Chapter 343: Sokka
Inside the Market of White Fox Shelter.
The goods in these shops established within the Market were indeed quite good, but so far, they still fell short compared to Lilith’s auction.
Vikram and his group followed the direction pointed by the owner of the cold-weather supplies shop, arriving deep within the Market.
Not far ahead, they saw a shop that looked distinctly different from the others.
Just from the shop’s decor, it might even be sturdier than the temporary Market itself.
It was entirely made of various metals, and not just any thin metal.
Vikram’s eyes lit up, and he quickened his pace.
"Hold on, sir. If you wish to enter, please first demonstrate that you are sufficiently wealthy. Otherwise, please look elsewhere."
Looking at the two bald Survivors who stopped him, Vikram was slightly taken aback.
He had thought they were greeters for a high-end shop, but it turned out they were just security guards checking for funds.
Although a bit speechless that the shop owner was still doing this in the Wasteland, Vikram casually pulled out a pile of mutated crystals.
Among them were quite a few he had earned from the people outside.
He had already asked the stall owners outside; the main currency here was various crystals.
While food could occasionally be used, it wasn’t as convenient to calculate as crystals.
As soon as a large handful of crystals was produced, the two security guards, who had initially looked a bit impatient, immediately changed their expressions and gestured for Vikram to enter the shop with a single hand.
As soon as he entered, before Vikram could even see the boss inside, his gaze was drawn to the items displayed directly on the shelves along all four walls.
It wasn’t that the items inside were particularly precious, but rather that the merchandise included many rare items Vikram had seldom seen even in the Wasteland.
An entire wall was covered with various tobacco, alcohol, tea, and similar items that were considered luxuries in the Wasteland.
Vikram himself didn’t smoke or drink, so he was very curious: if a shop specialized in selling just these things, would people really go out of their way to buy them?
He was about to say that many people outside couldn’t even get enough to eat, but then he remembered that this broken place even had a threshold to enter, and Vikram felt relieved.
These items like tobacco, alcohol, and tea seemed useless, and in reality, they were mostly useless, but they were indeed rare in the Wasteland.
Goods with packaging like these clearly came from when the supply crates hadn’t disappeared yet.
The poor couldn’t afford them, but there were plenty of wealthy Survivors who wanted them.
"No wonder several shop owners I asked earlier said this was the highest-class place in the entire Market. It really does have some things."
However, the ’high-class’ shop he was looking for wasn’t this kind of high-class. After glancing at the various goods displayed on the walls and seeing nothing he wanted, Vikram sighed and was about to leave.
Just then, footsteps descending from the second-floor ladder of the shop could be heard.
Before Vikram could step out the door, a deep voice rose beside his ear.
"Brother, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. Tell me what you’re looking for. I might not have everything, but I definitely have more than just those ordinary items on the wall."
Hearing this, Vikram’s heart stirred slightly, and he turned to look at the Survivor who had appeared behind him.
"When did he get there?!"
Radhika and Geetanjali were genuine Survivors who had made their fortune through hard work in the Wasteland. Seeing someone quietly get behind them without them noticing until much later, they were instantly startled.
They cautiously pulled Divya and Anjali back several steps, stopping only when they were almost out the door.
The newcomer didn’t react to this; instead, he chuckled frankly and said, "Girls, there’s no need to be so nervous. I’m here to do business; I won’t eat you."
"You at the door, who told you to block the way? Quickly clear the path at the entrance and then go somewhere cool."
Just as he said, to put the four women at ease, the security guard who had been at the door showed no hesitation and immediately disappeared from the sight of the few people in the shop.
"How about it? Are you reassured now?"
"You really should learn from your leader. He’s been standing here for so long without any unnecessary reactions, like a block of wood. He’s clearly an experienced and extraordinarily capable Survivor."
"Someone who didn’t know might think he was scared stiff."
The newcomer pointed at Vikram as he spoke, seemingly praising him, but his tone carried an indescribable nuance.
"Young man, tell me, what are you looking for? I might have it here."
Vikram didn’t answer, nor did he pay attention to the slightly sarcastic remark from earlier. He simply kept his gaze fixed on the newcomer, scrutinizing him.
The newcomer was of medium, slightly slender build, about 178 cm tall, an average-looking man in his 40s.
After watching for half a minute, Vikram finally blurted out, "Did your Shelter Chief send you to capture us?"
Upon hearing this, the four women immediately took another step back.
They had already learned about the situation at White Fox Shelter from Radhika. Now, knowing that the other party intended to act on their territory, even with Vikram present, an unnatural expression inevitably appeared on their faces.
Their reaction wasn’t the main point. When Vikram said this, the man opposite, who had just been relaxed and at ease, instantly became serious, his pupils contracting to pinpricks.
The roles reversed, as if he wanted to see through Vikram’s situation, the other party’s eyes narrowed tightly.
"How did you know?"
Although what Vikram said was slightly off, it was largely accurate.
He had indeed been called by Jade to find Vikram, but not to avenge a few door guards.
The primary purpose was that the Shelter Chief wanted him to test whether this mysterious Survivor truly had the strength to withstand bullets.
If he did, he would naturally be invited to the Shelter as a guest.
If the bullet incident was just a coincidence and the other party was not a formidable individual, Vikram would be casually killed today.
Seeing that the other party didn’t feign ignorance and deny it, Vikram directly answered his question, "Those few subordinates of yours followed me after I had that incident with the stall owner outside, trailing behind until I entered this shop. Does that still require guessing?"
"I’ve answered. So, what now? Are you planning to make a move?"
The shop owner’s face darkened upon hearing this. He didn’t think his subordinates’ actions were that obvious, and those handling the task were at least Survivors with a physique of fifty.
Let alone ordinary people, even he might not notice if someone with that physique was tracking him.
The fact that the other party not only noticed the anomaly but still dared to stand here spoke volumes.
At the very least, it meant he had the confidence to directly confront someone with the boss’s strength.
Thinking of this, and remembering his earlier sarcastic taunt, a cold sweat broke out on his back.
Relaxing his stiff expression as much as possible, he waved his hand and said, "Those door-guarding Survivors from yesterday aren’t worth much. If they died, they died. I was just here on behalf of the boss to see who this Survivor capable of blocking bullets was."
"It seems my boss was indeed right. There are quite a few low-key powerhouses in the Wasteland."
Seeing that he and Vikram remained frozen in place, not even acknowledging his words, he could only continue, "Relax, everyone. We now know that this... young man is the person our boss wanted me to find, and his strength is extraordinary. Our White Fox Shelter is not a place that doesn’t know how to treat guests."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and fiddled with the Survival Platform for a bit, seemingly saying something to the people who had been secretly tracking Vikram earlier.
A moment later, Vikram felt the few people crouching outside disappear.
"The people outside have all left. Now, there are only a few of us around the entire room. We can sit down and have a good talk, right?"
"Oh, and I haven’t asked for your esteemed names yet. I am a member of the White Fox Shelter, named Sokka. May I ask who you are..."
Sokka originally intended to use this to open up conversation, and then take this mysterious Survivor to see his boss. Who knew that the other party wouldn’t appreciate it at all.
"Just tell us directly what your boss wants you to do. There’s no need to waste our time."
Vikram stood with his arms crossed, looking completely unmoved.
This Sokka said he only wanted to meet the troublemaker from yesterday. Although Vikram didn’t know why the other party was doing this, now that they had met, and the other party still wanted to keep them, it was clear there was something else.
Seeing that the other party hesitated for a long time after he said this and still didn’t speak, Vikram continued, "If there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving now."
This Market still didn’t have the Orb he wanted. Why stay in their Market for dinner if not to leave?
He had already stepped halfway out the shop door when a slightly dejected voice came from behind him.
"Our boss wants to invite you to his Shelter for a meeting. He said he wants to see if there are any other ways to improve strength."
Sokka finally revealed his mission for this trip.
However, compared to what his boss, Jade, had instructed, his embellished version sounded much better.
Vikram turned around and glanced at the other party.
Before, this Sokka had a serious expression, but when it came to his boss’s instructions, his face instantly became a little displeased.
Although it had nothing to do with him, Vikram still noticed that the other party seemed afraid of failing to complete his boss’s mission.
After a quick thought, Vikram felt there might be an opportunity to exploit this.
He immediately spoke, "Do you think we’re fools? Going to your Shelter to see your boss, what is that if not suicide?"
"Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless your place can produce what I want, I might consider it."
"Like a Luck Orb or something."
Vikram raised an eyebrow after speaking, subtly observing the other party’s expression.
Upon seeing the fleeting surprise on Sokka’s face, Vikram knew he had hit the jackpot today.
Sure enough, the next second, the other party had already disappeared to the second floor of the shop. When he came down again, he already had a bead in his hand.
"Is this what the young man is talking about?"
Vikram’s gaze swept over it.
[Luck Orb: Purple, one-time use item. Consuming it temporarily boosts luck. The effect disappears after one probabilistic event is triggered.]
"You actually have it?"
"But this bead is a bit less impressive than I imagined. It’s only a one-time use item, no wonder it’s only an Epic-level item."
Recalling his thoughts, Vikram nodded at Sokka, but didn’t show too much happiness on his face.
After all, if Sokka knew how much he wanted this thing right now, it would definitely be troublesome to get his hands on it.
He spoke in an indifferent tone, "I’ll take this. How many crystals?"
At this moment, Sokka, seeing Vikram’s lack of strong emotion, couldn’t help but show a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
It was actually normal. Epic-level items were no longer considered particularly rare for the big shots of a faction.
Because ordinary hot weapons were at least Epic-level, it was understandable that this Orb was a bit underwhelming.
Sokka thought for a moment. This Vikram was clearly impatient. To make the other party readily agree to meet his boss, he said directly, "Young man, you don’t need to pay for this. As long as you come with me, this item will be yours immediately."
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