Chapter 236:Selling.
By the time Silver finally checked the time, it was almost noon. He stared at the clock for a moment before sighing.
"We should eat."
Ravenna, who had been sitting near the window looking through information about Delta Two on her phone, glanced up.
"Already?"
"It’s almost noon."
She looked at the clock herself.
"That was fast."
"We’ve spent most of the morning talking about nothing really."
"Mostly Antony."
Silver’s expression immediately soured.
"Don’t remind me."
Ravenna laughed.
"He wasn’t that bad."
"He talked for almost an hour, do you know what that does to someone on the receiving end of it."
"It bleeds into you ears?"
Silver nodded solemnly.
"That happened."
Ravenna stared at him.
"Okay, that was a joke, you didn’t have to agree that easily."
"Because you’re right."
She smiled.
"Okay, let’s just eat I’m hungry."
They left the room together.
The hotel restaurant was considerably busier than it had been that morning. Delta Two’s contractors seemed to keep strange schedules, with some people eating breakfast late and others already preparing for afternoon missions.
Silver and Ravenna found a quiet table near one of the windows. They ordered a proper meal rather than the dried food and nutritional solutions they had grown accustomed to on the road.
Silver had almost forgotten what it felt like to eat without having to keep one eye on the surroundings. Ravenna seemed to enjoy it even more.
She leaned back after taking her first few bites.
"This is good."
"You’ve said that about everything since we arrived."
"Because everything here is good."
Silver smiled.
"You’ve become spoiled."
"I’ve earned it, you know, we survived the journey here. I think I deserve to treat myself."
"Fair enough."
Ravenna took another bite. For several minutes, they simply ate, since there was no urgent conversation. Silver found himself enjoying the silence.
It was becoming easier for them to behave like a normal couple.
There was still some awkwardness at times, especially after everything Silver had revealed to Ravenna, but the constant tension that had once existed between them had gradually faded.
Ravenna reached across the table and stole a piece of meat from his plate.
Silver looked at her.
"That’s mine."
"You weren’t eating it."
"I was going to."
"You were taking too long."
Silver shook his head.
"You have your own food."
"I wanted yours."
"Then why did you order your own?"
Ravenna shrugged.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Silver laughed. He pushed the plate slightly toward her.
"Fine."
She smiled.
"Thank you."
They continued eating.
Silver found himself enjoying the simple routine. Eventually, something crossed his mind.
"The venom."
Ravenna looked up.
"What venom?"
"The snake venom, don’t tell me you forgot."
Her expression changed slightly.
"The invisible one?"
Silver nodded.
They had almost forgotten about it. After everything that had happened there, the venom had simply become another item stored away with the rest of their materials.
Silver leaned back.
"We should sell it."
Ravenna considered that.
"I thought we’d already decided to."
"We did."
"But?"
Silver tapped his fingers lightly against the table.
"This is Delta Two."
Ravenna understood immediately. There were countless institutions willing to spend money on anything that could advance their understanding of the world.
Silver had already seen enormous research facilities scattered throughout the sanctuary.
"If that venom is as unusual as the craftman thought...It could be worth more here."
Ravenna nodded.
"How much more?"
"I don’t know, but we should find out." Silver smiled,"I hope it’s valuable enough."
They finished their lunch before leaving the restaurant. Neither of them rushed. The journey through Delta Four had taught them to conserve their energy whenever they had the chance.
There was no reason to run around Delta Two simply because they had free time. They eventually left the hotel.
Silver glanced around.
"Where do we start?"
"The Association, they should be able to direct us than going to some random shop."
They began walking. The sanctuary was busy; cars moved constantly through the streets, contractors traveled in groups, some carrying weapons openly while others wore specialized equipment, and researchers moved between buildings with tablets and cases.
There were even several advertisements displaying rare beast materials and new Awakener equipment.
Ravenna looked around with interest.
"It’s completely different from Delta Four."
Silver nodded.
"Yeah, delta four was mainly trying to survive. Since they mostly depend on trade, if the other sanctuary decide to abort it, it might collapse economically."
He looked at the people around them.
"While on the other hand, this place is fully established and most of the sanctuary depend on it. So it will continue to develop."
That seemed to be the best way to describe it. The further they walked, the more research facilities they saw. Some were private, while others belonged to the Association. A few had entire floors dedicated to specialized research.
Ravenna looked at one of the buildings.
"Do you think they really buy beast materials directly?"
"Probably."
"And if they don’t?"
"We’ll find someone who does."
She smiled.
"That’s confidence."
"That’s stubbornness, I’m not leaving with that venom on me."
"Same thing."
Silver laughed.
They continued toward the Association. Fortunately, Antony didn’t appear. Silver had half expected the orange-haired man to somehow materialize beside them and start talking. But for once, they were alone.
Ravenna seemed particularly pleased about that.
"I like him."
Silver looked at her.
"You said that this morning."
"I still do."
"But?"
She smiled.
"I like having a little peace."
Silver nodded.
They continued walking side by side. Their shoulders occasionally brushed but neither moved away.
Silver glanced at her. She noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You were looking at me."
"I know."
She smiled.
"Then?"
"I like looking at you."
Ravenna’s cheeks reddened slightly.
"You’re becoming more and more shameless."
"Maybe."
She looked away.
"But I don’t mind, still, I liked when you were too shy to even compliment me... now, lord have mercy."
Silver smiled.
The Association eventually came into view, and it was enormous. The main building had several entrances, with different signs directing contractors toward missions, material sales, research services, medical facilities, and administrative offices.
They entered through the main lobby.
The place was busy; contractors stood around mission boards, others waited at counters, and several people were arguing over mission rewards.
Silver approached the nearest information desk.
"Excuse me."
The receptionist looked up.
"How can I help you?"
"We have beast material we’d like to sell."
"What kind?"
"Venom."
The receptionist glanced toward the materials counter.
"You can sell venom through the standard materials department."
Silver shook his head.
"We were told this particular venom might be unusual."
That caught her attention.
"Unusual?"
"Yes."
She looked at Ravenna, then back at Silver.
"What beast?"
"An unidentified snake."
The receptionist frowned.
"Unidentified?"
"We don’t know the species."
She thought for a moment before making a decision.
"Then I’d recommend the research division."
Silver nodded.
"Where is it?"
"Second floor. Research materials evaluation." She pointed toward a staircase. "Take that up and follow the signs."
"Thank you."
They headed upstairs.
The atmosphere changed almost immediately. The lower floors were filled with contractors, while the second floor had far more researchers. People in white coats moved through the corridors carrying sealed container, some had tablets, and others carried strange instruments.
Several secured doors had warning signs.
Silver became more alert. He didn’t know what most of the equipment was for, but he could tell it was expensive. They eventually found the research materials evaluation section.
A researcher sat behind a counter.
"Material submission?"
Silver nodded.
"Yes."
He took out the container. The researcher immediately became more attentive.
"Venom?"
"Yes."
"From what?"
"Snake."
The researcher looked at him.
"Species?"
"We don’t know."
That answer earned them another look. The researcher accepted the container.
"How was it acquired?"
"At an abandoned building. We don’t really know what it was before."
"Was the creature alive?"
"No."
"Do you have the body?"
Silver shook his head.
"Only this, we didn’t have time."
The researcher carefully opened the container. A small amount of the venom had been preserved inside.
He took a sample.
The moment he examined it under one of the devices, his expression changed.
"Hm."
Ravenna watched him.
"Is something wrong?"
"No." He adjusted the instrument. "Quite the opposite."
Silver leaned forward slightly. The researcher examined it again.
"This is unusual."
"How valuable?"
The researcher didn’t answer immediately; instead, he took another sample. He placed it into a second device, and numbers appeared on the screen.
His expression became more serious.
"Where did you find this?"