Video game I Can Turn Waste Into Treasure novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Shopping Away

‘A supply station?’ Andrea wondered.

Realization dawned on her.

She quickly checked her backpack. All her gold coins were still there. Maybe they’d come in handy.

A minute later, she stopped her underwater thruster.

The surroundings immediately began to change.

The endless ocean vanished. Her island drifted into a narrow, straight river.

Behind her was nothing but emptiness—probably the exit.

On both sides of the river were embankments and railings. A few dozen yards ahead, there was a flight of stairs.

At the top of the stairs stood an open door, and above the doorframe hung a plaque that read “Supply Station.”

Andrea paddled forward a few strokes, hopped onto the steps, and walked right in.

A crisp jingle of wind chimes rang out, followed by a soft, sweet, “Welcome!”

Andrea paused at the sound and turned to look at the employee behind the counter.

The guy froze for a few seconds too, then shouted in disbelief, “Grandma?”

“Hi.” Andrea nodded in reply.

Who knew that Bubba would end up working at a supply station? The kid had really made something of himself,’ she thought to herself.

Bubba was wearing a dark blue uniform with a little apron, looking quite adorable.

He was clearly excited, grinning from ear to ear as he came over to take Andrea’s hand.

“Every time you said you’d come visit me, something always came up at the last minute. Today, you finally made it!”

Then he called out loudly toward the back of the station, “My beautiful Ms. Supervisor, my grandma came to see me. I told you she would, didn’t I?”

A monster woman in her fifties walked out from the back. She had a round, kind face.

Bubba called her ‘beautiful’—the kid sure knew how to sweet-talk. He had a bright future,’ Andrea thought.

“Alright, alright! You win. So, as your prize for winning the bet, I’ll give your grandma a membership card.” The woman walked over to them, ruffled Bubba’s hair first, then pulled a blue card from her chest pocket and handed it to Andrea.

“Dear customer, this is our station’s membership card. You’ll get discounts on everything,” she added.

“Thank you,” Andrea said politely, taking it.

As soon as she got it, she paused for a moment, then thanked the supervisor again.

The supervisor smiled and nodded. “Madam, your arrival truly lights up our humble station.”

Andrea carefully tucked the card away, nodded at Bubba, and headed inside.

She didn’t have much time and needed to get back to her island before dark.

Bubba quickly slipped her ten gold coins and whispered, “Buy whatever you like. I’ve got money now.”

Before she could hand them back, he’d already run behind the counter and flashed her a “don’t worry” smile.

Andrea sighed, thinking she’d have to return the coins later.

In all her twenty-something years, this was the first time she’d ever experienced a grandson’s love…

When she’d first gotten the card, she’d heard a system notification.

[You have obtained a Supply Station VIP Card. All items at all supply stations are 20% off.]

She had no idea why the supervisor had given her such a valuable card—or why she’d said that last thing.

It was clearly meant for Bubba’s real grandma.

So who exactly was Bubba’s grandma?’ Andrea just hoped she wouldn’t run into the real person before her disguise expired. Otherwise, she’d be in serious trouble.

The supply station was huge, like a big supermarket. There were tons of goods—so many that it made her head spin.

Food, supplies, fun stuff—everything was there.

Thankfully, there were hanging signs on the ceiling showing the different sections, or she’d have been wandering forever.

She headed straight for the Shark Snacks section first.

Five whole rows of shelves were neatly stacked with all kinds of snacks.

Andrea had no idea where to start.

Bubba couldn’t leave his post for too long, so she couldn’t let him pick things out himself.

She grabbed a big shopping cart and started loading up things with pretty packaging and big portions.

Luckily, the prices were reasonable—mostly a few silver coins each.

After quickly filling up the cart about halfway, she went to the Shark Clothing section.

Then she went to the Daily Supplies section and grabbed a pack of 100 sanitary pads. 10 gold coins.

‘So expensive! Yep, misogyny really exists in every world,’ she complained inwardly.

Finally, she went to the Island Facilities section and picked up a self-cleaning toile. 30 gold coins.

It could be placed indoors. All waste would be automatically disposed of.

Finally, no more worrying about whether she could purify water while using the toilet.

She checked the clock on the station ceiling. It was already 6:28 PM.

Not much time left. The game had warned that leaving the island at night was dangerous. Andrea wasn’t about to test the rules.

She quickly pushed two shopping carts to the checkout counter.

Bubba was stunned by the mountain of goods. He mentally calculated the total cost and started wondering if he should ask his supervisor to advance him two years’ worth of salary.

The little boy from earlier was also at the counter. He smirked, folded his arms, and looked ready to enjoy the show.

However, the supervisor’s eyes were sparkling, and she couldn’t stop smiling.

She called Bubba aside to start packing the items while she personally rang up Andrea.

Bubba had already convinced himself he’d ask for an advance. This was his grandma’s first visit to the supply station. No matter what she wanted to buy, he was going to make sure she got it.

“After the discount, that comes to 200 gold coins, ma’am,” the supervisor said.

The little boy smirked, waiting for Andrea to look shocked and at a loss.

For most NPCs, monsters, or players visiting a supply station, 50 gold coins was already a huge expense. Very few people spent more.

After all, gold coins weren’t easy to earn.

He’d heard that Bubba’s grandma used to be the best doctor on the sea, with a very high income.

But that was in the past. She’d been sick for years, according to rumors. The family had been scraping by on Bubba’s earnings alone.

‘And that kid was always talking about his grandma—how wonderful she was.

‘What was so wonderful about her? She looked perfectly healthy, and she’d let her grandson live in poverty,’ the boy thought.

When Andrea took the items out of the cart one by one to check out, Bubba was already numb, guessing he’d have to ask for a three-year advance.