunned as they listened. That stuff was just too magical and amazing!

After the meal, Leo Colby returned to the hotel to check in the waiting woman.

She took her key card, went upstairs, and found her room. Just as she was about to swipe the card to enter, the door of the adjacent room suddenly opened, and someone came out.

Their eyes met, and their expressions were both ones of pleasant surprise. The woman with the thermos called out in a low voice, "Dawn, you’re here too?"

Dawn Lowell was the woman who had gotten the fruit tree that afternoon. Seeing Sasha Shelby now, she felt a sense of camaraderie. "You’re staying at this hotel too?"

"Yeah, I couldn’t be bothered to go back to that dump of a base!" Sasha Shelby, the girl who had won the thermos, said with a look of disdain.

"Exactly. They’re all a bunch of animals. It’d be pointless to go back," Dawn Lowell agreed with a firm nod.

The two chatted for a little while longer, then Sasha Shelby swiped her card and entered her room, while Dawn Lowell left the hotel.

She tiptoed around to the back of the hotel and took a small trowel and a plastic bucket out of her dimensional space.

She found a hidden corner, squatted down, and began to dig, filling the bucket with soil that she deemed relatively clean and soft.

Just as she was focused on digging, she suddenly heard the RUSTLING sound of footsteps behind her.

Dawn Lowell cautiously looked back and saw a tall man walking toward her, getting closer and closer.

Her gaze met a pair of bright, fox-like eyes. Under the streetlight, he was dressed in casual clothes, looking exceptionally relaxed.

He didn’t look like a bad person, but Dawn Lowell remained wary and quickened her digging.

It was Stan Sterling. He was searching for something not far from Dawn Lowell, and he finally settled on a spot.

He took a dagger from his dimensional space, squatted down, and began to dig a hole. It wasn’t very deep.

Once the hole was dug, he took a small sapling from his space and planted it. He then filled the hole back in, patting down the soil around it.

He left only the leafy part exposed. After planting it, Stan Sterling took out another bottle of mineral water and poured a little on top.

Soon, the already verdant leaves became even more radiant, perking up as if they had been nourished.

With that, the planting was done. Stan Sterling squatted beside it and watched for a long time. ’Since it can improve the soil... ’

’... it’s definitely better to plant it in the ground.’ He also wanted to see if it would actually work.

He stood up and left. Dawn Lowell, having filled her plastic bucket with soil, also headed back. The two of them entered the hotel one after the other.

Their hands were both a bit dirty. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought they’d been burying a body. Leo Colby just glanced up at them before looking away, unconcerned.

As they were going up the stairs, Dawn Lowell couldn’t help but ask, "What did you just plant?"

’Could someone else have gotten a fruit tree like her?’

Stan Sterling glanced at her but didn’t answer. They parted ways on the second floor. Dawn Lowell was left speechless as she continued up to the third floor.

She didn’t dwell on it. There were plenty of strange people in the apocalypse; silent types like him were quite common.

Dawn Lowell returned to her room and placed the plastic bucket on the balcony. Then, she took the fruit tree out of her dimensional space.

Lacking the nourishment of water and soil, it had started to wilt a little. Dawn Lowell dug a deep hole in the middle of the soil in her bucket.

She planted the fruit tree, filled the soil back in, and watered it with some of the mineral water provided in the room.

The leaves perked up with a "DING!" as if they had just been given a nutrient solution, turning a vibrant, luscious green.

Suddenly, the very top of the tree began to emit a faint white light. Dawn Lowell was captivated and stared intently.

The white light soon dissipated, revealing the true sight beneath: the sapling was bent over, weighed down by a single apple at its very top.

Dawn Lowell’s eyes widened in amazement. It could actually bear fruit! She immediately picked the apple.

She examined it from all angles. The apple was bigger than her fist and gave off a sweet, refreshing fragrance that gladdened the heart.

She gave it a quick wipe or two on her clothes before eagerly taking a huge bite. It was CRUNCHY, crisp, and sweet.

A wave of emotion washed over Dawn Lowell, and tears began to fall without her realizing it. She finished the apple in her hand, crying as she ate.

After finishing it, she suddenly felt a slight change in the energy within her body. It seemed... excited? Agitated?

She quickly sat down cross-legged and focused on cultivating. After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes, which shone with a burst of joyous surprise.

"I’m Third Rank!" Dawn Lowell exclaimed excitedly, looking at her palm. She never expected the fruit from this tree to have such a miraculous effect!

She carefully protected the fruit tree, moving it inside her room to prevent anyone with ill intentions from discovering it.

With this fruit tree, her life was now filled with hope. After all, what could be more joyful than being able to eat fruit every day!