Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

The Recruitment Stones weren’t some sort of hidden treasures in the Market. Several stores were selling them, but they weren’t very popular for many Survivors unless they had a territory or perhaps if they were travelling alone and wanted a companion.

After all, these people consume resources, and their loyalty wasn’t always at the top, especially if they were high-grade recruits.

If you did something bad, their loyalty could slowly go down until they betray you, or if you’re lucky, they’d just leave without telling you.

“Special Recruitment Stone… or the Rare ones?” Tundra asked.

“Mhmm… Let’s go for the Special Recruitment. Most of them are production-class Survivors.” Reylin replied.

After all, the New Genesis Shelter was steadily supplying them with Warden Units.

From what Reylin could understand, the Project Warden was capable of creating 10 Warden Units every week.

As long as they have the Spirit Stones, the supply of steel, circuits, Cloud’s assistance, and the various craftsmen and engineers, the Warden Unit Production wouldn’t stop.

Thanks to that, the Blood Talon’s Shelter doesn’t have to worry about its guards or defenders. They just needed the working class to expand even more.

“We can also get the production class in Rare Recruits, right?” Tundra asked.

“Of course… But it is almost guaranteed if we use Special Recruitment… But we can probably consider some Rare ones as well.” Reylin added. She didn’t mind getting five or so Rare recruits.

Apparently, while Normal, Special, and Rare Recruitment Stones could be purchased through a buyout feature, the higher-grade Recruitment Stones, like Master, Epic, and Legendary Grade, had to be in a 2-hour auction.

The Normal Recruitment Stone typically brought in average survivors with no special talents, only usable as laborers or basic guards that still require some training or experience.

On the other hand, Special Recruitment Stone drew individuals with minor useful skills like medics, craftsmen, or basic fighters, who could still change their profession.

As for the Rare Recruitment Stone, they could recruit talented fighters, skilled healers, engineers, or individuals with useful talents related to their professions.

There was also the Master Recruitment Stone that was capable of attracting experts, mid-tier ability holders, or those with specialized professions and experts in them.

But for the Epic Recruitment Stone, including the Legendary ones, they could draw individuals who could shift the power balance of an entire shelter. They could somehow bring heroes whose power or talent was on par with elite Survivors…

“But how about those unique ones? Should we try? I think I saw a few of them before.” Tundra asked as he recalled the Rare Zombie Recruitment Stones, Wild Zombie Recruitment Stones, and a few other weird recruitment stones.

“Don’t waste your money on them. Let Asad buy them or something.” Reylin said with a chuckle.

“Special or Rare it is…” Tundra said as he also had no idea what he would do with the Zombie Recruitment Stones.

“Yes… Normal Recruits won’t cut it. We need some quality, not just numbers.”

“That works fine with me. Workers are fine, but we can always train them later. What we’re lacking are people who can change things immediately.”

After some searching, they found a stall near two weapon merchants. Unlike the noisy sellers who shouted their wares to passersby, this particular shop was quiet as if the seller knew that his product would easily attract the attention of those who needed it…

The shop had a simple name as well, Healthy Survivor’s Recruitment Stones

The stall was run by a scholarly-looking man in a long black robe. He noticed Reylin and Tundra as they approached, and he smiled at these new customers.

“Welcome… I have plenty of supplies. If you need more, I can just take it from the back.” The man said as he was only showing a few dozen pieces of each Recruitment Stone.

“Ohh… That’s nice. We don’t have to look elsewhere then.”

The shopkeeper then gestured to the stones displayed on the counter.

“You can get the Normal, Special, and Rare Recruitment Stones for their buyout price but not the higher ones…”

Tundra nodded, “What’s your price?”

The man then gestured to the posted note behind him… “You can take a look.”

Normal Recruitment Stones: 1,500 Points each

Special Recruitment Stones: 5,000 Points each

Rare Recruitment Stones: 10,000 Points each

Master Recruitment Stones: 25,000 Points each

Epic Recruitment Stones: 40,000 Points each

Reylin and Tundra exchanged looks after seeing the price list.

“Damn… the prices really went up…” Tundra muttered, scratching the back of his head.

“I swear, back in the first event half a year ago, Epic Recruitment Stones weren’t even at 5,000 Points. The inflation is too much.”

Reylin sighed but nodded. She was also part of the previous Auction Event.

“Yeah. Everything’s more expensive now. Still, we don’t really have a choice. It’s either this or let our Shelter stagnate.”

The scholarly shopkeeper watched them patiently as he wasn’t new to such reactions.

After a quick calculation, Reylin spoke first. “It will take one Rare. The rest Specials.”

Tundra agreed immediately. He wasn’t happy about the price hike, but Rare recruits could bring immediate results—engineers, skilled healers, or strong fighters. That was worth the gamble.

“Alright, I’ll take two Rares and… let’s see… six Specials.”

Tundra handed over his Recruitment Stone order. That would be 20,000 for the Rares and 30,000 for the Specials, a total of 50,000. With only 52,000 points left, he really had no other choice.

“Leaves me with 2,000. I can probably get a skewer or something.” Tundra said after confirming the payment.

The shopkeeper nodded and carefully kept them in a pouch that was free of charge before handing it over to Tundra.

Reylin followed with her own order. “One Rare for me and… five Specials.” That was 10,000 for the Rares and 25,000 for the Specials, a total of 35,000. With only 36,000 points in hand, it left her with just 1,000 points.

“That’s about all I can spare,” she said after a few moments. That 1,000 Points should still get her a decent meal in one of the nearby stores.

“Thank you for your purchases,” the shopkeeper said as he bowed slightly. “May your recruits bring strength to you…”

The two stepped away from the stall as they stored their items in their inventory.

“I can’t believe we just dropped everything on this…” Tundra muttered with a smile.

He was actually enjoying this rare break for them.

After all, once they were back on the continent, they would just start fighting the endless number of Zombies once again.

It was repetitive but necessary to grow stronger and not get infected by the virus.

“But man, I can’t wait to get back and see what we pull. It’s like rolling the dice.”

Reylin chuckled. “You sound like a gambler. But honestly? I’m excited too. We need workers, healers, anyone with talent. Just one good recruit could change the Blood Talon’s Shelter’s future.”

“Yeah. Imagine pulling a master blacksmith or a high-level healer…” Tundra said as he recalled Anna.

Being cured by her some time ago was quite an interesting experience for him. He couldn’t help but hope to recruit someone like her.

“I’ll be down for anyone with a crazy support skill. That would be huge.”

Reylin nodded firmly. “No matter what we get, it’s better than sitting around wishing for manpower. At least this way, we’re giving Blood Talon a real chance.”

Just like that, the two of them went to visit a nearby café to pass the time.

They just planned to wait until the event ends.

The café they found was a small, cozy place designed to make the Survivors stay for a long time…

Unlike the crowded stalls outside, it was quiet here, with only a few customers sitting at the far end..

Reylin and Tundra ordered a pair of steaming coffee drinks, each costing 100 Points, and a spread of snacks for 800 Points.

“Nice…”

The food was surprisingly decent. The thin, crisp flatbreads topped with spiced meat and a plate of dried fruit and nuts were really good…

“Not bad for the price,” Tundra said as he bit into one of the flatbread…

“Almost feels normal, you know?” Reylin said as she looked around the shop.

Reylin sipped her coffee as she let the warmth spread through her chest. “Shame it costs us points to even enjoy something like this. But I guess it’s worth it once in a while.”

Then, they were halfway through their snacks when Reylin suddenly flinched… She was just notified by her BidLink Communicator about something…

“Oh! I almost forgot about those!” She exclaimed, setting her cup down quickly.

“What happened?” Tundra asked as he looked at Reylin.

Reylin smiled as she quickly opened the notification log from the device. “The items I listed in the Survivor’s Exchange finally sold. Took them long enough.”

She scrolled through the list and smiled.

“Ten Insight Talismans… all gone. I got five Power Cores for each one, just like I wanted. That’s fifty Power Cores in total.”