Chapter 39: New Phone

A heavy truck rumbled past, kicking up a thin spray of oily water from the street. On the side of its cargo container a large poster glowed under the neon lights. The image showed the members of Eclipse—the guild that had recently cleared an S-rank dungeon the rising stars of Solaria. Each of the members are like some kind of celebrity. At the center of the poster stood Kaia Blackthorn, his elder sister, expression calm and sharp as always.

Rael slowed for a moment. He had once looked up to her more than anyone. She was the first in the family to walk away from the Blackthorn name and build something of her own as co-leader of Eclipse. As a child she had been kind to him they used to be close a proper siblings. Somewhere along the way that warmth had turned cold. She was the one who distanced herself from him. He could guess at the reasons, but he had never been certain. He had accepted her silence years ago, yet the respect had never completely left him.

The traffic signal finally flipped to red. He stepped off the curb and walked quickly across the avenue. A hover bike shot past him so close that the wind from its thrusters tugged at his jacket. The rider ignored the red light completely. Two enforcement drones dropped from a higher lane, red scanners locking onto the bike’s registration number. The fine would be automatic and expensive. Rael didn’t bother watching. He kept moving.

The mobile store sat a short distance ahead. A large green board hung above the entrance, the kind that was supposed to signal an eco-friendly business. In this part of the city the claim was almost always a joke. He pushed the door open. A small bell chimed overhead.

Inside, the shop was narrow and cluttered. Shelves lined both walls, stacked with second-hand freezers, mana-powered ovens, cracked display tablets, and open boxes of phone casings. Neon strips along the ceiling cast a harsh white light that made every surface look slightly dirty. The air smelled of plastic, old circuitry, and the faint ozone of low-grade mana batteries.

Behind the counter an old man sat on a high stool. He was bald, the skin of his head shiny under the lights, and a heavy belly pushed out against a stained work shirt. He had one finger buried in his ear when Rael entered. The moment he noticed a customer, the finger came out and a practiced smile spread across his face.

"Welcome, sir."

Rael walked up to the counter. The old man leaned forward, belly resting against the edge.

"So what can I get you?"

Rael glanced at the shelves. "I’m looking for a phone."

The owner’s smile widened. He bent down with a grunt, pulled a large cardboard box from under the counter, and set it on the surface with a thud. One by one he lifted the devices.

"This is the Aether 600x—fastest processor on the market right now. This one, the zPhone 5, best camera you’ll find in this price range. And this, the Cony Z6, newest model just released last week. So which one do you like?"

The claims were clearly exaggerated. Rael examined each phone without answering. The old man watched him for a few seconds, then tilted his head.

"Having trouble deciding, sir? Tell me what you’re really looking for."

"Best security features," Rael said.

The owner’s eyes lit up with understanding. He bent down again, rummaged deeper, and came up with a single plain black box. He placed it on the counter almost carefully.

"Dinux X series. Fully decentralized. No connection to the main networks unless you allow it. Built-in isolation so no outside device can see what you’re doing. Strong protection against most viruses and tracking software. For someone who wants to stay private, this is the one."

Rael picked up the box and turned it over in his hands. The specifications matched what he needed.

"I’ll take it."

The old man looked pleased. He carried the phone to the register and printed a simple bill. Rael scanned his old phone against the payment plate. Six hundred credits transferred at once. He opened the new device, set a temporary name and number, and finished the basic configuration. Every new phone meant a new number—exactly what he wanted.

As Rael prepared to leave, the owner held up another small box.

"I’ve got a matching smartwatch. They work well together."

Rael considered it for a second, then nodded. "All right. Add it."

He paid the extra amount and slipped both boxes straight into his storage ring. The old man’s eyes flicked to the ring, but he said nothing. Greed outweighed curiosity.

"We also have ovens," the owner offered, already reaching under the counter again.

Rael gave a short, dry smile. "Don’t push your luck."

The old man chuckled, belly shaking, and raised both hands in surrender. "Fair enough. You know where to find me if you need anything else."

"Yeah. Bye."

Rael stepped back out into the cold street, the new phone already in his pocket and the shop bell chiming once more behind him.

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