But at the very least he knew that the Ghosthound would prefer not to be overly involved in the peace talks Although the Ghosthound was focused on the new Zone Dinesh had figured out that it wasn’t exactly for diplomatic purposes the Ghosthound was looking for something
Hank seemed disappointed but accepted this After Karlito and his wife Bruya had brought out wood they had a campfire going and the talk started in earnest In a show of good faith Hank went first talking about Zone 1 the Tiers the regulations the rankings Ptolemy listened slowly reserving judgment
All systems have benefits just like all systems have detriments
So you are the old capital of America Dinesh asked curious His sister had been in Washington D C before the System arrived
Hank Howard seemed torn well more yes than no but a lot of bits were missing especially the suburbs Most of the food the government had stored in preparation for the coming of the System was lost but we got lucky with the technological bureaus They were the real core of the Zone
Intriguing Nathan said stroking his chin Most of Hank’s party hid a smile
Dinesh chuckled softly but not because of Nathan’s comment Rather it was because Nathan was playing a fool on purpose to get the opposing group to loosen up It was an excellent emotional manipulation and one that would cause no trouble if it were discovered Ptolemy wondered where he had learned that from It couldn’t have been the Ghosthound or Neveah they were both too blunt Tykes was similarly out Perhaps the sweet talking Hispanic chef Karlito
So what about y’all Hank asked looking at Ptolemy
Well Dinesh paused considering where to begin We are much more decentralized As stated we don’t have the rigid Tiers for groups although we have ranks in the various towns Our population is much smaller than yours too possibly only a third so everyone has generally heard of most people of note
There are two main political blocks the Northwest which consists of the Refuge Star Crossing and East End and the Southeast which is made up of Franksburg and Donnyton I myself received my Class at Donnyton
Of the two I would say that the Southeast is superior in both numbers and quality Donnyton was the first Village in our Zone and the most powerful Most warriors worth their salt will travel there to train at least for a while Franksburg is the second founded village and the largest city About half of the people in our Zone live in Franksburg
You even call them warriors The other woman Laurel said shaking her head with a smile That’s crazy but I guess that’s what being isolated from the outside world for two and a half years will get you
Tykes who was standing next to the first with his arms folded nodded and spoke And it feels even longer probably another year spent inside of Dungeons in one form or another
Hank blinked and it was ultimately the Asian girl Affina that spoke
You have been in a Dungeon She asked rank curiosity clear in her tone
Again it was Dinesh’s turn to be shocked You haven’t
Affina shook her head Entrance to the Dungeons we have access to are strictly regulated Only the top quality government talents are sent there to spend as much time as possible training The only reason that there is any space at all is due to the body’s eventual rejection of the dungeon
An interesting prospect and Dinesh could understand the reasons for doing so It seemed like every month there was a story of a group going into a Dungeon without proper preparation and coming back one member smaller It was a sad thing when all of humanity was struggling against the System but such things were inevitable
But the flip side of that was no one emerged stronger from Dungeons that cruel lesson carved into their hearts
The talk flowed going back and forth on various aspects until Hank finally spoke in a very different tone It wasn’t cold and it wasn’t angry and it wasn’t commanding but it was very clear from his tone and in retrospect his behavior the entire night that the had been building to this for quite a long time
So then I’m left wonderin’ why you guys could clear your Raid Dungeon so fast Hank said simply scratching his chin No offense but our Zone was forewarned and prepared It’s pretty shockin’ to me that we were only three days faster than a random grouping of people There must be something special there right
Chapter 498
The group fell silent everyone’s attention fixed on the two men sitting across the first from one another Hank and Dinesh Hank looked around with an easy smile on his face Dinesh smiled back surprised how easily the expression came Apparently it was not only Nathan that was playing the fool tonight Truly there was more to this Hank than meets the eye If he had the chance he would grow into a formidable man
But even the best seeds need the proper soil to grow
Well it is hard to say why our Zone was so lucky Dinesh said with a smile But several key individuals emerged I also think due to our lack of guns we were forced to revert to more primitive methods of combat in order to survive Although the initial risk is much higher I am confident in saying it pays dividends down the line
Huh Hank said looking thoughtful But he didn’t press the issue which left Dinesh feeling very relieved Trying to explain the Ghosthound was a certain sort of trouble for a number of reasons Not the least of which was the Ghosthound expressed the desire to keep his own influence in the Zone a secret for as long as possible so he could accomplish his own goals
You seem strong Affina said simply and Karlito chuckled as he tended to the fire
Of course we would be very interested in trading any supplies you might have on you I assure you that we likely have items unavailable elsewhere Dinesh continued thinking of the Ghosthound’s other side project Potions and elixirs that produce a variety of effects including a one time boost to stats They can only be used once they are still a valuable commodity in our Zone
Dinesh didn’t mention that they were experimental in nature but he figured that the Ghosthound had worked out most of the kinks in their creation Affina and the woman Katie looked up sharply but both Hank and Laurel seemed unconcerned In fact Hank was so unconcerned that Laurel had to elbow him in the side to break him from his revery
Hm Oh yeah we can trade for sure I’d like to check on my man though See if he recovered from overdrawing himself
After Dinesh gave his assent the rest of the group dispersed The Zone 32 ers stayed around the first slowly gathering closer together Even Tanya appeared from the house coming over to join them at the fire Her gaze was timid as she looked over towards the individuals from Zone 1 but she was no longer as skittish as she had been before The Ghosthound’s crazy crusade with the rest of them as entourage assured that
There were some things that either killed you or transformed you
They seem nice Bruya said in her placid way as her fingers spun a tiny illusionary figure of Hank The figure in her hand drew his pistol spun it and then fanned the hammer in a brash way spraying bullets everywhere
Soft too Tykes said but he kept his voice quiet This was a relief to Dinesh He suspected that all three of the women in the other group had the power to hear quite a distance away and he didn’t want to insult them Plus the look in Tykes eyes wasn’t as harsh as it had been 6 months ago It truly seemed that the Ghosthound had taught the other man something about channeling helplessness and frustration
What are we doing next Nathan asked turning to look at Dinesh
Dinesh shrugged We wait for the Ghosthound But what he likely does depends on the result of his time in the Danger Zone There is much to learn there but also much danger With the exception of Tykes we cannot follow the Ghosthound there Even with the accompaniment of Neveah to defeat the Boss is a tall order If he defeats it and the benefit is a good one he will likely push us to conquer the others that belong to Zone 32 If not