Chapter 89: Moira Lynch’s Choice
After the meal was cooked, the three of them helped bring the dishes to the table.
Moira Lynch saw this and didn’t find it strange at all. After all, at a time like this, you’d have to be crazy not to be eager to eat.
Before, the meal she had prepared might have been considered average home cooking. But now, it was an undeniable delicacy.
"How are your studies coming along?" Moira Lynch asked.
The three men’s backs stiffened. They suddenly felt the anxiety of a failing student being called on by the teacher in class.
"It’s... it’s going okay, I guess," Kai York said, his voice lacking confidence.
Fortunately, Moira Lynch didn’t press the matter, which allowed the three of them to breathe a sigh of relief.
After they finished eating, Kai York volunteered to wash the dishes. Moira Lynch then told them the news about the water and power cuts, and how they would only be available at fixed times each day.
"Our community is self-sufficient now. It shouldn’t affect us, right?" Kai York said.
"That may be true, but while our community isn’t huge, it’s not small either. We should still conserve what we can," Hugh Finch said.
At that moment, Shane Rhodes looked at Moira Lynch. "I plan to contact the military today. Before that, we should set some of those things aside for ourselves as a reserve."
Hearing this, Hugh Finch’s eyes lit up as he looked at Moira Lynch. Ever since they’d come out of the game, he’d been incredibly curious about the supplies his boss and Kai York had brought back after hearing their stories. Now, he would finally get to see them.
Moira Lynch took everything out of her Space Button.
Among all the supplies, the Water Storage Mushrooms were the most numerous.
Moira Lynch symbolically picked three of the larger-looking ones for herself, while Shane Rhodes and the other two each took ten.
Moira Lynch didn’t plan on giving away the reward from the Long-legged Spider. Shane Rhodes and Kai York, however, planned to keep one bottle of Spider Silk Liquid for themselves and use the remaining one for the trade.
After all, they were asking for a lot, and that bottle of Spider Silk Liquid was one of their bargaining chips.
They also kept a portion of the remaining items in reserve, just in case.
Since Moira Lynch didn’t want to get involved, the trade took place at the residence of Shane Rhodes and the other two.
Although she didn’t make an appearance, Moira Lynch knew every detail of the negotiation process.
She had to admit, Shane Rhodes and his group were really shooting for the moon. They actually asked for ten sets of Exoskeleton Mecha, and on top of that, they requested similar quantities for the other items.
’Even though I can’t see it, I’m sure the person sent to negotiate must have a terrible look on their face right now.’
Fortunately, Shane Rhodes’s initial asking price was just a feint. After all, following the typical Cathayan bargaining custom, you always start by cutting any price in half, no matter what it is.
If he didn’t start with a high price, the old fox on the other side of the table would have picked them clean.
In the end, thanks to the three men’s well-reasoned arguments and silver-tongued persuasion, the final deal was settled: two sets of Exoskeleton Mecha; two sets each of personal gear like Anti-gravity Shoes; four Space Buttons; one Water-cooling Stone; ten Chimefin scales; and various weapons and supplies.
At the same time, Shane Rhodes and the others had to make a series of guarantees.
If it weren’t for the fact that the Water Storage Mushrooms and White Ginger they offered were so extraordinary—especially the Water Storage Mushrooms, which could continuously produce water as long as they weren’t completely squeezed dry...
And the White Ginger, which actually had a therapeutic effect on all illnesses and could even directly cure milder symptoms.
If not for these items, they would have never agreed to the other party’s demands.
To put it in perspective, the military only had a thousand sets of Exoskeleton Mecha in total—not even enough for their own people.
After the trade was complete, the three men returned to Moira Lynch’s place, bringing the bartered goods with them.
The three men laid the items out in front of Moira Lynch, telling her to take her pick. After all, no matter how you looked at it, her contribution to them obtaining these things was undeniable.
Moira Lynch didn’t stand on ceremony. She chose the Anti-gravity Shoes, the Gliding Cloak, and the temperature-regulating clothes.
The three men were a bit surprised by her choice. They had all assumed she would pick the Exoskeleton Mecha or the Flying Device—if not both, then at least one of them.
But in the end, she chose neither, instead picking the Anti-gravity Shoes, Gliding Cloak, and temperature-regulating clothes.
"Moira, you don’t have to worry about us," Kai York said.
He thought she made that choice out of consideration for their feelings, since it wasn’t long ago that she had mentioned wanting an Exoskeleton Mecha.
However, the truth was, Kai York was completely overthinking it.
After all, she was the source of the items they’d traded, and besides, she already had a better option.
Remember the reward the Leonin had given her? She had originally thought it was just a tool that could produce various weapons. But after connecting it with Patience, she discovered the item itself was an Exoskeleton Mecha.
Moira Lynch had tested it. The Exoskeleton Mecha the Leonin gave her was lighter, sturdier, and small enough to be completely hidden under her clothes.
It was unlike these fifth-generation Exoskeleton Mechas, which had a clearly visible metal exterior when worn.
Moira Lynch waved her hand. "I just think the Exoskeleton Mecha is too heavy. I’m not strong enough, so it would be inconvenient to use."
’Not strong enough?’
Hearing this, the image of Moira Lynch carrying a gas canister with one hand as she walked past them flashed through the minds of Shane Rhodes and the others. ’That’s what she calls not strong enough?’
"If you feel bad about it, you can just give me a larger share of the weapons."
"Deal," Shane Rhodes agreed readily. He gave half of the weapons to Moira Lynch and also handed her a Space Button.
"I know you have a better one, but a square meter of space is still space."
Kai York nodded in agreement from the side. "Exactly. But I think this type of Space Button has a limited number of uses."
Moira Lynch took the Space Button and said, "Actually, as long as you don’t take everything out of it at once, you can use it indefinitely."
"How do you know that?" Hugh Finch was the first to ask.
Since Moira Lynch dared to say it, she had naturally prepared an excuse beforehand.
She pointed to the Learning Machine on the table and said in a casual tone, "You can just look it up on that. You guys didn’t think it was just a Learning Machine, did you?"
The three men: "..." That was exactly what they thought.
"So you’re saying this Learning Machine can connect to the interstellar network!" Hugh Finch said excitedly.
"It’s not that amazing," Moira Lynch said. "It can only look up some information. Where else do you think I learned everything I know?"
Although the Learning Machine could indeed look things up, most of what Moira Lynch knew actually came from the Intelligent Brain, Patience.
Because of this revelation, the three men became even more enthusiastic about learning the interstellar language. Although their progress was still slow, they could now recognize simple words.
As for the distribution of the Exoskeleton Mechas, they ultimately went to Shane Rhodes and Kai York, the two combatants.
Hugh Finch’s choices were similar to Moira Lynch’s, except he swapped the Gliding Cloak for a Flying Device.