It’s the exact same type of bomb as the one used by the Legion of Man when they bombed the airbase and several other locations.

Of course it was.

So, what? Is there some military server you can connect to or something, should I try to alert someone?

Negative. You should complete the quest.

What? A terrorist organization is here, they could—

Stop wasting time. Finish the quest.

Alan rolled his eyes. Well, the shopkeeper might have some more information, or be able to alert the right authorities, so he decided to follow Eve’s directions. He quickly travelled back to the shop maintaining his invisibility, avoiding people with Eve’s help, getting used to being undetectable. Maybe he should start trying to pick pockets. Eve stopped him from trying.

***

After waiting a few minutes while some other customers left Ancient Armour, Alan deactivated the armor’s invisibility. He’d had it on for 20 minutes, leaving the armor with 400 energy.

The shopkeeper barely blinked when Alan appeared out of nowhere, simply looking at him, arching an eyebrow.

“Back so soon?”

“Yes, I have proof of illegal activities.”

“Oh, and where is this proof?”

Um, where is the proof? Alan asked.

Remember I am recording your actions. I have created screenshots of the bomb you saw in the shop compared to the bomb that was set up in the hangar.

Two images appeared before Alan, depicting the same bomb, in the two distinct locations. There were also two video files attached.

“Um, do you have a computer or something that I can upload a few files to?” Alan said.

“Certainly.” The shopkeeper bent over, fiddling with something beneath the counter. “Your AI should now be able to connect to the store’s servers.”

Did I ever mention you?

No. Connected to a masked server. Uploading files now.

"Um, okay,” Alan said.

Files uploaded.

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up, and he motioned his hands before him, moving through digital screens only he could see.

“Hmm, yes, this will do quite nicely. Thank you for this information. Now, I’ll trust that you won’t disclose this to anyone else, especially none of the military police or one of the information brokers.”

"What? But—”

“As a bonus, for this exemplary work, and your discretion, I’ll throw in any item you find in here worth up to a thousand credits.”

Alan narrowed his eyes. “Before or after the tutorial discount?”

The shopkeeper smiled sweetly. “Why, after, of course.”

Alan mulled it over. On one hand, whatever was going on was likely illegal and something should be done, yet, on the other hand, this was a substantial amount of money, and he did need to get a replacement weapon still.

Accept the offer, Eve commanded.

What? Why?

It is highly unlikely the shopkeeper is a simple salesman. I will explain more once we are in a safer location. The information provided by the Thought Emporium has been quite enlightening, allowing me to make previously unseen connections, as well as a great deal of history to draw upon.