Chapter 34: Preparation
The evening air in San Francisco carried a light chill as Anshul walked back toward Mia's neighborhood. The city lights had begun to glow across the streets, and the steady movement of traffic filled the roads with a quiet rhythm. Compared to the chaos that existed in some of the worlds he could enter, this place felt peaceful. That was exactly why he had chosen it as one of his foundations.
As he walked, his phone vibrated once in his pocket. Anshul glanced at the screen briefly. The AI assistant had already completed the day's financial operations. Several small investments had been executed automatically during the afternoon session, and the account balance had increased again.
He locked the screen without paying much attention to it.
Money was important, but it was only one piece of the puzzle.
What he needed next was resources.
Real resources.
Gold. Gems. Rare materials. Equipment.
Things that could support the growth of his future company and give him leverage when negotiating with investors.
Anshul turned down a quieter street and leaned lightly against a fence while thinking.
There was one type of world perfectly suited for that.
A doomsday world.
In such places entire cities were abandoned. Banks, jewelry stores, museums—most of them left untouched after disasters wiped out normal society. For someone with the ability to travel between worlds and store large quantities of objects, those places were practically treasure vaults.
Of course, they were also extremely dangerous.
Anshul didn't intend to rush into one blindly.
He needed preparation.
The next morning he left early and headed toward an outdoor equipment store downtown. The shop specialized in survival gear, camping tools, and extreme-weather equipment.
Rows of equipment filled the shelves: heavy winter jackets, insulated boots, climbing gear, thermal gloves, portable stoves, compact tents.
Exactly what he needed.
Anshul spent nearly an hour carefully selecting items. Thick thermal clothing. Waterproof backpacks. High-quality gloves. Snow goggles. Portable heating packs.
The total bill was large, but he paid without hesitation.
When he left the store carrying several large bags, the preparation for his first expedition had officially begun.
Later that afternoon, Anshul arrived near Mia's house again.
He didn't have to wait long.
The familiar black limousine soon appeared at the end of the street, stopping in front of the gate. Mia stepped out first, looking exhausted but determined.
Princess training had clearly been intense again.
When she noticed Anshul standing nearby, her expression brightened slightly.
"You're here."
"Looks like you survived another day," Anshul said.
"Barely," Mia replied, leaning against the gate. "Today was posture practice and public speaking."
"That sounds painful."
"You have no idea."
For a moment they simply stood there talking casually.
Being around him made the strange pressure of royal expectations feel a little less overwhelming.
Mia looked at the bags he was carrying.
"What's all that?"
"Preparation."
"For what?"
"Travel."
Her eyes narrowed slightly with curiosity.
"You're always traveling."
"That's the idea."
Mia hesitated before asking, "Dangerous places?"
"Sometimes."
She studied him carefully for a moment.
"Just… be careful, okay?"
Anshul smiled faintly.
"I plan to."
She nodded, though she still looked slightly worried.
After saying goodbye, Mia walked into the house while the limousine drove away again.
Anshul remained standing on the sidewalk for a few seconds, watching the lights turn on inside the house.
Then he turned and began walking back toward the hotel he had been staying in.
Tonight he would finish the preparations.
Tomorrow he would enter a new world.
A world buried under ice and disaster.
A world where entire cities had been abandoned.
And somewhere beneath the frozen ruins of that world—
There were fortunes waiting to be collected.