Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: There's Something Special About Yuria's Shopping (3)
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Following Tara—the sexy, freckled woman in a tank top and round glasses—I entered what looked like a third-rate general store with nothing remarkable about it.
The shelves were lined with nothing but cheap items that looked like they’d been cobbled together from parts scavenged from a junkyard.
It looked like the kind of shoddy shop you’d expect to find tucked away in a corner of the northern slums.
“Well, I doubt you’ll find much you like… but if anything catches your eye, feel free to ask. I’ll explain each one in detail.”
Tara said, plopping down onto a stool behind the counter and resting her chin in her hand.
For a place with such shoddy goods, the owner was surprisingly friendly.
I gave her a slight nod, then wandered around until I found two items.
One was a key with a broken tip, the other a small safe that could fit in the palm of my hand.
When I brought them to Tara, her eyes glinted behind her glasses for a moment.
Then her gaze swept over me, from my feet up to my head.
Her eyes were like those of a lioness sizing up her prey, and I felt my heart clench for no reason.
“So… you’re a customer who knows what they’re looking for, I see.”
“…”
“Alright. I’ll show you the way.”
There was a reason Tara reacted that way to a key and safe that were no better than junk.
Presenting them to her was a signal, a way of saying I’d been referred by an acquaintance and wanted to see the real merchandise.
With an effortlessly cool and tough expression, Tara rose from her seat.
She walked over to one side of the shop and pulled down a dusty lever on the wall.
*Rumble.*
With a ground-shaking vibration, the floor opened up, revealing a secret staircase leading underground.
*Wow, this is so cool.*
I marveled inwardly but forced myself to maintain a calm and composed demeanor.
Right now, I wasn't Yuria in a fox mask, but the mysterious Customer X in a goblin mask.
Acting giddy would be out of character. *Patience, I have to be patient.*
“Alright, this way, please.”
“…!”
But regardless of whether I managed to contain my excitement or not,
she brushed the dust away with her hand and started down the stairs, gesturing for me to follow.
*Clomp, clomp.* The basement I entered after Tara was a whole other world.
The interior, decorated just enough without being over-the-top or lacking, was filled with all sorts of mechanical devices and weapons.
An extraordinary-looking telescope, a cybernetic axe, a cleaning robot with eight legs.
There was a musical instrument with a gun barrel, a chair that seemed made for a giant, a TV that fluttered like a film strip…
All kinds of mechanical objects, regardless of category, were scattered about freely.
And the subtle LED lights seeping from the ceiling, along with the faint smoke rising from the floor, made the place feel like a secret base straight out of a fantasy.
‘Wow… is this heaven? If I had the money, I’d buy everything I could get my hands on.’
It was such a captivating space that I couldn't help but gulp.
I’m not exaggerating when I say I wanted to lay out a blanket and play with every single item.
I sidled over to the nearest shelf, toward a gun that had no visible magazine.
Next to it, I noticed some hastily scrawled words.
[This gun runs on electricity. Do not use underwater! Charger and battery included.]
A fishman wouldn't have an easy time using this.
Gazing at the neat handwriting, which looked like Tara’s, I checked the price of the electric gun.
“…!”
*Seriously, this price is insane. How many months of my agency part-time pay is this?*
But the price that met my eyes was absurd, completely beyond common sense.
I couldn't help but gasp as if I'd been doused with cold water.
The burning desire that had filled my chest vanished in an instant.
I realized that most of the items here were things I couldn't afford even if I spent my entire fortune.
Financial reality is truly the quickest and most effective cure.
With my reason now restored, I nodded to myself and glanced at Tara, who was sitting quietly in a corner.
‘Still… most of the things here are worth their high price. It’s not every day you get a chance to buy something from a master mechanic.’
I quietly recalled the information about her that I’d glimpsed in the original story.
Tara was a pure-blooded human, a rarity even in Nighthaven.
And while this shop was called a general store, it was, strictly speaking, more of a mechanic’s workshop.
If Greg’s shop was an antique store where he bought items based on appraisal, this place felt like it bought and sold any and all mechanical devices.
In truth, she had been a famous mechanical expert from Germany who created all sorts of gadgets.
However, she had a past where she was framed as a criminal after being betrayed by someone she considered family, which led her to Nighthaven.
Trapped in a misunderstanding that was difficult to resolve, she eventually settled down quietly in the northern slums.
She made a living as a mechanic, using her skills to pick up discarded machines, repair them, and sell them.
Then she takes in a kid, raises him, and ends up in a relationship after he confesses to her—a classic ‘raised-by-my-lover’ ending. Well, I wish them a beautiful romance. I’ll be rooting for them.
Anyway, there was all this backstory, but none of it was my concern.
Their love story was their own business. There were only two facts that mattered to me.
First, Tara was a skilled mechanic who made a living off regular customers in a secluded location.
And second, there was a terminal for sale here that I could actually afford with my allowance!
‘Wait… Ah, this. This is it!’
After wandering around for a while, meticulously scanning every corner of the shelves, I finally found what I was looking for.
It was a flat terminal that operated via a touchscreen, a form I was quite familiar with.
Why was I looking for this utterly ordinary-looking device, you ask?
A quick glance at the price tag next to it would give you the answer.
It had a sleek design and a pristine screen without a single scratch, clean enough to pass for a brand-new product.
But compared to similar models, its price was incredibly low—almost a third of the usual cost.
A price so cheap, you wouldn’t see it even for a used item.
It was a suspicious item, one that had to have something seriously wrong with it.
And it did have a problem. The description next to it said that while its exterior and durability were fine, it was a defective product that experienced inexplicable bugs from time to time.
But this was exactly what I needed right now. This was my escape route, the cheap solution to my identity problem.
So, with a sense of conviction, I presented the terminal to Tara.
“Ah, that one… Is one enough? It’s just the terminal, so you’ll have to get a communication contract separately, maybe buy an illegal chip on the black market or something.”
“…!”
“If you don’t mind, then… Well, it is a terminal. I’ll put it in a box for you.”
*Rustle, rustle.*
Tara neatly placed the terminal and its accessories into a rather clean-looking box.
I handed her the cash I’d received from Raven and took the box containing the terminal.
It was a clean transaction, with no haggling or anything of the sort.
Clutching the box tightly to my chest as if afraid to drop it, I turned away, signaling that my business was done.
*Hehe, I can’t wait to get home and open it. I’m so excited.*
My heart was already pounding, and a grin spread across my face.
Just as I was about to head back up the stairs, a beeping sound reached my ears.
*What’s that sound?*
I followed the sound with my eyes and saw Tara, frowning slightly.
“…?”
“It’s nothing. Looks like someone’s outside. You can take your time going up.”
“…!”
*No, I was about to leave right now anyway.*
I shook my head slightly and immediately went up the stairs.
Tara’s was a small shop that relied on a few trusted regulars.
I’d feel bad if I caused any strange rumors to start because of me. I’d bought what I needed, so I should get out of her way.
As I quickly exited the basement, Tara followed right behind and pulled the lever up.
The floor shifted again, concealing the staircase to the basement…
But I was too busy listening to the commotion outside to care.
The reason I didn’t pay any more attention to the secret staircase, which would normally have fascinated me, was simple.
I heard a familiar voice from beyond the door.
“Hey, why are you stopping me from going in? You got something in there you don’t want people to see?”
“N-No, it’s not like that…! Sh-She’s just busy right now…!”
“A busy person is seeing a customer? What’s with this discrimination? I’m a customer, too. That really hurts, you know?”
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
A low male voice that I’d heard so often lately it felt less familiar and more like a given.
*Wait, why is he here?*
After confirming that the staircase was well hidden, I unlocked the door from the inside.
Beyond it, I saw a black-haired man standing with a defiant posture.
“…”
“Oh. Uh… hello?”
*I’m not an idiot. Did he really think pretending not to know me would work?*
I squeezed my eyes shut at the sight of Raven, who was so obviously tailing me.
*Where did he even start following me from? He left no trace.*
Standing before someone for whom my goblin mask disguise was completely meaningless, all I could do was sigh.