Apocalypse: I'm Bound to a Mobile Lottery Shop

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: All-Female Base

The three women finally turned their attention to the scratch-off tickets on the table. They were only a little larger than the palm of a hand and looked utterly unremarkable. ’Could they really produce fruit?’

"You’d better not be pulling our leg, boss lady," Natalie Thorne said, looking utterly unconvinced.

"You’ll know once you try," Lily said, resting her chin on her hand as she chatted with them. Her eyes swept over their faces and hands, and for a moment, her heart ached with pity.

They were clearly in their twenties or thirties, yet their hands looked like they belonged to fifty or sixty-year-olds—wrinkled, dry, and peeling.

Natalie Thorne was very interested in new things and was eager to give it a try. "Boss, how do we play?"

"One Crystal Core per ticket," Lily said with a smile.

They didn’t find this strange in the least. After all, it could produce fruit! I don’t need to spell out how valuable that was.

"We’ll take three!" Natalie Thorne waved her hand magnanimously, then turned her head to her two companions. "This is on me."

Lily accepted the three Crystal Cores and swept her hand elegantly over the tabletop. "Take your pick," she said gracefully.

’I’ve only just arrived at Bloomfall Base, so I won’t roll out the membership system just yet. I should get a little more familiar with the environment and market here first.’

The three women seemed to have returned to a civilized era, browsing like they were on a shopping trip as they carefully picked and chose from the table of scratch-off tickets.

’They’re all actually the same, only the serial numbers are different,’ Lily thought. She had no idea what they were looking for, but she respected their process.

"We’ll take these three," Natalie Thorne announced, holding up the three scratch-off tickets.

"Alright, use these to scratch them," Lily said, handing over three small golden shovels. They were so exquisite and cute that the three women couldn’t bear to part with them.

Natalie Thorne muttered under her breath, "Are we really supposed to scratch with these? It feels like a waste."

One of the women beside her gave her a light nudge. "Hurry up and scratch it. We have to get going on our mission."

The three of them began to scratch. Perhaps because their hopes for fruits and vegetables were so high, they all scratched very quickly.

With a few quick scrapes, they were done. Unsurprisingly, a wail of disappointment was heard, followed immediately by a gasp of surprise.

The other two instantly looked at Natalie Thorne, asking excitedly, "What is it? Did you get fruit?"

Their minds were completely filled with thoughts of fruit; they desperately missed that juicy, sweet flavor.

"I don’t think so," Natalie Thorne said, disappointed. She handed the ticket to Lily. "Boss, can you take a look? What is this?"

Lily took it, but after staring at it for a long moment, she couldn’t make it out either. Unfazed, she stuffed it into Fortune’s mouth.

Soon, a palm-sized tube was spat out. Lily picked it up and took a look. Oh, it was face cream, good for faces and hands.

"Here," Lily said, handing it to them. "It’s a face cream, for taking care of your skin."

"Really?!" Natalie Thorne took it with delight, subconsciously touching her own rough face. She couldn’t wait to use it right then and there.

Lily nodded affirmatively. "Of course! It’s guaranteed to be good!"

Natalie Thorne twisted open the cap and squeezed a small, careful dollop onto the back of her hand. The cream was milky white and had a pleasant fragrance.

She pressed the backs of her hands together and rubbed them. A faint floral scent began to emanate.

Visibly, Natalie Thorne’s hand brightened by a shade, and even the wrinkles and dead skin seemed to have diminished.

Lily was stunned. ’What is this stuff made of? How is it so effective?!’

"Wow!" Natalie Thorne gasped again. She turned around to examine her hand under the sun. It really had become a shade whiter, and even felt softer!

The other two women leaned in for a closer look, even placing their own hands next to hers to compare. After a long moment, one of them said, "Quick, let me try some too!"

Natalie Thorne very generously handed it over. "Just use a little, okay? Don’t use it all up on me."

"Alright, alright." They knew not to overdo it, each squeezing out just a pea-sized amount onto the back of her hand before rubbing it in.

There was a definite effect, but perhaps because the amount was too small, it wasn’t as obvious as it had been for Natalie Thorne. Still, the two were satisfied.

They all started clamoring to buy another scratch-off. This was the real deal.

In the post-apocalyptic world, "useless" things like skincare products were no longer being made; all production was focused on practical, durable goods.

Lily let them pick out their own tickets. She noticed that the ten-person squad of The Guardian Corps was frequently glancing in her direction.

She paid them no mind. It was only natural to attract attention, showing up at the base entrance with such a flashy RV.

People started trickling out one after another, and Lily noticed that they were all women. There wasn’t a single man among them.

She couldn’t help but ask Natalie Thorne and her friends, "Is your base all women?"

Natalie Thorne said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "That’s right. The Base Commander said those stinking men aren’t fit to enter our base!"

Lily wholeheartedly agreed. In the last two bases she’d visited, nearly all the men she’d seen were filthy.

"Exactly!" Lily said, nodding in agreement.

Just as she was chatting with Natalie Thorne and the others, a familiar voice calling out "Sister!" stunned Lily.

She followed the sound of the voice and saw a familiar, stubborn little face. She exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Claire?"

Claire Lawson stood not far from the RV. Her neat, short hair made her small face seem rather cute, and her tightly pressed lips betrayed her restrained happiness.

Her clothes were worn but very clean. She took a few steps forward, tilting her head up to look at Lily, her gaze filled mostly with gratitude.

"Lily!" Claire Lawson called out again, then explained, "My sister and I didn’t go to Central Command. It was too far. We saw Bloomfall Base and thought it looked great, so we decided to settle here."

Hearing this, Lily realized how thoughtless she had been. Central Command was a long way off; who knew how much danger two children would face on such a journey...

She broke into a wide smile and praised her without reservation. "You did the right thing. It was me who didn’t think it through."

"No, that’s not it! If you hadn’t encouraged me..." Claire Lawson quickly waved her hands in denial.

Natalie Thorne’s gaze darted between the two before settling on Claire Lawson. "I know you. You’re the one who arrived last night. An Elemental Superpower User."

Claire Lawson lowered her head and smiled. "That’s right. Hello, miss. If you need water in the future, you can come to me. My rates are very cheap."

"Okay then. Do you want to use some of this? I see your hands are all cracked," Natalie Thorne offered.

"C-can I?" Claire Lawson looked overwhelmed by the kindness, but her body was very honest as she held out her hand.

The four onlookers—Lily and the three women—were about to die laughing. ’Her mouth says no, no, but her hand is already ten meters out.’

Natalie Thorne looked down, took her hand, and gently squeezed a pea-sized dollop of cream onto the back of it.

Watching the scene, Lily’s heart softened. The way girls helped each other was always so tender.

"A faint floral scent... it smells so good." Claire was reluctant to rub it in, bringing it close to her nose to take a deep sniff before slowly working it into her skin.

Natalie Thorne was full of excitement. "Boss, I want to scratch another one!"

The other two women chimed in, crowding around. "Me too, me too!"

Claire Lawson also came forward, standing on her tiptoes to see the tabletop. Unfortunately, her height was a limitation, and she could only see a small part of it.

Lily pulled out a footstool and handed it to her. Claire stepped onto it and could finally see the entire surface of the table.

The Lucky Cat, a good-luck charm for wealth, was still sitting on the table. ’The membership card system is a little inconvenient for new customers.’

’Once they have more trust in the lottery shop, I’ll start promoting it. Then, as long as they have Crystal Cores on hand, all they’ll have to do is point them at the software and wait for a BEEP to successfully top up their accounts.’