Chapter 79

It didn't take that long for Luke to show himself, walking from his room that was in a different hallway. He yawned and William hadn't expected him to see him. He thought he went to his job.

“Oh, you are awake. What are you looking at?” Luke asked.

“Good day. City too.”

“Hm. Is it that interesting? I can't bother with watching those cold stones. It is all in one piece and thriving. How boring.”

“It is unbelievable!” William said and ignored his teasing tone which was rather cold.

“You will get used to that. If not, it doesn't sound like my problem,” Luke argued and grabbed some snacks from the fridge and pantry on a shelf.

“Hopefully, the same way I got used to the danger of my own life. Is this how should I take my current position? Surviving in a different place doesn't sound that bad when I wouldn't see those Rifts.”

“No idea. Time will tell that, or you will simply get used to that like everyone else. You aren't alone. Trust me on that.”

“When was the first time you arrived at this place?” William asked Luke with a serious question and expression.

Luke began crunching down some biscuits and chocolate cookies and offered some of them to William who took them without hesitation.

“I am not very old by the way. I've been in Federation for like... sixteen years? I watched it grow, but I wasn't like you. I came here as an adult already and hadn't taken any...well, this place wasn't as thriving within those years. When it was constructing, working with size and expanding, that was where it became truly special.”

“That was when?”

“Two decades ago, which was the start of a big leap. It took a lot of lives and effort to get this place going. A whole decade went by even before that to safeguard this whole island. Constructing and taking former nations on the same page was hard. Walkers came with that like little chains. Without them, nothing much was good, and a lot of nations had to compromise, or bow down. Now, look at it! Nations are like little references, and the Federation is its own land.” Luke said and offered a cookie to the window.

“So you must know a lot about this place,”

“Depends on what you are asking about, but yes. I know this place enough like many others. It is morning, for example, but mornings are everywhere. Almost. Oh, I don’t have a lot of time for this chit-chat. I have responsibilities. What was yesterday is still up to some of my care. I have to go.”

“Isn't it too early for that?”

Luke looked at his wrist, which had a watch unlike the day before. Wearing simple military trousers and a casual white shirt, Luke looked half different. A military jacket over that shirt would be the final touch. “Early? Never. Walkers can work nonstop, kid. Get used to it.”

“If you say it like that, I want to spend the time in the library. Can I have a map or something to not get lost?”

“I have some public maps. Changes in the infrastructure of most Districts happen every once in a while, but you should remember number forty-seven and the apartment complex on North Avenue. The structure of most Districts is easy to learn, so when one is clueless like you... I better fetch it for you.”

Luke unwillingly agreed with his idea, even if he was too honest about how much William needed it. Managing to find a rough-looking piece of paper took a few minutes. William took it with some questionable gazes to its content, but it was better than nothing.

“The library is in the Central District that I mentioned yesterday. You might follow the tallest structure and find a library around it. It isn't that big, but it is impossible to overlook. You won’t miss it for most parts because it is part of the huge square.” Luke said and pointed to the map.

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“Thank you.”

“Oh, I almost overlooked the important part. I am unsure what Mi-Yung had in mind for taking care of you, but I will get some compensation for it anyway. Credits to get a better idea of the city is your rewarding beginning. Food, transportation, and a lot of other things work with this currency. Don't get scammed either, but if you will, take it as a lesson.”

“I am not that stupid.” William begrudgingly said and gave him a long look.

Still, Luke agreed with everything he said and gave William a stack of papers from his pockets. Credits were made of thin rectangular sheets of simple designs and numbers attached to them. There were small ink drawings that were rather complex and hard to replicate. He could not figure out what they depicted, or if that was supposed to be a person, Emblems, or this island. Not like it was important when one looked at those numbers.

William took them without being polite and observed them as if they were gold. Numbers ranged from one, five, and ten. In total, Luke gave him a hundred credits, but there were even bigger denominations than ten.

“What use they have apart from what you said?”

“Food? Isn't that everything that one needs?”

William looked at him, deadly silent.

“What? I expect these papers will last you for a few weeks if you are clever about it. If not, consider it a surviving lesson. Don't get tempted or greedy with Mi-Yung. She will shower you with credits if you aren't careful.”

“Oh,” William said. “Speaking from experience?”

“Nah. I am rich enough. You better be careful with them. Take a few of them in one go and the rest will remain here. Food is cheap, so don’t feel too scared about that as long as you look through some stalls in the streets. There are plenty of them due to people not having much time to cook. A lot of restaurants are also around and they make excellent ways to the past cultures and make easy business. It is normal, alright. A million people are living here.” Luke, for once, assured William and his visible doubts.

“Have you been to many camps outside?”

“Not really.”

“We have good food too. Cooks.”

“Is that so?” Luke frowned. “I still stand by what I said.”

Million? Wasn't it a bit too much? How much food this many people require? How many digits was that?

Seeing his uncertain nod, Luke sighed and finished his snack before his work. Since no one bothered to give him any orders yesterday—which he was understanding and thankful for—he had yet to think what to do. His team was hit by Mi-Yung's orders, so he might listen to some scolding today as well.

Unbeknown to him, that probably won't happen, due to a little incident in Australia.

Pain from this mission already arrived yesterday anyway since orders were orders and Academy and his little sorry Jackson nagged him enough. After giving William a goodbye, Luke left his apartment and completely forgot to get William his key.

It would probably have to wait... or had he already tossed this issue behind his back like many things before? Where was even Yungmin? Will William be fine on his own? Before it even came to his mind, he left for the South District.

William sighed at his fate and accepted his lonesome situation.

“Are other refugees in the same shoes as me, or how to look at it? Can I meet others like me or look for a guide? Can I even... make friends?” he wondered and imagined ferocious kids like in the camps or orphanages.

He shivered just from those little devils. If anything made sense out there, kids can be kids. They might forget the misery and act like they have it good even in improper situations. In the orphanage, they had safety and time, so they could be kids. That went for those young and below their teens. William was usually the oldest, and his mind wasn't keen on fun or silly lies.

Not like it was a problem since he was able to get more work because of it. His age made many things easier in Roshwell.

Without much else to hinder his ways, William found snacks and stole them. While spending money wasn't a bad idea in his mind, he figured it didn't sound that problematic like the barter. Unlike goods bought by goods, he had a different kind of worth on hand for something else.

He had to learn to give these numbers some attention. How much was even a meal worth? Getting frustrated about this was the last thing he wanted. The last straw.

Since Luke already left, and Yungmin was nowhere, the rest of the rooms were empty as well. But one indicate yet another person apart from them, while William's room was a guest room.

“At least four people are living here. Wait, Luke and Mi-Yung are engaged, so they might live in one room. Are there five people? Wait.. four with my room, so....”

He had time to look at the whole apartment complex which had more than a dozen rooms, including bathrooms, a sizable kitchen, and a living room that shared the same space as the kitchen. He was too tired to look through them last night.

What did he discover with a simple glance? This was a palace on a single floor.

“Each detached room has a bathroom, another room for clothes, and... isn't it a bit too big for so few people? How many kids could live here? Open space with kitchen, living room, and halls are way too big.” William assumed, and couldn't even imagine there were hundreds of such apartments in this street alone.

It was one of the better places in the Federation, so it was no wonder he was thinking about it like a fool. But with Walker's payments and work, this much was the least this place had to offer to them.

A good place to lean on and rest was the given. Walkers might travel far away all the time, but a good home was like an acknowledgment and dutiful connection.