But all of this had nothing to do with Oliver.
He returned to the base camp, feeling the weight of the monster cores he carried. The haul was impressive for him, but now it was time to secure it. In the entire Human Federation, there was only one bank: The Human Federation Central Bank.
It was the most trustworthy organization for money saving and had branches in every place humans resided. This bank was the safest option for depositing valuable resources like monster cores.
With this in mind, Oliver headed towards the bank.
When he entered, the bank was filled with people. Many awakeners were there, their pouches and bags bulging with monster cores. Most of them chose to deposit their savings here, knowing it was far safer than carrying them around. If they kept the cores on them, it was easy to become a target for robbery due to others' greed.
With these thoughts, Oliver arrived at the deposit counter. A beautiful woman stood behind it, her smile professional and welcoming. She looked at him, not showing any abnormality or surprise. She was truly a professional worker.
"Hello, sir. How much would you like to deposit?" she asked sweetly, her tone polite and calm.
Oliver didn't say a word. Instead, he simply dropped all the monster cores he was carrying onto the counter.
The woman's smile didn't waver. She began counting the cores, her hands moving swiftly as she handled each one with practiced ease. After a while, she finished counting and looked up at him.
"Sir, you have a total of 91 first-rank monster cores and 1 second-rank monster core," she reported, her voice steady.
"Do you want to deposit these in your account or transfer them to an anonymous card?" she asked, still smiling. She wasn't surprised by the amount. Handling thousands of monster cores daily had made her somewhat aloof to such riches.
"Just create an anonymous card," Oliver replied in a deep voice.
The woman nodded and started processing his request on the computer. In a short time, she handed him a card with an encrypted design, its surface shimmering slightly under the lights.
Oliver observed the card for a moment before heading out of the bank. The anonymous card was an anti-counterfeit creation by the Human Federation. With this, handling money would be very easy. People could pay using it without encountering any obstacles or the risk of fraud.
----
Oliver decided it was time to return to the city. He had already spent the whole night and day at the satellite base, and staying any longer might raise suspicion.
What if Justin reported him missing to the Public Protection Bureau? It would only complicate things and make them harder to explain.
So, he simply turned himself into sand and hid in one of the transport vehicles returning to the city.
The journey back was uneventful, with no accidents or incidents occurring. As he lay hidden, Oliver couldn't help but reflect on how smooth things had been.
'I'm not really like a protagonist,' he thought to himself with a wry smile. 'I haven't really encountered any danger.'
After some time, the vehicle reached the city gate and entered the city. Oliver felt the familiar probing from the detector as it scanned for any anomalies.
'Thank God I have the protection of Celestial Flame,' he thought, feeling relieved. If he didn't have it, he might have been caught for sure.
Once inside the city, Oliver carefully slid out of the vehicle, making sure he wasn't seen. He moved quickly, hiding in the shadows and rushing towards his house.
'No matter what, the bed of your own home is the most comfortable,' he thought, feeling the exhaustion finally catching up to him.
After closing his eyes and resting for a while, he jumped up from the bed and changed into normal clothing.
He decided to visit Justin. His friend must still be feeling depressed, and Oliver wanted to check on him.
On his way to the hospital, Oliver stopped by the market to buy some fruits. As he walked through the streets, he noticed that the destruction caused by the flying monsters had mostly been repaired. In this extraordinary era, reconstruction was quick and efficient, with technology and manpower focused on keeping the city intact.
He soon reached the hospital and made his way to Justin's ward. Without thinking, he opened the door and walked in, but he immediately regretted it.
Justin was with Lily, and she was feeding him from a bowl. The sight made Oliver feel embarrassed.
"You guys continue. I'll just come back in a while," he said quickly, turning to leave. But before he could step out, Lily's voice stopped him.
"No need. You can come in," she said, her tone kind and welcoming.
Oliver hesitated for a moment but then stepped into the room. He couldn't just leave now, so he joined the conversation. As they talked, Oliver noticed that Justin wasn't as depressed as he had feared. However, his self-esteem had taken a hit, and Oliver could sense the struggle in his friend.
For now, there wasn't much he could do to help Justin with this problem. It was something Justin would have to overcome on his own. But one thing was clear: the bond between Justin and Lily had grown stronger during this difficult time.
'The deepest love is the kind that can turn the darkest times into something beautiful,' Oliver thought to himself. He could see the love in Lily's eyes as she cared for Justin, and he knew that she would help him through this dark period.
After spending some time with them, Oliver decided to leave. Justin was in good hands with Lily, and he knew that his friend would recover in time.
As he walked back to his house, Oliver couldn't help but smile.
'Justin is really lucky to find such a good woman,' he thought. It was rare to find someone who would stand by you in the darkest times.
As for Oliver himself, he hadn't found someone like that yet, but he wasn't in a hurry.
Oliver thought of this, his smile fading as he considered his own situation. For now, he would let nature take its course.
With a new plan in mind, Oliver decided that he would return to the satellite base for two more days to hunt monsters.