I opened a shop on the Astral Train-Chapter 10

Seele tossed the small bag of Stellar Jade onto the table and flopped onto the sofa beside her.

"Natasha, why are you collecting all these Stellar Jade?"

Natasha counted the pieces Seele had brought back—160 in total. Adding them to the sack from before, that made 1,525 altogether.

"You'll find out tomorrow. Just come to my place in the morning."

Seele frowned. "What's happening tomorrow?"

Natasha ignored the question and instead asked, "How was dinner tonight?"

Seele's lips curled as she licked them unconsciously.

The white rice had been delicious! Even without side dishes, she had eaten three whole bowls and was stuffed.

"It was amazing. By the way, where did you get it? And there was no limit either. Natasha, did Earth Fire suddenly strike it rich?"

Natasha picked up a piece of Stellar Jade and shook it at Seele. "If you call this rich, then yes."

"The rice you ate tonight? You could get a month's worth with just one of these."

Seele's eyes widened. "What?! This little rock is worth that much?!"

Her mind instantly raced back to all the times she had defeated monsters, opened treasure chests, and tossed aside Stellar Jade without a second thought.

Oh my god... how much food did I just throw away?!

She clutched her chest as if mourning a great loss. I wish I could go back in time and punch myself in the face for littering so carelessly!

Natasha chuckled at Seele's dramatic reaction. She knew the girl loved to eat, but to be fair, what child from the lower city didn't treasure good food?

"Tomorrow, we'll exchange all this Stellar Jade for rice. So, make sure you come early and get some rest."

Before Natasha even finished speaking, Seele had already jumped up, bolted for the door, and slammed it shut behind her.

"See you tomorrow, Natasha!"

Natasha sighed as the door wobbled from how hard it had been shut.

"That Seele... always so impatient."

The next day.

After breakfast, Yuri, Hook, and Clara set out for Panyan Town.

Before leaving, Yuri left a mobile phone with Svarog and added his contact information. If Svarog ever needed to buy more supplies, he could reach Yuri directly.

Panyan Town was near the entrance to Rivet Town.

Waiting at the gate were Natasha, Oleg, Seele, and a large group of Earth Fire members.

Seele was already growing restless. She had been standing there for over two hours.

"Natasha, who is this guy? He's not going to stand us up, is he?"

Natasha shook her head. "No, the mech came from Svarog yesterday. Yuri probably stayed overnight at Svarog's place, so it's taking him some time to get here."

Seele pouted. If not for the promise of trading for a massive amount of supplies, she would have left already.

More than half an hour later, three figures and one deer appeared in the distance.

Yuri waved. "Sorry for the delay, everyone."

Natasha smiled and shook her head. "No worries, we haven't been waiting long."

Seele scoffed under her breath. "Not waiting long? We've been here all morning..."

She thought she had mumbled quietly, but Yuri still heard her.

Natasha sighed. "Sorry, Yuri, Seele's just like that."

Yuri chuckled. "It's fine. Let's get to the trade."

Natasha nodded and led the way through the narrow streets and alleyways to a warehouse.

She took out the 1,525 Stellar Jade pieces they had gathered the day before.

"Yuri, how much can we get for this?"

Yuri glanced at the burlap sack full of gems, then pulled out his exchange scale. He explained how to use it and let Natasha decide what she wanted to trade for.

Seele, watching from the side, found the scale fascinating. "Hey, that thing spits out money!"

She turned to Yuri. "Hey, uh... Ye-whatever—oh, right, Yuri! Do you have another one of those scales? Sell it to me."

Yuri grinned. "Not for sale."

Seele huffed. "Oh, come on. You're a businessman, right? Name your price."

Yuri shook his head again.

Seele sighed in disappointment and wandered off to watch Natasha instead.

About ten minutes later, Natasha finalized her order.

She handed Yuri the purchase list along with 152,500 star coins.

Yuri raised a hand, and in less than a minute, the entire warehouse was filled with supplies—bags of rice, flour, and other essentials stacked high.

Natasha had to temporarily requisition several nearby buildings just to store everything.

She turned to Yuri, gratitude evident in her eyes. "Thank you, Yuri."

Yuri waved it off. "No need for thanks. Business is business."

Just then, Natasha remembered something. "Oh, Yuri, yesterday four people arrived at my clinic—three women and one man. They're also from outer space. Do you want to go see them?"

Yuri's brow lifted. That must be Kevin, March 7th, Dan Heng, and Bronya.

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Judging by the timeline, they should have arrived by now.

"Oh? I'll go take a look. You keep things running here."

Natasha turned to Seele. "Seele, take Yuri to the clinic."

Seele instantly perked up. Seeing the massive amount of supplies Yuri had just delivered, her entire opinion of him had shifted.

Waiting? That was nothing.

This guy was a VIP. She had to treat him well.

"Of course! Leave it to me!"

Hook, watching from the side, whispered to Clara, "Clara, don't you think Seele is kinda... fake?"

Clara nodded. "Mhm."

Seele, oblivious to their comments, put on a polite smile and gestured to Yuri.

"Sir, right this way~"

Yuri chuckled. "Seele, just act normal."

Seele straightened up. "Fine, fine. Follow me, the clinic's this way."

Inside the clinic.

March 7th and Dan Heng had woken up.

Standing in the room, they discussed their next steps.

Dan Heng crossed his arms. "I want to go outside and look for clues about the Stellar Core."

March 7th nodded. "You go ahead. I'll stay here and watch over Kevin. He hasn't woken up yet."

Dan Heng glanced at Kevin, still unconscious on the bed. "Alright. I'll check around for information and stay in contact."

Just as he reached for the door handle, he heard a noise from outside.

He immediately tensed, stepping back cautiously.

The handle turned, and the door swung open.

A familiar figure appeared in the doorway.

March 7th's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yuri! What are you doing here?!"

Dan Heng relaxed when he saw that it was Yuri.

Yuri smiled and waved. "March, Dan Heng, how have you been these past two days? Anything interesting happen?"

March 7th groaned. "Don't even mention it! The past two days have been like Black Sunday—nonstop fighting. Either we're in a fight or on our way to one."

Dan Heng nodded. "And we still have no leads on the Stellar Core."

March 7th turned to Yuri. "What about you? Any clues?"

Yuri shook his head. "Nope, I've only been in the lower city for a day."

Of course, he knew where the Stellar Core was, but this journey was meant to be a trial for Kevin, March 7th, and Dan Heng. It was better if they figured it out themselves.

March 7th's gaze shifted to the others. "Yuri, are these your new friends? And... wait... is that deer on fire?!"

She stared at Rios, eyes wide with fascination.

Rios let out a long sigh. These humans have never seen the world.

To him, being on fire was as normal as breathing. He was a Fire Spirit, after all.

Yuri chuckled. "This is Seele, and these two kids are Hook and Clara. They're all locals from the lower city."

He gestured to the fiery deer. "And this is Rios, my spirit."

March 7th casually greeted Seele, Hook, and Clara, but her attention remained locked on Rios.

"A spirit? What's that?"

Yuri explained, "Spirits are the children of nature. They're born with the ability to control elements and possess incredible wisdom."

"Rios is a Fire Spirit—and a strong one."

March 7th's eyes sparkled with curiosity. She leaned in and whispered, "Yuri, where'd you get this spirit? I want one too!"

She looked at him expectantly.

Yuri grinned and snapped his fingers. Three glowing orbs wrapped in bubbles appeared in midair.

"These are Essence Spheres. Buying one will let you obtain a random spirit."

He pointed at them. "They come in three levels—Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. The stronger the spirit, the rarer it is."

Basic: 1,000 Star Coins

Intermediate: 10,000 Star Coins

Advanced: 100,000 Star Coins

Yuri spread his hands. "So? Want to give it a shot?"

March 7th didn't hesitate. She pulled out the 10 Stellar Jade she had earned in the past two days, exchanged them for 1,000 Star Coins, and bought a Basic Essence Sphere.

Holding the glowing orb, she turned to Yuri. "Where's the incubator? How do I hatch it?"

She assumed Yuri had one, given that he already had Rios.

But in reality, Yuri had summoned Rios directly—no incubation needed.

Checking the system store, he found that an incubator cost 5,000 Star Coins.

Without a second thought, he bought it.

A glowing device materialized in the room. Yuri gestured to it. "Here, use this."

March 7th excitedly rushed over, lifted the lid, placed the Essence Sphere inside, and pressed the power button.

A timer appeared on the screen:

10 hours remaining.

March 7th frowned. "Huh? Ten hours?!"

Yuri nodded. "Yep. The stronger the spirit, the longer the incubation time. Just be patient."

March 7th sighed and pulled up a stool. "Guess I'll just sit here and stare at it."

Dan Heng, meanwhile, turned to Yuri. "Your strength..."

Yuri grinned. "Had a breakthrough."

After completing his trade with Natasha, he had reached Commander-level strength and unlocked a new mission:

[Task 3: Accumulate 10 million Star Coins in sales.]

Reward: Peak Envoy Strength.

Ten million... yeah, not happening anytime soon.

Dan Heng didn't press further. As long as Yuri wasn't a threat, that was enough.

Yuri glanced at Kevin, still fast asleep. "How long do you think he'll be out?"

"Probably another day or two."

He turned back to Dan Heng and March 7th. "Have you eaten yet?"

Both shook their heads.

Yuri checked the time—it was almost noon.

"Then let's eat together. I'll make hot pot."

No objections there.

Hook and Clara, of course, would eat with him too.

Yuri turned to Seele. "You in?"

Seele smirked. "A free meal? Obviously."

Yuri laughed. "Alright, let's get started."

He purchased a "Jueding" Hot Pot Set from the system store and distributed tasks.

Seele washed the vegetables.

Dan Heng set up the tables and chairs.

March 7th entertained Hook and Clara.

Rios lay on the blanket, resting.

And Yuri prepared the broth.

In just 30 minutes, everyone was gathered around the table, enjoying steaming hot pot.

Seele devoured the food, her love for spicy flavors overriding her pain tolerance.

Dan Heng and March 7th also enjoyed the meal. Yuri himself had to admit—it was the best hot pot he'd ever had.

Hook and Clara had bowls of plain broth to dip their food in before eating.

Then, midway through the meal, another person joined them.

Kevin had woken up—because of the smell of hot pot.

Yuri was stunned. Did I just alter the original plot with a single meal?

Now, Kevin was happily slurping down a bowl of sweet potato noodles, eyes half-closed in bliss.

Yuri scanned the table. Wait... wasn't someone missing?

He turned to March 7th. "Didn't Natasha say there were four of you?"

(Natasha had never actually said this—Yuri only asked to cover up the fact that he already knew.)

March 7th frowned. "I dunno. When I woke up, it was just the three of us."

Dan Heng also shook his head.

Yuri rubbed his chin. Bronya must have woken up earlier and wandered off.

March 7th tilted her head. "What's wrong, Yuri?"

Yuri waved a hand. "Nothing. Let's just eat. We have work to do after this."

March 7th groaned dramatically. "Ugh, work... where is this damn Stellar Core?!"

Kevin, still munching, pointed at his chest. "It's in here! Like those cartoons!."

March 7th rolled her eyes. "Very funny."