#086. Black Rain and the Seed (2)
—
“P-Please get me out. Ugh… My body is stuck.”
Hender, whose body was trapped inside a box, couldn’t get out on his own.
Ray grabbed the corner of the box with one hand.
Thunk!
Lifting the box with ease, he flipped it over and struck the top forcefully with his other hand.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Ugh!”
Hender tumbled to the floor, clutching his lower back and rolling around.
“M-My back! Ugh! But how do you have such insane strength…?”
Watching from behind, Philip chuckled and murmured.
“That’s nothing. If I arm-wrestled him, my arm would snap the moment we started.”
“?”
Veronica, nodding absentmindedly, suddenly sensed something odd and turned to Philip.
“Huff… Huff… T-Thanks for getting me out. At least.”
Regaining his composure, Hender wobbled to his feet.
His face and hair were disheveled.
His eyes were dull, and the scent of alcohol wafted from him.
Hender was a frail-looking man in his late thirties.
He swept the clutter off a table and chair, making space.
After sitting down with the group, he rolled his eyes before asking.
“Um… And who might you be?”
Hender felt relieved that they weren’t debt collectors.
Moreover, dealing with children was much easier than dealing with adults.
The rough handling had sobered him up considerably, enough to notice their fine clothing.
His attitude naturally became more cautious.
His speech shifted to a more respectful tone.
“We came to ask you about something. We heard you have a plant that can resist the Black Rain.”
“Black Rain…? A plant…? Ah!”
Hender frowned, then clapped his hands as if he had just remembered something.
“I did talk about a plant with that bastard Brony last night… So that’s why you’re here?”
“That’s right.”
Hender hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Showing it to you isn’t difficult, but shouldn’t you introduce yourselves first? Ahem. I may live like this, but I do value manners.”
Thunk.
Something was placed on the table.
“Single Epsilon No. 3! And a Black Edition at that!”
Hender’s eyes widened.
He shot his arm forward like lightning, but Ray was faster.
“……”
“……”
Ray held an elegantly labeled bottle of vodka in his hand.
On the table, a silent exchange of glances took place between a man and a boy.
—
“It’s nothing special. Just a peculiar plant that doesn’t die when exposed to Black Rain.”
Hender hiccupped as he watched the group crouching in the corner of the fenced area.
In his hand was the opened bottle of vodka, its label peeled off.
“I didn’t water it or anything, but it grew on its own. Hic. Ah, this really is something else. Now I see why Pelter saved up just to try this once.”
Hender kept muttering, but the group wasn’t listening.
They were too absorbed in the sight before them.
“It’s real. I’ve never seen this in any plant encyclopedia. It’s a completely new species.”
Veronica’s voice trembled with excitement.
All eyes were fixed on the tiny green sprout growing in a small space among the scrap.
Despite being surrounded by worn-out and broken objects, the sprout maintained an air of elegance.
Veronica and Philip spoke in unison.
“It’s definitely not a weed.”
“Yeah. No weed could look this refined and luxurious.”
“Exactly. Just like me.”
Philip ignored Veronica’s remark and turned to Ray.
“Ray, what do you think?”
“I don’t know what exactly makes something ‘refined and luxurious,’ but I’m sure that’s not a weed.”
Ray pointed to the ground beneath the sprout.
The soil, blackened by the Black Rain, retained a fresh brown hue within a small radius around the sprout.
The clear area was about the size of a handspan.
Philip, lost in thought, voiced his suspicion.
“Couldn’t it be staged? Like someone brought soil from another place and spread it around the sprout?”
“Hmm. That makes sense. But where would Hender get such clean soil? And besides, it rained Black Rain just this morning, yet there’s not a single black stain on the sprout. I think it has immunity to Black Rain and possibly even purifies the soil around it.”
“Or maybe…”
As Philip and Veronica engaged in heated discussion, Ray stood up and turned to Hender.
“You said this sprout grew from the seeds you received as a gift?”
“Technically, I didn’t plant it—I just dropped it. I was cleaning up junk, and a pouch of seeds fell out. Hic. Do I look like the kind of guy who gardens? Hahaha!”
Hender, his face flushed from alcohol, let out a boisterous laugh.
“Can you tell us more about it?”
“Of course. You gave me such a fine drink; I’d be a fool not to.”
The story was simple.
Three months ago, while scavenging in a junkyard, Hender found an unconscious traveler collapsed on the ground.
“Their bag had spilled open, and I saw a car key first.”
But there was no car nearby.
Hender immediately understood the situation.
“It happens sometimes. People try to cross the wastelands, their cars break down, and they walk the rest of the way. Most die out there, but if they’re lucky, they reach a sector.”
The traveler had collapsed from dehydration.
But rather than rescuing them, Hender was more interested in cleaning up the scattered belongings.
“I should’ve grabbed the stuff and run! Damn it!”
Within seconds of Hender collecting the items, the traveler woke up.
He sat up, dazed, and looked straight at him.
It was then that Hender noticed the traveler’s belt, lined with over ten sheathed daggers.
“My hair stood on end! I hadn’t noticed them before because of their cloak. That’s when I realized—I messed with the wrong person!”
Fueled by alcohol, Hender’s voice grew more animated.
The story was gripping, full of tension.
Philip and Veronica were now fully focused on him.
“The guy looked injured, probably on his shoulder. But there was no way I was gonna pick a fight.”
Still, Hender saw an opportunity.
The traveler’s eyes were unfocused—He wasn’t fully conscious yet.
Thinking quickly, Hender set down the items and offered a bottle of water.
—Are you alright? Here, drink this first. You don’t look so good.
He watched nervously as the traveler hesitated, then reached out and started drinking.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Without pausing for breath.
Downing four entire bottles.
Crack! Pop!
Only then did the traveler regain focus.
—Do you have any food?
The sharpness in their gaze made refusal impossible.
With no way to escape, Hender brought the traveler to his home and provided food and medicine.
“For an entire month! I never thought he’d stay that long. What a freeloader!”
The mere memory of it made Hender grit his teeth.
He then described the traveler’s appearance.
“He never took off his hood. It covered his head and ears completely. And when he went outside, he always wore a mask.”
He paused, recollecting.
“His features were… unnatural, Almost otherworldly. I couldn’t stop staring. His ears, beneath the hood, were long and pointed.”
Veronica whispered.
“An elf.”
“An elf?”
“Yeah. Grandpa told me about them. According to records, there used to be forests, and elves lived there. They’re almost extinct now, but a few still live among humans. They have sharp ears, a strong affinity for mana, and are vegetarians who eat very little—”
Hender interrupted.
“That bastard ate over a hundred cans of my food! He was skinny, but his appetite was insane!”
Philip whispered.
“He ate a lot.”
“Maybe because he was starving at first…”
“He ate five cans per meal. He wouldn’t even touch the canned food if it didn’t have meat in it.”
“So he was a glutton. And he ate meat.”
“……”
Veronica had an incredibly aggrieved expression. But she was sure she had heard it that way from Grandpa.
In any case, the traveler left Hender’s house after fully recovering from his injuries.
As a token of gratitude, he handed over a pouch filled with seeds.
“He told me to plant them in the yard. Apparently, the plants that grow from them will one day save his a life.”
“A life?”
“Yes. He said I’d naturally come to understand when the time comes, but honestly, I wanted to punch them. After ruining my household like that, all he leave behind is some seeds? Was he mocking me?”
Regaining his anger, Hender gulped down his vodka.
Meanwhile, Ray exchanged glances with Veronica.
*‘Seeds. Do you need them?’*
*‘Yes. We can’t take the ones that are already planted. These might even help us find a cure for the diseases.’*
Ray nodded and turned to Hender again.
“How many seeds do you have left?”
“Well… They should be stashed somewhere around the house. Maybe four. But why…?”
Hender trailed off, his gaze subtly shifting.
He had figured out what Ray’s group wanted.
“We’ll buy them all.”
“Oh… You’re offering to buy the seeds?”
A golden glimmer of greed flickered in Hender’s eyes.
He had a thought.
*They look like rich young heirs from some upper-sector family. If I play my cards right, I can squeeze a good sum out of them.*
Who would’ve thought that the worthless junk would turn into money like this?
“If you’re buying, what price are you thinking of?”
Philip, catching Ray’s gaze, answered on his behalf.
“Hmm… Let’s say 10,000 shillings per seed. The cheapest varieties sold at flower shops usually go for about that much.”
10,000 shillings.
The amount a lower-class laborer would have to work an entire week to earn.
The frequent Black Rain naturally made it difficult for plants to grow in and around the sectors, which meant that seeds, regardless of variety, were always expensive.
Hender’s eyes widened at the price before he quickly regained his composure.
“That won’t be enough.”
“We’ll give you 12,000 shillings.”
“Could you perhaps go higher…?”
Ray, catching Philip’s gaze, gave a nod of approval.
“15,000. That’s our final offer.”
“You noble brats are too stingy. How about 30,000? Since there are four seeds, that makes it 120,000 shillings in total.”
Perhaps emboldened by how easily the price was rising, Hender shamelessly tripled the original amount.
“……”
Ray deliberated for a moment.
Thanks to the cash they had looted from the mercenaries at the clearing, they had plenty of funds to spare.
He was willing to pay a high price, within reason, to move on quickly.
Wasting time haggling wasn’t ideal—they needed to get to the next sector and continue their investigation on the Rainbow.
But this level of greed was absurd.
*If I agree to 30,000, he’ll just try to push it even higher.*
Ray could see the writhing golden avarice in Hender’s eyes.
He was willing to pay extra—but not be outright extorted.
Just as Ray was considering other options—
“There he is! That bastard Hender! He’s outside!”
“You damn rat! You finally showed yourself today!”
Shouts rang out from beyond the fence.
A group of men was charging toward the cabin.
Judging by their clubs and burly physiques, they were likely gangsters from the slums.
“H-How did they get in front of my house?!”
*Crash!*
Hender was so startled that he dropped his bottle of liquor.
His face turned pale as he scrambled inside and locked the door, just as the gangsters arrived.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
“You piece of shit! Get out here!”
“If you borrow money, you gotta pay it back!”
The gangsters yanked on the door handle with ferocity, but the sturdy lock held firm.
Ray watched the scene unfold, and an idea came to him.
“Break it down. We *know* he’s in there this time.”
“Wait a moment.”
“Huh?”
The gangsters turned to look at the white-haired boy who had approached them.
The boy grabbed the door handle and simply—
*Click. Creeeak—*
Opened the door.
“Huh? How? Who the hell is this kid?”
“Forget it! Let’s just get inside and take our money!”
Despite their confusion, the gangsters stormed into the cabin.
“What the—where the hell is he?”
“Over there! The window’s open! Looks like he escaped that way! Let’s—”
“Wait a moment.”
“Huh?”
Ray strode toward a wooden crate in the corner of the cabin.
He picked it up, turned it upside down, and knocked on the top in a practiced manner.
*Thunk!*
“Ugh!”
Hender tumbled out, crashing onto the floor.
Fierce glares locked onto him.
“This bastard. No wonder he was never around when we came in—he was always hiding in there.”
“Never thought he’d squeeze into such a small box.”
“H-Haha… L-Let’s talk for a mo—ugh! Urgh!”
The gangsters wasted no time laying into Hender with their clubs.
Curled up on the floor, Hender could just barely see Ray crouching beside him.
“Do you need help? I know how to use magic.”
“Ugh! Urgh! P-Please! Help me! I-I’ll do anything! Urgh!”
“Sure. But you have to pay a fee.”
“H-How much?! J-Just save me first! Agh!”
“120,000 shillings.”
120,000 shillings.
The price Hender had set for the four seeds.
“T-That’s way too—Ugh! Agh!”
“130,000.”
“Uuurgh! H-How is one favor—so expens—”
“140,000.”
A shiver ran down Hender’s spine.
Why was it—
“150,000.”
—that the expressionless boy looked as if he were smiling?
