Chapter 217: Good Bounty! Golden Ticket Bonus 4/5* ** Everyone who heard the explanation nodded along, convinced they’d uncovered the truth. They began regarding Moon and Selene with deep respect for their supposedly elaborate strategic planning. "Indeed, S-rank awakeners are on another level," one merchant sighed, shaking his head in self-deprecating wonder. "They think about things on a much deeper level, whilst we only see the tip of the iceberg." Moon’s mouth twitched as he listened to the various claims being thrown around without any concrete evidence or actual understanding of what had happened. ’I was literally just asleep,’ Moon thought in amusement. ’There was no genius plan...’ Still, he didn’t care enough to explain or correct their understanding. Let them believe whatever made them feel better about the situation. ... Word of the capture spread rapidly through the base’s internal communication network. Within minutes, a lieutenant arrived, his expression a mixture of respect and excitement. The man was middle-aged, his uniform bearing the insignia of the base’s security forces. He stood upright, confident in his power, but not arrogantly so. "Sir!" The lieutenant approached with a respectful salute. "On behalf of Rocketer Base’s security forces, I want to thank you for your incredible service in capturing this dangerous outcast. You’ve restored order and delivered justice!" Moon nodded acknowledgment, his expression neutral. "Just doing what needed to be done." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶 The lieutenant moved to take custody of the unconscious assassin, reaching down to grab the body— Moon smoothly dragged the assassin’s body backward, away from the lieutenant’s grasp. The lieutenant blinked in confusion. "Sir? Is something wrong?" "What are you doing?" Moon asked, his tone carrying mild incredulity. "Where’s my bounty price?" The lieutenant’s face immediately flushed with embarrassment. "Right... I apologize! I was too excited about the capture. He’d been pestering us for the past few days, and things had been hectic because of him," He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before hurriedly reaching into his storage device. He produced an association check loaded with currency and held it out. "The standard bounty for this outcast is $150,000. Dead or alive." Moon looked at the check, then shook his head slowly. "That’s not enough." The lieutenant’s confusion returned. "Sir? The posted bounty is—" "He’s alive and well," Moon interrupted, gesturing to the unconscious but breathing form at his feet. "Alive bounties should be worth more than dead ones. Living prisoners can be interrogated, can provide intelligence about other outcasts, can reveal their methods and contacts. A corpse just takes up space in a morgue." Before the lieutenant could give a response, Moon casually slapped the assassin across the face. SMACK! "Wake up," Moon commanded. "Ahh!" The assassin jolted awake with a sharp yelp, his eyes snapping open before immediately finding Moon’s face looming above him. Pure agony filled his expression, not just from his broken arm, but from the crushing realization of his situation. "You said you would let me go...!" "I did," Moon replied with perfect calm, his expression utterly innocent. "I said you could leave. I never specified how you’d be leaving." He paused, then added with a slight smile: "I never specified where I was letting you go either, did I?" The assassin’s face twisted with betrayed rage and despair, but before he could voice any protest— THUD! Moon knocked him unconscious again with another strike. The lieutenant had immediately gone on guard when the outcast regained consciousness, his hand moving to his weapon. But seeing Moon casually render the assassin unconscious again with seemingly no effort made him relax... somewhat. Moon turned back to the lieutenant, gesturing to the now re-unconscious body of the outcast. "See? He’s alive and well. Perfectly healthy except for one broken arm, which any healer can fix in minutes. Although you don’t really need it healed anyway, he can be interrogated, tried properly, and provide valuable intelligence without doing so." He crossed his arms, "Now either you pay me appropriately for delivering a living, interrogatable prisoner instead of just a corpse, or I’ll let him go freely. Dragging him all the way to the Association building isn’t worth the trouble for a mere $150,000." The lieutenant’s mouth twitched. The idea of this outcast being released back into the base after they had been searching for him for so long was terrible. And based on the way the awakener before him was acting, he really would let him go free if he wasn’t paid an appropriate amount. "$300,000!" the lieutenant said hurriedly, already reaching back into his storage to retrieve additional payment. "Right now! The full bounty for live capture!" Moon’s smile widened with satisfaction. "That’s more like it." The transaction completed quickly after that. The lieutenant produced the additional currency, Moon verified the amount on the check, and only then did he step back to allow the guards who’d arrived as backup to approach the unconscious assassin. They immediately placed enchanted suppression cuffs on him, magical restraints designed to reduce an awakener’s power to manageable levels and prevent escape attempts. The outcast was hoisted onto a stretcher and carried away under heavy guard. After the guards departed with their prize, Moon began walking toward the plaza where Selene and Yara were supposedly spending their time exploring the base according to the assassin. As he walked, examining the storage ring he’d confiscated with his [Appraisal] skill, Moon couldn’t help but smile. ’I should get attacked more often,’ he thought in amusement. ’It’s apparently quite lucrative.’ $600,000 lay in his storage ring, a significant amount of wealth that made him a rich man compared to the larger population of awakeners. Turns out, the assassin had been quite successful in his criminal career before meeting Moon. Several high-quality healing potions worth another tens of thousand of dollars. Basic supplies, rope, camping gear, preserved food, water. And a few more items that could be sold for a decent price in most Trading Centers. All in all, the assassination attempt had netted him: - One B+ rank enchanted dagger - One set of B-rank armor - Various throwing weapons and tools - $600,000 from the storage ring - $300,000 in bounty money Total haul: nearly a million in currency alone, plus equipment and other miscellaneous items. For approximately few minutes of effort. Moon’s smile grew wider. ’I wonder what other opportunities will present themselves now.’