By the ti the group returned to the survivor’s camp, the ten faces had a look of shock and horror. They had all beco a lot stronger now, but they also understood the power of the man standing in front of them. They had literally watched him squeeze the life out of a dozen snakes with just his bare hands and no other weapon.
Soone like this could probably do whatever he wanted with them? Were they really safe?
Kaden didn’t really care what these people thought. He was done babysitting, and he didn’t have to do sothing like this again. He ignored the eyes on him as the group walked back into the small camp, soaked and caked in blood. Only Kaden looked clean, as if he had simply taken a walk in the park.
He walked over to the settlent core and started tinkering with it.
Niera looked at the others awkwardly and signaled them to keep quiet. She knew a little bit about everyone, and it was easier for her to manage the crowd. Mainly, she did not want anyone to disturb Kaden.
Kaden only walked away from the interface after a few more minutes. "This sucks. This is going to take at least three days to set up. Only then I can open the shop." He silently sat down under a tree in deep thought.
After so ti, Niera approached him hesitantly. "Ummm… I need to ask your permission for sothing."
"Hmmm?" Kaden raised a brow.
"Can I share so of the beast at with the survivors?"
Kaden let out an exasperated chuckle and waved a dismissive hand. "Ughh. Sure. You don’t have to ask these things."
Niera smiled. "Thank you. This is the first night, I am feeling sowhat normal. We have a safe zone, and we have food to eat. Thank you so much."
Kaden grunted. "Ya, okay." He shifted, leaning against the rough bark of the tree. "By the way, ’safe zone’ is a relative term. We’re a bunch of huddled humans in a world that clearly wants us dead. We’re just a slightly harder target now."
Niera’s smile faltered slightly, but she didn’t let it disappear. She knew Kaden’s words were harsh because he knew better. "Even so," she said softly, "it’s better than nothing. And for many of them, it’s the first ti they’ve felt any semblance of hope in a long ti."
She turned and began organizing the distribution of the at, her movents efficient and more confident. There was a fire mage in the group who took the role of roasting the at. There were also a couple of elderly won who had taken up cooking as their primary class.
Soon, the air filled with the savory aroma of roasting flesh. No one dared to approach Kaden, who was sitting alone, but the tension in the air eased, and everyone exchanged their stories while eating under the bright moonlight.
Kaden did not bother joining in. He closed his eyes, his mind racing, trying to anticipate the challenges that lay ahead. The three days needed to set up the shop felt like an eternity. He had to prepare them. He had to prepare himself.
The sounds of the camp faded into a distant hum, replaced by the rustling of leaves and the chirping of insects. He was alone, even in the midst of the crowd, a solitary figure in a world that was rapidly changing.
And he knew, with a chilling certainty, that the changes were only just beginning. Things were going to get so much worse once the final barriers were released and the world completely finished evolving. Then, humans and beasts won’t be the only things they would have to worry about.
These three days were too precious to simply waste it all on babysitting or sothing. He didn’t have to do anything else to open the system shop. The settlent had to be rank 2, had to have at least ten level 15 and above, and had to be active for at least 3 days. These were the criteria.
"I should just finish the rest of my quests." Kaden made a decision. He wanted to get all of his quests out of the way, and when he finally found the bloodline catalyst, he would maybe once and for all deal with this bloodline issue without any other problems cropping up.
While he was silently making the plans, Niera grabbed a plate and walked over to him. "Hi, I brought this for you."
Kaden looked up to see Niera holding a big slab of at awkwardly. "Thanks, Niera," he said quietly, setting aside his plans for a mont. He took the at from her and inspected it briefly, nodding in approval. "It looks good. I appreciate it."
Niera nervously gulped. "There is sothing I wanted to ask you or rather tell you."
"Hmmm?" Kaden raised a brow.
"About the priestess…" Niera started, and Kaden imdiately turned to look at her. Seeing his reaction, she quickly corrected herself. "I still don’t know where she is or how she is. I just… wanted to say sothing else. I… she.."
"It’s ok. Speak freely. I don’t mind."
"The priestess doesn’t exactly… I an, she is not a fan of you."
"What?" Kaden was confused.
"She hates you. She hates you a lot. She thinks you are the reason her fiance and her brother are dead."
"What?"
"She also thinks you are the reason that most in the survivor camp died."
Kaden remained silent for a second, looking down.
"Sorry. I did not an to upset you. I just wanted to tell you this because the next ti you et her, she might not exactly be friendly, and I didn’t want you to be blindsided."
"Thank you." Kaden smiled. "I will keep that in mind." He continued to eat the at. "This is cooked quite well. Who did it?"
Niera pointed to a woman. It was a mom with a small child. "Tell her to cook more like this and improve her skills. I get very hungry, and I need a lot of at."
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