Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

Shane thought for a moment and Anna was indeed correct. Though they have potions, talismans, and tokens to cure them, having a true doctor was still a lot better for everyone’s sake.

”Ahhh… That’s true…” Shane nodded as it was certainly a good idea to have a doctor here.

After agreeing to her, Anna felt very happy and soon, she walked past them all and headed straight to the plaza… To be exact, she wanted to see the Herbalists’ Consortium stall after hearing it from Shane.

Of course, since she planned to find materials for various medicines and potions, Shane gave her additional Zombie Cores and Spirit Stones she could use as payment. Most of her items would be for their sake after all.

Whatever rare herbs or medical supplies she’d find here, Shane wanted her to have no issues acquiring them.

Shane then turned back to Raze as he discussed getting a few more drops of Roan’s blood.

”Ohh… I know you will ask about it so I already kept a bottle with me… Here, 5 drops of a true dragon blood.” Raze said as she showed a small bottle containing Roan’s blood.

Just looking at it, Shane could already tell that it was genuine, given the aura it was emitting.

Needless to say, Shane didn’t plan to take it without paying a price.

”Are you interested in Vitality Enhancement Bottles?” Shane asked as he checked his inventory and confirmed that he still had 58 of them.

”Sure… I won’t reject that offer. Can I have 10 of them?” Raze asked. She didn’t really mind if Shane would just pay her with Zombie Cores, but since he was being kind, she decided to take the offer as she knew that it was also his way of taking care of his people.

After their transaction was made, Shane decided to call Engineer Eliot at Springriver Manor through Max. Well, he planned to build a better clinic for Anna, and Eliot’s expertise would be very appreciated for that job.

***

In the meantime, while Shane was doing this, the newly arrived survivors had already dispersed throughout the market as they all started seeking out what they needed most.

Of course, Shane wasn’t sure whether these merchants would do honest business, so he asked a few people including Edwin to monitor the prices to ensure that the residents weren’t paying above the market price.

Anyway, Diana wasted no time making her way to the Ember Syndicate’s Armory, inspecting rare ores and reforged weapons. Although she had better weapons in her inventory, she realized that the materials of the items being sold were actually high-quality!

Unfortunately, the blacksmiths of the merchant organization weren’t good enough to bring out its true potential probably due to their low skills.

After she haggled fiercely, she was able to acquire a few weapons that she planned to dismantle soon.

Then, at this moment, Minerva was already testing enchanted armor pieces while flexing her prosthetic arm and gauging their weight.

She eventually settled on a custom-fitted chest plate reinforced with kinetic absorption, which would reduce the impact of direct strikes.

Tieria, on the other hand, found a specialized sniper scope among the Wandering Coin traders, one that integrated night vision enhancements similar to his prosthetic eye. He made a quick trade as he felt satisfied with the upgrade.

”Their prices are all reasonable…” Tundra muttered as he was also tasked by Shane to monitor the plaza’s situation.

After all, he wasn’t sure if everyone in the caravan could be trusted.

Anyway, Raze was drawn to a halberd. It was the weapon that Roan found interesting. As a matter of fact, Raze could faintly sense its fire affinity.

Although she wasn’t that good with Halberd, she felt that it was a perfect match for her and Roan’s combat style.

”I can probably upgrade this to Epic or Legendary rank later.” Raze muttered before she spent a considerable amount of zombie cores to secure it.

Well, it was not easy to find items that were suited for a Dragon Knight like her. The drops from the Zombies would rarely give her something really useful as well. Even the drops of the Zombie Lord weren’t that useful for her.

”How about you, Aya? Did you find something you want?” Raze asked.

Aya, the young shaman, was actually browsing rare talismans and spiritual artifacts in the corner…

”These items were quite good for research but not in combat…” Aya muttered. Soon, she started exchanging her handcrafted charms for some old parchment and ink infused with mysterious energy.

Aya may be the youngest of them but she certainly knew how trading works and she was even successful a few times.

Finally, Anna had the most fruitful trade of all… Tundra actually watched her secure an entire crate of medical herbs, antidotes, and high-quality bandages in exchange for some of the normal potions she had brewed herself.

***

On the next day, the merchants were still at work, but the chaotic atmosphere had already faded. Survivors from Silver Mine Camp and Springriver Manor had returned through the portal, hauling new supplies, weapons, and trinkets they’d picked up.

Of course, a batch of new Survivors from those shelters would soon use the portal to have a look at this new shelter.

At this time, Shane was notified by Sol about the presence of several people heading to their shelter.

’Those Spirits are really useful.’ Shane thought as he stood on the balcony of the main hall, looking out over the growing settlement.

Soon, his eyes caught a group of twenty figures moving toward the entrance gate. They were a ragged bunch—clothes torn, bodies filled with dirt, and dried blood on their clothes.

They all looked in bad condition.

Some of them were limped, others leaned on their weapons like they were the only things keeping them upright.

They were scavengers.

Shane knew them very well as they could become enemies or allies depending on the situation. They’re unpredictable.

Nonetheless, they were still just wanderers who scraped by on the edges, moving between ruins, avoiding the strong Zombies while hunting the weak.

Of course, most weren’t bad people as they were just survivors doing what they had to.

At the front of the group was most likely their leader. He looked like a beggar with messy gray hair and a thick beard.

By the time they reached the gates, Edwin was already there with the Super Soldiers standing nearby. Edwin then asked them to introduce themselves and their purpose for coming to their shelter.

The leader stepped forward, giving a small nod to Edwin.

”Name’s Gideon,” he said.

”We’ve been on the road for weeks, lost our last safe spot to a horde. Then some damn raiders picked off the rest of our group. We’re twenty now. There used to be fifty of us.”

Gideon took a deep breath. ”The next neutral shelter’s three days away. We won’t make it in this state. We’re not asking for charity—we’ll pay for a place to rest, even if it’s just for a few nights.”

At this time, Shane was already near the entrance.

He studied the leader for a while and confirmed that the man was indeed really tired, but there was still a spark in him. It felt as if Gideon would dare to fight if they felt that their lives were being threatened.

He definitely deserves to be a leader.

His people, though worn down, were holding on to their weapons like they weren’t ready to give up yet.

”Before we talk payment, we need to check you all,” Shane said. ”Standard procedure. No exceptions. We can’t allow anyone to just turn into a zombie inside our shelter.”

Gideon gave a tired laugh. ”Fair enough. We’d do the same if we had a place like this.”

The Super Soldiers moved in. They had done this many times in the Springriver Manor after all.

They swiftly checked every single scavenger for zombie bites. They lifted sleeves, unwrapped bandages, and checked behind ears and necklines—places where bites were often hidden.

One of the Super Soldiers who rarely speaks, Kara, inspected a young man in the group. ”This one’s got a deep cut, but it’s clean. No signs of infection.”

Of course, she was saying this to Anna who was now recording their information as they all get checked one by one.

Another Super Soldier checked an older woman. ”She’s malnourished, but no bites.”

This continued for about twenty minutes and soon, all twenty scavengers had been cleared.

Shane gave a nod. ”Alright. Next step—you’re all going to Anna’s clinic. We’re making sure none of you are carrying anything contagious.”

One of the younger scavengers, a boy barely sixteen, looked nervous. ”I-It’s just a fever… I’m fine.”

Gideon patted the boy’s shoulder. ”Don’t argue, kid. Just let ’em do their job.”

Anna, who was standing nearby with her medical bag, gestured for them to move forward. ”This way.”

Shane then watched as they were escorted to the clinic, where Anna and Aya would make sure they weren’t bringing anything worse into the settlement.