Chapter 38: Maharlika Country

After finishing the exchange, Ian and Sophia walked out of the building.

Ian has a grinned plaster on his face while Sophia was trembling while holding her IDC.

Ian was happy for easy money since he was really poor. But he knows that it's just the start since he will venture for more Portal in the coming days which will generate him more money, so this little wealth was just the beginning.

Sophia on the other hand didn't think like him since she was a porter for many months, and this is her first time having this much money.

She was trembling from excitement and nervousness for she thought it was just a dream.

Sophia was currently holding her Identification Card or IDC for short. IDC has many different uses and one of them is using IDC like a bank card.

This world also has a bank where they can deposit their crystal and the bank will ensure its safety.

The Bank was created by the World Government so their branches were around the world that made it easy to access their crystal. And those who tried robbing the bank were immediately executed for the mass to see.

So it becomes the safest place where you can settle your crystals.

The Crystal Ian and Sophia earned from selling the Intact bodies were around two million crystals so they split it in half.

Sophia being Sophia, of course, rejected the offer but Ian imposes it on her, after all, he said that she is his accomplice so it's just right to give her half the profit.

The procedure was fast, since the establishment has a bank they already put their crystals on it since it's conspicuous having so many crystals with them.

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"Where do you live Sophia?" Ian asks. He waited for a few seconds without an answer.

Turning around confused why she didn't answer, he saw her trembling while mumbling something.

Ian smiled wryly when he heard her mumbling. And patted her head that made the trembling girl stop from shaking.

Due to the sudden touches that made Sophia come out of her distress, she looked at Ian who petted her and saw him also looking at her.

Two pairs of eyes stared at each other, they stared for a couple of seconds before Sophia lowered her head out of embarrassment.

Ian who saw her ears becoming red stopped his hand that was petting her head, he scratched his face from the awkwardness he was feeling.

He was mentally older than Sophia and being older also has its perks like having thick skin on his face that made him almost immune from embarrassment so it became awkward for him from seeing her reaction.

Ian repeated himself, seeing that Sophia won't talk if he didn't ask again "Where do you live Sophia?"

Sophia who was embarrassed, hearing his question-answer him while still looking at the ground with her bigger voice " I am currently living with my sister at the City of Mayfield, Ending Street."

Hearing her answer Ian was surprised, he didn't think they live in the same city. And it seems that they are just 5 Street apart.

Ian, who didn't expect the coincidence, laughed heartily. 

"What a coincidence that we live in the same city."

The Country where Ian currently resides is named Maharlika Country. Although they call it a country no president Is ruling it. 

It consists of the three Biggest Archipelago named Luzonian, Visaliseer, and Mindanuer that creates the country of Maharlika

And Luzonia was the Largest out of the three archipelagos.

Each archipelago has a landmass comprising a different named island.

Luzonian previously had 27 small Islands but now they only have 5 islands where people all around Luzonian inhabit due to monster stampede.

The Visaliseer that had 16 small Islands, now only had one island which is the capital of Visaliseer called Visa.

And lastly, Mindanuer that consists of 7 islands with one small archipelago has now become history for the whole Maharlika country to remember.

Even though it has 7 islands, it only has 2 ⁄ 5 of people living in there so when portals emerge and the stampede happens, most of those islands without people living on it, or even if there was, were all slaughtered for lacking strength and numbers.

So Mindanuer became a monster territory where no humans can be seen living on.

After Portals emerge around the world the country of Maharlika similarly descends on the Era of chaos.

The president that was supposed to protect its people abandoned them for his and his family's safety which led to their demise.

The country that has people around a hundred million living in the country lost half of their population in one night.

But all of it happened in the past. Now the population of people living here increased as the day passed, and people with a strong ability also emerged from the bunch. So although they can't take back their lost islands that monsters inhabit right now, they can still protect their own country from the threat coming at them.

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Sophia was also surprised when she heard him, she was just as happy as Ian knowing that their living place was in the same city.

The two of them walked away from the Monster Butcher Establishment and roamed the place finding where the parking lots for the hover cars were.

If it's in the past they won't try finding hover cars for how expensive they are instead they will find hoverbike which costs less. Although the ride was not pleasant and fast like the cars it's still within their budget.

But now that they are slightly richer from their past self, which is just earlier, then riding on a hovercar was a must for them especially for Ian.

But it seems their going home trip won't be that straight and comfortable, but instead be bumpy due to a bumper in the road which is the hoodlum that was currently standing on their way.

Just when they were just about to exit the alley leading to the main direction, a bunch of hoodlums stood in their way.

Leading them was a man with dark red hair, a slightly buffy body, and of course a hoodlum appearance.

Even in a different world hoodlums still exist. Because who wouldn't, when making money was easy if you're a hoodlum. 

Generating money being a hoodlum was easy, they just need to intimidate their targets then have them give you money. Easy peasy. 

Seizing the weak while avoiding the strong. That's the motto of a hoodlum.