Lohan watched the almost dangerous gleam in Isabella’s golden eyes, and for a moment, his heart fluttered with uncertainty.
He knew that, in Elysium, Lisa was a ruthless strategist and warrior, capable of coordinating massacres against elite monsters or powerful players without hesitation.
However, the enthusiasm she was showing now, in the real world, for "shopping," seemed even more dangerous than any Ice Spike or Spirit Fire.
Without giving Lohan time to reconsider, Isabella pulled him by the arms, allowing him just enough time to leave his main backpack in the apartment while she carried the other black suitcase into the car and instantly revved up the white Ferrari’s engines.
The vehicle took off vertically from the 50th-floor garage, cutting through the air of the Upper Zone with a powerful roar.
Lohan leaned back against the leather seat, feeling the weight of the backpack at his feet, focusing his attention on the landscape unfolding outside.
They weren’t heading to just any shopping mall. Isabella set the coordinates for Aetheris Prime, the most prestigious shopping center in Eden-3, a monolith of crystal and floating gardens that served as the heart of global avant-garde consumption.
As they approached, the sky began to fill with vehicles that Lohan had only seen in digital catalogs in the Lower Zone.
Isabella’s Ferrari, which had previously seemed like a divine artifact, was here just another gem among many. Lohan watched, fascinated, as models of Lamborghini Aeros with transparent chassis revealed the glow of energy in their engines, and Silent-V Porsches glided through the air without emitting a single decibel.
There were also brands that had emerged in the last few centuries of federal expansion, such as YuLong Motors and Noctis Design, whose vehicles looked like sculptures of obsidian and light, taking the place of humanity’s established brands through incredible engineering.
As a car lover, Lohan was fascinated by the sight of so many incredible models flying around, and he loved seeing how different the cars from the major brands were today, while still maintaining the classic lines he had seen in the other world centuries ago.
As they entered the mall’s parking lot, the automated system recognized the Vance Group’s signature and directed them to a priority parking spot.
Lohan got out of the car, adjusting his black hoodie and protective overcoat, which still carried a lingering trace of Sector 4.
Isabella acted quickly, anticipating unwanted stares, swiftly putting on a white silk face mask and a wide-brimmed hat, covering her face almost completely.
Only her long red hair cascaded down her back, shining beautifully against the white silk.
"Stay close to me, Halon," she whispered, her voice muffled by the mask but still brimming with the confidence and power she exuded in the real world. "And try not to... digest anything by accident."
Lohan let out a short laugh, adjusting the backpack he’d brought over his shoulders. "To be honest, Lisa, I think my apparent social status is going to get me digested by them first."
Considering the clothes he was wearing and that black duffle bag he carried on his back, he was sure to attract attention.
He’d even considered leaving that backpack at home along with the other one, but Lohan felt this was the ideal moment to get rid of both those jewels and the stolen money.
He didn’t intend to let Lisa pay for his purchases, and even with money in the bank, why bother spending your own money when you have untraceable money from others on you?
They entered the popular area of Aetheris Prime, and the impact was immediate.
The mall was an explosion of ostentation, with fountains of clean liquid water (an extreme luxury) that changed color in time with the ambient music, and storefronts protected by force fields displaying clothing made of smart fabrics.
The people around them, the elite of Eden-3, stopped in their tracks.
Lohan sensed the shift in the atmosphere through Instinctive Perception. He caught the looks of fear, disgust, and mockery converging on him like invisible arrows.
To those people, dressed in ethereal silks and flaunting gold cosmetic implants, Lohan’s presence in his slum-dweller’s protective suit was a visual insult to everyone present.
Isabella sensed the collective hostility and glanced at Lohan, her chest tightening with genuine concern. She feared he would feel small, that the arrogance of the Upper Zone would crush the spirit of the boy she had come to respect. However, what she saw left her in shock and, soon after, relieved.
Lohan wasn’t walking with his head down as she’d imagined; his posture remained perfectly upright, his broad shoulders filling the cheap fabric of the hoodie with a firm, confident structure.
His expression, visible through the breathing mask, was one of natural and absolute confidence. Sure, in this place he didn’t even need that mask, but for the sake of privacy, just like Lisa, he preferred to keep it on his face.
Lohan exuded the same pride and authority he displayed in Elysium as Halon; he carried himself like a Predator who, despite being in unfamiliar territory, acted like someone confident that he was at the top of the food chain.
That confidence didn’t come from the money hidden in his backpack, but from the integration of mana into his human veins, which made him perceive the world in a way qualitatively superior to any of those rich people, and above all, from the infinite potential he possessed, which brought the certainty that it was only a matter of time before he reached a level totally beyond the reach of these people.
Isabella smiled beneath her mask, feeling her heart warm. She realized that Lohan didn’t need her emotional protection.
’I think he’ll adapt to the Upper Zone better than I imagined...’
They stopped in front of Hera’s Grace, one of the most prestigious and expensive clothing stores on the planet. As they entered, the air conditioning saturated with floral fragrances hit Lohan’s system, being instantly filtered by his Digestive Filter.
Although he understood the appeal of these artificial fragrances, Lohan wasn’t a big fan of them in excess and chose to use his Digestive Filter to make it more tolerable.
The interior of the store was quiet and minimalist.
Unlike the popular stores in the Lower Zone, where desperate salespeople swarmed around customers, here the service was much more selective.
Three sales clerks, dressed in black uniforms that cost more than Lohan’s old apartment, watched the pair enter.
They immediately noticed the contrast of a girl whose hair and posture screamed wealth, accompanied by a "beggar" from the Lower Zone.
None of them approached. They merely exchanged looks of disdain and continued organizing the shelves, waiting for the "anomaly" to leave on its own.
Lohan and Isabella didn’t mind; for them, silence was better than the false kindness these women would try to show.
So they began walking among the racks of physical clothing.