Nan Yue's movement of pushing her noodles paused. "How did you know?"
The boss chuckled, his eyes crinkling. "Aren't you still wearing the student uniform issued by the training academy?"
"Don't be embarrassed. Everyone comes from the Nameless City, and we all started this way. Most people wear those clothes for one, even two or three years. Only when they can afford new clothes do they splurge on food."
"You've just arrived, so it's normal to feel novelty, but you still need to save money."
Nan Yue knew he meant well and obediently acknowledged him.
Only then did the boss remember Nan Yue's question. "An inn? Yes! There are inns in the west district specifically for newcomers from the Nameless City. They cost five or six points a night. The conditions are a bit rudimentary, but they have everything you need. The only problem is that the area isn't very safe."
"The security is bad, full of scams and tricks. If you're unlucky, you might even encounter murderers."
Nan Yue nearly choked. She looked disbelieving. "Murderers?"
The boss looked at her with a sympathetic expression, as if seeing his past self.
"That's right. While you can't steal an ID card, if someone kills you, your points will transfer to their account."
"And even if they don't kill you, there are plenty of ways to trick you into willingly giving them your points."
Nan Yue was dumbfounded. Although the Nameless City was backward, its security was excellent. She had never heard of such things.
"...Doesn't anyone do anything about it?"
The boss clicked his tongue. "Sure, there are part-time bounty hunters. If they catch someone and send them to the Purification Institute – oh, that's the Nameless City's project hall – they can exchange them for points."
"Scavengers are the most crucial part of the purification project. The government doesn't want people killing each other, so the reward money is very high."
Nan Yue pondered. She wasn't afraid of ghosts in missions, but direct confrontation was still a bit beyond her. Although she was top in combat, that was still within the school's confines.
"Are there any safer inns, then?"
The boss sighed. "Of course. The east district, where I live, has much better security than the west, but the room rate is 13 points a day."
Nan Yue calculated that a Special Grade Teacher's salary of 80 points would only cover about six days of lodging, food, and drink here.
Just then, another customer arrived. The boss greeted them and went to work, while Nan Yue slowly finished her rice noodles before leaving the mall.
It was already afternoon. Nan Yue took advantage of the remaining daylight to visit the west district.
The west district resembled the slums described in books, with houses packed tightly together. An encircling river flowed nearby, and there was a lot of trash by the roadside.
Nan Yue even saw a man, completely drunk, at a stairwell corner.
"Damn the Scavenger Project!"
The man mumbled curses. Nan Yue felt that people here didn't seem as proud of their scavenger identity as she had been taught in school.
Nan Yue checked two inns with half-broken neon signs. In a tiny space, they somehow squeezed in a bed, a small desk, a bathroom just big enough for one person, and a quick-wash machine.
Indeed, everything she needed was there.
However, the environment was truly terrible. In the short time Nan Yue spent looking at rooms, she heard fighting next door and insults echoing in the corridor.
As a student who had just left school, she was suddenly exposed to a world she had never seen before and wasn't quite accustomed to it.
"Just arrived, right? I'm telling you, my place has the best conditions and the highest cost-performance ratio. You won't find a more suitable place to stay."
"This is the only empty room. The person staying here didn't come out for their morning mission, otherwise you wouldn't even have a room."
Nan Yue paused. Checking into an inn required ID registration, and the inn would also be notified if someone died during a mission.
She just wasn't used to treating death so lightly.
"Thank you, I'll look around a bit more."
Perhaps not expecting Nan Yue to not pay immediately, the thin man eyed her with some suspicion.
She looked like a pretty, delicate-looking student. Could she have money?
Those doing business here weren't good people. In a flash, the boss picked up a fruit knife from the table.
"Trying to leave? You looked at the room for so long and aren't renting it. You need to pay compensation."
Several tenants nearby glanced over before looking away, finding nothing new in the scene.
Nan Yue looked at the knife in front of her. The posture was incorrect, and his hand was unsteady. Disarming him would take mere seconds.
People here were scavengers who had at least accumulated enough points for a digital city state ID. Were they really this weak?
"How much do you want?"
The boss said viciously, "50 points, not a single point less."
Nan Yue frowned, wondering whether to beat him up or just disarm him.
Before she could act, the boss suddenly flew backward, crashing heavily into the counter and smashing the wooden table.
Nan Yue blinked, seeing a tall, well-built handsome man with a buzz cut slowly retracting his long leg after kicking.
"Why bother bullying a newcomer, you scum?"
The handsome man with the buzz cut glanced at Nan Yue, and only then did Nan Yue get a clear look at him.
He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and sharp, handsome features. His entire being exuded a strong masculine aura.
A scar on his left forehead extended above his brow bone, adding a touch of fierceness to his appearance.
He wore a black earring, a white T-shirt, and jeans, clearly much wealthier than the other scavengers who still wore student uniforms washed daily in quick-wash machines.
Nan Yue could tell at a glance that the man was skilled. Unlike her, an excellent student with formal training, his fighting style was more practical and unorthodox, honed in real combat.
He aimed for painful spots when fighting, his movements swift and ruthless.
"Hey, are you staying here?"
The man frowned when Nan Yue didn't speak. "This place isn't suitable for a young girl. If you have money, you should look elsewhere."
Nan Yue looked up at him. "Do you have time?"
After kicking the innkeeper, the man leaned casually against the wall, pulling out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket. "Don't fall for me, I'm just a legend."
The man's tone was light, clearly not serious.
Nan Yue rolled her eyes. "Let me buy you a meal."
The man narrowed his eyes at her words. He took a deep drag from his cigarette, stared at Nan Yue for a moment, then smiled.
"Alright."
But they didn't go to a restaurant; instead, they went to the east district.
Nan Yue's reasoning was that since it wasn't mealtime yet, and they had nothing to do, they might as well go for a walk.
The man actually had the patience to accompany her on her aimless wanderings in the east district.
Along the way, Nan Yue learned his name was Gu Xiang Kai and that he had been in the digital city state for over three years.
Gu Xiang Kai was good-looking, and many girls turned to look at him as he walked by. But he was fierce; he would glare at every girl who looked back, making them hurry away.
The environment in the east district was indeed much better than the west, somewhat resembling the old residential area where her grandmother lived in Nan Yue's evaluation space.
It was much quieter, with scattered greenery.
Although not as prosperous as the city center, there were many snack shops and stores along the road, with residential apartments available for long-term rent and inns for short stays.
Nan Yue entered an inn with a clean facade. The owner was a somewhat haggard middle-aged woman.
"Looking for a room?"
After speaking, she noticed Nan Yue's student uniform. Her expression darkened slightly; newcomers who couldn't even afford new clothes wouldn't have money to rent a place in the east district.
Rate on N.U.
