Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

”Incredible...” Shane thought, surprised that anyone would part with such animals instead of keeping them for their own gain.

In truth, if other Survivors, or even Shane himself, had acquired these animals, they would have raised them for meat, leather, eggs, or other resources rather than ever selling them alive.

After all, it could bring immense wealth to them, and that wealth would be used to purchase the items in the Survivor Store, live a better life, and get even stronger.

They weren’t being selfish, but they were ensuring that they would be strong enough to handle even several days of the Zombie Wave Event.

A single rabbit pair could lead to a stable meat source. Mice could be used for lab testing or as feed. Pheasants for eggs and feathers. Goats for milk, meat, and even leather...

He then glanced at the merchant behind the stall, a woman in simple robes, her face half-covered by a scarf, and she was watching him carefully, not saying a word.

”I will not give a discount.” She finally said after seeing Shane’s burning gaze.

Shane almost choked after hearing that. Well, he wasn’t dressed like a leader or something.

He was wearing normal clothing and seemed like someone who would haggle, so he only sighed and nodded.

Just then, a familiar figure approached from the side of the marketplace. It was the person stopping the others from purchasing these animals to ensure that they wouldn’t be wasted and become a meal later...

They had to be multiplied!

Needless to say, it was Mr. Wadsworth, Shane’s butler, who had arrived.

His eyes immediately scanned the cages before settling on Shane.

”Sir Shane...” he greeted with a slight bow.

Shane wasted no time. ”Wadsworth, do we have people who can handle this? If we buy them now, we’ll need proper care. I don’t want them dying in a week because no one knows what they’re doing.”

The butler adjusted his gloves, then nodded. ”Yes, Commander. We currently have eight survivors with the Uncommon Talent Animal Whisperer. It is a low-level talent, but it grants them a natural affinity with animals or any type of beast. They can calm, feed, and train them more effectively than ordinary workers.”

Shane gently nodded after hearing this. ”Eight? That sounds good... Still, it must be difficult living or leveling up with that talent.”

”Indeed,” Wadsworth replied. ”Most of the time, they are relegated to menial tasks like kitchen helpers, farmers, or maintenance workers. Their talent was considered too minor to be of strategic use. But with livestock...” He gestured toward the cages. ”...their skills could finally be put to proper work.”

”Sounds good... But if we want to make this big. We have to get more workers... and new facilities as well. Coordinate with Engr. Eliot, for that matter.” Shane said.

Rabbits, mice, pheasants, goats... It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

If they could breed them, expand slowly, and protect them from contamination, then the Eclipse Domain could establish the first true animal husbandry project since the outbreak.

”Assign those eight to a new division...” Shane said firmly. ”Animal Husbandry Unit. I want them trained, equipped, and given priority rations. If we’re going to invest cores into this, we can’t afford mistakes.”

Wadsworth nodded. ”Understood. I will prepare the paperwork and notify them immediately.”

Shane glanced once more at the cages. Survivors nearby were whispering, their eyes filled with longing. Meat, milk, eggs, leather... These were luxuries now.

But to Shane, they were more than luxuries. They were the foundation for the future.

He exhaled slowly. ”This might be the most valuable stall in the entire marketplace.”

Shane stepped closer to the merchant woman... ”I’ll take every cage. Rabbits, mice, pheasants, goats. All of them.”

The woman blinked, clearly startled. ”All...? That will cost you...”

Shane’s gaze swept across the cages again. Rabbits twitching their noses, mice huddled in straw, pheasants ruffling their feathers, goats chewing lazily. Dozens of cages lined the stall, each tagged with its price.

520 cores for rabbits.

450 for mice.

800 for pheasants.

2,000 for goats.

Shane then asked Cloud to calculate the price for him... He wanted to know if he would be given the right price for all of them.

The merchant woman then took her time to calculate. After all, she had never expected to get her products sold at once...

Mr. Wadsworth also stepped forward, ledger in hand, as he began tallying...

Soon, the prices were out.

”Ten rabbit cages at 520 cores each... 5,200 cores.

Twenty mice sets at 450 cores each... 9,000 cores.

Twelve pheasant pairs at 800 cores each... 9,600 cores.

Four goat pairs at 2,000 cores each... 8,000 cores.”

He closed the ledger with a snap. ”Total... 31,800 Zombie Cores, or equivalent in Spirit Stones.”

The crowd gasped. Some survivors muttered in disbelief... They didn’t expect their Commander to have that many Zombie Cores sitting in his inventory...

Others stared at Shane with awe, realizing what this meant.

Of course, Shane had that many Zombie Cores with him. However, he didn’t want to spend all of that since operations would surely slow down if he decided to use them for this single transaction.

With that in consideration, Shane offered to pay half with Spirit Stones...

At this point, even the merchant herself was the one who broke her rule and decided to give Shane a discount instead!

Just like that, Shane now only had to pay 1,600 Spirit Stones and 14,000 Zombie Cores!

The merchant woman immediately felt worried after getting so much money with her...

”Payment confirmed, and the animals are yours. We’ll release them once your men are ready.”

Shane nodded. ”Wadsworth, arrange transport. Get the carts needed. I want them moved to the agricultural sector immediately. Assign the Animal Whisperers to oversee them. Build pens, secure feed, and establish breeding procedures...”

”Yes, Commander,” Wadsworth replied. Although he had no experience handling such matters, he knew that he could do it...

Just like that, the crowd slowly dispersed, knowing that in a few months or so, they would have stable sources of food and other produce... The rabbits would probably take three months or so, while the eggs would surely come fast, though the number would be low at first.

Nonetheless, these animals weren’t the last surprise that this merchant caravan gave to Shane!