Chapter 71 - 70: Happy Cooperation

"Ahhh! You lowly peasants! You dare call your paramour to hit me? I’ll kill you! Ahhh!" Miss Crowe shrieked like a slaughtered pig, pointing furiously at them.

Seth Jennings had always possessed a tomboyish personality, and her fashion sense leant toward the androgynous. Today, she wore a baggy, old khaki work jacket. The faded canvas fabric sported several visible scratches, and her pants were worn at the knees. The edges of her canvas sneakers were peeling apart, making her look no better than a scavenger from The Slums. Standing beside Sev Steele with her hands shoved into her pockets, her short black hair stuck out messily at the nape of her neck. Her skin was tanned to a wheat color from long hours outdoors; at first glance, she truly looked like a man.

Naturally, Miss Crowe mistook her for Sev’s lover. Having been beaten by this pair of lowly peasants back-to-back, how could she possibly swallow her anger? Tapping open her watch, she prepared to call for backup. She had a few loyal suitors wrapped around her finger. Even if they were just lowly mercenaries, they would be more than enough to deal with a couple of scavengers from The Slums.

Seth made no move to stop her. Miss Crowe dialed a number, and a voice immediately answered from the other end.

"My precious Cynthia, did you miss me? I’m getting all clean right now, waiting for you to come over!"

Cynthia Crowe was so furious that she accidentally hit the speakerphone button, forcing Sev, Seth, and Goldie to listen to this nauseatingly cheesy flirtation. Seth immediately mimed gagging, making Cynthia stomp her feet in anger. She hurriedly whined to the person on the phone, "Cannon Caldwell, I just got beaten up by two lowly peasants! Hurry over here and help me teach them a lesson!"

"Are you at The Golden Scissors Barbershop? Don’t be scared, baby, I’m on my way to back you up. I’ll definitely beat them to death today and vent your anger!" Cannon Caldwell declared loudly.

Hearing Cannon’s name, Seth immediately burst into laughter.

Cynthia took a few steps back, planted her hands on her hips, and pointed at her. "Don’t you run if you have the guts! My friend is from The Azure Owl Mercenary Corps. Once he gets here, let’s see if he doesn’t beat you to a pulp!"

"Alright, I’ll wait!" Seth crossed her arms and smiled brightly.

"Seth, are you sure you can handle this? Should we call someone for help too?" Sev leaned in and whispered into her ear. If Seth couldn’t win alone, Sev could swallow her pride and ask Doctor Jenkins for help; his status would easily suppress an ordinary mercenary. As for Hayden Hanson, she didn’t even consider calling him. After all, he could no longer use his Ability, so bringing him here would only result in him suffering a beating for nothing.

"Don’t worry! Cannon Caldwell is someone I’ve already beaten. Just watch how I deal with him later!" Seth replied leisurely.

Sev was instantly amused. They were acquaintances. What did she have to worry about? She would just sit back and enjoy the show.

Off to the side, Goldie naturally recognized Seth. Unlike other women, she always came in to get tomboyish haircuts. Her position in The Azure Owl Mercenary Corps was not low, nor was her combat power. If Cannon faced her, he would be the one suffering. But Goldie couldn’t be bothered to warn Miss Crowe; he, too, secretly waited on the sidelines to watch the drama unfold.

The Azure Owl Mercenary Corps had enclosed a large courtyard in Sector A, where all members enjoyed staff dormitories as a guild benefit. Because of this, Cannon also lived in Sector A. However, the benefits varied from person to person. Seth lived in a relatively high-level two-story building with advanced facilities, while Cannon lived in a single-story flat.

Because it was very close to the barbershop, and Cannon was worried his precious baby would suffer, he ran over in just five minutes. Right now, he only had eyes for Cynthia, completely failing to notice Seth standing nearby.

Looking at the tall and burly Cannon Caldwell, Sev couldn’t help but worry. She wondered if someone with Seth’s small frame could really take down a brute built like a yak.

"Ouch! Baby, why is your face swollen? Who hit you? Step the hell out right now, or I’ll absolutely grind every bone in your body to dust!" As soon as Cannon spoke, his booming voice made Sev’s ears go numb.

"Cannon Caldwell, you want to grind my bones to dust? Come on, I’m standing right here waiting!" Seth mocked.

Hearing the familiar voice, Cannon whipped his head around and saw a familiar face.

"Ms. Jennings! Are you getting a haircut too? What a coincidence!" His face changed in a split second, swapping his previously ferocious expression for a fawning smile. After saying this, he finally processed the meaning behind her previous words. His expression shifted to sheer panic as he carefully probed, "Ms. Jennings, surely this is just a misunderstanding between our own people?"

"I don’t have the time to explain this to you. For your sake, you can just take her away today. Enough, don’t stand here being an eyesore. Why haven’t you scrammed yet?" Seth shot him a glare and snapped in annoyance.

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Ms. Jennings, for being the bigger person and not holding this against us. We’ll get out of your hair right now!" Cannon said submissively. Turning around, his massive, fan-like hand snatched Cynthia up like a little chick, and he strode away.

Cynthia struggled in his grip while cursing, "Cannon Caldwell, you bastard! Is that woman your paramour? You bullied me like this just for her! I’ll never let you touch me again!"

"Shut up! Do you want to die?" Cannon cursed in a hushed voice, then directly clamped his other hand over her mouth.

The two quickly disappeared from Sev’s line of sight. She turned to look at Seth. "Not bad! I didn’t expect you to carry so much authority!"

"Ah, we’re just teammates. It’s just that he has a First Tier Power Type Ability, so he mainly does physical labor. He’s fine when encountering Low Tier Mutant Beasts, but against anything Above Second Tier, he can only play a support role," Seth explained.

Meanwhile, Goldie had already washed the front steps clean and invited Sev and Seth inside the shop. Sev didn’t waste any time; she opened her backpack and took out three woven rattan cushions.

Goldie took them and examined them carefully, one by one. The top one was woven by Rusty. The pattern was a very ordinary crisscross grid, but the craftsmanship was meticulous, leaving the cushion flat and soft. The middle one was woven by Zephyr. Although it only featured a simple sunflower pattern, it was far more beautiful than the ones Goldie originally used in his shop. As he looked, he praised, "Not bad at all. They’re smooth and beautiful!"

When he picked up the last cushion, his jaw dropped in sheer amazement!

This one was woven by Sev herself. She had clearly put a lot of thought into it, creating the most intricate lucky knot pattern. The edges even featured a raised, three-dimensional fretwork border. In the Wasteland Era, handicrafts were already quite rare. The pattern Sev wove far surpassed a simple handicraft; it could genuinely be considered a rare work of art! Goldie stroked the delicate lace border as if caressing a lover’s face, reluctant to let go.

Seth, watching from the side, couldn’t help but marvel as well. "Sev, you’re an absolute genius artist! With this craftsmanship, if you went to the Seventh and Eighth Security Zones, you could definitely make a fortune!"

"Miss Jennings, please don’t underestimate our Ninth Security Zone; there are quite a few rich people around here! With Miss Steele’s craftsmanship, I can guarantee that even if she doesn’t become filthy rich overnight, she’ll definitely have no problem living comfortably without worrying about food or clothing," Goldie said.

"Then from now on, I’ll be relying on Boss King to live a good life," Sev laughed.

Although these items could be listed and sold on trading platforms, true elites would certainly disdain shopping there. Since Goldie could say such a thing, it proved he possessed a vast network of connections. If so, it was better to collaborate with him; she would only be responsible for weaving the cushions, while he handled contacting clients and pricing the sales. Both were smart people, and they quickly negotiated the terms of their partnership.