Chapter 59

The deal was done. I continued dining with the guests, and after the meal, I escorted them out.

"Ms. Jones, and Mr. White, remember to bring your things tomorrow morning to exchange vegetables and 'seasonings'. Also, we have other vegetables." As they were about to leave the 'elevator', I stood with my hands behind my back, looking at the people from Wasteland City.

"OK." Catherine responded with a smile, while Benjamin nodded beside her. Benjamin's gaze swept over me, then turned to others.

"What's wrong? It seems Mr. White still has concerns." I said lightly.

"Nothing, it's our first collaboration, hoping everything goes smoothly." Benjamin smiled lightly.

As Benjamin left, I saw at least half of the people in the market following him, all armed. I watched all this calmly, knowing well in advance that many guards were mixed in the market. Mary had told me about this early on, and If a fight were to break out, these guards would likely be taken care of by Mary and Taylor.

Catherine awkwardly smiled at me, "I apologize on behalf of Mr. White, he's always like this."

"Not your intention?" I pointed to the departing guards and asked.

"Mr. Steele, I'm different from him, we can collaborate deeply." Catherine winked at me.

I was stunned, I found Catherine very cute. "Alright, I look forward to our deep collaboration." I reached out to shake hands with Catherine, her hand was so soft.

Catherine didn't seem to think much of it, she took her only companion and disappeared into the market.

"It's interesting." I muttered to myself.

At this moment, Margaret, Grace, and Lucy were behind me. Margaret smiled and asked, "Do you figure it out?"

"Yes, what kind of hatred do they have? Anyway, it's good to have conflicts in Wasteland City. Otherwise, how can we take advantage on both sides?" I turned back to smile at Margaret, subconsciously putting my arm around her waist, "You did well today, Mrs. Steele."

Margaret was taken aback for a moment, a faint blush appearing on her face, "Don't touch me, everyone is watching."

It was only then that I noticed many curious gazes nearby, these people couldn't hide their curiosity, but no one dared to approach.

"It's okay, because we are really a couple." I chuckled lightly, withdrew my gaze, and continued walking forward.

At this moment, there was a slight gnashing of teeth behind me, and when I turned my head, it was Grace. Grace's rabbit ears were perking up, her expression full of unhappiness. "This darn old woman." Grace muttered under her breath, at a volume enough for both Margaret and me to hear.

Margaret's smile froze for a moment, then she recovered, glancing at Grace without saying much.

I could only cough lightly, pretending not to have heard. Grace's jealousy was really giving me a headache, they better not start fighting in front of others.

As we walked back to the 'elevator', I suddenly felt something, my gaze turned towards the darkness.

"Mr. Steele, what's wrong?" Margaret slowed down, seeming to notice my unease.

"Over there, someone is watching us." I stopped, with a calm expression, pretending not to look in that direction.

"Indeed, many people are watching." Margaret looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. The residents from Wasteland City had always been curious about this side.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it, but that gaze feels different." I furrowed my brows, not saying more.

At this moment, a familiar voice came from the darkness, "Mr. Steele, please wait!" The voice was so familiar, my nerves tensed and then quickly relaxed. "Selena." I turned around, smiling in the direction of the voice.

Soon, a familiar figure emerged from the darkness. Then, an unfamiliar voice sounded in the darkness, "Should I go over now?" It was another girl's voice, gentle with a hint of hesitation.

"Don't be afraid, Mr. Steele is very kind." Selena led the other girl out of the darkness, a cute girl half a head shorter than Selena, wearing a fluffy skirt.

I was surprised to see a fluffy skirt in the apocalypse. The girl's outfit was very tasteful, the fluffy skirt accentuating her charm.

"I'm back, so happy to see Mr. Steele again." Selena said with a sweet smile.

Ellie, on the side, was stunned, and asked curiously, "Selena, you can smile?"

I nodded, speaking gently, "Welcome back. And who is this lovely girl?" I looked at the girl, who was also looking at me curiously.

"Ellie Griffin, my partner." Selena introduced.

"Selena, why don't you introduce me properly." Ellie pouted, reintroducing herself, "I'm Ellie Griffin, Level 3 Esper, also a carrier of the 'Super Zombie Virus'. Are you scared?" Ellie joked.

'Another carrier of the 'Super Zombie Virus'?' I was surprised to see a birthmark on Ellie's forehead, which I hadn't noticed before. It wasn't very big, like a petal placed on her beautiful face, blending in seamlessly without any sense of discord. I couldn't help but tap Ellie's small nose, said, "If I were scared, I wouldn't be Selena's best friend. Alright, let's go back. Welcome to Tortoise City." Then I waved my hand, signaling Selena and Ellie to board the stone platform. I activated my powers again, and the stone platform rose slowly like an elevator to Tortoise City.

"Are you an Earth-Type Esper?" Ellie seemed surprised, her eyes fixed on me.

Then, Ellie heard a gnashing of teeth beside her. "Stop staring at Mr. Steele!" Grace interjected, hands on her waist, glaring at Ellie.

Ellie pointed at Grace and asked Selena, "Is she your love rival?"

I heard Ellie's words and felt a headache. The Ellie in front of me looked timid, but her words were not forgiving at all. Now she was shifting the conflict to Selena. She was really good at sowing discord.

Selena raised an eyebrow slightly, looking coldly at Ellie, her tone devoid of emotion, "Grace? She's just a child, it's too early to call her a love rival."

"I'm not a child! I'm already eighteen!" Grace's face turned red with anger, fists clenched, her gaze as if ready to shoot fire. "Selena, what do you mean? Are you implying something?"

"I have nothing to imply." Selena's voice was as calm as ice, showing no intention of arguing with Grace.

Ellie seemed to find the tension between the two very interesting, she chuckled softly, then deliberately spoke in a naive tone, "Well, I think Grace also likes Mr. Steele. After all, he's so handsome. So, Mr. Steele, who do you actually like?"

I fell silent. "Enough! Ellie, stop sowing discord, we have important matters to attend to." I shook my head. If I let Ellie continue talking, the women might end up fighting here.

Entering Tortoise City. Ellie suddenly fell silent, like any other newcomer to Tortoise City, full of curiosity about everything. The clean streets, the cheerful residents of Tortoise City, and the huge tree in the distance. "Tortoise City is so beautiful! I like here!" Ellie said excitedly.

"Thank you for praising Tortoise City." I walked alongside Ellie with my hands behind my back, smelling her fragrance. I was thinking about what job to assign her, or perhaps having her by my side as a secretary. Both Ellie and Emma were cute girls, but unlike Emma, Ellie was more childish, even though Selena said Ellie was already eighteen.

"Finally back." Selena breathed a sigh of relief, strolling at the city gate. Selena left the crowd and walked to the city wall, her gaze falling on the distant houses under the Sacred Tree, faintly glowing. "It feels familiar and comforting." She muttered to herself.

Suddenly, the giant Elf Tea tree emitted a soft green light, illuminating two-thirds of Tortoise City. The starlight flowed between the leaves, beautiful like a galaxy, captivating to the eyes. "Now is the time when the Elf Tea tree absorbs energy." I glanced at my wristwatch, feeling a pleasure in my heart, coincidentally catching the first cosmic energy absorption time today.

Margaret stepped forward, gazing at the dream-like scenery, sighing, "Every time I see this magnificent view, it immerses me in its beauty." Margaret stood aside, her sky-blue eyes shining brightly in the green light.

Grace bit her lip, showing a conflicted expression. "I really want to paint this. But my painting skills are really poor, I've been practicing for a long time and haven't improved." Grace said lightly.

Lucy had been silent all along, but now she had a dreamy look on her face, her hand on her chest, as if she were feeling the beauty of the moment.

"It's really like paradise here." Ellie covered her mouth, her pink eyes wide open, staring straight ahead at the inner city. The green light spilled down, the plants in the plantation swaying with radiance, like green gems showcasing their beauty in the sunlight.

Meanwhile, in the market below Tortoise City, the residents of Wasteland City collectively stirred.

"Look, the giant beast's back is glowing!" 

"It's a tree, there really is a tree!" 

"A glowing tree, it's unbelievable." 

The crowd became agitated, more and more people climbed the city wall, trying hard to look towards us.

Benjamin and several other city executives were also drawn to the light. They exchanged glances, then leaped onto the city wall, their minds briefly blanking as they all stared at Jack's back.

"This tree can glow? It's truly an unimaginable treasure." Benjamin's gaze was greedy as he felt the sudden rich vitality around him.

"Mr. White, I suspect the people of Tortoise City can produce so many plants because of this tree!" A follower said confidently.

"Shall we go and ask?" Someone suggested, his voice not loud but attracting the attention of others.

Hearing their words, Catherine shrugged and said, "Go by yourself. I advise you all not to have any other ideas." Then, Catherine quickly left with her only companion, as if staying here a moment longer would make her uncomfortable all over.

The executives watched Catherine's departure, clearly feeling deflated. "Keep an eye on her." Benjamin said in a low voice. Then his follower disappeared into the darkness with Catherine.

"Mr. White, are we really not taking that tree?" the follower asked.

"Don't worry, someone won't be able to resist probing that tree." Benjamin smirked, scanning the bustling crowd, "We just need to wait and see the results."

The executives didn't say much more, they left one by one, leaving a few subordinates to keep an eye on the situation.

The noise from the city gate also heard by us, and I looked at the people around me, who had obviously noticed it too. I paid no attention to the commotion, ushering everyone to leave, "Let's go." I turned around first and walked towards the inner city.

"Don't just stand here." Selena gently tugged at Ellie's sleeve, following me.

"Selena, can you tell me what this place is?" Emma caught up, speaking in a low voice because she had seen something unusual. The sound of flowing water unique to a spring could be heard from behind a wall, and she could vaguely tell that there was a fountain pool nearby. This place was so mysterious that almost every step held a surprise.

"Are you asking this little tortoise?" I stopped, turned back to look at Ellie, and continued, "The little tortoise under our feet is named Jack." In my eyes, Jack would always be the palm-sized tortoise under Grace's bed.

"Little tortoise?" Ellie's eyes widened, a tone of disbelief in her voice, "Are you sure it's little?"

I smiled and said lightly, "Jack hasn't fully grown yet."

Ellie was shocked, "It's already so big, and it hasn't grown yet, my goodness, what are you talking about?" Ellie kept looking around, as if trying to find some clues. She asked in a low voice, "But... why does it allow us to live on its back?"

"Because this giant beast is Mr. Steele's pet." Selena replied. Then she added, "Actually, you don't need to figure everything out, my initial reaction was the same as yours when I first came. You'll get used to it in the future."

We continued walking towards the high ground, and I saw Sophia standing there waiting from a distance. As we entered the hall, everyone found a place to sit, Grace and Lucy busy making tea. "Have you two had dinner?" I looked at Selena and Ellie.

"I've already eaten." Selena had just finished speaking when her stomach growled loudly. Selena's face instantly turned red. She had been on the run all day, hardly having time to stop and eat something, and now she was dizzy with hunger.

"It seems your stomach doesn't agree with your words." I laughed and asked Grace to prepare some food. Grace was still upset, so I had to bring Lucy over, "Lucy, make something delicious to treat our lovely ladies."

"Don't worry, Mr. Steele, I'll go make it now." Lucy replied.

At this moment, with a loud bang, someone punched a manhole cover out of the sewer, and the person climbed out of the darkness. Due to the darkness here, nothing could be seen clearly. The person's eyeballs slowly changed color, his blood-red eyes faintly glowing, he slowly walked into the starlight, revealing a deathly pale face.