"Baked ones..."
"Alright then, Mr. Steve, what exactly do you need?"
Steven's explanation wasn't unreasonable, and Talulah could understand his reasoning.
His potatoes likely had some sort of special enhancement, just as he had claimed.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have planted them so openly outside.
Of course, if she knew that Steven was planning to move all those potatoes underground in a little while, she might have thought differently.
"Hmm... If I said what I want most is Originium, would you be able to provide it?"
Removing the glowing pumpkin from his head—it obstructed his view—Steven rubbed his chin and looked at the girl in front of him.
Unlike Alina, who dressed like a simple village girl, this one looked more like a noble from some town.
"Originium?"
Hearing that word, Talulah's brows furrowed slightly.
That was not something to be taken lightly.
While Originium was indeed valuable, it also came with significant risks.
Generally, individuals had little use for it—more often than not, it was large corporations or organizations that sought it out.
Yet, the young man standing before her wasn't even an Infected, let alone someone who seemed to have any reason to use Originium.
And to top it off, he was asking for it in this poverty-stricken village?
Was he mistaken about something?
"Mr. Steve, does that seem like something the people of this village would have? Also, engaging in unauthorized Originium transactions is strictly prohibited by Ursus law."
Narrowing her eyes, Talulah couldn't help but wonder if Steven was testing her.
"Huh? That's illegal?"
Steven scratched his head in mild distress.
As a self-proclaimed law-abiding citizen, he had no intention of committing any crimes.
"Not only is it illegal, but it could also attract the attention of the Infected patrol squad. I assume, Mr. Steve, that you know what the Infected are?"
Private Originium transactions didn't just harm a nation's interests—they also carried a high risk of spreading Oripathy.
Because of this, not just Ursus, but most countries on this land had laws banning the illegal trade of Originium.
Yet, the man before her seemed completely unaware of that fact?
Talulah was growing more and more curious about Steven's identity.
"Huh? The Infected? Of course, I know about them—people infected with Oripathy, right?"
Steven nodded.
In fact, he didn't just know about them—he was quite possibly the only person who could truly cure Oripathy.
Of course, he had zero intention of revealing that fact.
Just like how he also knew that the two girls standing before him were deliberately hiding their own infected status.
As Kal'tsit had mentioned before, it seemed like everyone in this world was struggling with this strange disease.
Even in a remote, poverty-stricken village like this, it was impossible to escape its grasp.
The people of Terra truly lived harsh lives.
"Then you should be aware of the dangers associated with Originium. So, why exactly do you want to trade for it?"
Talulah knew that directly asking this question was a bit of an intrusion into Steven's personal affairs, but she felt it was necessary if she was to determine whether he was trustworthy or not.
After all, Originium had always been a highly sensitive subject.
"Probably... for research? You see, I'm sort of a barefoot doctor. Have you heard of Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals? I'm actually an intern operator there, and I happened to need some Originium for my studies."
After the thing with Rhodes Island, Steven figured calling himself a temporary operator wasn't exactly a lie. Kal'tsit would probably happily endorse that claim anyway.
And researching EMC points was still research, right? Nobody said doctors were only allowed to study medicine.
"You... a doctor?"
Talulah gave Steven a once-over with a very skeptical look.
From head to toe, nothing about him screamed "doctor" to her.
If anything, he looked more like a butcher.
"Yeah. For example, you and Alina over there—though you've both hidden it well, I could tell at a glance that you're Infected, right?"
Putting down the now-empty water bottle in his hand, Steven casually gestured toward Talulah and Alina, revealing something they hadn't even known about each other.
In that instant, the smile on Alina's face faltered.
She had hidden it so well.
How did this man see through it?
And more importantly—Talulah was also Infected?
She had never mentioned that to her.
Locking eyes with Talulah, Alina found herself staring into the same look of shock she wore herself.
Talulah looked just as surprised—she hadn't known Alina was an Infected either.
"Alina, you too...?"
"Before my father passed, he worked in the mines. I used to bring him meals all the time... There was no avoiding it, was there?"
Sighing in resignation, Alina decided to answer Talulah's unspoken question.
She knew that if she didn't explain, Talulah wouldn't let it go.
Still, that didn't mean she wasn't glaring at Steven now.
If he hadn't suddenly brought this up, she could've kept it hidden for much longer.
Talulah exhaled deeply, slowly coming to terms with the situation.
Alina was right—Infection was always a risk for commoners like them.
That was exactly why she refused to accept the segregation between the Infected and the uninfected.
It was why she fought—to give the Infected the justice they deserved.
With another deep breath, Talulah finally accepted the truth.
There was no undoing Oripathy.
Once infected, there was no going back.
But now, she was even more intrigued by Steven.
His ability to identify both of them at a glance was indeed something a doctor might be capable of...
But something about him felt off.
Not in a sinister way—she didn't think he had any ill intent.
But the way he knew their status…
That was not something a normal doctor should be able to do.
Meanwhile, Steven could only respond to her scrutinizing gaze with a sheepish smile.
It wasn't like he could just say he saw their names floating above their heads, complete with status effects in brackets.
Speaking of which, he was actually pretty curious about the [Black Snake (Unawakened)] status tag next to Talulah's name…
He had originally assumed that once this awakening happened, Talulah would turn into the kind of dragon girl he had imagined.
But after hearing her response, Steven was now completely confused about what this status even meant.
Was she some kind of Bloodline user like those in Naruto? She has some pseudo-Tailed Beast named Black Snake inside of her?
Given how big their reaction had been when he simply pointed out their Infected status, Steven figured it was probably for the best not to bring this up as well.
Talulah probably wouldn't want people knowing about it anyway. After all, being sick wasn't something anyone would willingly share unless absolutely necessary.
"Come on, don't look at me like that. Even if I hadn't said anything, you two would've figured it out sooner or later. I just gave you a head start in understanding each other better—isn't that a good thing?"
Steven shrugged.
The way Talulah just stared at him in silence was honestly making him a little uncomfortable.
"You have a point, Mr. Steve," Talulah finally spoke, her tone calm but thoughtful. "Even so, we still can't provide you with Originium. This village simply doesn't have any. And more importantly, Mr. Steve, aren't you even a little afraid of us? Now that you know we're Infected, it's not normal for someone to remain as calm as you are."
Talulah was genuinely curious.
Most people in Ursus would either fear or discriminate against Infected individuals. The fact that Steven continued to treat them as just normal people was highly unusual.
"Huh? Why would I be scared? The Infected are still people, aren't they? What's there to be afraid of?"
Steven scratched his head, genuinely puzzled by Talulah's question.
It was just Oripathy, right?
Setting aside the fact that he could literally cure it with a bucket of milk, even if there were no treatment, Kal'tsit had already explained that as long as the Originium inside an Infected wasn't activated, they weren't contagious and weren't much different from regular people.
So why the hell would he be scared?
It wasn't like he was about to sleep in the same bed as these two girls or anything.
"Mr. Steve, is that truly how you see things?"
Talulah stared directly into Steven's eyes, her silver pupils almost as if trying to peer into his very soul.
But soon, a genuine smile spread across her delicate face.
"Then I think we can become great friends. Just as Alina said—Mr. Steve, you really are a good person. Your personality is just… a little strange."
She extended her hand toward him, finally offering him her recognition for the first time.
Talulah hadn't seen a hint of hesitation in Steven's response, and that alone told her that, in his eyes, there was no difference between Infected and non-Infected.
"Wait, hold up. You're giving me a 'good guy card' while calling me weird? You seriously think that's a compliment?"
Steven rolled his eyes.
What kind of person insulted someone with a smile like that?!
<+>
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