In the morning I still had no good idea what to do. The conflict seemed inevitable. I knew from the very beginning that others will discover the third gate, just didn't think it will come this soon. I wanted to get more crystals but with all of the hunters out there, my tactic wouldn't work as well as it used to.
There was also the probability of it not working at all, or even big groups like Wuxia, or The Mariachis, taking it all for themselves to farm as much as they could.
The best I could do was to avert Nacho's gaze in a different direction. I just had to pack the backpack with food, and head straight to the forest showing him a middle finger, so he would chase after me. I was positive he would drop everything and just start running, and I had pretty good chances of losing him in the woods.
I needed to keep others from my stash of crystals, and, in the meanwhile, find a way to transport them. A way of transporting it all... I kept thinking a bit and the solution came to me pretty quick. I needed a cart. With what we could buy there was a possibility of making one. Some skilled craftsman would probably manage that. The problem lied in me requesting such a thing. If I did something like that, Nacho would easily find out and ruin everything. I needed a proxy. I needed Adachi Nobuo.
If he would request such a construction while I was in the woods, Nacho wouldn't suspect anything, because he would be too busy chasing me. In the meantime, Nobuo could request the job, and move the cart out of people's sight. The work also couldn't be done in the city center. Too many eyes.
I grabbed my things and headed straight to the device. When I arrived hunters were already gone. Only Pierre remained to look after things. I filled my backpack with food, and bought additional meat, to share with the firekeepers. Four seasoned pieces, as usual.
I sat next to Nobuo and gave meat to the others for cooking.
- I need your help.
I whispered. He, in response, looked me straight in the eyes.
- What do you need? - his accent was strong.
- I need you to request a job from one of the craftsmen. I need it done in a different location, far from other people's sight. It needs to be done with high discretion. I have some people, who would take any opportunity to get me, and destroying something I want would be a decent occasion.
- I understand. What do you need?
- I need a cart. Wooden cart, with wooden wheels. Not too big, but not too small either. Do you know somebody who could make one?
- I do. But it's a big request. A lot of material, and even more work. It's not gonna be cheap.
- I'll pay. Just find somebody. I'll pay you. I'll pay them, and I will give you enough crystals for materials. As I said before, I can not be linked to this.
He gave me a nod.
- I'll ask, and tell you how much.
- When they will tell you their price, say I will pay double. But they have to keep it a secret, and they will have to work far away from the city center. Ok? And I'm not gonna forget about you either.
- I'll do it. Don't worry.
After that, I quickly changed the topic and also started to talk normally, so Pierre wouldn't notice too much. I asked the usual questions about Aisha, and what's going around. Sadly there was no more information about her. But I found out that both Wuxia and The Mariachis are going through some troubles. Some people wanted to separate from the groups and make their own. Nothing that I was too much interested in, so after eating I departed to the forest.
The rubble still was blocking most of the entrance. Nobody did anything to remove it. I went to the right, alongside the wall, and walked for few hours before I changed direction. Then I went inside the forest.
Since my eyes were a lot better, I could actually use them to fook for goblins. I didn't sneak around either. Nor did I avoid any encounters, so by the end of the day I had 56 crystals in my pocket. I camped by the wall and continued my hunt for the next four days. Fighting mindless, charging toddlers was quite easy. Probably because rats were harder, better-equipped opponents. Had some coordination. Not to mention the upgrades I went through, and the experience I managed to accumulate.
I gathered 196 more crystals during that time. I would start every day, early in the morning, and stop when the sun went down. Sleeping on the floor, next to the wall.
The last day of hunting ended with 3 890 points on my account, 252 goblin crystals in my backpack, and 2642 hidden next to the third gate.