Chapter 158: Maybe, a second husband.

Ten minutes went by and Zyra remained standing at the gate, staring at the empty space where Hunter and his team had last waved goodbye before the gates were shut. Her eyes were glued to the structure, even though there was nothing to look at.

Tessi, Yanxi and Malia had remained back, worried about her. She was their Divine maiden, it was their duty to take care of her emotional worries, as part of their duties. But they had no idea what to do, as none of them had ever done such a duty.

"Should we hug her?" Yanxi whispered.

Tessi frowned. "Maybe we should sing. They say Trinity enjoys watching performances from young, handsome, male singers when she is in emotional distress."

Malia’s jaw dropped. "You want to bring her men!" She almost said no, but she recalled that Zyra was a Soul maiden, and they married at least four husbands. Maybe getting her a second husband was not a bad idea. If Hunter was away, the second husband would comfort Zyra.

Achilles glared at the three and hissed, "Don’t even think about it unless you want Hunter to dismantle you. I will take care of this. Go away."

The three were not happy, but they left slowly, taking their time. Every few steps, they looked back at Achilles, who was approaching Zyra.

"Do you think he wants to be her second husband?" Yanxi whispered.

Tessi gasped. It was possible, considering how Achilles was always smiling like a fool around Zyra lately.

Unaware of what the women were thinking, Achilles, stretched his arms, letting out a heavy sigh as he stood behind Zyra. "If you’ve got time, I can show you all the supplies I brought back, I am sure that you want to look at the books and make sure everything is in order. Aren’t you afraid that I cheated you?"

Zyra didn’t even turn her head. "Not necessary. I already know what’s in those books." Beauty had already done all the full accounting as soon as the crates rolled into the valley.

Achilles blinked. "How?" he asked, then waved dismissively. Or wait I do not even want to know, he thought to himself.

"Besides," Zyra added, finally turning around, "I have something to show you." She turned on her heel and started walking toward the Supermarket.

Achilles’ eyebrow shot up instantly. "Oh? Something better than those link bands? Because let me tell you, the rich bastards on the black market are going to lose their minds over those things! We’re gonna make a fortune! I am thinking one hundred million."

Bianca, who had been quietly trailing behind them like a ghost, chimed in. "You know__ poor people could really use those link bands too. Don’t just think of the rich."

Achilles stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at his sister like she was talking rubbish. "Are you out of your mind? We are not running a charity organization here? This is a business, Bianca! BUSINESS! This world is for every man for himself"

"I was talking to Zyra not you." Bianca said, her eyes softened as she looked at Zyra.

Zyra stayed quiet, her face unreadable. She turned her eyes toward Bianca. "Why are you following us? I do not remember asking you to tag along."

Bianca froze mid-step. Her mouth opened, closed, and then opened again. "I__ I can be useful? I just thought__"

Both Zyra and Achilles just stared at her in dead silence.

Bianca’s shoulders slumped. "Or__ or not."

For a second, it looked like Zyra was going to tell her to beat it. But then, Zyra gave a subtle jerk of her head toward the Supermarket. Follow along. A huge smile instantly burst across Bianca’s face. She quickened her pace, catching up to Zyra’s side. "Thank you, sister-in-law!"

"Don’t thank me," Zyra said coldly, not looking at her. "I don’t trust you yet. But you’re Hunter’s cousin, and Hunter trusts you. That’s the only reason you’re walking next to me. You should always be somewhere I can see you, unless you are sleeping."

Bianca nodded earnestly, her hair bouncing. "That’s completely fair! I’d feel the same way. I just hope that with time, I can earn your trust."

They stepped into the Supermarket, and Bianca’s breath hitched.

It was huge__ easily twice the size of the high-end markets owned by the Apex Scavenger Industries. But it wasn’t just the size. The glowing shelves, the strange neatness, the mysterious boxes__ none of these things belonged to this world. She could tell just by looking at them. Her eyes were used to seeing alien tech and these things were similar but different.

Suddenly, a metallic whirring sound came from the side. A round, white robot wheeled right past Bianca, beeped cheerfully as it told her to step aside, and kept rolling.

"What in the heavy heaven is this place__" Bianca whispered, her mind short-circuiting.

The low groan of a heavy door stole her attention from the robot and shelves. She looked up and saw Zyra and Achilles stepping into the deeper storage area. Bianca quickly hurried after them.

Inside, row after row of high-grade beast supplies lined the walls and in crates.

But Zyra didn’t stop there. She led them straight to the walk-in freezer section and pulled open the metal doors.

Cold mist spilled out, fogging up the floor.

Achilles peered inside, and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. "What__ are those? Are those sugar canes?!"

Before Zyra could answer, Bianca reached out, her fingers trembling slightly as she touched the frost-covered stalks. "They look like glass___ the ones I have seen are purple."

"We found a whole fruit forest in the wildlands." Zyra said smoothly.

Achilles’ mouth fell wide open. He spun around to look at the empty air outside, practically yelling, "Hunter forgot to mention a whole damn forest to me?!"

Bianca let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, he didn’t forget, brother. He definitely just left that part out on purpose."

Zyra ignored their banter. "Achilles, I want you to add these fruits to the next shipment you take out."

Achilles nodded so hard his neck practically creaked. "Yes! Absolutely! We’ll sell them easily because fresh fruit is scarce" He rubbed his hands together, his eyes flashing with raw greed. Then, he cleared his throat, suddenly shifting his posture. "Actually,__ Zyra, since we’re talking about huge deals, I have a serious business proposal I’d like to discuss with you."

Bianca’s eyebrows shot up. She instantly frowned, stepping right between Achilles and Zyra. "Why are you bringing this up now? Just when Cousin Hunter is not here?"

Achilles gave his sister a glare. She knew exactly what he was thinking. Her brother was known across cities as a ruthless, bone-scraping businessman. He was notorious for setting traps and pulling off unfair deals that heavily favored the Thorn Guild.

"It’s fine," Zyra cut in, her voice calm and steady. "I can look out for myself. If it’s serious, let’s head over to the main house and talk over breakfast, but first you need to see these."

She opened another section of the deep freezer storage, revealing several heavy wooden crates lined with silver frost. Inside sat dozens of glowing, pure white crystals, radiating a soft, milky light that made the temperature in the room drop another notch.