Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Paige Summers and Franklin Forrest—one a willing seller, the other a willing buyer—naturally struck a deal in no time. They settled on an initial trial transaction: five bags of wheat grain, at a price of ten Sixth-rank Crystal Cores per fifty-jin bag.

In Franklin Forrest’s eyes, the price was absurdly low.

It wasn’t that he was some big-spending tycoon; the grain itself was just that precious!

However, he quickly figured out why Paige Summers was doing this.

She clearly needed Crystal Cores and had no shortage of food.

’Sure, she could have jacked up the price, but then again, who could afford to buy it?’

’Leaving Southreach out of the equation, I’m surely not the only customer Paige Summers is after. She has to consider the purchasing power of other bases.’

’I don’t know exactly how much grain she has, but from the looks of it, I probably couldn’t afford her entire stock even if I liquidated all my assets.’

On the way back, he was mulling the matter over.

Since Paige Summers had promised to prioritize his supply, it was only right for him to return the favor. He’d have to reach out to some of his contacts at other bases and discuss this opportunity.

Just as he was thinking this, his subordinate Charles Lee couldn’t hold back any longer. ”Chief Forrest! What are your thoughts on this whole thing?”

Franklin Forrest snapped out of his thoughts. ”What thing?”

Charles Lee slapped his thigh. ”The wheat, of course! You’ve seen and tasted it yourself. It’s definitely not that soilless-grown stuff from Central City. I’m telling you, only grain grown in real dirt tastes like this!”

Franklin Forrest shot him a look. ”No shit! You think I needed you to tell me that? My head’s not just for decoration. You think I couldn’t figure that out myself?”

”So... uh, you don’t have any... ideas?” Charles Lee’s face was a mixture of anticipation, frustration, and a hint of viciousness.

Franklin Forrest stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly swung his hand—CRACK!—and slapped him across the face.

He hadn’t held back. Charles Lee’s face swelled up almost instantly. He was completely stunned by the blow, staring blankly at Franklin Forrest and stammering, at a loss for words.

Franklin Forrest just smiled.

”Joe Schmoe, oh, Joe Schmoe. I see it clearly now. You’ve been with me for years, and you haven’t learned a single thing!” He turned to Eugene Warren beside him. ”Go on, you tell him. Explain to this moron what he’s missing.”

Eugene Warren inwardly rolled his eyes, then turned to the wronged-looking Charles Lee. ”Listen, Schmoe. You don’t have to be a genius, but you can’t be a fool. Get it?”

Charles Lee stared at him for a good while before saying bluntly, ”I don’t get it!”

The corner of Eugene Warren’s eye twitched. ”Let me put it this way. This Paige Summers dares to sell us grain, and even tells us flat-out that she has plenty and anyone can buy it. Do you really think she’d do all that without taking precautions?”

”But even with precautions, their base is tiny. There’s no way we couldn’t take them!”

Eugene Warren shook his head. ”It might not look like many people, but I’m afraid if we’d made one wrong move in there, we never would have made it out. You probably didn’t notice, but from the moment we entered, people were watching us from the shadows. A lot of them. And those people... they were at least as strong as me. And that’s not even counting Paige Summers herself, or the man who follows her like a shadow. Without Chief Forrest, the rest of us combined probably wouldn’t stand a chance against just those two.”

Charles Lee’s eyes widened in disbelief. ”They’re that powerful?”

”It’s more than that,” Chester Warren said, glancing at the expressionless Franklin Forrest before continuing. ”I took a quick look around. I can’t be certain, but it’s highly likely their base is full of traps. Paige Summers is the head of Summers Armaments; she’s not going to be lacking in that department. They only let us in because we were a small group and showed good intentions. But if we came in force... those huge metal shields and weapons on the walls are definitely not just for decoration. We might not have even been able to reach the walls!”

Charles Lee was dumbfounded. ”Are... are they really that incredible?”

This time, Chester Warren said nothing. Instead, Franklin Forrest shot Charles Lee a look of pure contempt.

’To be honest, any crooked ideas I might have had vanished the moment I saw their walls.’

’Even an amateur like me, who only dabbles in weaponry, could tell the materials used for those metal shields were top-notch. They were even better than the steel in the blade I fought so hard to get!’

Lost in thought, he let out an envious sigh. ”Listen, kid! That’s what you call being truly loaded! What do we have to fight them with? We can’t afford to! Everyone wants nice things, but you have to know if you’ve got the muscle to take them! Daydreaming about it when you don’t have the strength? That’s just asking to die. Understand?”

Charles Lee hung his head in dejection, muttering, ”I know, but all that grain...”

Seeing his subordinate’s pathetic state, Franklin Forrest’s anger flared up again. He smacked him on the back of the head in exasperation. ”Are you an idiot?! Did it ever occur to you why she gave us wheat grain instead of flour?”