Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 231

Chapter 231: Trade
The next morning, Fred came over with a list in his hand. Liam had already been waiting for him early in the morning, so they quickly got started.

Rayne watched from the sidelines as Fred nearly chose everything, leaving only the everyday hygiene items and clothing.

She had filled up an entire store the last time she visited so they must still have a lot in stock, just as she predicted.

“This is exciting isn’t it?”, said Ella. She walked over to stand beside Rayne to watch the back and forth between Liam and Frank.

Rayne smiled seeing Liam in action, he was a seasoned professional and maintained the upper hand in the negotiations the entire time.

“It seems we will never be at a loss if Liam is the one negotiating”, she said quietly to Ella.

Ella nodded, “It reminds me of the times I would watch my father’s business meetings, definitely an art”

–

The deal ended and Liam managed to secure a very large amount of beef and milk products. Both, the fridge and freezer inside of the RV were filled to the brim.

Fred also left very happy, carrying large boxes of clothing, canned food, bedding, books, and gardening items.

Everyone at the ranch had happy smiles, and some of the residents even asked what life was like at their settlement.

Noah made sure to drill it into the caravan team not to disclose the location of the settlement to anyone, even if they’re the friendliest and sweetest people in the world.

It would only take one accidental spill to bring chaos to them, especially with Damien actively hunting for Julian now.

So when people were asked, they would beat around the bush and talk about only everyday things like farming and construction projects, being careful not to give away any special details.

Liam and Rayne decided to stay the entire day and only set off to the chicken farm settlement that night.

“Let’s go see the cows, I heard there were a few young calves”, said Ella, pulling Rayne over to the barn.

All of the calves were clean and well taken care of. Rayne fell in love with their big, round eyes and couldn’t help but want to take one home.

“Do you think we will be able to support cattle eventually?”, asked Ella.

“I sure hope so! We would need to clear out more area for a large pasture and build a barn. Most importantly, we would need to find a settler who has experience with raising cattle”, said Rayne.

Ella nodded while petting a chestnut brown calf. It stuck its tongue out and licked her hand.

“Haha! That tickles!”, she laughed.

They spent the rest of the day with the cows until it was time for dinner.

Fred threw a big celebratory dinner in honor of their first trade, grilling freshly ground hamburgers on the grill.

“Thank you for coming here to trade. These items will help us continue to grow and accept the steady stream of refugees from the city”, he announced.

Rayne smiled and clapped along with everyone else. Today was a big day and hopefully, the start of many other trade caravans, helping each other survive this new world.

After dinner, Rayne met up with Fred privately.

“Thank you for hosting us. I hope we will both be able to grow and flourish over time. This is something Julian asked me to give you. Safety is very important, and you guys are located so close to City R that we were both worried about potential threats”

She opened her backpack and took out a small black case, handing it over to Fred.

He accepted the box and opened it curiously, revealing a small black pistol. His eyes widened as he looked up at Rayne.

“This…Are you sure?”, he lifted the pistol, feeling its heft in his hand, “This is a priceless object, I don’t know if I can afford such a valuable gift”

“Take it. We have more where that came from, so no worries. We want your settlement to stay safe”, she smiled.

Fred placed the pistol back in the case and wiped the tears from his eyes, “Thank you. You have helped us out so much”

“Let’s continue to work together to bring hope back to this world”, said Rayne.

She handed him a few boxes of ammo before he walked her back over to the caravan.

“We hope to see you again soon!”, he waved from the driveway.

Liam and the others waved back as they drove down the long driveway, making their way over to their next destination: The chicken farm.

–

“Next time we should bring more books and forms of entertainment over to trade. They are an established base and have basic resources, so they will most likely be more interested in these other things”, said Liam.

He was writing down notes from his observations and sales in a small notebook.

“Now all I need is to see how much the chickens are worth in terms of trade goods. Fred offered a very good deal for the chickens”, said Liam.

His face was glowing from the recent business transaction. Rayne hadn’t seen him look this alive since he arrived with Brandon’s group.

“We are lucky to have someone as experienced and motivated as you leading our caravan”, said Rayne.

She watched him scribble in his notebook in a trance ever since they left.

Liam scratched the side of his head with a small smile.

“It’s the only thing I’m good at, so I’m just happy to have a purpose again. I can’t farm or construct things. So I haven’t been useful until now, so I’m happy”.

Rayne nodded, understanding the feeling. If she wasn’t helping from the shadows, she too would feel a little useless compared to the others on base.

–

The drive from Fred’s ranch to the chicken farm was shorter than the trip from their settlement to Fred’s ranch.

It took them a little longer than half a day so they decided to pull over and sleep until morning since they were only a few hours away from the chicken farm.