"Here you go," the man in charge of making their IDs said as he handed them over. "Welcome to the military."
Reid nodded, stepping forward to collect his ID. He examined it briefly: it displayed his name, a photo of him, and his rank, which was listed as Cadet.
Along with their IDs, they were also handed specialized watches. These devices were designed to monitor their stats, send distress signals, and function as inventory gadgets, allowing them to store their forged-beasts in.
Reid slipped the watch onto his wrist, feeling the cool metal against his skin. He tapped its surface, and a holographic interface blinked to life, displaying basic stats such as his current soul power and vitals.
"This is pretty cool," Reid murmured, scrolling through the features. The thought of being able to store his forged-beast within the device felt surreal.
The twins, standing nearby, were equally amazed. "So we can summon our forged-beasts directly from this?" one of them asked, testing the watch's functions.
"Correct," the man confirmed with a nod. "These watches are linked to your soul power. Just make sure you keep them charged."
Finally, the man handed each of them their military uniforms before adding, "Be prepared to leave with the other cadets in a week's time."
"Leave? To where?" Alex asked, his confusion evident.
The man raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think this was the actual military base, did you?" he replied. "You'll be sent to where the real base is."
The man walked away after saying that, leaving them standing there in silence. After a moment, they exited the room, only to spot Elizabeth sitting in the waiting area, clearly waiting for them.
"Took you all long enough," she remarked with a smirk when she spotted them approaching "let's leave".
They walked out of the building and spotted the driver already waiting by the car, the engine idling softly.
"We'll head back to the hotel first so you can drop off your things," Elizabeth said, gesturing toward the uniforms they were carrying. "After that, we'll take a tour around the city."
The ride back to the hotel was brief, and they wasted no time dropping off their uniforms. Soon, they were back on the road, this time heading to a restaurant.
None of them had eaten breakfast yet, and the rumble of empty stomachs was a constant reminder.
The car pulled up to a sleek, modern restaurant with large glass windows that offered a glimpse of the interior.
Elizabeth walked inside with Reid and the others following closely behind. They were soon greeted by a waitress who led them to an empty table and handed them a menu.
Timmy picked up the menu, his eyes widening in confusion as he stared at the prices. He turned to Elizabeth and asked, "Is 100 credits high?"
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "You don't know the value of credits?" she asked. "How did you buy things in the Scrapyards?"
"Well, we usually exchange things to the city merchant for food and other stuff," Tommy answered in reply.
"I see," Elizabeth said, nodding. "Then let's order first, before I start explaining. Don't worry about the cost—just order what seems appetizing to you."
They placed their orders, which were quickly delivered. As they began eating, Elizabeth started explaining the value of the currency to the trio, breaking it down for them.
"Before the Eruption each country had its own currency, but it changed after the Eruption" she paused, bringing the chopsticks with food to her mouth before continuing. She had ordered a serving of steamed rice, miso soup and grilled fish.
"After the beast attack, many countries collapsed, leading to a breakdown of existing financial systems," Elizabeth explained, taking another bite. "When the cities were built as safe havens, a common currency became essential to rebuild the global economy and ensure trade, governance, and resource distribution could function effectively across borders."
"That's where Credits come in," she continued, "they're accepted globally."
She paused, looking at Timmy before answering his earlier question. "Now, to answer your question of whether 100 credits is high or not..."
"For anyone else, it's pretty high," Elizabeth said with a smug smile. "Ordinarily, a meal costs 1 credit, which is equivalent to $20 in the dollars of before the Eruption."
"But this is a high class restaurant" She then pointed to the meal in front of the shocked Timmy "which means, you're currently eating what's equivalent to $2000 of before the Eruption".
Alex and the twins' jaws dropped in shock at the revelation. Reid, however, remained unaffected, calmly continuing to eat as if what Elizabeth said didn't faze him in the slightest.
The twins nervously picked up their forks and hesitantly started eating which caused Elizabeth to burst out laughing.
Their meal continued without any disturbance... almost.
"Well, if it isn't the failure of the Fletcher family," a voice came from behind them. Reid immediately recognized the speaker, his grip tightening on his utensils as he turned slightly, his expression hardening.
"I heard you committed suicide, guess you were too much of a coward to do that too" approaching them was a tall boy with green hair and eyes.
"Glad to see you haven't stopped being an asshole, Damien," Reid replied, his tone cold but calm.
Damien's grin widened, clearly unfazed. "What can I say? When you're as important to your family as I am, you can be whatever you want." He sat in the empty seat on their table before acknowledging Elizabeth with a nod "Miss Cross".
Damien Blackwood, much like Reid, was from one of the great families. But unlike Reid, his soul rank was high enough to make him a valuable asset for his family.
He was also a rival of Reid's, with the two often being compared in any conversation involving their families, a constant source of tension between them.
"So, you finally decided to associate yourself with your kind of people, Scrap rats?" Damien sneered, his gaze mocking as he eyed Reid.
"The fuck did you call me?" Alex raged but Damien ignored him, still keeping his eyes on Reid.
"Listen, just because you were born in the city doesn't mean you have the right to look down on me," Alex said, his voice rising as he stood up and swung at Damien aiming to rearrange his smug face.
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Merry Christmas dear readers.
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Answer to previous chapter's riddle: The number Seven.