Ch 11 Ordinary Moments

"Sigh... okay, so now let’s focus on how to detect ghosts. I want to know if this is just some mind games or if there's something really wrong!" Leon asked Nova to search online again for ghost detection methods.

While doing so, he used his phone to look for any information. He opened website after website, some were community groups, some maybe just groups of bored people.

"Hmm, this guy claims to be haunted and uses an EMF reader to detect it. From the video, it's clearly fake... Next, next..." Leon shook his head.

"Hmm, using an EMF reader too... so it is common, huh?" Leon reviewed some videos and communities. All use EMF readers to detect ghosts.

"Not only EMF, sir. They use thermal or infrared cameras to detect sudden cold spots or hot spots, then the spirit box which claims it can be used to communicate with ghosts, and digital cameras for something called ghost orbs and UV lights for sudden fingerprints." Nova chimed in while Leon scrolled through the web.

"Yeah, yeah, ghost orbs, UV lights... is this even real?" Leon looked at a few possibly real items.

But Nova denied it all. "No sir, EMF bursts are common, any electrical device can cause them. Ghost orbs are more like dust particles or insects. UV lights? Please, maybe someone just touched that door." Nova coldly stated the facts from science.

"Sigh... Ok, but these are the most common ones. So EMF reader, thermal camera, spirit box, uh... camera with night mode for spirit orbs??? Great... let's order them."

Leon opened online shopping apps and looked at each of these items... ".... the price.. Uh.. let's choose the most expensive ones… I believe the more expensive they are, the more premium their quality and hopefully they will be really useful…"

So just like that, Leon spent so much money this night.

EMF reader cost $115, spirit box $200, thermal camera and night mode camera… oh, he has the drone, so he doesn't need to buy these.

"But drone signals can be cut off, so I need something with a cable… hey Nova, do these drones support HDMI cables???" Leon asked as he thought.

Nova quickly said, "Yes sir, but an HDMI cable signal can only support five meters for 1080p, while 4K only supports one or two meters. I suggest you buy a Fiber Optic HDMI, which can support 100 meters with stable 4K."

Leon nodded and looked at the price... it's $300. "Haa.. let's buy two…."

"But this is so much money… and there's no such thing as an EMF reader in the crafting menu, only drones. Not even HDMI cables… hmm, right haven't unlocked it yet… but how do I unlock it? In the game I need the blueprints." Leon then thought hard.

The game allowed him to craft many basic items, but those were the basics from the game. More things needed blueprints… but currently Leon didn't know how to get one!

"Sigh.. okay let's focus on this, let's buy all of these devices first." Leon then looked at his cart but then stopped.

"Wait.. $915??? This.. Hmm.. let's wait.. I mean it's not like something will happen right away, right? I will buy it… tomorrow or a few days later, yeah.. It's in the middle of the night too.. Let me think about this clearly later.." Leon quickly try to think rationally..

What is the use of these items? Maybe they work, maybe not… and for what? It's not like this orphanage is full of ghosts…

"Hey Nova, what is the progress of the honey trap?" Leon started to change the topic.

"Sir, you ask this every single day. What do you expect from JUST a single day?" Nova sounded annoyed, but she still reported the progress.

"There are some that are starting to gain views. It is a bit hard to ask for donations yet. A few willingly donate so the streamer doesn't quit, but that is all… of course, some mature women ask for a meet and greet at a high end villa, but I refuse."

".... It seems… to make easy money, I could just sell one character, right???? With this I could buy whatever I want without thinking like this! How about making only xxx accounts????... Right, it is immoral… haaaaa…"

Now Leon is in a dilemma again….

As there was nothing he could do, Leon could only look at CCTV feeds all night, thinking.. and just like that, the night passed and morning came.

Leon gathered the kids with his haggard look… "Alright kids, now gather up! Today I can provide more choices aside from just powerbanks."

With that, Leon took out the aromatic candles and bean bags from his room.

"Oooooh.. it smells soo nice!" one of the girls quickly commented while seeing the candle.

"Hey, hey! it's the pillow from yesterday! Do we sell this now?" The boys quickly recognized the bean bag.

Leon smiled a bit, seeing how energetic these kids were. yup, they surely slept well because of the director's sleeping drug…

"Alright, you can choose what to sell today! If you want powerbanks, then go for it. This is an aromatic candle - it will smell good when you light it up. And that is a bean bag, you already know what it's used for." Leon then introduced each item.

"And if you want, you can sell a variety of items - powerbank and candle, or bean bag and candle, or so on. Bean bags are rather big, so maybe you need help lifting them up, kids." With that, Leon started to distribute them amid the kids' enthusiasm.

"Me me me! I want the pretty candles! I'm gonna sell ALL of them!"

"This is too heavy! Someone help me! We can share the money!"

While distributing the goods, Leon realized something. "Hey Zoe, where are Jane, Emilie, James and Roy?" Leon asked a little girl about this.

Zoe, the little girl with big round eyes and brunette hair, looked at Leon. "Old Walter said Roy's sick! Jane went to see him! And Emilie too! And James!"

Now Leon remembered that Roy - that boy had a broken nose. "Right, did Walter tell you anything about Roy's condition?"

Zoe thought for a moment. "Nuh uh, he just said Roy's gonna be okay!" Hearing this, Leon nodded and rubbed Zoe's head. "Okay, now go with the others. Remember to never follow a stranger anywhere suspicious, alright?"

Zoe nodded and with the other kids started selling their stuff.

Leon then looked at the empty orphanage. "Right, I promised Jane ice cream, and I think these kids need a pet companion for warmth... And real food. Wait, I can dupe things! Why don't I buy some ingredients and duplicate them?"

He paused, thinking it through. "With the game system, nothing spoils. Maybe... I mean in games nothing spoils inside inventory, so it's worth trying in real life! Let's buy beef, vegetables, dupe them, then cook. Easy!"

With that, Leon locked his room door and walked out of the orphanage.

He'd only made quick trips to the convenience store before, never really taking time to look around.

"Oh, this neighborhood actually looks quite nice," Leon said, noticing details he'd missed during his rushed errands.

On the right of the orphanage, Leon could see a huge garden with a young woman tending to her lovely vegetables…

"Hey, Bethy! Tending that green onion again?"

"Yeah, it needs some extra care, so I just added some fertilizer. Going out to shop, huh?" Bethy asked, wiping dirt from her hands.

"Yup, the kids need real food, so I think I'll buy them some meat, and maybe some pets to play with. It can help them learn to be responsible and have new friends too." Leon said casually.

"Oh, really? Is that so?" Bethy glanced at Leon again, this time with softened eyes.

"Those kids.. they often come by to play with me, sometimes they even help tend the garden." Bethy looked quite sad. "They're so skinny and look so unhealthy.. it breaks my heart."

"I try to cook for them now and then, but… well, you know how things are lately. My husband's been laid off, and everything's so expensive." She shook her head. "I wish I could do more."

Hearing this, Leon sighed. "I hope everything will go alright... let's try our best, shall we?"

Miss Bethy nodded and smiled at him. "Yes, thank you… Well, I won't hold you up anymore. I can tell you haven't gotten a wink of sleep yet, right?"

Leon could only smile. "Okay then, I'll leave you to it. Take care." And so he walked away.

Then Leon started to look for a supermarket. It was the only big one around here. Without waiting, Leon bought every type of meat and vegetable he could find, even salmon, turkey...

He didn't forget the ice cream he'd promised Jane, adding several flavors to his overflowing cart along with candy, cooking oil, salt, chili peppers, and everything he could think of.

When Leon came out of the supermarket, he looked like someone stocking up for the holidays, carrying four bulging bags in each hand.

He didn't transfer everything into his game panel right away. Leon kept walking with some effort, arms weighed down, until he found a secluded alley.

Once there, he quickly stored everything into his game panel. Luckily, everything was stackable!

Sighing in relief, Leon wiped his sweat. "Phew... good… everything is stackable, so I don't waste any money! I didn't know that all of this would cost so much…" With a pained expression, Leon looked at his money, which had already diminished so much.

"Let's go, I need to buy some pets... Right, I need to look like someone buying food too, right? At least from the outside."

Leon frowned, looking at the empty shopping bags beside him. In the end, he looked left and right, then secretly duped each item... No, he duped something that could make the bags look bulky, like meat, some vegetables that stick out of the bag, and... well, candies... cooking oil...

It looked heavy but at least not as heavy as before.

Then Leon walked to the orphanage as he planned to 'drop' everything at the orphanage. The kitchen area had not been used for a long time. This made Leon remember... he didn't buy pans and cooking utensils.

And possibly there was no gas at the orphanage, this was an outskirt, and what's more, the orphanage was too poor, so they used a gas tank.

That meant he'd have to carry a heavy gas tank all the way back. "... shit..." Leon broke into a cold sweat.