"The canisters are worth more than the chemicals we collect," Noland said, studying it as he placed it on the table. "We should find out how to separate the interior lining off one of these and see if we can fabricate it ourselves."
"With what time and money?" Lucky asked, cleaning the exterior of his boots and gloves after their return from another routine scavenging trip.
Three canisters, filled with chemicals, but nothing new since their last finding.
It had been several weeks since their decision. The purchase of the new canisters and food on that day still came out of pocket, setting them back months. Their clothes were a little more worn down too, with Jade going to the library instead of staying home after the scavenger trips.
"We have plenty of time to visit the library like Jade. We can alternate between taking care of Fenrik and figure it out."
"Alchemical tools are far more expensive than the canisters," Lucky replied. "It will take us years to save up for one, not including the ingredients even if we do figure it out."
"So then we do it! We save up. Plus, we live on the Chemical Sea. Byproducts, waste, leftovers- what they don't use gets thrown out. It all flows into the sea via the chemical outflow pipes."
Lucky paused in thought and nodded slowly. "If we figure out which factories produce the cannisters, or the chemicals used to make it, we can use the waste system to collect what they throw away."
"Alright, so we make the chemicals, but then who do we sell it to? The people who are making it and selling it to us?" Noland asked.
"Not everyone has cannisters and some get destroyed, damaged, or lost. Who's making the food? Who makes these canisters, clothes- what about the people who repair our water and gas valves? We can undercut the factories by selling them at a discount. Make a few extra coins outside of what we already do."
"Huh? I don't want to keep doing this if we make it into the mid-city."
"Well we're going to have to if we want to sustain that kind of business and lifestyle. I doubt the factories are throwing away gallons of chemicals instead of using them for the next batch."
"I bet they are! Have you seen the floods that come out of those gates every day?"
Lucky paused and looked at Noland who was confidently smirking. "Maybe. But processing would still be the issue. It's all mixed together like the Chemical Sea."
Noland snapped his fingers. "You said it before! We find where it's being discarded in the underground and collect before it before it's too late."
"It's worth a shot, maybe. I can't think of anything else beyond scavenging. We're getting screwed and I definitely don't believe these are worth that much. The moment we start circulating our own however the factories will come down on price or we might mysteriously disappear."
Shaking his head, Lucky resumed cleaning his gear. Noland gritted his teeth while staring at Lucky. He wasn't mad at him exactly, but the lack of ideas in their group in general.
What would they do to survive in the mid-city if the pills were worth something? Life wouldn't stop. Food still needed to be earned and in the mid-city there was rent.
'It might be easier to live on the pier than pay rent in the mid-city,' Noland thought bitterly.
Sharp knocks caused them to jump out of what they were doing, exchanging anxious glances. It was too early for Jade and the knocks didn't match hers.
"Who is it?" Noland called out. Even Fenrik sat up cautiously, eyeing the door.
"Officer Jack, open up!"
Immediately, Lucky and Noland stiffened.
"Why are they here?!" Lucky whispered.
"I don't know! Think Jade got caught? Fenrik!"
Fenrik stood up, wheezing with a wet gurgling noise, and walked toward the door with an annoyed expression. An expression that said he wanted to chastise the two of them, but couldn't.
He opened the door and a man clad in a pitch-black uniform and cap stood there with two officers behind him.
"Ah, Fenrik! How are you?"
"Could be better," Fenrik grunted, a wet gurgle behind every word.
Officer Jack grimaced, his expression darkening. "I'm sorry for bothering you in your current condition. Leadership saw Jade signing into the mid-city daily. We've done some poking around and discovered she was sifting through ancient texts. Why's she digging around that kind of stuff suddenly?"
"Curiosity," Fenrik gurgled. "If she finds relics at sea, she can identify them."
Nodding slowly, Jack peered around the old man. "Boys. Scavenging trips going well?"
"No. Nothing but our routine pickup. But we are holding out hope," Noland said.
Jack's eyes shifted to the canisters on the table, nodding slowly before his gaze returned to Fenrik. "Well I am sorry, Fenrik, but Command ordered us to inspect your residence. Will that be a problem?"
While Fenrik shook his head, Lucky's voice rose in agitated protest. "Hold on, why? What reason do you have?"
"We have to make sure you aren't hiding anything, Lucky," Jack responded dismissively at first. "If you do have a relic, it is better to turn it in now. Because if we find any..."
"Execution. Or banishment." Jack's gaze, which had become colder, returned to Fenrik whose expression had tightened. Fenrik silently moved out of the way and the two officers behind Jack stepped in.
Noland and Lucky glared angrily, watching them turn the place upside down. The film from the vents was ripped out and inspected. All the cabinets opened, pots taken out, sheets and bedding moved. It was a tense process for them before they returned, shaking their heads.
"That'll be all then," Jack said with a sigh as the officers stepped out. "Again, I'm sorry for the trouble."
"Will you be back?" Fenrik croaked.
"No, not unless Command orders us to."
"Why do you do these inspections anyway? No one has found a relic in over two generations," Noland grumbled.
Jack's gaze shifted and rested on Noland who tensed unconsciously. He kept staring at him, expressionlessly, before sighing and turning to leave.
"Good day, Fenrik."
The door shut behind them but silence remained. Their home was a mess. Fenrik began to let out a series of wet coughs again and immediately the two sprang into action, fixing his flipped mattress as he wavered his way back and laid down.
"Those fuckers had to ruin the place," Noland scowled.
"Thank God we-"
"Shut up," Fenrik warned, readjusting himself on the bed.
Rather than storing the book and pills in the pier where they could be found easily if they were ordered to do a thorough search, they returned them back out to the Chemical Sea where they found them after Jade made her notes. Whenever she needed more, she tagged along.
What this meant, to Noland at least, was that they didn't discover the notes she made. They were only suspicious of her trips.
After a bit of time cleaning and fixing up the place, Jade finally returned with an excited bounce in her step.
"Hey boys, I found out what those pills can do!" Jade gleefully boasted, a smug look painted on her face. "Hm? What's wrong?"
"Inspectors came around asking about you."
"And they found nothing? Or rather you said nothing, right?"
Noland nodded and Jade's momentary concern vanished and she stepped inside after taking off her boots, the spring returning to her step and smugness back on her face.
"Good! Now let me explain the pills to you!"