(A/N: 4K+ words long chapter! Two chapters combined into one!)
Antique Stone Garden.
Kiba along with Ashlyn looked around the store and checked out the stones. Kiba has no experience with such types of stones. In fact, it was his first time learning about them despite his past in BSE79.
"So lively," Kiba mused while seeing the sea of crowd inside.
Most of them were here just to look around with no actual intentions of buying. Some of them wanted to expand their horizons while a few just wanted to waste time.
Even though there were over a hundred people the shop didn’t feel crowded thanks to its size and distribution.
The number of stones was innumerable with dozens of staff members helping customers. Security staff was in both official and civil dresses to handle any mischief.
The entire ceiling was lit with soft light so that no one has any difficulty while observing the stones and crusts.
Kiba stepped in front of a metallic column above which a dark stone was placed. An impenetrable glass box around the stone prevented it from people with malicious intentions.
He noticed hidden sensors in the glass box that would activate an alarm if they detect usage of mutant abilities.
"Mutants are powered by Divine Particles genetic material in their source," Kiba thought with a smile. "And the sensors would be only sensitive to such energy fluctuations."
Kiba was obviously an exception with his power being cosmic in nature thanks to Cosmic Spark.
"Let’s see what we have here."
Th1s chapter is updated by n)ovel/\bin/\
His pupils started rotating and a layer of golden radiance enveloped them. The dark stone inside the glass box glinted with extraordinary splendor that was invisible to the world.
Kiba’s vision moved through the protective energy field and entered inside the spatial space. The entire space was dark like the stone itself; dark as the night sky and empty. But in the center of the space, there was something.
Kiba was startled bur rather pleasantly. He retraced his vision from the interior of the stone. He looked around and noticed a staff member some distance away. The staff member was supervising this part of the area and responsible for purchases.
"Excuse me," Kiba called out the staff. "I would like to have this stone."
Dozens of people nearby him were stunned. Most of them have noticed him just entering the store and yet, he was already choosing a stone after cursory glance?!
"Is he out of his mind?!" A man in young thirties wondered aloud. "He is taking the first stone he saw?! Does he think it is some food stall?! Heck, people pay more attention while purchasing vegetables!!"
"I have been here for four hours and didn’t dare select a stone," A female companion of the man said. "Does he think this is some child’s play?"
"Youngsters are always in a hurry," A middle-aged man muttered. "And they make themselves into fools."
"Are you sure, sir?" The staff member enquired. Most of the time, patrons chose a stone proudly but at the final moment, they back out. After all, it was a very big gamble. If luck was bad then one would get nothing and loose own wealth in the process.
"Yeap," Kiba nodded. He retrieved a Wind Flame Fruit and Vermillion Ginseng from his storage dimension. The store didn’t accept cash or money cards as payment. They only accepted special items such as fruits, herbs or magic gems. Kiba handed the items to the staff member.
"OMG! Did you see that?!" A woman called out.
"Those items materialized on his hands out of nowhere!" Another woman muttered in surprise.
"He has a spatial storage item! Is he from an aristocrat family?!"
"Fuck! And he is paying two Rank I fruits just like that?!"
"What a waste!"
"He is definitely a black sheep of his family!"
Shawn and Amy were some fifty meters away. They heard the commotion and were amazed to see everyone’s focus on Kiba.
"He is also here?" Shawn thought Ashlyn should also be present and the next moment, he noticed her.
She was aloof and silent like always. Shawn hated the warmth he saw in her eyes as she looked at Kiba. He has only seen this gentleness from her for Kiba and no one else.
"Cursed bitch!" Shawn suppressed his anger.
He took a deep breath to calm himself and asked the nearby people for details. When he learned the facts, he couldn’t help but smirk.
"What a dumb idiot," Shawn said rather loud enough. "He is trying to show off to Ashlyn."
He has done a lot of research on these stones and even then, it would take him a lot of time to choose one. Yet, Kiba dare select a stone in just a minute after entering the store?!
He decided to teach a thing or two to this idiot and help him learn how vast the world is.
"Kiba, think again before you chose," Shawn walked towards Kiba and Ashlyn. "Otherwise you would definitely regret. I can help you with a short commission."
Kiba listened to his words but didn’t reply to him. The staff member has started opening the glass box to take out the stone. Kiba only focused on that.
Shawn frowned at Kiba’s attitude. How dare he not respond to him?!
"Ashlyn," Shawn called out to her. "Come with me and I will help you in selecting the best stones."
He prayed she wasn’t stupid enough to believe Kiba.
Amy - who was behind Shawn - gritted her teeth. She was now having doubts about her engagement.
Ashlyn looked at Shawn and shook her head. She spoke no words but her head signal was enough for him to know she was refusing him; again.
The onlookers nearby didn’t focus on what trespassed between Shawn, Ashlyn, and Amy. Their eyes were glued on the stone the staff member has taken out.
The staff member flicked his hand and rays of light seeped out from a console on his wrist. The next moment, a stage popped in the air above the metallic column. The stage seemed short at 5 sq. meters but it was surrounded by a spatial screen. Its visible dimensions and actual dimensions were different. This stage was created through the use of space gems and its actual area was 500 sq.meters.
The staff member threw the stone chosen by Kiba inside the stage. As soon as it entered, modified spatial beams boomed out of the stage floor. They landed on the stone and it started cracking into a blinding flash.
"Do you think he would get lucky?" A middle-aged man asked his wife.
"Who knows," The wife answered. "Some people do have blind luck."
"Or shitty luck," A young man interjected. "And such people only learn their worth when reality teach them a lesson."
"Hey," the female companion of the man said. "You don’t have to say such a thing."
The store was filled with intense discussion and the staff members secretly fueled the debate. The store also ran a betting pool so a hot discussion was actually beneficial for them.
"I’m betting a rank I - Crimson Thorn Fruit," The youth from before said. "That golden-haired man is going to get nothing."
"I’m betting Blue Flame Lotus," Another youngster made a bet.
Almost everyone was placing a bet on whether Kiba would come empty hand or not. Some were using money cards while others were betting through rare fruits and herbs.
95% bets were against Kiba. Very few people actually felt Kiba might beat the odds. And some of them believed he might acquire some useless item that has been corroded. Such cases were nothing new or surprising.
Ashlyn was not interested in increasing her fortunes so she didn’t care about the betting. But she felt obliged to participate given almost everyone was against Kiba.
She opened her left hand. Blue streams of current flashed on her suit and a flash of light conjured above her palm. The flash concentrated into a fruit radiating out strong water fluctuations.
"A rank II Elemental Water Spirit Fruit!" Amy muttered in disbelief.
Under the shocked vision of everyone in the store, Ashlyn handed the fruit to the staff member responsible for betting.
"Ma’am... who are you placing bets on?" The staff member asked while trying to suppress his shock. It was the first time he has seen someone betting a rank II fruit.
"Kiba," Ashlyn answered in an emotionless voice. "He would win."
walked next to Kiba.
"She got to be kidding!" A dumbfounded woman shouted. "Does she feel it is some ordinary fruit she can waste like this?!"
"Damn! The shop is making a killing!"
"The Dark Stars would never get poor as long as such customers visit the store!"
"Agree!"
Amy was taken aback by Ashlyn’s actions. She was further stunned by how calm Ashlyn was.
"Does she trust Kiba that much?" Amy wondered in her heart. "Or is it love? A love so great that she would support him no matter the circumstances even if he is wrong."
Shawn was thinking the same. The thoughts of love soured his mood.
He took out a rank I Deformation Fruit. He wanted to bet it against Kiba.
"Shawn!" Amy placed a hand over his shoulder. "Don’t bet blindly."
Amy felt it was premature for everyone to be so against Kiba. She refused to believe someone who could come this far in the forest on his own would be dumb enough to waste his wealth unless he has some confidence.
Shawn didn’t listen to her warning. He has seen countless stupid people and was sure Kiba was one of them.
Amy could only curse in her heart. Why was he so hellbent going against Kiba?!
"Men and their ego!" Amy recalled words her mother has spoken to about nature of men. She has never believed them but now she felt there was some truth when her mother said, "Men don’t think with their minds but..."
Amy gritted her teeth and retrieved a seed of Ice Crystal Herb. This seed’s worth was almost as high as a rank II fruit.
She handed it to the betting staff and said in a low voice, "I’m betting Kiba would win."
The staff member nodded and recorded the bet.
Amy was defying her fiance by her actions but she trusted her instinct as a woman.
At the same time, the stone floating above the stage shattered fully. The next moment, an alluring radiance bloomed out.
"No way!"
"Impossible!"
"This has to be an illusion!"
The eyes of the spectators turned wide in amazement. The expressions of those who bet against Kiba turned downcast.
They looked at the item that has materialized on the stage.
A futuristic hovercraft.
It spanned for ten meters with yellow texture and white stripes in between. It has no wings but two turbo boost behind.
The outside design of hovercraft was entirely different from the ones on Earth. It was more like a spacecraft with advanced tech system.
"A hovercraft from Celestial Elysian Plane!" The staff member next to the stage felt his jaw-dropping on the floor. His heart thumped violently at the sight in front of him.
"Even if you spend the entire profit of The Fair... you can’t purchase such a hovercraft!" The staff member thought further.
He was sure how stunning the developments were. The Dark Stars would definitely not be pleased after learning they had such a treasure and it was taken by some customer through dumb luck.
The staff member glanced at Kiba who was standing with a relaxed expression on his face. There was no shock on his face despite the fortune he has just earned. If anything, it was like there was nothing to be amazed about.
Did he knew what he would get?!
No! That’s impossible!
The staff member refused to believe such a possibility. He then thought about people blessed with heaven-defying luck.
"Just what type of luck he has?!"
That was the question running in everyone’s mind.
Kiba was happy at his choice. He was in no need of a hovercraft or any vehicle, and yet, he was content by this discovery.
For any man, there were only three things that aroused their attention the most.
Women.
Sports.
Vehicles.
Kiba was a deviant and different from most men. He was interested in vehicles for no reason other than to satisfy his vanity.
That’s the sole reason he chose the stone. If others learned of his reason, they would die from vomiting blood.
Kiba felt the eyes of everyone focused on him. He felt he should say something and break the awkward silence. So with a warm smile, he said, "I guess my luck is not that bad."
Not bad?!
Those who lost their bets were incensed. Their veins popped out while their blood pressure exploded like never before.
Motherfucking bastard! Do you call such godly luck as not bad?!
"I’m thankful for your bets as well," Kiba further said with the same warm smile. "My companion has made a good amount thanks to your kindness."
Son of a bitch!
A few of the onlookers coughed up blood in anger. The betting pool was against Kiba so those who voted in his favor were truly blessed. And for the others, it was a big loss that made their hearts bleed.
Ashlyn didn’t care about the increase in her fortune. She only placed a bet to support her companion.
Shawn was trembling from anger and humiliation. Just ten minutes ago, he has chided Kiba for being dumb and choosing a stone randomly.
To teach Kiba a lesson, he has even made a bet with Deformation Fruit. Many from his group followed his lead and parted with their rare herbs and fruits. They believed his conjecture and made bets.
Now... The group members were looking at him like he was responsible for some plague. Earlier, they were relying on him thanks to the research he has done on such stones. Currently, there was no sign of reliance.
Out of his group, only one member didn’t lose. If anything, she was one of the few who doubled her fortune.
Amy.
She let out a bitter smile. She has won but her group has lost. Everything could have been avoided if not for Shawn thinking from his lower...
Kiba ignored the gazes of everyone and stepped in front of the stage.
The hovercraft was floating above the stage. He didn’t know how to function it or even open it but he didn’t care.
He has plenty of experience with things from the alien world and was confident in his ability to handle such minor kinds of stuff. At worse, the hovercraft would never be activated but even then, it could act as wonderful showpiece when he returns back home.
"Please open the stage," Kiba said to the staff member. "I have already paid."
"Ah!" The staff member broke from his trance. He nodded and moved to open the stage. He stopped and thought of something. With a professional smile, he said, "Sir, you can exchange the hovercraft with treasured herbs and gems that are of rank III and above. We can even give you exclusive privileges in the upcoming auction."
Rank III herbs! Exclusive privileges in the auction!
Mutants nearby sucked cold air in disbelief. But then they thought, it was natural. The hovercraft was from a foreign world. It was intact with not even a sing of any scratch. It was priceless especially for those who were researching the technology of that world.
"Not interested," Kiba responded with a smile. He didn’t need privileges in the auction.
"Is there anything else you want?" The staff member further asked. "The Dark Stars would even accept your request for this hovercraft."
"There is indeed something I want," Kiba said while thinking of Myiesha. "But I’m pretty sure the Dark Stars wouldn’t agree."
"Ok, sir," The staff member was dejected. He entered commands in the console and the energy barrier around the stage opened up.
"Should I transfer the hovercraft outside?" The staff member enquired.
"No need," Kiba replied. He jumped on the stage and placed a hand over the hovercraft. Rays of white light boomed out of his palm and enveloped the hovercraft. The next moment, the hovercraft disappeared in clusters of light and transferred to his storage dimension.
"Just how much space is available in his spatial device?" The staff member wondered aloud. Most storage items offered low space and even then, they were very costly.
Kiba no longer cared if people assumed he has an advanced storage device.
He leaped from the stage and landed on the floor. He walked next to Ashlyn.
"Let’s see if we can find something for you," Kiba said.
She looked at him for a moment and then said, "No. You already know what I want is not here."
"As you wish," Kiba smiled and started checking other stones. He already knew she entered The Fair so that he can find the items he needed.
What she truly wanted could be only sought in the core region. In this regard, she was like him.
The Fair was just a temporary stop for miscellaneous items. The onlookers were still focused on Kiba.
Most of them wondered if what he achieved now was blind luck or real talent. In any case, they observed every action of his.
Some distance away, Shawn has finally calmed down.
"I let my feelings take the best of me," Shawn grimly thought. "I have to show my group it was just a one time mistake and nothing else."
He raised his head and looked at Amy and other members.
"We shall find what we need," Shawn said with great determination.
The group could only nod. They have to rely on Shawn as far the store was concerned.
Amy walked alongside Shawn as he checked the stones. An hour later, he found a stone to his liking.
"It definitely has something precious inside it," Shawn declared loud enough. His expression was filled with excitement as he observed the brownstone in front of him.
"Are you sure, Shawn," A female named Sheena asked.
"Yes," Shawn assured her. "Trust me on this."
He called out a staff member and paid a herb. The staff member opened the glass box and started the procedure to take out the item.
Around fifty mutants arrived to witness the reveal. Young and old were expectantly looking forward to seeing what was inside.
Shawn was rubbing his hands nervously as the spatial beams crashed on the stone.
Some hundred steps away, Kiba was sitting on a chair alongside Ashlyn.
"You indeed found something precious," Kiba mused to himself. "But you deserve something far more precious."
Kiba retrieved a crystal card from his storage dimension and placed it in his right hand. No one detected his movement despite him doing it in open. He gripped the card between his right thumb and index finger.
The crystal card turned transparent before fading altogether.
Just then, the stone opened up into blinding radiance. When everyone opened their eyes, they saw a seven centimeters long crystal card.
"What is that?!"
"A crystal card..."
"Doesn’t it look similar to those high-tech business cards?"
Everyone was taken aback when these words were spoken. These types of business cards were different from conventional contact cards. They contained digital information that could be explored virtually and also be used to establish direct contact.
Shawn was stupified. He was expecting a treasure and not some crystal card. Even he thought it looked like an advanced business card.
"There is no way it is a business card," Shawn said loudly to stop the discussion. "Celestial Elsyain Plane wouldn’t be using such type of methods."
"That makes sense," A middle-aged man agreed. "Besides, I like to believe this card is our Earth’s original invention."
"Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth," A woman agreed and said. "Eyes only show us what our subconscious mind wants to see."
"I agree," Sheena also nodded. "Shawn, check the card to see what it is."
"Maybe it some magical card?" Shawn prayed inside his heart. "How great it would be if it has some godly ability."
Shawn took the card in his hand. The crystalline card was blank and its surface glinted with bright light under his eyes.
He tapped a finger on the middle of the card. The moment he did this, threads of energy swept out from the crystal.
Shawn reflexively backed away. Others did the same and the crystal card fell on the floor. Streams of energy continued to sweep out and even before everyone could blink an eye, the energy threads wrapped the entire interior of the store.
At the same time, invisible ripples of psychic energy flew out from Kiba and merged with the energy threads from the crystal card. The energies of different nature fused and let out a burst of radiance.
"What’s going on?!" Amy was overwhelmed by the development.
The interior of the shop was fading. The stones, ceiling, floor, every object disappeared from her sight. She slightly relaxed to see people from the store were still here.
A new surrounding was created in an instant.
Amy took a step ahead. She felt loose particles touching her feet and she looked down.
The ground was filled with sand, gravel, shingle, and pebbles. The sand carried a gentle hue of gold that let out a soothing radiance.
"Beach?" Amy thought when she heard the sound of a wave crashing. She looked ahead to witness the beautiful scenery she was in.
A majestic deep blue ocean spanned as far as her eyes could see. Seagulls screeched softy on the surface while wind blew lightly.
At the end of her vision, the bright ocean was embracing the sunset.
She was standing at the shoreline and foamy mist of the water sprayed on her as waves crashed.
Shimmering sunlight made the sand sparkle like a thousand tiny jewels while the fresh air tantalized her senses. She greedily sucked the sweet air as the cold water squished through her toes.
The entire environment was gentle and peaceful.
"Where are we?" Sheena arrived next to Amy and asked.
"No idea," Amy replied. The others, including Kiba and Ashlyn, concentrated on the shoreline. Everyone started discussing the strange place they found themselves.
Just then, a soft melody sound greeted their ears. Everyone turned around and noticed a woman far away. They instantly realized she was not one of them.
The woman was young, very young. Just twenty years old with beauty so alluring and tempting that every man’s jaw slacked.
She has brown hair with blond highlights that were wrapped in a high ponytail. She has silver big hoops on her earlobes that contrasted with the setting sun.
♪♩♩♪~
The woman was playing violin as she looked at the setting sun. Her figure was tall and slender with olive skin that almost sparkled.
Her curves were enticing and it was hard to not stare. After all, she was in a red bikini that exposed her skin.
She placed down the violin on a lounge chair beside her. She then turned around and brought her eyes to the people from the store.
"Hello, ladies," Her voice was soft and sweet like an angel. She started walking towards them with slow steps.
"Ladies?!" The men in the crowd were surprised.
"No hello to us?" A twenty-five years old handsome man named Riolo spoke aloud. His expression was filled with lust as he feasted his eyes on her tempting body.
The charismatic woman looked at him and said, "It is my choice but yes, no hello to you."
"What?" Riolo was taken aback by her response.
Before he could say anything further, she continued,"Judging from your face, you are faster than a bullet in bed. Go somewhere and relieve your tiny penis, you worthless man."
WHAT THE FUCK?!
Who is she and why the hell she is speaking about men in such a degrading manner?!