"Let's see how much I was able to harvest today."
I decided to close the store a little early today so that I could talk to the train master and install my claw machine there.
The electronic interface of the claw machine showed me that I had earned a few faith points.
[Available balance 5 faith points. Would you like to withdraw now?]
The machine asked and considering that it had not even been one day since I bought the machine, it was a considerable profit.
"Wow-! This machine might be the best investment I ever made. It managed to make 1/10 of its value in a single day."
I looked at the machine and it suddenly looked so lovely in my eyes. Those sharp curves, those attractive neon colors… they all pointed toward the machine being a modern beauty.
A beauty that the world needed to see so that they could give me more faith points… I mean, find more beauty in the world.
"Let's see. How do you store it back in the space again? Is that even possible?"
I tried tinkering around with my system and finally found how to restore the machine. With this, I was ready to head out and make a massive profit.
Awoooo
Fenrir noticed me heading toward the door and immediately bolted toward my feet to come with me.
I picked him up before he could climb all over me like a cat and gave it a stare.
"Tsk, are you a dog or a cat? You're certainly dog-shaped but the way you behave makes me wonder sometimes. Anyway, I can't take you with me right now so how about you stay home?"
I told Fenrir but he looked unimpressed.
Somehow, I got the feeling that this puppy was much more knowledgeable about the world compared to me and I needed to listen to it.
"Fine… don't give me that look-! I will bring out your bag. I might as well make use of it since I bought it for you."
I sighed as the puppy refused to give up and go away.
Fenrir jumped into the bag as soon as it was open and I struggled a bit to pick it up and decided that it was time to use the wheels.
The roads around the town were surprisingly sturdy and paved, making it easy for me to roll around the bag.
"Somehow, the condition of the roads is much better than modern times. I can hardly see any cracks or bad spots. Is it because people here take much better care of the world… or because it's a fantasy world…"
I questioned myself. At least, it did not feel like a fantasy world to me.
As I walked, I thought I heard footsteps following after me. But when I turned around, there was no one behind me.
Before I knew it, I reached the train station but the feeling of a person following me did not go away.
One of the key rules I had always believed in was not to confront anyone whom I found suspicious. The better thing to do would be to make an anonymous report to the police about this.
'But first, let's take care of the thing I came here to take care of.'
I entered the train station and it was crowded. Everyone wanted to get back home to their family after a hard day of work, so most of the people passed me by without speaking or even noticing me.
This place was perfect for my claw machine. Heck, the only thing I might need to worry about was running out of stuff to put in here.
'I'm sure that will be fine. For now, I should find the master of this train station.'
That was not a difficult task either.
A worker was more than happy to point me toward the door I needed to head toward and I soon found the well-maintained office door.
I knocked to let them know that I was here and it did not take long for the door to open.
"Please come inside and state your purpose."
The station master told me and I entered the office. It was quite a cozy place, having a nice sofa and a working table. The window also provided ample light inside the room.
I sat down and waited for the station master to give me his attention.
The station master looked surprised when I did not immediately start mouthing complaints toward him and he actually put his work down to give me his attention.
"Huh-! Are you not going to complain? You also don't look like an employee here. May I know what you are here for?"
The station master asked, looking stressed. I had a feeling that the only visitors he got were his workers or a bunch of angry Karens.
"I am here for a… proposal of sorts. I want to install one of my stalls at the train station. Don't worry, it won't take much space. In return, I can give you 10 gold coins per month for it."
I told the station master and his eyes widened to hear that.
"Wait a minute-! Did you say… 10 gold coins? Are you sure about that? Tsk, is this some kind of scam? Are you looking to harm people?"
The station master asked me, suddenly looking alert and giving me a suspicious look.
10 gold coins was a lot of money after all. In terms of modern currency, it was close to 100k dollars… or even more.
However, I could easily buy that much with a single faith point.
"I understand that you are suspicious of me and my intentions, but I assure you that I am here to do legit business and not harm anyone. I can even give you a vow to prove that. If you still don't believe me, I can have Officer Henry and Duchess Isabella Lilly vouch for me."
I told the station master and his eyes widened before they narrowed and he looked agitated.
"Don't try and test me, kid. Do you know what kind of heavy names you are speaking? How dare you—"
Grrrr
The sudden sound from my bag startled even me. But I maintained my calm expression.
On the other hand, the station master seemed to have gone pale and he gave my bag a horrified look.
'Huh-! Is the station master afraid of dogs or something? He's shaking a bit. Should I offer to escort Fenrir out?'
As I questioned myself, the station master suddenly stood up with a startled expression.
"I-I understand. I will confirm your identity at once. What name should I ask them about? Who are you?"
The station master asked me and I replied instantly.
"You can tell them that Cyr… no, tell them that the Shopkeeper of the bookstore is asking them to confirm his identity. I am sure they will understand."
Since the officer and the duchess had called me nothing but the shopkeeper, I doubted they even knew my real name.
But I had a feeling they would recognize that the person the station master was asking about was me.
Where I got this confidence from? Even I had no idea… nor did I want to know.