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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Zaped
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Overall, the Hamton jewelry store felt more like a neighborhood goldsmith than a high-end department store.
It was full of gold watches and silver chains, packed together like fish in a market.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly the same.
For one, instead of real jewels, the display cases were filled with color printouts.
The salesperson and the customers were separated by bulletproof glass, and the salesperson was decked out in a bulletproof vest, helmet, and face shield.
There were even guns displayed on the back shelves. It was hard to tell if it was a jewelry store or a gun shop.
“What can I help you with?” a middle-aged man asked in a monotone voice.
“I’d like to have some jewels appraised and sold. And I have another matter to discuss.”
“Let me see,” the man said, sliding a silver tray under the bulletproof glass.
I placed the jewels on it and slid it back.
I didn’t bother mentioning the fakes.
It wasn’t worth it, and besides, the man was so skilled at separating the real from the fake, I couldn’t have fooled him anyway.
But what surprised me was that he even categorized the fakes.
The ones on top were quite well-made, while the ones on the bottom were obviously cheap imitations.
“These are genuine. These fakes are well-crafted, but these are worthless. Would you like to sell them to us? By the way, we offer a better exchange rate if you purchase items from our store.”
My face twisted in disgust.
It was a common tactic used by banks. “Open an account with us and we’ll give you a higher loan.” It was a dirty trick, but unfortunately, it was a common practice.
I didn’t expect to see it here.
“Do you have any chastity belts? For men. Extra large, please,” Camilla interjected suddenly.
“Just a moment,” the man replied, disappearing through a thick bulletproof door.
“What?”
Camilla was even more surprised than I was.
“Why are you surprised? It’s not like I was serious.”
The man returned with something truly bizarre. It was the kind of thing you’d see in a very explicit online ad.
“The main part is made of gold, and the lock is platinum. It’s designed to be comfortable against the skin…”
No, I didn’t want to hear any more.
I glanced at Camilla, who had turned away, blushing.
She was clearly embarrassed.
“And this?” I pointed to a set of accessories.
There were two sapphires attached to small gold rings and a larger sapphire on a thin gold chain.
“It’s a female bikini. It’s sold as a set and cannot be purchased separately.”
“A bikini?”
I couldn’t help but imagine Camilla wearing it. I quickly shook my head to clear my thoughts.
“You wear it over your… you know. It’s basically a sling bikini. Anyway, would you like to buy it?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“No. I’ll just take some gold bars and Roemer coins. And can I exchange this for something else? Do you have any paper?”
I handed him a note with “Cassandra” written on it.
“What’s your name?”
“Johan.”
Camilla looked at me, startled.
“Wait here,” the man said, disappearing behind a hidden door.
We followed him into a room filled with beautiful furniture.
“Make yourselves at home. Help yourselves to the snacks.”
He left.
I helped myself to some gummy bears.
“Wow, this place is amazing,” Camilla said, looking around.
“I didn’t expect to find something like this here.”
“Me neither. But it makes sense. After all, people with money like to meet in places like this.”
I looked around the room and felt a strange sense of unease.
“Johan,” Camilla called out.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m doing some cleaning,” she replied, her voice flat.
I looked at her, confused.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m cleaning up this place. It’s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it.”
She smiled.
It was a cold, empty smile.
“Cleaning?”
“Yes,” Camilla said, her voice flat. “I’m cleaning up this place.”
I looked at her, confused.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m going to clean up this mess. It’s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it.”
She smiled, a cold, empty smile.
I looked around the room.
It was a beautiful room, filled with elegant furniture. It felt strangely out of place in this desolate world.
“People need to believe that everything is going to be okay,” Camilla said, her voice low.
“They need to believe that the government is protecting them, that the world is still safe.”
“But the government isn’t doing its job,” I said.
“They’re just trying to control people.”
“You’re right,” Camilla agreed.
“But people need to believe in something, even if it’s a lie. It gives them hope, a reason to keep going.”
She paused, her gaze fixed on a porcelain vase. “Besides,” she added, “it’s not like we have any other options.”
I looked at her, a question forming in my eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Camilla looked at me, her eyes filled with a strange intensity.
“We have to keep fighting,” she said, her voice low and determined.
“We have to fight for a world where people can live without fear, without the constant threat of death.”
I looked at her, then at the elegant room, then back at her.
“But how?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Camilla smiled, a genuine smile this time.
“We start by surviving,” she said.
“We start by taking care of ourselves and each other. We start by fighting back.”
I looked at her, then at the room, and then back at her.
I felt a strange sense of calm wash over me.
“You’re right,” I said.
“We have to survive.”
We sat in silence for a moment, taking in the atmosphere of the room, the soft glow of the lamp, the faint sound of distant gunfire.
“So,” Camilla said, breaking the silence, “what are we going to do now?”
“We need to find a safe place to stay,” I said.
“A place where we can plan our next move.”
“And we need to find out more about this virus,” Camilla added.
“And about Cassandra.”
“And about the government,” I said.
“And about what they’re really hiding from us.”
We looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between us.
We were in this together, two survivors in a world gone mad.
We had each other, and that was enough.
As we sat there, planning our next move, the world outside seemed to fade away.
The sounds of the city, the distant gunfire, the constant hum of fear – all of it seemed to recede into the background.
For a brief moment, we felt a sense of peace, a sense of hope.
We were alive, and we were together. And that, we knew, was enough.
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