Painfully she looked at the crushed herbs under Horn's shoe. The bastard, he even wiped them into the ground! Her gaze flashed back to him, and she clenched her fists. She could sell those herbs! These are the things she puts her life on the line for! One might say, why risk your life for a few herbs? The thing is, Dai is not exactly a fighter. She can throw punches when she needs to, but she has no training, techniques, or offensive powers. And yet, Dai walks outside Shelter 22, looking for things to sell. Plants, minerals, and, if she's lucky, maybe a dead beast; she can take helpful materials. But Dai is definitely not a fighter.
One might think she is a master of camouflage or survival in nature. No, nothing that cool. She knows where to go, depending on the nutritional value of the soil. She avoids places where beasts and mutated plants live. Where plant beasts live, the nutritional value is relatively low because their roots need a lot of nutrition.
Conversely, places where other beasts live have high nutritional value.
Well, you know...
Beasts leave rotting remains and also take a shit. So the soil is richer.
And those are her survival skills in the wild. Avoiding danger by finding out how much poop is in the soil.
But that doesn't mean she can't be unlucky. There are still beasts that don't stay in one place, they migrate, or there are those that fly. The fact that there is a strong beast somewhere can also be recognized by the spiritual power that it spreads around. It is better to run away quickly as soon as you feel it. So yes, she put her life on the line for all these poor things who can sell and earn food. Dai was furious. It was like he trampled on her sacrifices and life. These herbs may not have been worth much, but everything has a price in this world. Herbs were good for health and cooking, and if they had a drop or two of spiritual energy, the effects were even stronger or good for Cultivation. That is if anyone here in the outer circle would cultivate at all. But because of that, ordinary people can become cultivators on their own. And in that case, you go to the Inner Circle.
But it is not that only Cultivators live in the Inner Circle. There are also ordinary people there, but they, unlike people in the Outer Circle, can get access to the resources for Cultivation if they try hard enough. Cultivation was only for those in the inner circle. Those at the top are all cultivators. You don't have to anymore rely solely on powering up ability. Dai has no idea how it works, but everyone knows the rumors. It was the utopia of every poor person in the Outer Circle.
"Horn, you big piece of shit!" Dai growled, resisting the urge to kick him in the balls.
Horn looked at her with a challenge in his eyes. Of course, he encouraged her to try something. Horn was brute but not stupid. He never attacked first to have a justification for hurting her. The outer circle didn't have many rules, but everyone here had the right to self-defense. That's why Horn did these things to be out of obligation. He provoked, destroyed, and forced the victim to throw himself at him. If something happened and people came to investigate, Horn could say it was self-defense. And Dai doesn't even want to think about what he could have done under the cover of darkness.
Dai release her clenched fists. Dai had to mentally convince herself to keep calm. She mustn't let the bastard provoke her.
"Are we done? I want to go home." Dai announced instead, and Horn looked a little disappointed.
"Sure. But remember. From now on, if you use appraisal, I'll get a share of it." He insisted.
"I thought we made that clear?!" Dai protest.
"That's why I said you were too smart for your own good. You're right, sure. But I'd rather see you suffer than have the crystals in this case. That's what you get for trying to reason with me." He put his fists in his pockets and shrugged. Then he turned and walked away.
Dai stared at his back and really wanted to step on his spine! She bit her lip and then lowered her head. Well, that didn't go well. She must figure out another way to improve her abilities. Dai started packing her things, so she could still go shopping and see Filn to help him plant a seedling.
At that moment, a woman from the next stall approached her. "Dai, what are you going to do?" the woman asked.
She was older, past fifty, and her black hair began blooming with silver. She still had a good figure; here in the outer circle, you won't see many people with a bad physique. No one can afford a life of luxury, so everyone keeps themselves in top shape. On the other hand, life is not that easy, so even though she wasn't that old, she already had the wrinkles of someone in her sixties.
"Aunt Shan, don't worry about it. I'll find a way eventually." Dai answered and smiled at her.
She looked at Dai. "Right. It's better to think positively. After all, you're in this market pretty much all the time. You don't have as many things here to use an appraisal on. Maybe you'd have better luck elsewhere. Just because something's convenient doesn't mean it's the best." She served her chicken soup for the soul.
Dai thought about it. She couldn't deny that Aunt was right. Dai used to go to this market because it was close and, well, it was comfortable. Her stuff sells well here, and every market has its smaller specialties. Maybe she could try the market closer to the outer or inner wall, even though there is a lot of competition because it is next to the entrance to the inner circle. And you can meet a Cultivator. Of course, it's dangerous to attract a Cultivator. But for a businesswoman like Dai, it could be an opportunity. And she was pretty used to taking risks.
"Thanks, Aunt Shan. That's something I'll consider. I might not show up for a while because of that." Dai stood up and threw her backpack on her back.
Aunt Sha nodded. "I know. But stop by sometimes. Have a good day, Dai." She said goodbye and returned to her stall, where a customer appeared. Aunt Sha was selling smaller snacks with leftover beasts that weren't very... good. But they had a high proportion of protein, and one serving gave a person a lot of energy. In the end, Dai bought two portions from her and set off to see Filn. What about it not taste good? You hold your breath and swallow it. Then you can run for a few hours like a child full of energy.
And Dai still had work to do.
After some time, Dai walked down the street toward Filn's house. The streets were wide, and many people could walk, cycle, or pull wagons. You won't see any other means of transport in the Shelter. Occasionally you can see Cultivators in the sky who gain the power to fly, though Dai didn't know how strong they had to be to achieve this. She wasn't jealous... not at all.
Some wagons pulled tamed beasts. Not all animals become aggressive. Some that evolved from herbivores retained their gentle nature. Horses, cows, sheep, etc. However, the appearance differed from what humankind knew from the old world. For example, the horse pulling the cart across from Dai was much slimmer, but you couldn't see any fat. His whole body was like one big muscle. His color was dark blue, and in addition, he had small hands with three fingers on the front of his torso. This species is called the Dark Blue Horse. In fact, Dark Blue three-toed horse, but no one wants to be called such a long name, and no other horse species appears in Shelter 22 anyway. The Red Horned Cow was most often seen next to the Dark Blue Horse. A hairy bison body with a head full of red horns and four pairs of red eyes. Ironically, his blood is purple. Despite the unhealthy-looking blood, it was still edible.
Dai avoided the cars and slipped into the narrow streets. The closer the houses were to the inner circle, the more they were squeezed together. On the contrary, the further you were from the center and the inner circle, the more space the houses had around each other. Some even had their own backyards. Not much remains of the original buildings on the outskirts of the city. They were rather low-rise buildings with one or two floors that were either repaired or demolished and new ones built. Towards the center, the buildings rose. They had more floors and looked more polished and new. And finally, in the very center stood a skyscraper. It did not survive its entirety, but a good half survived, so it was repaired and inhabited. The ordinary glass was replaced with clear crystals; it almost looked like a giant needle reaching toward the sky.
It must be a really lovely view from the top, right?
Our rulers live there. Shelter 22 had no official king, but we had a government. Unofficially, of course, there is one that has the upper hand over the others, and that is always the strongest cultivator of all the clans. Currently, the government consists of 11 leaders, heads of all the leading and most powerful clans. Their clans, in order of importance, occupy the skyscraper floors. Naturally, the strongest clan owns the floors at the very top. They smugly make everyone look up to them. Dai didn't look up. She had no interest in such things. To be powerful and strong? Sure! She would like that. But who would want the responsibility of running a Shelter? Hundreds of people, hundreds of responsibilities. It wasn't worth the trouble.
Dai went towards the southern outer wall where Filn lived with his wife, Teru. They both work in a scrap metal factory. It was only natural that they ended up together after spending so much time together. Teru didn't like Dai at all. At least before the two got married. Dai understood that Teru saw her as a competitor. But she couldn't be more wrong. For her, Filn was simply a friend she had known for a long time. Never saw him as potential husband material. And that's not to mention that she didn't even think about marriage in general. Relationships were complicated, and Dai preferred to avoid complicated things. Once they were married, Teru calmed down.
But Dai wondered if Filn knew he didn't have a doe but a crouching tiger at home.
Dai arrived at one of the many low houses by the outer wall. The house's foundations were made of stone and concrete, but the rest were made of wood. It wasn't big, but just right for a young married couple with the potential of another family member. At the back of the house was a small yard that could be partially seen from the front of the house, and so Dai saw Teru drying clothes on a line tied around two iron bars.
Dai went around the house and went straight after her. "Hey, Teru. How are you?" she greeted her and waved from afar.
Teru looked at her and lightly smiled. "Everything is alright. They brought a big shipment of scrap yesterday. We'll have weeks to do it. Did you come to help with the planting? Filn mentioned, "Will you stay for dinner?" Teru was wearing loose clothing that couldn't hide her muscular arms. Teru was no flower. In fact, she was nearly two meters tall and could crush rocks with her strength. She also did it in her work, crushing old rubble to release metal rods used in the old world to reinforce buildings. Teru had superhuman strength. But only in the fingers. So it was considered a medium or weak ability. She also had long platinum hair that she wore in braided braid and prominent eyebrows that looked like two kissing caterpillars when she frowned.
He melts, and she crushes. They fit together beautifully.
Dai shook her head. "It's good to have a lot of work. And thanks for the invitation, but today was a long day. As soon as we plant, I'll go home to rest. I have a lot to do tomorrow. I probably won't stop until the evening." Teru did not persuade her. Dai started handling the laundry to speed up the work. Soon they were done and entered the house. She walked into the kitchen, which was also a living room. Filn was sitting at the table, fiddling with a piece of iron. In the middle of the table proudly stood the seedling that Filn had bought. On the old stove, something was cooking in a pot, but Dai could tell by the smell that it was a meat dish.
Dai looked at the scene and got the slight impression that Filn was waiting for her and was trying to entertain himself in the meantime.
She put her backpack by the door. "Filn. I'm here, so let's do it." She nudged him and went out again. Filn went out, Teru stayed inside to watch over the dinner, and Dai soon knelt in the backyard, both palms pressing on the ground. Filn stood beside her with a wooden stake and hammer in hand, watching Dai move slowly across the ground, a faint glow from her hands.
Filn noticed that Dai was unusually quiet. Usually, when everything is fine, she is quite talkative. But now Dai was just silent and focused on her work. Filn had known Dai for a long time, so he knew her silence meant she was in a bad mood. And that also meant something happened. However, Dai was quite a private person who disliked dumping her worries on others. He pressed his lips together and thought about asking. Filn was stuck between indecision on whether to press the matter or not.
Dai didn't notice her friend's discomfort. She was focused on the task rather than really thinking about the problem with Horn for now. She watched the messages in her head every time the light from her hands appeared.
Soil status: Nutritional value 42%
Analysis: Clay 59% Humus 31% Edafon 10%
Other elements: ???
Soil status: Nutritional value 22%
Analysis: Clay 66% Humus 25% Edafon 9%
Other elements: ???
Soil status: Nutritional value 51%
Analysis: Clay 50% Humus 43% Edafon 7%
Other elements: ???
Dai learned to ignore question marks a long time ago. She saw it as a provocation. Her ability told her she could be stronger and reveal what was behind the question marks, but improvement still eluded her. Instead, she just looked at the nutritional value. The rest was as if she didn't see. Dai didn't even know what the hell Edafon was!
Dai was crawling on the ground with her ass in the air, Filn standing by with a stake at the ready. A neighbor who happened to be walking around stopped when he saw this scene, and his eyes widened. Unfortunately, from the angle where he was standing, he couldn't see what Dai was doing, so the neighbor took the whole situation in his own way. The neighbor looked at Filn with surprise and a strange flash of pride before continuing to walk with a shake of his head. Unfortunately for Filn and Dai, weird rumors circulated in the neighborhood.
If the neighbor waited a little longer, he would soon hear Dai's cheerful voice. "Here! Stab him there hard!"