The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 501

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Chapter 501

Hayley nodded once.

On the auction stage, the glamorous Ruth lifted her gavel and smiled. “Let’s begin with our first item. Fresh strawberries with cream.”

Hayley froze.

What?

As Ruth finished speaking, an ornate box was carried out. Inside was a small tray of bright red, freshly picked strawberries, presented in a solid gold case.

For a second, Hayley thought she had misheard.

Then she realized she hadn’t. They were actually auctioning strawberries!

Her mind went blank.

This was the same fruit she had growing in greenhouse after greenhouse back home. The kind she could eat whenever she wanted.

And judging by the size and color, theirs didn’t even look as good as hers.

Yet, the room buzzed instantly.

Especially Ark Three.

Several women leaned forward, eyes shining at the sight of fresh fruit.

“Bid now!”

“How much?”

“There are three portions,” Ruth announced. “The starting bid for each portion is 5,000 crystal cores.”

“Pfft!” Hayley spat her wine straight out.

Five thousand crystal cores… For not even two pounds of strawberries.

Damn!

She stared at the stage, completely stunned.

Nathaniel leaned close and said softly, “Want some? I can bid for you.”

Hayley just looked at him, unimpressed.

In the end, Ark Three bought two portions for 13 thousand crystal cores total. Nathaniel picked up the remaining portion for 7,000.

“For you to try,” he said to Hayley, clearly pleased. “You definitely haven’t eaten anything like this since the apocalypse. I told you I’d broaden your horizons.”

Hayley sat there in silence. She almost couldn’t breathe.

Yeah. She had definitely learned something.

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A handful of strawberries cost 7,000 crystal cores.

Her brain started racing. If she brought the produce from her base here, she would clean them out!

Sure enough, as the auction continued, item after item proved her right.

More fruit appeared on the stage, all commonly found before the apocalypse. Cantaloupe, dates, oranges, and even tomatoes; stuff Hayley ate so often that she was sick of it.

Every single item sold for outrageous prices.

Watching this, Hayley’s worldview quietly cracked open.

She had almost forgotten. In the apocalypse, fresh produce was a luxury at the very top.

Meanwhile, things she thought were rare, like level 2 and level 3 crystal cores, barely drew any interest. Those were going for just a few hundred level 1 cores each.

She had Nathaniel bid on a few of them for her.

“You don’t want the fruit?” he asked, puzzled. “Fresh produce is incredibly rare.”

Hayley glanced at the three level 3 cores and four level 2 cores he had just won for her. Her eyes shifted slightly.

“How about this?” she said casually. “When we get back, I’ll trade you a pound of tomatoes for these crystal cores.

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Nathaniel’s eyes lit up. “You have tomatoes?”

“Well,” Hayley sighed dramatically, “we only managed to grow a little. Haven’t even dared eat them.”

She tilted her head. “Deal or not?”

“Sure, deal. One pound.”

Nathaniel handed her all seven crystal cores without hesitation, clearly already picturing those tomatoes.

In that moment, Hayley felt a new door swing wide open in her mind. Could she really trade the produce she had in excess for massive amounts of crystal cores?

“Nate,” she said thoughtfully, “you mentioned fresh fruit is rare. Everyone wants it, right?”

“Yeah.” Nathaniel nodded. “None of our bases can reliably grow fruit. Whenever any base manages it, they hold an auction like this.”

Hayley looked at him. “What if I supply the fruit, you handle the sales, and I give you 10% commission?”

Nathaniel didn’t hesitate. “That works. Bring as much fruit as you’ve got. They’ll take all of it.”