Zen easily carried various bags of groceries as he followed Fabasa back to the base.
Their place was still a wreck, with whatever few good parts remaining and a hideous stench left after cleaning out the drains.
Hako joked that they probably dug up a carcass in the process.
Zen wasn't sure whether to laugh… or throw up.
Honestly, it could be true.
Their tasks had been divided properly in the morning.
Asoun and the others had gone to a different market to buy a large pot and utensils.
For now, everyone had pitched in two hundred Rei each as class funds.
Still a long way from affording even a single bed.
Pawen stood nearby, shovel in hand, pants rolled up to his knees. No one was dumb enough to wear a uniform here.
He looked down at two of his wussy classmates, unimpressed.
"So. How much does it cost?"
"Uh... we asked around. They said it's in huge demand right now… they need time to prepare and—"
"Cut to the chase. How much?" Pawen snapped.
"It-it's…" The boy hesitated.
Zen and Fabasa happened to walked in at this scene.
Right. They'd sent a few classmates to check out the price of beds.
The boy slowly raised five fingers.
"…500?" Zen muttered. That wasn't so bad.
But the boy shook his head, voice dry as dust. "Five thousand."
"Huh? Are you joking?! Even a luxury bed doesn't cost that much!" Kozen stormed over, his temper flaring as always.
The two boys quickly defended themselves.
"It's the truth! Apparently, the other classes got the same task."
"And they already pre-ordered the beds. If we want them earlier, we'll have to pay more."
"We said we'd come back later. Even the cheapest ready-made beds are going for 2,000 Rei!"
Kozen scoffed.
"Then forget the bed. It's a money pit. I sleep just fine on the floor."
"What are you saying? That's not realistic," Hako cut in neatly as he stepped in. A little baffled at Kozen's had almost little to no thought process at all.
"If we don't complete this task, they won't give us a new one. Didn't you read it?"
"That's ridiculous." Kozen pulled out his phone, scrolling and then fell silent.
There it was, written in nearly negligible font.
[Please note: no new mission will be distributed until the previous one is completed.]
Heh.
Zen stared too. He hadn't seen that line either.
But seriously—five thousand Rei for one bed? If they needed enough for thirty people…
Ten thousand… a hundred thousand…
One hundred and fifty thousand Rei?!
Zen felt his soul quietly slip out of his body.
"There's no way we'll gather 150,000 Rei, even if we pooled every coin we have."
Hako seemed to think the same. It was mission impossible from the start.
His brows furrowed in thought before he spoke again.
"It's a bit difficult with the current situation. Why don't we complete the side task first? We can see what we get from that."
"The side mission…?" Zen echoed.
If he remembered correctly, it was to build a mailbox. Seemed simple enough.
"We can do that. But how should we build it?"
Fabasa, now placing the groceries neatly on a clean surface, joined the conversation.
"I heard the school usually sends rewards to the mailbox. So it probably shouldn't be too small. Maybe around… this size?" He gestured with his hands, outlining a medium-sized box.
Then he added.
"The problem is, who can build it?"
"I can do it," a guy stepped forward.
Zen stared at him.
Honestly, his impression of the guy was that of a shy introvert. But now that he thought about it, he had noticed him fixing things around the base, a loose window hinge here, a wobbly stool there.
Even the small chair Konan had been sitting on earlier.
"My dad's a carpenter. I've picked up a thing or two." the boy added, clarifying.
"That's pretty amazing. My dad's a doctor, but I didn't learn a thing," Asoun chimed in with a grin.
Zen's mouth twitched. That's not even remotely the same thing!
The boy introduced himself properly.
"My name's Oden Feldra. I grew up in Heichil."
He quickly sketched out a simple design on a piece of paper and turned it toward the group.
"Would this be okay?" he asked. "If so, I can get started right away. I brought my own tools, and there's enough wood here to work with."
Zen and the others gathered around the sketch. It was simple, sturdy, and perfectly functional.
"It'll definitely work. How can I help?" Zen offered, stepping forward.
But before he could take another step, he felt a tug on the back of his collar. He turned around mechanically.
"Eh? Fabasa, do you need something?"
Fabasa smiled.
"I hope you didn't forget, you're on cooking duty with me today."
"Gah!" Zen groaned as Fabasa effortlessly dragged him away. He's not really the kitchen type.
"Come on, it's almost noon. We're cooking spinach and potato curry."
Spinach and potato… That sounded hellish.
Starting the fire wasn't hard, thanks to Asoun's foresight in buying easy-to-burn sticks and a lighter.
Then Zen stood back and watched as Fabasa worked his magic.
Fabasa placed the big pot on their makeshift stove. Once the water started bubbling, he casually tossed in the ingredients as if this were a daily ritual.
Then, he added something unexpected.
From his pocket, Fabasa pulled out a small sachet and sprinkled its contents into the pot with flair.
Zen lowered the flame on cue but couldn't help asking:
"What did you just put in?"
He peered into the pot. The liquid had turned a deep, murky green, bubbling ominously.
"A good thing," Fabasa said with a wink. His hair was tied back, and he wore an apron like he meant business.
"Especially for young men like us. You'll only benefit." He nodded seriously and stirred the pot like a witch brewing a potion.
Zen eyed the mushy green liquid with suspicion.
This doesn't look like cooking… more like a summoning ritual. If only it started glowing.
"Don't worry," Fabasa chuckled. "You'll understand once you taste it. Lower the heat a bit. We'll serve in five minutes."
Zen did as instructed, still skeptical.
Right then, Konan and a bald-headed boy entered, carefully setting clean bowls onto the long table which looked like it could collapse at any moment but did it's job.
As Konan and the others helped serve the food, Zen held his breath against the pungent aroma rising from the pot.