Chapter 713: Young Seller

Chapter 713: Young Seller

Shane shook his head after hearing her concern.

“We don’t own anyone… and we’d never send a production class Survivor to any battlefield. In my Clan, every member contributes in their own way. I have smiths, alchemists, medics, cooks, teachers, and others like a normal functioning town. You’d be free to continue your craft, but I’d offer you resources—rare fruit seeds, land in one of our secure farms, protection, and even more customers. Of course, there’s always taxes, but they will be reasonable.”

She raised a brow. “What’s the catch?”

“You’d be part of us. That’s all. You supply drinks—special ones—for the Clan. In return, you get a permanent space in Eclipse Domain and my other Shelters… full backing of the Clan, and protection from anyone who tries to mess with your trade.”

He paused, then added more softly, “Plus… I think my people could use a bit more joy. Especially the kids. They’d love your preserves.”

Her face softened at that.

“…You know,” she said after a long silence, “I lost my son in the first stage… He was only seventeen. We both chose Zombie Infestation at that time…”

Eli sighed as she recalled the past. “He used to love jam. Always made me make extra. That’s why I started this. I wanted to remember the warmth.”

Shane didn’t rush her.

Eli turned back to the crates, as she looked over the jars, before she nodded slowly.

“…Alright, Shane. I’ll join.”

He grinned. “You won’t regret it.”

“I better not,” she muttered…

“Still, I plan to open branches if I really get the support I need. Do you mind if this stall remains here? Actually, I already have a few loyal customers in this Shelter.”

“Of course…” Shane immediately said. Even if she didn’t ask, he planned to help her build more branches. This way, she could become richer and feel more secure.

Shane then gestured for her to accept the Clan Invitation.

[ You have invited Survivor “Eli” to the Clan: Eclipse Revenant. ]

[ Survivor Eli has accepted your invitation. ]

[ Clan Members: 198 ]

Soon, Shane gave her the Permanent Resident Token for her Identity.

Although he didn’t plan to recruit anyone, he just couldn’t help but like her craft. She may have to transfer to the Blood Talon Clan, as he wanted the Eclipse Revenant to be focused on high-level Combat Survivor, but that could be arranged later.

Eli blinked as she got her identity token.

“Wow… So I can use this to visit your shelter. Is it far? How many days do I need to travel?”

With that question, Shane began explaining about the Portal Hall, and for the rest of the information she needed, he planned to let his butler handle it.

Then, after assisting Eli, Shane asked the other shops in this place that might catch his interest.

Soon, she mentioned a young Survivor who had a Common-Grade Blacksmith Talent. It wasn’t anything special, but this young man could be creative as long as he had the right resources. She also mentioned the other stores and apparently, they all possess quite similar stories…

They all came from a weaker clan… Then, those Clans got destroyed by Zombies or even Vampires. Once it was disbanded, they could only try to find shelters that would take them in despite not having combat skills.

This was tough during the first stages of the Apocalypse since they were all weak and had limited resources. Production Class Survivors would have difficulty being accepted, as everyone needed Combat Class Survivors.

However, Shane knew that it was different now. He believed that if these people wanted to join a Clan, they would be invited so easily.

But Clan Invitation could only be done through a personal meeting. Not through Chats. Because of that, there were a lot of complications, like the Clan being too far, roads being too dangerous, System Events that were about to come, and many others.

Because of that, none of them tried to find the Clans anymore.

“This is perfect.” Shane muttered to himself as he didn’t have to worry about their Loyalty anyway.

“Alright… I’ll take a look.”

Shane strolled through the rows of simple booths, guided by Eli’s directions, until he found a humble corner of the market beneath a crooked canvas tarp.

‘I guess business is not doing well.’ Shane commented in his mind.

The wooden sign was hand-carved but charming.

“Forge’s Friend – Campfire Equipment & Cooking Kits.”

It was far from flashy. It was just a narrow stall with a small forge built into a stone oven and a few workbenches stacked with tools, pans, and steel rods. But something about it caught Shane’s attention.

Like any ordinary customer, he walked in quietly, hands behind his back, inspecting the displayed wares. Several makeshift cooking kits were laid out neatly.

There were collapsible skewers made from Spirit Oak branches, kettle-hooks that doubled as defensive rods, and even cast-iron pans with some enhancements that probably came from Item Upgraded Crystals or others.

It wasn’t top-grade gear by any means… but it was practical. Field-ready. Built with survivors in mind.

Then, Shane looked at the young blacksmith.

At the center of the stall stood a young man in a patchy green poncho. His fingers worked nimbly as he held up a dull-looking skillet over a blue flame.

“This here…” the boy muttered, mostly to himself and a curious customer nearby, “is Flame-Friend Model 3. It’s still in testing… but watch this.”

He dropped a slab of gray, slimy, ‘Unsafe’ Unknown Meat onto the pan. For a second, it just sizzled—then, the skillet glowed faintly orange, and the meat began to bubble unnaturally.

In seconds, black sludge seeped out of the flesh and ran into the catch-grooves of the pan’s rim. When it was done, the meat had turned brown and tender, free from its toxic sheen.

The customer gasped. “You purified it? Without alchemy?”

“Wow… I have a lot of looted Unsafe Unknown Meat here!”

“This is awesome!”

“But you don’t look too happy, young man… Is there a problem?”

“Right… This is incredible. You should be rich by now. Is there a flaw?”