The Legendary Junkmaster

When day broke, Jason packed up his gear to head back into town. He knew he would not be able to create what he had in mind out in the wilds. So Jason had no choice but to return to his workshop. His mind was busy reviewing his confrontation with Wraith as he passed through the town's gates.

His gaze was fixed straight ahead when a sizeable meaty hand appeared in front of him. With a look of surprise plastered on his face, Jason turned to look around him. The guards had surrounded him since he had failed to respond to them.

"You alright, kid? Did you forget something?" The muscular man who owned the meaty hand asked with a sympathetic voice.

It was only then that Jason realised he had forgotten to report to the clerks who oversaw those who entered and exited the town. An apologetic look crossed his face as his eyes landed back on the man who had stopped him.

"Sorry, got lost in my own thoughts there. I'll go and register my entry just now."

The man studied him for a bit longer before breaking out in a smile. "No problem, just don't let it happen again. Ok, kid?"

The man seemed pleased when Jason nodded his head to show that he understood. Jason smiled as the guard waited for him to head off to the office. Once he disappeared inside, one of the others turned towards him with a curious look on her face.

"Trevor, why'd you let him go without punishing him?"

"Don't you know?" Trevor laughed while looking at his subordinate. "That kid is the owner of Star Gear. It can't hurt to be on his good side."

A sudden look of understanding crossed the faces of the other guards at that point. What a sly guy our captain is! Pretending not to recognise him while doing him a "favour"! He's obviously hoping for a discount when he visits that place!

Meanwhile, Jason patiently waited for the clerk to finish up his paperwork before heading outside. Trevor smiled in his direction, to which Jason waved back in gratitude before heading off. 'Idiot. Thinks I'll treat him well if he comes to my place. He clearly doesn't know that it's my Gramps that he'll be dealing with.'

Jason felt like laughing as a sly smile crossed his face. Most people probably would have taken the guard captain's mercy at face value, but Jason picked up on the slight hint of greed evident in Trevor's eyes.

As Jason continued his walk towards Crafters Street, he pulled up his interface and navigated to the skills section. His eyesight lingered over the Basic Electrical Engineering Skill. It came in at a whopping cost of 20 PP. However, that was a price Jason was willing to pay to be prepared for Wraith.

It was at this point that Jason's mind seemed to pull him in another direction. As if it had picked up on his intentions, strange words began to run through his mind. 'Magnesium, ammonium nitrate, flashing grenade. What does that mean?' When he focused on those words, a bunch of his skills began to glow.

When he glanced at them, most of them were greyed out and required previous knowledge to unlock. It was like the glowing skills traced a path through the skill trees to show what he would need. 'Thanks, but I can't afford that. I'll have to settle for my first choice.'

Jason smiled awkwardly as the glow began to fade. 'I wonder what that was about? Is my ability evolving, or is it some kind of warning again?' The experience made Jason feel uneasy. He felt like what had just happened was connected to his abilities that were sealed by Syssie's presence.

Which meant that he was not ready to wield them yet without damaging himself. Therefore, he definitely had to start work on upgrading Syssie soon. Just to be safe. Jason continued to make plans for the future as he reached his store. Only to discover that the camp the Red Steel Gang had placed there was already gone.

Jason frowned when he saw that. He was confident that his recent actions were not enough to make them pull back yet. 'Maybe they're having some kind of meeting that requires them all to be present? I shouldn't waste this chance.'

Jason felt rushed as he quickly unlocked the store and opened it up for customers for the day. He did not even have time to get his Gramps since he was unsure how long he had until the gang members returned. As soon as his neighbours saw that he had opened the store for business, a small flock rushed in.

Most of them were the ones who had placed custom orders, wondering how long they would have to wait. While the rest were hoping to get some of Jason's less renowned items. Jason was glad to be making credits, but he also felt a little sour that he had to put off purchasing his new skill and starting his latest project.

Still, before the rush ended, Dani appeared and offered to help him out. Jason mouthed a grateful thank you towards her before disappearing in the back to check the stock levels and finish up some of the custom orders he had received.

By the time the crowd dispersed, Dani was visibly sweating from the pressure she had been under. She had to ask Jason several times about prices, but that was only to be expected.

"You sure are popular!" Dani chuckled as she wiped the sweat from her face. "Have your problems with that gang been sorted out then?"

"No," Jason sighed as he leaned against his workbench. "I just made the most out of their absence today. What brought you here anyway?"

"Ah! I almost forgot!" Dani chuckled as she remembered her original reason for coming here. "My parents wanted me to buy a couple of your Wound Salves to keep around in case of emergencies. Apparently, Dr Cree highly recommends them."

Jason's eyes went wide at that piece of information. After all, Dr Cree giving his product her stamp of approval would dramatically increase its value in his customers' eyes. 'Hoh, I'll need to thank her somehow.' Jason rummaged around in one of the storage containers, pulled out three of his Wound Salves, and handed them over to Dani.

"Don't worry about paying for them. Take them as a thank you for helping me out today." Jason smiled warmly.

The pair chatted for a bit before Dani ran off. Just as she rounded the corner, the Red Steel Gang's thugs made their return. 'I knew it wouldn't last.' Jason sighed as he watched them approach. He chose to ignore them as he swiftly closed himself up inside his store.

He could hear them setting up camp again as he sat in the comfortable armchair. A sneer appeared on his face as he navigated his interface. 'Finally, let's get started.' Jason quickly paid the Basic Electrical Engineering Skill's price and waited for the painful ritual to begin…