Chapter 71

The freckled, bespectacled lady in a sexy sleeveless top, Tara, led me into what looked like a run-of-the-mill junk shop. Nothing impressive about it at all.

The shelves were stocked with cheap items that looked like they were cobbled together from discarded devices found in a scrapyard.

Just as expected from a Northern Slum kind of place, this store was as shabby as they come.

“Well, there might not be much you’d like here… but if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll explain everything in detail.”

With that, Tara plopped down behind the counter and naturally propped her chin up on one hand.

Despite the poor quality of the goods, she was surprisingly friendly for such a dump.

I gave her a slight nod and started wandering around, eventually finding two things.

One was a broken key, the other a small safe that could fit in the palm of my hand.

When I brought them over to Tara, her eyes sparkled for a brief moment behind her glasses.

Then, with the grace of a lioness stalking her prey, she scanned me from head to toe.

Her predatory gaze made my heart skip a beat.

“This… is quite the informed customer we have here, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Alright then. Let me show you the way.”

Tara’s reaction to the broken key and tiny safe wasn’t without reason.

Bringing those to her was code for: “I was referred here, so show me the good stuff.”

With her usual cool and tough demeanor, Tara casually stood up.

She walked over to one side of the shop and pulled down a dusty lever on the wall with full force.

*Kugooong.*

The ground shook violently, and a secret staircase leading to the basement revealed itself.

Wow, now this is seriously cool.

I kept my excitement under wraps, maintaining my composure as best as I could.

Right now, I’m not Yuria wearing the fox mask; I’m some random customer wearing the Goblin Mask.

Acting all giddy wouldn’t fit my character interpretation. Calm down, stay calm.

“Alright, follow me this way.”

“…!”

But whether I managed to suppress my excitement or not—

She brushed off some dust with her hands and began descending the stairs, clearly expecting me to follow.

*Thud thud.* The basement we entered was nothing short of another world.

It wasn’t too flashy, nor too sparse. The interior was filled with all sorts of mechanical devices and weapons.

From extraordinary-looking telescopes, cybernetic axes, and eight-legged cleaning robots to musical instruments with gun barrels, chairs seemingly built for giants, and TVs flickering like film reels—every conceivable gadget roamed freely.

And then there were the subtle LED lights seeping through the ceiling and the faint smoke rising from the floor. It truly felt like a secret base brimming with dreams.

‘Whoa… Is this heaven? If only I had enough money, I’d buy everything in sight.’

This was a space so charming it made your mouth water.

Without exaggeration, I wanted to spread out a blanket and play with every single item here.

I casually approached a nearby shelf where a magazine sat next to an invisible firearm.

Next to the gun, hastily scrawled words caught my eye.

[This gun runs on electricity. Do NOT use underwater! Comes with charger and battery.]

This was clearly not something just anyone could easily use.

I stared at the cute handwriting, likely Tara’s, and checked the price of the electric gun.

“…!”

Wait, seriously? That price is insane. Is this worth several months of rent for my office?

What I saw was an absurdly high price that defied logic.

I couldn’t help but gasp like I’d been doused with cold water.

My burning desire vanished in an instant.

I realized most of the items here were beyond what I could afford, even if I emptied my entire savings.

Ah, financial reality really is the fastest and surest cure.

Nodding to myself as rationality returned, I glanced at Tara sitting quietly in the corner.

‘Still… most of the items here are priced accordingly. Opportunities to buy from a master mechanic like her don’t come around often.’

I quietly recalled bits of information about her from the original work.

Tara was a rare pure-blooded human in Night Haven.

Though called a general store, this place was more accurately a specialized shop for mechanical devices.

If Greg’s antique shop dealt in emotionally-driven purchases, this was more like a place where anything mechanical was bought and sold.

In truth, she was once a famous German mechanical expert known for creating all kinds of devices.

Betrayed by someone she considered family, she was branded a criminal and ended up in Night Haven.

Eventually, burdened by misunderstandings too difficult to resolve, she quietly settled in the Northern Slum.

Using her skills, she began repairing abandoned machines and selling them as a mechanic.

Later, she adopted a kid, got confessed to, and ended up in a reverse harem ending. Well, good for her. Love blossoms. I ship it.

Anyway, while there’s plenty of backstory, none of it matters much.

Let them handle their love stories themselves. There are only two important facts to focus on.

First: Tara is a skilled mechanic running a niche business catering to regular customers in a secluded area.

Second: Among the items here, there’s a terminal I can afford with my allowance!

‘Wait… Ah, this. This is it!’

After carefully inspecting every nook and cranny of the shelves, I finally found what I was looking for.

It was a flat terminal operated by touch screen—a design quite familiar to me.

Why was I searching for this seemingly ordinary item?

Well, read the price tag next to it, and the answer becomes clear.

Its pristine condition, scratch-free screen, and sleek design made it look brand new.

But compared to similar models, its price was nearly one-third cheaper.

Even for a used product, this was suspiciously low.

Clearly, something was wrong with it.

Indeed, the item was defective. The side explanation noted it occasionally suffered from mysterious bugs despite having no issues with appearance or durability.

But I needed it. This was the solution to my identity problem at a bargain price.

With newfound confidence, I handed the terminal to Tara.

“Oh, that… One will be enough, right? It’s just the terminal, so you’ll need to get an illegal communication chip from the black market to set it up separately.”

“…!”

“If that’s fine with you… well, it’s still a terminal, so I’ll pack it in a box for you.”

*Rustle rustle.*

Tara neatly placed the terminal and its accessories into a tidy-looking box.

I handed her the cash Raven had given me and received the box containing the terminal.

A clean, straightforward transaction with no haggling.

Cradling the box tightly to my chest, I turned around as if I had no further business here.

Hehe, I can’t wait to get home and open it. So excited.

My heart raced, and a silly grin escaped unconsciously.

Just as I was about to climb the stairs, a shrill sound reached my ears.

What’s this noise?

Looking toward the source, I saw Tara slightly furrowing her brow.

“…?”

“It’s nothing. Seems like someone’s outside. Take your time going up.”

“…!”

No, I was planning to leave right away anyway.

I gently shook my head and quickly climbed the stairs.

Tara runs a small-scale operation, relying on a trusted few regulars.

I didn’t want to cause trouble by sticking around and stirring up rumors. I’d already bought what I came for. Time to make a quick exit.

As I swiftly left the basement, Tara followed and immediately pulled the lever back up.

The floor shifted again, hiding the staircase—but I was too busy listening to the commotion coming from outside.

The reason I didn’t pay attention to the now-hidden secret staircase was simple.

A familiar voice echoed from outside the door.

“Hey, why are you blocking me? Got something you don’t want me to see?”

“Ah, n-no, nothing like that…! H-he’s busy right now…!”

“So he’s busy but still taking customers? What’s with this discrimination? I’m a customer too. Feels pretty hurtful.”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

That low-pitched male voice—I’ve heard it so many times it feels natural now.

What’s he doing here?

After confirming the staircase was properly hidden, I opened the door.

There stood a black-haired man with a cocky posture.

“…”

“Oh. Uh… hi?”

Like hell pretending not to know him would work.

His presence screamed “I’ve been tailing you,” and I couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

Where did he even start following me without a trace?

Standing before him, my Goblin Mask disguise utterly meaningless, I let out another pointless sigh.