Chapter 118: The ghost of Malia’s husband.

Zyra stopped abruptly, but only because Malia intercepted her by standing right in her way like a beautiful, stubborn wall. Behind her, Gilby and Tessi, who had been chasing after her at full speed demanding an explanation, screeched to a halt, nearly bumping right into her back.

Hunter, meanwhile, strolled a safe distance behind them, hands in his pockets, watching the chaos with a quiet smirk.

"Welcome home!" Malia cried, her eyes shining as she threw her arms wide. "I crossed my fingers last night so that you could all return safely. I told my husband to watch over you and keep you all safe. I am so glad his ghost is useful for something."

Gilby screeched, jumping up. "Gho--gho--ghost!" He looked everywhere around them and hid behind Tessi. "You have got to tell him to go Malia. It is not natural for ghosts to mingle with the living." A breeze of wind happened to fall on the skin of his arms and he shrieked again. "I can feel him. He just touched me!"

Tessi, whose shoulders were enduring Gilby’s hook like fingers winced. "If he was to touch anyone here, I am sure it would be his wife."

Before Zyra could get away from the ridiculousness, other residents began pouring in as if they had been alerted to her return. They came shouting and cheering. The courtyard instantly erupted into a festival of happy tears, slaps on the back, and loud laughter. Seeing the leaders of the shelter back in one piece was better than finding a chest of gold.

Malia and Yanxi immediately converged on Zyra like two anxious mothers. They grabbed her hands, spinning her around and inspecting every inch of her skin.

"You can’t afford to get hurt, Zyra! Not even a scratch!" Yanxi fussed, checking her arms. "Tessi, you did well in protecting the Divine maiden. She has not lost any weight."

Hunter blinked. "We were not gone for more than two days!" He exclaimed.

"Your poor feet must be aching," Malia cooed, looking genuinely distressed. "Let me give you a foot massage right now. Let us go to the beast pavilion."

"Whoa, stop, stop!" Zyra laughed, gently pushing their hands away. "I’m fine! Honestly. And everyone on the team is completely untouched. See? Whole and healthy. And we have Tessi and her healing touch to thank for that."

Hardly had she finished her response when Gilby overcame his fear of Malia’s husband’s ghost. He was unable to contain his excitement for another second, and he reached into his bag. "Look what we found!" he roared, pulling out the white fruits they had harvested from the forest. He began tossing them to the crowd like candy. "We fought through mutated wolf beasts, braved forbidden lands, and found the legendary fruit of the heavens! When last did any of you see a sugar cane? Some of you are not even old enough to have eaten one, like Yanxi. And this one is 10 times delicious."

Daniel Bin, the nearly toothless hunter in their group grabbed a sugarcane and took a bite without peeling it. His face brightened. "He is not lying.... oh my fuckin world!"

Hunter groaned. Bin had like six teeth left in his mouth and he was supposed to eat soft and healthy foods only. "Are you trying to become completely toothless?" He barked at the man, taking the sugarcane away from him by force.

"Tell us about the beasts. How many alphas did you fight?" Someone shouted.

Gilby waved his hand and began to tell the tell. "There I was, staring down a wolf three stories tall...."

Tessi rolled her eyes so hard she nearly sprained them. Gilby’s tale of the beasts grew grander with every second. Only a few believed his wildly exaggerated lies and nobody that had been there cared to correct him. The sweet, rich aroma of the white fruits was real enough, and the residents happily distracted themselves, tasting the juice and laughing at Gilby’s wild gestures.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Zyra slipped away and approached Big Vince, who was watching the fruit distribution with a strained smile.

"Vince," Zyra said, her tone dropping. "I saw on the cameras that you ran into some trouble outside."

Big Vince sighed, rubbing the back of his thick neck. "Actually, Mistress, I wanted to talk to you about that. Julian was hurt."

"Is he okay? Just tell me that." She wanted to keep the conversation brief.

"He’s in the Medical Room right now," Vince said quickly. "He’s changing the dressing on his scabbing. The wound is healed but he is acting as if it is fresher than fresh milk."

Zyra didn’t wait to hear another word. She focused on the digital clock on her screen blinking rapidly. The countdown was ticking away. She spun on her heel and started running toward the supermarket, her pace urgent.

"Zyra! Wait! We need to plan!" Vince called out after her.

Without breaking her stride, Zyra waved her hand dismissively over her shoulder. "Later, Vince!"

She burst through the supermarket, as if she was running from trouble outside, and realized quickly that she was not alone inside. Hunter had somehow beaten her there. He was leaning against the door frame with a raised eyebrow.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good, you’re here. I actually really need your help." She commanded in her mind, "Beauty make the system shop visible to him."

The virtual screen materialized before them.

Hunter didn’t ask a single question. He had taught himself to take the surprises related to her by the stride. The blinking timer told him everything he needed to know. They were running out of time for something. But what?

"We need to shop. Fast," Zyra said. "And we need to use this opportunity as much as possible to buy useful things. I am afraid I might buy Spice a pink diamond collar if I do this on my own."

Because of her trading business with Achilles, they couldn’t just buy random supplies. They needed specific things. Luckily, Hunter knew what could move easily on the black market better than her.

"I will choose food while you select other things." She suggested.

He nodded.

She selected food that humans and beasts could eat. Hunter pointed out the best tools, herbs, beast eggs, simple weapons, protective mechanisms and small gadgets that would be sold easily. They worked like a well-oiled machine, with no arguments.

By the time the timer finally hit zero, the supermarket was stuffed with so many boxes and crates that there wasn’t even room to step.

"We’re going to need help stacking the shelves," Hunter chuckled, looking at the mountain of supplies.

He summoned the men and beasts to work. When the last crate was finally moved, Zyra practically collapsed. She dragged herself to the open courtyard, falling flat onto the cool, green grass with a dramatic groan.

Meanwhile, Hunter followed her, with a cheap crystal studded collar that Zyra had sneaked in for Spice. He dangled it between his fingers, while staring at her in judgement.