Nearly sixty thousand tokens were converted from the eight elks. The meat yield of the massive beasts was also massive. And he had enough tokens for his first D-Rank Occupation.
The Leatherworker occupation was most tempting to buy. It has the "Skin" skill, which can be used to extract leather and other usable non-meat part. And also the"Refine" skill which, as the name implies, processes the skin into leather. And finally the Craft skill which turns leather into leather products.
He could only imagine having it when he dealt with the elks. The leather and the antlers could have brought him fortune.
However, he realized something because of the elk incident. Although he was powerful in combat, he couldn't be awake at all times to protect Irene and David.
And if a monster or someone with bad intent really sneaked on them in the middle of the night, they could easily get slaughtered in their sleep. And being out of nowhere, everything was possible.
So, Anthony forcibly extinguished his excitement. After all, if things continue to proceed smoothly and the grasslands ahead yield more prey, then he could easily regain his tokens.
So, instead of browsing the occupation section, he went browsing for something to provide security during the night.
His first idea was to simply get a guard, but the shop did not sell any human. And on second thought, it made sense. It would have been odd and would be by definition, human trafficking.
His next stop was the magical artifacts section. If he could buy a summon or a golem, then it could function the same as a human watchman, but with magical powers.
And indeed there were summons, and golems, and even magical beasts, but the price was through the roof. The cheapest option, a small golem with a club, was priced at a hundred thousand tokens.
The humbled Anthony finally stumbled upon the pet section. All manner of animals were there, from land, sea, and air, including extinct animals. The Smilodon, an extinct tiger he saw in one of his books from middle school, was an interesting choice. With fangs as large as a dagger, the mere sight of it would scare both men and beasts. But then again, it was beyond his budget.
Then there was the Direwolf. Another extinct animal popularized by movies and shows, and almost every man wanted one back on earth. Who wouldn't want to be Jon Snow and have a massive and powerful wolf who could kill his enemies for him?
But the movies must have lied to him. According to the shop's detailed description, it was not as awesome as he thought it was. The legendary creature was not as large as imagined, only a bit bigger than modern wolves. And although heavier and with bigger jaws, it had smaller feet, which meant it was slower. But most of all, it had a smaller brain despite the big skull, which might have been the reason why other wolves had outlived it.
The price of sixty thousand tokens suddenly was not worth it. The "extinct" tag was all the reason it was worth a lot.
The gray wolf, proved to be the better choice, and by a mile. It was more solid overall, faster, sharper and smarter. Not to mention forty-thousand tokens cheaper.
He was so delighted that it was so cheap, that he decided to buy two, a male, and a female. Wolves were, after all, packed animals and would need companionship.
[Are you sure you want to buy Grey Wolf Pup x2?]
[You have spent Tokens x40,000 Tokens.]
"How would you want a wolf for a pet?"
Irene was propping her chin up with both of her hands, leaning on the table. As Anthony did his virtual work, she curiously watched his hand gestures and his facial expressions, trying to cipher where the magic comes in.
"A wolf? You mean the one that looks like a dog but bigger and meaner?" she replied, her eyes twinkling in obvious excitement.
"Do you want to?" he repeated the question, and although he already knew the answer, he wanted to watch and hear her say it.
"Of course… If you can, Lord Anthony."
Anthony tilted his chair to face away from the table to summon the wolves to the empty space near the door.
At his behest, two adorable gray wolf puppies, appeared out of thin air.
He expected something big, and Anthony realized he had committed a mistake.
He did not notice he was buying a pup. Swiftly, he checked the shop again, and only then did he notice that all animals could only be bought in their young form.
The pups could not provide them any security. In that stage, they're more liabilities than assets. He placed his palm against his face, utterly disappointed in himself. If he only chose to purchase an occupation instead.
"They're so cute….thank you, Lord Anthony, I don't know what to say…" Irene knelt to the floor to pick both pups in her arms. They were heavy, already two months old, but her well-endowed chest shouldered some of the weight.
Despite seeing her for the first time, the pups excitedly licked her cheeks, and wagged their tails. Irene was smiling ear to ear, and loudly giggling, enjoying the company of what might have been her first pets.
If he ever planned to sell it back, it was already too late. He wouldn't be able to bear to see how she would react if he snatches the puppies off her arms.
"So what would you like to name the puppies?" he asked after a heavy sigh. He could no longer do something about it, might as well, pretend it was his idea all along.
"I can name them?" Irene was thrilled, like a child given an unexpected favor.
Anthony nodded.
She looked at the puppies, and started putting her brain to work. Then her face brightened.
"What about if we also call them Irene and Anthony because they're a couple?"
"No, that's not how it works."