Three thousand silver credits?
Aria couldn't believe this man's necklace could be worth that much.
From what she had read in the Heavenly Train Station's Handbook that Fluff Ball showed through the System UI, silver credits were worth the equivalent of thousands of dollars in normal currency.
"An item's value depends on the emotions its owner has placed into it. The exchange identifier reads how much emotion has been stored on it. For example, even if someone put a hundred-carat diamond on the plate, if the owner felt nothing for it while it was in their care, then the four categories of: happiness, sadness, hope, and regret, would not recognize it as very valuable." Fluff Ball beside her added.
"Oh, so you're basically collecting the worth of people's emotions? Am I correct?"
"You can think of it that way."
"Geez, I didn't expect you to be such a capitalist." Aria thought with a playful tone in her mind, and before turning her focus to the exchange.
Samantha handed over a glowing platinum card. "Here's your platinum ticket. Please enjoy the ride. You may also scan it on the device beside you to check your details and current credits."
Gilbert Santolan's name was printed clearly across the card's surface. Gilbert and his two friends, Vincent and Jimmy, moved to the side to examine it. To them, it looked just like the ATM cards their parents once used.
A bit curious yet suspicious, Gilbert tapped the card on the advanced scanner beside the counter. The screen lit up, revealing his full name, including his middle name, along with the credits stored within.
Gold Credits: 0
Silver Credits: 3000
Bronze Credits: 0
He really did have 3000 credits, but it was only in silver.
He looked at Aria and Samantha with a complicated gaze.
Back then, when the apocalypse began, he was already in his fourth year of high school.
His idea of a peaceful world had been shaped through his experiences in those years, and the two friends beside him also carried faint memories of those warm days.
It was hard to believe they had survived until now, and witnessing this kind of card made him feel that something would change in his life in the days to come.
Aria stepped out from the ticket booth and pointed toward the ticket gate ahead.
"What you're holding Mr. Santolan is the Heavenly Train Platinum Card Ticket. You're quite lucky to have one, since Platinum is just a level below the Premium Card. " Aria made sure the three men understood what they had in their hands
"With this, you can ride the train, enjoy the privileges of your card's membership status, and spend your silver credits on anything available in my station..."
After her long explanation, they learned that gold and bronze credits were simply higher or lower denominations.
One hundred thousand silver credits equaled one gold credit, while one silver credit was worth one hundred bronze credits.
In the end, Gilbert chose to believe Aria's words. He tapped the card on the ticket gate, and although his balance of silver tickets did not change, the metal bars that blocked him dropped down. Gripping the card tightly, he felt an unfamiliar hope stir in his chest.
He exchanged glances with his team on the other side, and the other two men quickly followed his lead, trading their valuable items for train cards as well.
"Why is my gold ring only worth a hundred silver credits? This is unfair. My gold has more carats than Vice Cap's old high school gold necklace!" Vincent complained while tapping his own Platinum Card.
"The ticket attendant says yours isn't that valuable." Jimmy commented in a cold voice, his expression serious.
He had done the same with his own card, but his credits showed 2,500 silver. It was because for the exchange, he had used the old hat given to him by his father. At first, he is very hesitant to use it since he doesn't know if the old hat is valuable, but this is the only thing he can consider valuable.
Jimmy had not expected to receive 2,500 silver credits. Though his face remained expressionless, inside he was more than happy.
"Hey, what does that mean! I love that gold ring, you know! I bought it with my own skills three years ago." Vincent's tone carried a trace of bitterness, and he no longer wanted to talk.
As they arrived at the platform, two pink train wagons immediately caught the three men's eyes.
"Wow! You really have trains. Look at this, it brings back memories of my mom!" Vincent exclaimed with excitement.
.
He began walking beside the pink train like a child seeing a favorite toy, glancing from one side to the other as he paced back and forth.
Gilbert and Jimmy didn't speak, nor did they walk around like their friend.
Both simply stood there in silent awe.
How many years had passed since they last saw a fully functioning public train from the peaceful era?
As they kept staring at it, both of their hearts beat faster, filled with a mix of longing and hope as countless good possibilities came to mind.
"Miss Aria, is this for real? How can we have a train like this, and how does it even work?" Gilbert asked impatiently.
Then he stepped inside without hesitation the moment the train's sliding door opened.
It didn't start right away. Instead, the sliding doors began to close as the familiar female operator's voice announced that the train was about to depart.
"Of course this is real, and please take your seat. As for how it works, just think of me as the only one who can operate this train."
Aria didn't really know how the train worked, and she was still rookie to handling it, and could only give a vague answer.
"Then where are we going? What's the next station? When will we get off?" Vincent's curious voice rang out as he sat comfortably in his seat, idly playing with his own card.
"To your heart's desires. This train will help make your wishes come true and within of reach." Aria said with an enigmatic smile, leaving the three men even more baffled.