Chapter Thirteen: Natasha
Hook, carrying a small backpack, dashed swiftly through the bustling streets and alleyways. Occasionally, he glanced back, waiting for Ye Yun and urging him to hurry up.
More than half an hour later, Hook led Ye Yun to a clinic that looked relatively decent. By "decent," it meant far better than the surrounding dilapidated buildings. In the lower city, most houses were run-down, but this clinic appeared intact and well-maintained.
Hook pushed open the door abruptly.
“Na... Natasha, sister! Someone’s here for you!”
Inside, Natasha, who was explaining precautions to a patient, turned around.
“Hook, weren’t you out playing? Why are you back so early today?”
Natasha approached Hook and only then noticed the little panda backpack he carried.
“This backpack...”
Seeing Natasha eyeing his backpack, Hook grinned and took it off, pulling out a rainbow candy to offer her.
“Sister Natasha, this is for you!”
Natasha looked at the candy in Hook’s small hand.
“Hook, where did you get these things?”
Hook pointed to Ye Yun standing by the door.
“Ha! Ye Yun gave them to me! Oh, by the way, he’s here to see you.”
Upon hearing this, Natasha popped the candy into Hook’s mouth.
“Hook, you eat it. I don’t want any.”
She then rose and walked over to Ye Yun and the mysterious Rios who followed behind him.
When Natasha saw Rios, her pupils contracted sharply in surprise.
What kind of creature was this? Why was he emanating flames?
After a brief moment of distraction, Natasha regained composure.
“Hello, I’m Natasha. Thank you for the backpack and candy you gave Hook. I heard you came to see me. What can I do for you?”
Ye Yun glanced around.
“Hello, I’m Ye Yun. No need to thank me for Hook’s gifts; she earned them by guiding me. That,” he said, indicating some money, “is for the fare.”
Natasha smiled gracefully; such a fare was extravagant indeed.
From what she knew, even in the upper district, the gifts Ye Yun gave Hook would be considered quite valuable.
“This fare is rather expensive.”
Ye Yun shook his head.
“No worries. I have plenty of these little things. I came to see you because I have a business proposal.”
Natasha looked around cautiously.
Some passersby were glancing their way.
“Follow me; I’ll take you somewhere quiet.”
Natasha led them inside, gently patting Hook’s small head as he sat on a stool.
“Hook, stay here and play a little, don’t run off, okay? Dinner time is almost here.”
Hook, with candy in his mouth, nodded cheerfully.
“Okay~”
***
Later, Natasha brought Ye Yun to her office on the second floor.
Inside the modest room, Natasha poured Ye Yun a glass of plain water.
“Sorry for the humble setting.”
Ye Yun shook his head, signaling it was no problem.
Then Natasha asked, “Mr. Ye Yun, what business do you want to discuss with me?”
Ye Yun snapped his fingers, and several sacks of rice weighing a hundred pounds each appeared.
“Food! Endless food!”
He slid his finger along one sack, and pure white grains spilled out.
Natasha was astonished by the rice’s quality—so pristine and white!
“Mr. Ye Yun, how much do you want for a sack of this rice in Winter City Shields?”
Ye Yun smiled.
“I don’t accept Winter City Shields. I’m not from Arillo IV.”
“I and a few companions just arrived on this planet today.”
Natasha was slightly surprised at Ye Yun’s admission that he wasn’t from this world.
Having received a good education, she was aware of the existence of the universe.
“Then do you accept Credit Points? If so, I might need some time; I would have to gather them.”
Ye Yun shook his head again.
“No, I only accept Star Crystals—the pink stones like this.”
He took out his phone and displayed a photo of the Star Crystal.
Natasha examined it.
“We have those here; people usually use them to decorate their homes.”
“That means I also need some time to prepare.”
Ye Yun nodded approvingly.
“Time is not an issue for me.”
Natasha breathed a sigh of relief, fearing the timeframe might be too short.
“So, what price do you propose for this rice?”
Ye Yun pulled out his phone, showing Natasha a list of various foods and their prices he had prepared.
Natasha took the phone and read:
“One hundred pounds of rice: 5 Star Coins
One hundred pounds of flour: 5 Star Coins
One hundred pounds of corn: 5 Star Coins
One hundred pounds of sweet potatoes: 5 Star Coins
One hundred pounds of choy sum: 5 Star Coins
One hundred pounds of apples: 5 Star Coins”
She looked puzzled.
“What exactly are these Star Coins?”
Ye Yun explained:
“One Star Crystal can be exchanged for 100 Star Coins.”
Natasha’s face registered disbelief.
Those small decorative stones were worth so much?
At 5 Star Coins per 100 pounds of rice, one Star Crystal could buy 2,000 pounds!
Two thousand pounds of rice could feed everyone in Pan Yan Town for two or three days.
Natasha was thoroughly unsettled by this revelation.
“Mr. Ye Yun, please wait a moment. I’ll have someone gather the Star Crystals right away. I’ll come to you tomorrow, is that alright?”
Ye Yun nodded, pointing to the sacks of rice beside him.
“Consider these sacks of rice a gift to you. They’re nothing special.”
Natasha smiled in gratitude, then hurried out of the office.
Ye Yun stayed a while longer before leaving the office himself.
On the clinic’s first floor, Rios was sternly instructing Hook on something.
Hook listened attentively, occasionally gasping in surprise.
Ye Yun approached and overheard.
“Hook, come find me tomorrow, and I’ll teach you some combat techniques.”
Hook nodded eagerly.
“Okay! I’ll come to you tomorrow, Master Rios!”
Ye Yun was momentarily stunned.
What just happened? He had only stepped away briefly, and Hook had already become Rios’s apprentice?
Ye Yun had no doubts about Rios’s teaching abilities.
After all, even Ray, one of the strongest elves in Rios’s world, had studied under him for a time.
Clearing his throat, Ye Yun caught Rios and Hook’s attention.
Checking the time, he patted Hook on the head.
“Let’s go eat.”
Hook looked up, puzzled.
“Eh? Where are we going to eat? Aren’t we eating here? Tonight’s dinner is rock crab—I want rock crab.”
Ye Yun shook his head.
“Rock crab isn’t tasty. The shell is hard, the meat scarce, and it tastes sour. I’ll take you somewhere that serves real delicious food.”
With that, Ye Yun took Hook’s hand, and together with Rios, they headed out of the clinic.
***
Upper City.
Xing, Danheng, and San Yueqi had just exited the Great Guardian’s office.