If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
Today it had become a product. And tomorrow, it might become something even more important.
The following morning felt different again.
Not quieter.
Not calmer.
But busier.
If the previous day had been the moment the Commonwealth heard the news, then today was the moment the Commonwealth began acting on it.
Caravans that had been days away had pushed through the night to reach the Republic gates faster.
Messengers had ridden ahead to confirm the rumor.
Settlement leaders had sent representatives.
Doctors had sent assistants.
Traders had packed wagons with caps, salvage, tools, crops, even weapons as anything that might be worth trading for medicine that could save lives.
Because in the wasteland, word about weapons spread fast.
Word about food spread faster.
But word about medicine?
That spread faster than anything.
And by the time the sun had fully risen above the ruined skyline of Boston, the Freemasons Republic gates were already crowded.
Sico walked through the Freemasons HQ just after sunrise.
The streets were already alive.
Caravan guards leaned against wagons drinking coffee from metal cups.
Merchants were unloading crates.
Settlers from nearby farms were bringing in early harvest supplies.
Republic soldiers kept watch along the main trade route that led toward the central office building where Magnolia worked.
Sico slowed slightly as he approached.
He could already hear voices inside.
A lot of voices.
The moment he stepped through the doorway, the sound of negotiation, discussion, and the occasional raised argument filled the room.
Magnolia's trade office had never been this busy before.
Not even close.
The office itself had been expanded several months earlier when the Republic began attracting more caravans.
Long wooden tables filled the center of the room.
Inventory ledgers stacked high along the walls.
Large maps of the Commonwealth marked with trade routes and settlement locations.
Normally, the place handled maybe five or six trade negotiations a day.
Today?
There were at least twenty different traders waiting inside.
Magnolia stood at the center of the room, calm despite the chaos.
She wore her usual dark dress with the long gloves she favored, though now a clipboard rested in one hand instead of a microphone.
Two assistants worked beside her.
Another clerk rushed between tables carrying paperwork.
And Magnolia herself was in the middle of speaking with a caravan leader when Sico walked in.
The caravan leader was a large man with sunburned skin and a long dust coat.
His caravan symbol with a red painted gear, was stitched into his shoulder.
"Fifty improved stimpaks," the man was saying.
Magnolia shook her head.
"Not today."
The trader frowned.
"What do you mean not today?"
Magnolia remained perfectly calm.
"Production started yesterday. Supply is still limited."
The man crossed his arms.
"I came all the way from Quincy."
Magnolia nodded slightly.
"And we're glad you did."
She placed a finger on the ledger.
"But right now we're distributing fairly across multiple settlements."
He frowned.
"So what's that mean for me?"
Magnolia looked him directly in the eyes.
"It means today you can purchase fifteen improved stimpaks and as many standard ones as you want."
The trader hesitated.
He clearly wanted to argue.
But Magnolia's expression made it clear she wasn't bluffing.
Finally he sighed.
"…fine."
Magnolia smiled faintly.
"Excellent."
She handed the clipboard to her assistant.
"Prepare his order."
Sico leaned against the doorway quietly watching the entire process.
Magnolia spotted him after a moment and gave a brief nod of acknowledgement, but she didn't stop working.
Another trader stepped forward immediately.
This one looked younger, probably representing a settlement rather than a caravan.
"We heard about the improved stimpaks over the radio," the young man said nervously.
Magnolia nodded.
"You heard correctly."
"Our settlement doctor asked if we could get some."
"Which settlement?"
"Somerville."
Magnolia checked the map behind her.
"Population?"
"About seventy."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"For a settlement that size, I recommend ten improved stimpaks and twenty standard."
The young man looked relieved.
"That would help a lot."
Magnolia smiled gently.
"Then let's make sure you get them."
After a few more negotiations finished, Magnolia finally walked toward Sico.
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and exhaled lightly.
"You picked a busy morning to visit."
Sico glanced around the room.
"Looks like Piper's broadcast worked."
Magnolia gave a small laugh.
"That might be the understatement of the year."
She gestured toward the crowded office.
"Since sunrise we've had caravans from Quincy, Lexington, Bunker Hill, Somerville, and two independent traders from the north."
Sico raised an eyebrow.
"Already?"
"And more are waiting outside."
He looked toward the doorway where several wagons could be seen through the windows.
"Think production can keep up?"
Magnolia folded her arms.
"For now."
She smiled slightly.
"But Curie's going to need to keep those machines running."
Sico walked deeper into the office.
Several traders recognized him immediately.
Some nodded respectfully.
Others simply stared with curiosity.
One older caravan merchant approached cautiously.
"President Sico?"
Sico nodded.
"That's me."
The trader gestured toward the crates stacked along the wall.
"That the new medicine?"
"Some of it."
The merchant rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I've been running caravans for thirty years."
He looked around the office.
"Never seen people this eager to buy medicine before."
Sico smiled slightly.
"That's because most medicine out here barely works."
The trader nodded.
"Fair point."
He glanced back at the crates.
"If these stimpaks really heal faster…"
Sico finished the thought.
"…they'll save lives."
The trader gave a slow nod.
"And make one hell of a trade route."
⸻
Magnolia's System
Magnolia had already created a surprisingly organized system to handle the sudden demand.
Orders were divided into three categories:
Settlement supply with a smaller shipments meant for doctors serving communities.
Caravan stock with a medium shipments for traders who would distribute across multiple locations.
Republic reserves, which medicine kept for the Republic hospital and emergency use.
Magnolia refused to sell the entire supply to any single buyer.
Not even the richest caravan.
Her reasoning was simple.
"Medicine shouldn't belong to one settlement," she had told her assistants earlier that morning.
"It should belong to the Commonwealth."
And surprisingly, most traders respected that.
Because if the Republic became known as the place where medicine came from, then everyone benefited.
While Magnolia managed the trade office, the pharmaceutical team had not slowed down at all.
Inside the production facility, Curie stood beside the monitoring consoles reviewing the newest batch results.
The machines hummed constantly.
Sterile chambers glowed softly.
Rows of newly filled cartridges were being packaged into transport crates.
Dr. Nguyen checked the latest numbers.
"Batch four completed."
Marissa recorded the data.
"Yield: sixty units."
Curie adjusted her glasses slightly.
"Stability?"
Dr. Patel checked the screen.
"Perfect."
Curie allowed herself a small smile.
The process was becoming smoother with every cycle.
Yesterday they had produced fifty.
Today they were already approaching two hundred.
And the machines still had hours left to run.
Inside Magnolia's office, the negotiations continued nonstop.
A pair of traders from Bunker Hill approached the desk.
"We heard you're selling both kinds."
Magnolia nodded.
"Yes."
"What's the difference in price?"
She gestured toward two cartridges on the table.
"The improved stimpack costs more because of the catalyst compound."
The trader nodded.
"Makes sense."
His partner leaned forward.
"How much faster does it heal?"
Magnolia shrugged lightly.
"I'm not a doctor."
Then she smiled.
"But from what I've heard… fast enough that people are willing to travel two days just to buy it."
The traders exchanged glances.
"…we'll take twenty."
Sico stood near the window watching another caravan wagon pull up outside.
A young woman climbed down from the driver's seat and hurried toward the building.
Dust covered her coat.
She had clearly ridden hard to get here.
One of Magnolia's assistants greeted her.
"You here for the stimpaks?"
The woman nodded quickly.
"My settlement doctor heard the broadcast yesterday."
She caught her breath.
"He told me to ride here immediately."
Sico watched the interaction quietly.
It was strange to see something so small as a single glass cartridge of glowing medicine that create so much movement across the Commonwealth.
But then again
In a land where people died from infected cuts and untreated injuries every day.
Medicine was more valuable than gold.
Magnolia walked back toward Sico again after finishing another round of orders.
"Busy yet?" he asked.
She gave him a look.
"Ask me that again tonight."
He chuckled.
"How many sold so far?"
She glanced at the ledger.
"Improved stimpaks?"
"Yeah."
"Seventy-two."
"And standard?"
"Almost two hundred."
Sico whistled softly.
"That fast?"
Magnolia nodded.
"And we're just getting started."
By the time afternoon arrived, the trade office had become one of the busiest buildings in the Republic.
Caravans lined the street outside.
Guards directed traffic.
Clerks carried crates in and out.
Magnolia and her team worked almost nonstop organizing shipments.
And inside the pharmaceutical building, the machines kept running.
Batch after batch.
Cartridge after cartridge.
Curie's discovery was no longer just a scientific success.
It had become something larger.
A new industry for the Republic.
A new reason for settlements to trust them.
A new reason for traders to travel here.
And most importantly.
A new reason for people across the Commonwealth to believe that survival didn't have to mean suffering forever.
The afternoon crowd outside the Republic trade office had grown thicker than anyone expected.
By midday the entire street looked like a moving wall of people, wagons, pack brahmin, guards, traders, settlers, and curious onlookers who simply wanted to see the place where the new medicine was coming from.
Word had spread even faster than Magnolia predicted.
Not just across the nearby settlements.
Across the entire northern Commonwealth.
Some caravans had traveled overnight without stopping.
Others had pushed their brahmin until the animals were nearly exhausted.
Because if the rumors were true, if the improved stimpaks really healed wounds faster then every caravan in the wasteland wanted them.
And every settlement doctor needed them.
Which meant the Republic had suddenly become the most important medical supplier in the region.
Inside the trade office, Magnolia and her team were working almost nonstop.
Clerks scribbled down orders.
Assistants stacked crates beside the walls.
Republic soldiers stood near the entrances to keep the flow of people moving.
Even so, the room buzzed with constant noise.
Arguments over prices.
Questions about supply.
Requests for larger shipments.
Sico remained near the window for a while, observing everything quietly.
It reminded him of something.
Not a battlefield.
But close.
The same energy.
The same tension that built when too many people wanted something valuable at the same time.
And outside…
That tension was slowly starting to build.
The line stretched nearly halfway down the street.
Caravans had parked their wagons along both sides of the road.
Brahmin snorted and shifted under heavy packs.
Caravan guards leaned against crates, rifles slung over their shoulders, watching the crowd.
Some traders talked calmly with each other.
Others were growing impatient.
After all, many of them had been waiting for hours.
Two caravans in particular had been standing near the front of the line since late morning.
One belonged to a trader named Calder.
A tall man with gray hair and a weather-beaten coat that had clearly seen years of travel.
His caravan symbol which a rust-colored compass, was painted on the side of his wagon.
The other caravan belonged to a younger trader named Vance.
His symbol, a red jagged lightning bolt, was stitched across his coat sleeve.
Both men were known in the region.
Both had decent reputations.
And unfortunately.
Both were stubborn.
Calder had arrived first.
His wagons had been parked outside the office doors nearly two hours earlier.
His guards were relaxed, leaning against crates and chatting while waiting for their turn.
Vance's caravan arrived later.
Much later.
But Vance had a different plan.
Instead of joining the end of the line like everyone else.
His wagons rolled straight past three other caravans and stopped directly behind Calder's.
At first nobody said anything.
People assumed he was just stopping to talk.
But then Vance climbed down from his wagon and walked toward the front door.
Right past the waiting traders.
Right past the line.
Right toward the entrance.
Calder noticed immediately.
He stepped forward.
"Hold it."
Vance stopped and looked back.
"What?"
Calder pointed toward the long line behind them.
"You see all those people?"
Vance glanced over his shoulder.
"Yeah."
"They're waiting."
"So?"
Calder's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So you don't cut in front of them."
Vance shrugged.
"I'm not cutting."
Calder gestured toward the building.
"You walked straight past the line."
"I've got a deal to make."
"So does everyone else."
Vance folded his arms.
"Look, old man, I came a long way to get here."
A few traders nearby started paying attention.
Calder chuckled dryly.
"So did we."
Vance took another step toward the entrance.
Calder moved directly into his path.
"Back of the line."
Vance stopped.
The tension between them was suddenly very obvious.
Behind them, both caravans' guards straightened slightly.
Hands moved closer to weapons.
Vance tilted his head slightly.
"You serious right now?"
Calder didn't move.
"Dead serious."
Vance exhaled slowly.
"You know how long it took us to get here?"
"Don't care."
"We pushed our brahmin through the night."
"Still don't care."
"You want me to go stand behind twenty other caravans?"
Calder nodded calmly.
"Yep."
Vance gave a short laugh.
"That's not happening."
It didn't take long for the argument to draw attention.
Caravan traders nearby turned to watch.
Guards stood up straighter.
People began whispering to each other.
Arguments like this weren't rare in the wasteland.
But today?
With something as valuable as medicine on the line?
It could escalate quickly.
Calder crossed his arms.
"You're not going through that door before me."
Vance leaned slightly closer.
"You going to stop me?"
Calder smiled faintly.
"I might."
One of Vance's guards stepped forward.
"Boss?"
Calder's own guards began moving as well.
Now both groups were standing closer together.
Rifles visible.
Knives on belts.
The crowd around them shifted uneasily.
Someone muttered:
"This ain't gonna end well."
Vance glanced toward Calder's guards.
"You really want to do this over a line?"
Calder shrugged.
"Respect the line and we don't have a problem."
Vance shook his head.
"You know what?"
He stepped forward again.
"I'm going in."
Calder shoved him backward.
It wasn't a violent shove.
But it was enough.
Enough to cross the invisible line between argument and fight.
Vance stumbled back half a step.
Then his expression hardened.
"Oh, you shouldn't have done that."
One of Calder's guards stepped forward.
"Back off."
Vance's guards moved immediately.
Three men stepped up beside him.
Hands gripping rifles.
The crowd quickly backed away.
Someone shouted.
"Hey! Knock it off!"
But nobody listened.
Calder cracked his knuckles slowly.
"You can still walk to the back of the line."
Vance smirked.
"Or what?"
Calder's voice dropped slightly.
"Or we settle it."
Now both groups of caravan guards were fully facing each other.
Six men on one side.
Five on the other.
Weapons ready.
The tension had reached the breaking point.
Someone in the crowd whispered nervously:
"Shit… this is about to turn into a brawl."
Inside the trade office, Magnolia was reviewing another order when one of her assistants suddenly rushed toward her.
"Miss Magnolia."
She looked up.
"Yes?"
"There's trouble outside."
Magnolia sighed softly.
"Define trouble."
"Two caravans arguing."
Sico glanced toward the window.
"Arguing?"
The assistant hesitated.
"…and their guards are getting involved."
Sico immediately straightened.
"How many?"
"Ten or more."
Magnolia closed the ledger calmly.
"Of course."
Sico walked toward the door.
"Let's go."
Magnolia followed.
By the time Sico and Magnolia stepped outside, the situation had already worsened.
The crowd had formed a wide circle.
People were backing away from the two groups of caravan guards.
Several rifles were already raised.
Not aimed.
But ready.
Calder stood in front of his caravan.
Vance stood opposite him.
Both men looked like they were seconds away from throwing punches.
Sico muttered under his breath.
"…great."
Magnolia crossed her arms calmly.
"This is exactly what I was worried about."
Sico turned toward the Republic soldiers stationed near the entrance.
"Break it up."
The soldiers moved immediately.
Six armed Republic troops stepped between the two caravans.
"Enough!"
One soldier raised his voice sharply.
"Stand down!"
Rifles shifted slightly.
The soldiers placed themselves directly between both groups.
One of them looked at Vance.
"Step back."
Another soldier faced Calder's guards.
"Everyone lower your weapons."
For a tense moment.
Nobody moved.
Then Calder exhaled slowly.
He lifted his hand.
"Stand down."
His guards lowered their rifles.
A second later Vance rolled his eyes and gestured to his men.
"Fine."
His guards relaxed as well.
The immediate threat of a fight faded.
But the tension was still hanging in the air.
Magnolia stepped forward.
Her calm presence alone made the crowd quiet down slightly.
She looked first at Calder.
Then at Vance.
"What exactly is going on here?"
Calder spoke first.
"He cut the line."
Vance immediately protested.
"That's not—"
Magnolia raised one gloved hand.
Silence.
"Did you cut the line?"
Vance hesitated.
"…I moved closer."
Calder scoffed.
"You walked straight past everyone."
Magnolia looked at Vance.
"Is that accurate?"
He shrugged.
"I had business to do."
Magnolia stared at him for a long moment.
Then she looked around at the crowd of waiting traders.
"Everyone here has business to do."
The crowd murmured in agreement.
Vance shifted uncomfortably.
Magnolia took a slow step closer to both caravan leaders.
Her voice remained calm.
But now it carried authority.
"You're both experienced traders."
Neither man responded.
"You both know how caravans work."
Still silence.
Magnolia folded her arms.
"Which means you both know what happens when traders start fighting over a line."
Calder rubbed the back of his neck.
Vance looked slightly embarrassed.
Magnolia's voice became slightly sharper.
"This trade office exists to supply medicine to the Commonwealth."
She gestured toward the building behind her.
"Not to host brawls in the street."
Several traders in the crowd nodded.
Magnolia looked directly at both men.
"If your guards start fighting outside this office…"
Her voice remained calm.
"…then the Republic will simply stop doing business with you."
The crowd went quiet.
Calder blinked.
Vance frowned.
Magnolia continued.
"Let me be perfectly clear."
She pointed toward the line of caravans waiting down the road.
"There are dozens of traders waiting to buy medicine today."
She looked back at them.
"If either of your caravans causes trouble again…"
Her voice dropped slightly.
"…you will both be banned from trading with the Republic."
The words hung in the air.
And in the wasteland…
Being banned from the largest medical supplier in the region would be devastating for a caravan business.
Calder immediately raised both hands.
"No problem here."
He stepped back slightly.
"My caravan will wait its turn."
Magnolia nodded once.
Then she looked at Vance.
He hesitated.
Then sighed.
"…fine."
He gestured toward the back of the line.
"We'll move."
Magnolia gave a small approving nod.
"Good."
She turned slightly toward the Republic soldiers.
"Make sure the line stays organized."
"Yes ma'am."
The soldiers nodded.
Within minutes the tension began fading.
Vance's caravan slowly rolled toward the back of the line.
Calder returned to his wagon.
The crowd began dispersing again.
People resumed talking.
Trading.
Waiting.
The potential riot had been stopped just in time.
Sico stood beside Magnolia watching the crowd settle down again.
"Well," he said quietly.
"That could've been worse."
Magnolia exhaled slowly.
"Yes."
She glanced toward the street.
"In a place like this…"
She gestured toward the dozens of caravans.
"…it only takes one argument to start a fight."
Sico nodded.
"Good call threatening the ban."
Magnolia smiled faintly.
"Traders respect one thing."
"What's that?"
"Access."
She glanced back toward the office.
"If the Republic becomes the main supplier of medicine…"
She shrugged lightly.
"…then nobody wants to lose access to that."
Sico watched the caravans lined up along the road.
More were arriving even now.
The line was growing longer by the hour.
He chuckled quietly.
"Looks like business is booming."
Magnolia smiled slightly.
"Yes."
Then she looked toward the pharmaceutical building in the distance where Curie and her team were still producing batch after batch of the improved stimpaks.
"And we're going to need a lot more medicine."
The tension from the near-fight slowly faded as the afternoon carried on.
The crowd outside the Republic trade office settled back into its earlier rhythm. The line reformed, this time much more carefully watched by Republic soldiers posted along the street.
Word about Magnolia's warning had spread quickly.
No trader wanted to risk being banned from the only place in the Commonwealth producing the new improved stimpaks.
So the line behaved.
Caravans waited their turn.
Guards leaned against wagons and smoked.
Traders grumbled quietly about waiting but kept their voices low.
Every now and then another wagon rolled into the street and joined the growing line.
Inside the office, work never slowed.
Magnolia returned to her desk and resumed negotiations as if the interruption had barely happened.
The traders seemed almost more cooperative now.
No one wanted to push their luck.
Sico lingered inside the room for a while, watching Magnolia run the entire operation with a calm that still impressed him.
If Curie was the mind behind the medicine.
Magnolia was the mind behind the economy forming around it.
And that economy was growing faster than anyone expected.
The next few hours passed in a blur of paperwork, negotiations, and shipments.
Clerks moved through the office carrying crates stamped with the Republic seal.
Assistants brought in new ledgers as the old ones filled with transaction records.
Republic soldiers escorted traders in and out in small groups to keep the building from becoming overcrowded.
Magnolia spoke with caravan leaders one after another.
Sometimes calmly.
Sometimes firmly.
Occasionally with a bit of humor.
But always with control.
A trader from Lexington leaned across the table during one negotiation.
"You're limiting everyone to fifteen improved stimpaks?" he asked.
Magnolia nodded.
"For today."
"That's not much."
"For today," she repeated calmly.
The trader sighed.
"My settlement doctor is going to complain."
Magnolia gave a small sympathetic smile.
"Tell him production is increasing."
She tapped the ledger.
"And remind him that fifteen improved stimpaks is still fifteen lives that might be saved."
The trader thought about that.
Then nodded slowly.
"Fair point."
A few minutes later another caravan leader approached the desk.
This one came from Bunker Hill.
He placed a small pouch of caps on the table.
"I'll take ten improved and twenty standard."
Magnolia checked the ledger quickly.
"You're within the limit."
He smiled.
"Good."
His guards carried out the crate moments later.
And just like that, another shipment left the building.
Around mid-afternoon one of Curie's assistants arrived at the office carrying a clipboard.
Magnolia looked up from her desk.
"How's production?"
The assistant smiled.
"Batch nine completed."
Sico glanced over.
"Already?"
"Yes, sir."
Magnolia raised an eyebrow.
"That's faster than this morning."
The assistant nodded.
"Dr. Curie optimized the process."
Sico chuckled softly.
"That sounds like her."
The assistant continued.
"Total production so far today is three hundred and forty units."
Magnolia whistled quietly.
"That's impressive."
The assistant smiled proudly.
"Dr. Curie says it's only the beginning."
Then he handed over a small report sheet.
Magnolia skimmed the numbers quickly.
Her expression shifted slightly.
"Tell Dr. Curie we're going to need every one of them."
The assistant laughed lightly.
"From the look of the street outside… I believe that."
He left a moment later to return to the pharmaceutical building.
Sico leaned against Magnolia's desk.
"Three hundred forty stimpaks in one day."
Magnolia nodded.
"And we've already sold most of them."
He glanced toward the door where traders still waited to be called.
"Demand's not slowing down."
Magnolia smiled slightly.
"No."
Then she looked back at the ledger.
"It's accelerating."
Outside the building, the sun slowly began lowering in the sky.
But the line of caravans remained long.
Republic soldiers organized traders into smaller groups and escorted them inside one by one.
Calder eventually completed his purchase without incident.
He left with a crate of improved stimpaks and several additional standard ones.
Before leaving, he tipped his hat politely toward Magnolia.
"Pleasure doing business."
Magnolia returned the gesture with a small nod.
"Safe travels."
Vance's caravan finally reached the front of the line nearly two hours later.
When he entered the office he looked noticeably calmer than earlier.
Magnolia greeted him the same way she greeted every trader.
Professionally.
Without mentioning the earlier argument.
"What can the Republic provide for your caravan today?"
Vance cleared his throat.
"I'll take fifteen improved stimpaks."
Magnolia nodded.
"And anything else?"
He hesitated.
"Thirty standard."
Magnolia recorded the order.
"Approved."
He placed a heavy pouch of caps on the desk.
Magnolia counted them quickly before passing the order to her assistant.
A few minutes later his guards carried the crate out.
Before leaving, Vance glanced at Magnolia.
"Sorry about earlier."
Magnolia shrugged lightly.
"Just follow the line next time."
He nodded.
"Fair enough."
Then he left.
Sico watched the interaction quietly.
"Handled that pretty smoothly."
Magnolia smiled faintly.
"Traders calm down when money is involved."
As the afternoon turned into evening, the pace of trade finally began to slow.
The long line outside the office gradually shortened.
Several caravans decided to stay overnight inside the Republic district rather than risk traveling after dark.
Others left immediately, eager to bring their new supply of medicine back to distant settlements.
The sky above Boston shifted from pale gold to deep orange.
Long shadows stretched across the street.
Inside the trade office, Magnolia's team looked exhausted but satisfied.
Stacks of empty crates now lined one wall.
The ledgers were filled with pages of new entries.
Assistants stretched their arms and rubbed tired eyes.
One clerk leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"I don't think I've written this much in months."
Another assistant laughed.
"At least your hands aren't carrying crates."
Magnolia allowed them a few moments of rest before closing the final ledger.
"Alright," she said gently.
"That's enough for today."
The last trader of the evening finished his transaction and left the building.
One of the soldiers closed the door behind him.
For the first time since sunrise…
The room finally became quiet.
The silence felt almost strange after the constant noise of the day.
No arguing traders.
No guards clanking past the door.
No assistants rushing around with paperwork.
Just Magnolia.
Her small team.
And Sico.
The fading evening light streamed through the windows and painted long golden lines across the wooden tables.
Magnolia leaned back slightly in her chair, stretching her shoulders.
"Well."
One of her assistants chuckled tiredly.
"That was insane."
Another clerk nodded.
"I think we just handled more trade today than we usually do in a week."
Magnolia smiled faintly.
"Probably true."
Sico walked over and rested his hands on the edge of the desk.
He looked around at the exhausted but satisfied team.
"You all did good work today."
A few of them smiled.
Coming from the President of the Republic, that meant something.
Magnolia closed the final ledger and stacked it neatly on top of the others.
Sico looked at the pile.
"That's a lot of paperwork."
Magnolia nodded.
"And a lot of trade."
He tilted his head slightly.
"So…"
He looked at her curiously.
"How many caps did we bring in today?"
The assistants looked up immediately.
They were curious too.
Magnolia opened a smaller ledger.
This one contained the daily totals.
She ran a finger down the numbers, quietly adding the final entries.
Then she leaned back slightly and looked up at Sico.
"Ten thousand five hundred seventy-six caps."
For a moment the room was silent.
One of the clerks blinked.
"…seriously?"
Magnolia nodded.
"10,576 caps."
Another assistant whistled softly.
"That's… a lot."
Sico chuckled quietly.
"Yeah."
He leaned back against the desk.
"That's more than some settlements see in months."
Magnolia closed the ledger.
"And that's only the first full day."
The room fell silent again as everyone processed that thought.
If one day of trade produced over ten thousand caps…
What would a week look like?
A month?
An entire year?
One assistant shook his head slowly.
"I think we accidentally created the most valuable product in the Commonwealth."
Sico smiled slightly.
"I wouldn't call it accidental."
He glanced toward the distant pharmaceutical building visible through the window.
"Curie worked pretty hard on it."
Magnolia nodded.
"And the demand is clearly there."
Sico looked around the room again.
The tired faces.
The full ledgers.
The empty crates.
Outside the windows, a few remaining caravans were settling in for the night under the watchful eyes of Republic soldiers.
The Republic district looked alive.
Busy.
Growing.
He folded his arms thoughtfully.
"Medicine," he said quietly.
Magnolia looked at him.
"Hmm?"
"In the old world," Sico continued, "medicine was something everyone expected to have."
Magnolia nodded.
"Now it's something people cross the wasteland to find."
Sico smiled faintly.
"Well…"
He tapped the ledger gently.
"…looks like they've found it."
Magnolia returned the smile.
"Yes, not bad for the first day."
She glanced once more at the number written on the page, which is 10,576 caps. Then she closed the ledger for the night, as their job for today was done.
______________________________________________
• Name: Sico
• Stats :
S: 8,44
P: 7,44
E: 8,44
C: 8,44
I: 9,44
A: 7,45
L: 7
• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills
• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.
• Active Quest:-