Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

With Ronan now proudly holding his Permanent Resident Token, Shane continued his exploration through the vibrant lanes of the Ivory Gear Shelter marketplace.

Still, Shane had already spent quite some time in this place. The sun was dipping lower now, casting long shadows across the tents…

‘Just a few more stores, I guess…’ Shane mused as he decided to stop looking around after looking at a few more stalls.

Lamps lit by small, familiar fuel flickered, giving the streets a soft, enchanted glow.

Then, he passed a small stall between two food vendors. Unlike the energetic cries of weapons dealers or potion-sellers, this one was quiet…

“Word & Wonder – Hand-bound Books of Poems and Art”

‘Seriously?’ Shane was shocked after seeing this store. It was simply too unique. Why would they even consider selling these books of poems and art?

Just what kind of idea came to their mind to sell such things in the apocalypse?

Shane shook his head as he reached this thought.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel curious about this place. Perhaps, they had special effects he wasn’t aware of. Maybe, they were similar to the Sculptures that provide special effects.

As he looked around the shop, a young woman sat cross-legged behind a wooden table stacked with leather-bound journals.

Some were plain; others were etched with golden ink or adorned with dried flowers and woven threads. The pages were thick, carefully pressed, and stitched with care. No mass production here.

Each book had a title written in soft cursive:

“Echoes of the Old World”

“Sketches of Things I Miss”

“To the Boy Who Didn’t Return”

Shane paused…

‘Is this woman just missing his previous life?’ He thought.

The vendor—her name tag said “Mira”—looked up from her calligraphy, brushing a strand of lavender-dyed hair from her face.

“Looking for something peaceful?” she asked softly.

“I wasn’t… but I might be now…” Shane said, flipping open a book.

The pages were filled with sketches of ruined cities. Some of them are recognizable, while some were imagined. Perhaps, they were also made just for the poems… It seemed sad but beautiful. In the end, they looked hopeful.

Shane wasn’t sure what to think about these.

“Everything here was made by Survivors,” Mira explained. “Some drew what they lost. Others, what they wanted to build. I just bind the pieces together and try to make something worth remembering.”

“Are you selling these?” He asked.

“Most of the books, yes… Some of them had no copies yet, so I can’t sell them. It’s similar to the arts… Many of them are just for display.”

Shane looked at Mira once more as he felt that this woman was simply too mysterious.

“Can I ask what Survivor Talent you have?” Shane said.

Mira shook her head and smiled. “It’s a secret. But nothing impressive. I just want to try and live a normal life… I’m too scared to face those Zombies, you see.”

Shane nodded slowly. He didn’t mind her keeping her secrets… “Do you ever share these in shelters? These arts looked amazing. The books looked good as well.”

She smiled faintly at the question. The thought of sharing her artworks and even books made her feel quite excited.

“Only if I’m invited.”

Shane made a mental note to contact Mr. Wadsworth and his future cultural teams back in the Eclipse Domain. Shelters didn’t just need weapons and food—they needed soul. Memory. Humanity. This… this was something worth sharing.

He purchased a few books and left without a word…

A few booths down, Shane noticed a more colorful little stall.

“Mara’s Pet Shop – Mystery Eggs, Enchanted Collar, & Accessories for Tamed Beasts!”

“Ohhh…” Shane’s eyes lit up after seeing this.

Although he no longer needed some pets, he still had a few Evolution Stones with him. It would be a pity not to use them.

Still, he recognized Mara’s name. It had appeared in several other shops, including the Augment Clinic, where numerous prosthetics or mechanical limbs are being sold. He even met Sandara, the old shopkeeper there.

There were also other shops with Mara’s name, and it seemed that this person had many businesses in this shelter.

Anyway, the shop was colorful enough to attract the attention of many Survivors…

There were various sizes of belts, vests, collars, and little capes displayed on racks. Each of them had a thread that glowed faintly, probably because of their high-ranking quality.

“Need protection for your familiar or pet?” A teenager called out. “Fireproof collars, auto-return leash charms, Treasure-Sensing Tail Bells! We even got cloaks for Psychic Cats!”

If Shane was not mistaken, Psychic Cats were the most common type of pet.

Anyway, Shane looked at the small fox on one of the shelves. It looked adorable and it was even wearing a sleek scarf to make it even more attractive… It jumped around for a bit after noticing Shane was looking over before excitedly waving its tail.

Shane chuckled. “These work?”

As far as he knew, Pets could not be transferred.

“Yes… They do not have registered owners yet. Only when a name was registered would the binding process be completed.” The vendor replied.

“With our equipment and tools, they’ll keep your partner alive in many dangerous situations. Some of our gear is even tuned for undead familiars—so even necromancers from the Wild Shelters wanted them… Any tamer can invest without worry.”

Shane gently nodded as he also recalled that there could only be one pet per Survivor. Aside from him, only those with Tamer Talents or something similar could possess more.

Still, after looking at the expensive prices, Shane passed on buying anything immediately but flagged the stall for Tessa and the future beast-handling unit back at Eclipse Domain. Roan, Raze’s young red dragon, could probably use a flame-resistant neck guard or something…

As he thought that he would no longer find anything that might catch his interest, Shane stopped noticing a stall filled with food.

It wasn’t just any food, but they were actually for Pets…

“Mara’s Treats – For Pets and Familiars!”