"Recruitment stones? You even have so many of them. Do you have a Recruitment Stone factory or something?" Shane asked in surprise.
"Hahaha... We don’t have one of those, Commander Shane. We were just lucky to stumble upon a huge collection of them." Rork replied.
Making barrier generators was still quite possible, but Recruitment Stones were like magic items, and they were impossible to create.
Furthermore, they couldn’t even use the item since only Foreign Survivors were capable of activating it.
For now, Shane looked at the black case that Rork had just opened.
[ Normal Recruitment Stone ( x100 ): Summons common units with no special traits. Useful for expanding labor or base patrols. ]
[ Special Recruitment Stone ( x50 ): Has a chance to summon a unit with unique support abilities or mild enhancements. ]
[ Random Recruitment Stone ( x50 ): Unpredictable. Can summon anything from a weak civilian to an elite fighter—results vary. ]
[ Rare Recruitment Stone ( x30 ): Summons enhanced units with above-average stats and rare talents. ]
[ Master Recruitment Stone ( x10 ): Capable of summoning advanced units with specialized combat or command abilities and high-tier talent ]
[ Epic Recruitment Stone ( x5 ): Grants access to powerful units with high growth potential, innate abilities, or powerful class types. ]
[ Legendary Recruitment Stone ( x3 ): Exceptionally rare. Can summon powerful units, heroes, or unique entities with potential world-altering effects. ]
Shane stared at the colorful glow of the stones... This wasn’t a casual find. This was a treasure trove!
Acquiring these stones could tilt the balance of power within not just New Genesis, but possibly the entire region. After all, the value of a single recruit with Legendary Talent could not be overlooked, especially if they were combat-related talent.
At this time, Shane couldn’t hide his excitement.
"Impressive... You even have Epic and Legendary Recruitment Stones." He muttered.
Seeing Shane’s reaction, Rork scratched the back of his head with a smirk.
"Yeah, I figured you’d recognize ’em. To be honest, we found them while salvaging the ruins of three collapsed satellite towers and what looked like a sealed tech-lab bunker... No matter what we did, we couldn’t activate the stones..."
Rork sighed as he looked at Shane. "Then, we learned that only those Foreign Survivors could trigger these things... So, how about it? Do you want to purchase them all?"
Shane didn’t respond immediately as he looked at the stones.
Recruitment Stones weren’t just resources—they were force multipliers. Each tier brought with it exponential value.
After some thought, he didn’t need to waste time with the lower-tier ones. They could be bought by other Survivors if they wanted some helpers or something similar... Furthermore, he already had hundreds of basic troops... What he needed now were specialists.
He needed more people who could lead, build, or wipe out an enemy force on their own.
His eyes lingered on the Master, Epic, and Legendary stones.
"They must be expensive..." Shane finally said. "You’re not planning to trade these off to just anyone, are you?"
Rork nodded... "Of course not. We may be merchants, but we’re not stupid. These? These aren’t going for coins or cores."
Shane raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you asking?"
Rork leaned forward slightly while tapping the side of the box with one finger.
"Instead of gold coins or Zombie Cores, my assistant and I thought of three things. First—Zombie Vaccines, if you have those things already... I’m not really sure if they exist, but if there were really anti-conversion shots, we want them. Second—Z-Virus Stabilizers, in bulk. I confirmed that you’ve got production. We’ve got clients. It’s a win-win."
Shane’s eyes narrowed. The Zombie Vaccine itself was a variant of the Super Soldier Serum that had been toned down. However, depending on the classification of the virus, the vaccine could still fail. The most if could do was to delay the symptoms from coming up...
"Third..." Rork took a deep breath before he replied. "High-caliber rifles. If possible, with armor-piercing attachments. Doesn’t have to be new, just lethal. You’ve probably seen our guns. They’re not in good condition, especially with the Zombies getting stronger these days. And if we also get ammunition, that would be better."
Shane thought for a moment. He planned to acquire the 10 Master, 5 Epic, and 3 Legendary Recruitment Stones.
With these things, he considered how many materials he should give up for them. Weapons trading wasn’t an issue for him since he already had Borek, a weapons expert capable of making swords, guns, and even ammunition. He also had other weapons experts, but Borek, the expensive slave he bought in the Waiting Zone, was obviously the leader of the group.
Anyway, the serums weren’t too much to ask either... It was quite normal considering the threat of the Zombies. But it also meant Rork knew the value of what he had.
’I guess this deal isn’t that bad... I can’t give the Zombie Vaccine, but the stabilizer is not a big issue.’ Shane thought after confirming that the math was in his favor. Stabilizers were produced in controlled batches within New Genesis thanks to Arial and Loreen’s team.
Rifles could be crafted or traded. But Legendary and Epic Recruitment Stones? No price was too steep for the right one.
"I’ll only be buying the top three tiers," Shane said. "Master. Epic. Legendary. I don’t need the others... But I can’t provide you with the Zombie Vaccines... Only the stabilizers and weapons. As you can see, even our residents haven’t been vaccinated."
Rork was still delighted to hear this and nodded. "Understood. We’re willing to discuss package deals depending on your offers. How about one Master Recruitment Stone for 10 Z-Virus Stabilizers. An Epic Recruitment stone might cost you another 10 Z-Virus Stabilizers and 20 Rifles with ammunition. We’re flexible... You can offer another if you have something in mind."
Shane looked down at the stones again and nodded...
"Fine..." he said with a slight smile. "Let’s talk a bit more about this..." Shane replied as he had to consult Arial about this as well.
After all, he was no longer monitoring the prices of Recruitment Stones in the market... However, they would still appear from time to time in the market, and he knew that Arial was updated with this information.