Star Hunter.

Chapter 223 The Unreliable Prince

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The atmosphere of the entire area changed because of the appearance of the aircraft bearing the Flaming Eagle emblem, and people in some shops began to pack up their things and prepare to head to the city.

That's how the world is here. A hierarchical system is deeply ingrained in people's minds. Many people don't possess great personal strength, but through a stroke of luck, they manage to curry favor with a nobleman and rise to prominence overnight. It's no wonder people here react this way; for ordinary people, who doesn't dream of becoming rich overnight?

Xilin remained calm. He had originally planned to go straight back to the shop, but after thinking about it, he changed his mind and went to the parts store on the next street. There were many intersections connecting the two streets, so Xilin did not take a long detour; he just turned a corner and walked a few steps.

Contrary to what Xilin had expected, many people dreamed of being appreciated by nobles, and the items displayed in the shop were being tidied up. Some parts that were urgently needed to be sold were not attracting any attention, and these were the items Xilin was targeting.

After comparing prices at several shops, Xilin bought a lot of second-hand parts at relatively low prices. The owners of these shops were thinking of selling them quickly and leaving while also making some money to spend in the city, which allowed Xilin to get a good deal.

However, just as Xilin was about to leave Parts Street, a minor dispute broke out at one of the shops.

"Haha, that brother's face is all messed up!" Chang Xiaoba said with a laugh, pointing at the person being pushed out of the store.

Xilin hadn't planned to pay any attention, but when he heard Chang Xiaoba's words, he looked over and saw that the person Chang Xiaoba was talking about had dark concentrated fruit juice marks on his face. He was not old, around twenty years old, and had a good appearance.

At that moment, the young man who had been pushed out the door by the shop owner was arguing with the shop owner.

  

"Didn't we agree on a 30-day employment period? How can you go back on your word after only two days?!"

"So what if I change my mind? I'm the owner, I make the decisions. Besides, we didn't sign any contract, so it doesn't count! Get out of here and stop getting in my way!"

The two argued for a while, and finally the shop owner pushed the man away and quickly closed the door, leaving the young man outside.

The young man glared at the doorway, looking somewhat dejected, and muttered, "Why is finding a job so difficult?"

The young man turned around and looked at the other shops around him. The people who were watching the commotion quickly looked away and began to pretend to pack up their parts, afraid that the troublesome kid might accidentally come to their shop.

Xilin was about to leave when the young man looked around and his gaze fell on Xilin. His previously dejected face instantly broke into a wide smile.

Xilin lifted his foot and left.

"Hey, wait a minute, bro, don't go!" The man rushed up to Xilin with a bright smile that made you want to kick him.

Xilin didn't speak, just looked at the person blocking his way.

"Brother, you must work at one of these shops around here, right? Could you do me a favor? I'm looking for a short-term job, about thirty days. The salary is negotiable. I don't have high requirements; I just need a place to stay, food, and lodging." the young man said.

Xilin looked the man up and down. His clothes were similar to everyone else on the street, and he even smelled of cleaning fluid and had stains from the parts. But Xilin felt something was off; he had a feeling this person shouldn't be here. Of course, there was no sign of danger or malice, which reassured Xilin considerably.

"You shameless clown!" Chang Xiaoba said, looking at the young man.

But the young man just smiled and wiped his face with his sleeve: "Sorry to make the little girl laugh. I got hit by half a glass of juice that fell from the sky earlier, and I didn't wipe myself clean."

Getting hit by juice is a common occurrence, but the young man wiped his face but didn't get it completely clean; the mark faded a bit.

"You want to sell parts?" Xilin asked.

The young man's eyes lit up. He wasn't afraid of being rejected; he was afraid of being ignored. As soon as Xilin spoke, he felt hopeful.

"I'm very familiar with the parts. I've raced with people before, and I repair my own car, so I'm familiar with many related parts. I've looked around, and most of the parts sold on this street are related to racing, so I'm quite confident. You can test me if you don't believe me."

Xilin shook his head. "But I don't sell parts. I work for the repair shop next door."

Xilin's words made the young man's eyes light up even more, and he eagerly said, "That's even better! I have plenty of experience; you can check it out for yourself if you don't believe me!"

Seeing Xilin frown and remain silent, the young man assumed Xilin was going to refuse and put on a pitiful look, saying, "Isn't it said that people who take care of children are more soft-hearted?"

Xilin: "..."

Is that true? Besides, even if it is true, do you have to say it directly to people's faces?

Chang Xiaoba looked at the pitiful-looking older brother in front of him, then at Xilin, and remained silent. Grandpa had said that children should not make noise when adults are making decisions.

"Take me, take me! I'm very hardworking and don't have high salary requirements. I've heard that many jobs are tied to performance, and I think I can do it. I'm really good at car repair, and I know about the latest parts. Oh, and I've also been involved in several intelligent operating systems from recent years. You can test me if you don't believe me!" The young man said with a confident expression.

Xilin bypassed the young man and continued walking forward.

"Hey bro, don't go! Just think about it, you can't miss out on such excellent labor..."

"How are we going to get back to the shop if we don't leave?" Xilin said without turning his head.

Upon hearing this, the young man realized it was a tacit agreement! He quickly followed along, even offering to help Xilin unpack the two large boxes of parts he had just bought.

On the way back, the young man kept talking, introducing himself and what he knew, but he didn't say anything about his background, hometown, or experiences, and Xilin didn't ask.

The young man's name was Peter, but he didn't say his surname. He asked for Xilin and Xiaoba's names, and then happily started talking to himself.

Whether or not to accept the goods is the shop owner's decision, as Xilin had told Biller. Biller expressed his confidence, saying that he would definitely impress the shop owner with his abilities.

Actually, many shops would be willing to hire people like Peter, but the current situation is quite special. People who hire short-term workers are not interested in running a shop right now, and some shop owners are simply unwilling to hire people who only work for thirty days, as the time is too short.

Peter continued talking animatedly, glancing at the lollipop Chang Xiaoba was licking, then at the bag Xilin was carrying, and then back at Xilin.

Xilin handed over the bag, and Peter unceremoniously picked out a flavor he liked. Then he and Chang Xiaoba licked the lollipops at each other, competing to see who had the longest tongue, could lick the fastest, and had the best licking technique.

Xilin regretted bringing this guy along; why was he so reckless?!

Back at the shop, Xilin put away the things he had bought. Old Man Chang didn't immediately ask why Xilin was selling so many secondhand parts, because Peter was there, and there were some things he couldn't say in front of strangers.

Xilin briefly explained the situation with Pelle, then took the triplets and Chang Xiaowu to share snacks. Gray Cat also ran over to join in the fun. Hearing that there were no fish cakes here, Gray Cat was indeed a little disappointed, but he reluctantly chewed on some children's biscuits to grind his teeth.

As for Peter, Old Man Chang examined his skills and found him to be quite capable, with genuine talent and a thorough understanding of the principles and structure of flying cars. Old Man Chang hadn't hired people before because he didn't have enough money to pay wages, but Peter's salary requirements weren't high. He said his wages could be deducted from his performance bonuses, including food expenses, and he only needed to work thirty days a week. He also had a spare room at home. This made Old Man Chang want to give it a try. If it worked out, even if Peter left, he could try to hire someone else.

Pierre was overjoyed to be able to stay, and eagerly took over the repair work that Old Man Chang was doing. Old Man Chang watched him repair the work and nodded repeatedly.

In the most bustling part of the city, in the luxurious reception room of a magnificent and expansive high-rise building, several key figures of the planetary government sat there timidly. Two people sat at the highest positions in the reception room, one with a stern face and the other with a friendly smile. But no matter who they were, the planetary government members dared not look them in the eye, for fear of doing something wrong and offending these two.

Around the reception area stood several guards, dressed in uniform with the Firehawk emblem and badges. These were real soldiers, belonging to the Firehawk royal family. Compared to the guards on the planet, even a fool could see the difference in their quality.

A few hours later, the planetary government personnel emerged with stooped backs, only straightening up and wiping the sweat from their brows after walking a considerable distance.

"Do you think those two were just passing by and doing some inspection?" someone asked.

The other wiped the sweat dripping from the corner of his eye. The two men, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, had scared them half to death, and they were still feeling lingering fear. "Whatever, we'll see how it goes. Those two don't seem to be planning anything bad for us. As long as we make sure we don't get into any big trouble in the near future, we'll be fine."

"That's true. I'll take it back and decorate it to showcase the achievements of our city's development."

After the planetary government officials left one by one, the two men in the waiting room sighed simultaneously, their earlier bravado gone. They exchanged a glance, finding the helplessness in their companion's eyes both pitiful and lamentable.

"I feel like I look haggard again." Sigh, why "again"?

The man's face, which had been smiling, now showed only helplessness.

The person with the cold face wasn't entirely indifferent anymore; he rubbed his forehead and said, "There's just no way to deal with him."

They deliberately flew towards the civilian area to check on the prince's progress. Otherwise, who would be so bored as to patrol that area?

"We've been following His Highness around like a shadow for over ten years now, haven't we? Tell me, when will this ever end?"

"I want to know too."

The current Firehawk King has only one son and one daughter. Not long after his son became old enough to understand, he expressed that he had no interest in the throne and wanted to pursue his own freedom. As a result, he was beaten up by the Firehawk King, but no matter how much he was beaten, he could not shake the son's mind from his decision. Then, the miserable lives of a group of people began.

The right to inherit the throne in the royal family does not necessarily have to be the current king's biological son. Anyone with the bloodline of the Firehawk Fuvig has the right to inherit. Regardless of who it is, the successor must undergo a rigorous and lengthy selection process. The rulers of the Firehawk royal family cannot afford to make any mistakes.

The current Firehawk King had no intention of inheriting the throne. Despite his efforts to urge his son on for many years, he had made no progress. As his son grew older, his mind became increasingly unyielding, so he had no choice but to give up and select a few other outstanding sons to focus on developing.

Do not doubt the character of the current Firehawk King and Queen. The Firehawk King is definitely an excellent ruler, and the Queen is definitely a gentle and virtuous person.

When the princess was pregnant, she imagined how outstanding her child would become, but reality poured a bucket of ice water on her. By the time she came to her senses, the gentle and elegant daughter of her dreams had already raided bird nests, raced cars, and chased a five-meter-tall bear through the forest with an iron bar thicker than herself.

The son, on whom she had placed high hopes, also developed abnormally. During his school years, he skipped classes far more often than he attended school. His unreliable tendencies would occasionally twitch, and he would do things that were unimaginable to others.

At first, this prince, on whom high hopes were placed, simply ignored the opinions of the Firehawk King and Queen and followed the media to report on some important battlefield events. That goes without saying. Later, on a whim, he became an undercover agent. Strangely enough, given his seemingly foolish nature, the rioters never suspected this unconventional undercover agent until the end of the battle. They probably thought that undercover agents couldn't be that foolish.

Keep in mind that at that time, His Highness the Prince was receiving higher education. Which young person of that age wouldn't be striving to get high grades to pave the way for their future? Royal children of all bloodlines were vying to show off their abilities, and this was how His Highness the Prince did it?

Not to mention his father, the current Firehawk King, even the former Firehawk King was so angry that he smashed several flying machines. But it was no use. His Highness's perfectly filtered ears could always completely filter out anything he didn't want to hear from the Firehawk King and Queen. As for being beaten, he had become immune to it after so many years. His physical resilience was truly unmatched by his own kind.

In short, the things this unreliable prince did made King Firehawk angrier and angrier. He had been punished and even beaten, but the prince just wouldn't change his mind.

The Firehawk King said, "Give up on that idea!"

Your Highness: "There's nothing I can do, my heart just isn't shaped like a strip."

Firehawk King: "..."

After being physically punished for a tantrum.

Firehawk King's face was cold: "This is a one-time exception, and there will be no next time!"

However, in most cases, the "this is a one-time exception" is just nonsense. Once there is one, there will be two, and once there is two, there will be three. The prince, who was lying on the ground being beaten half to death, automatically filtered out this statement.

Each time the Prince was forced by the Firehawk King to write a letter of repentance, the writing improved with each passing year, employing all sorts of rhetorical devices. The writing itself was absolutely excellent, but the content was utter garbage. Even with heartfelt words of repentance throughout, it always boiled down to a promise like "I won't do it again."

Like this time, right after finishing his semester exams at school, he suddenly had a brain fart and ran to this small, poor place saying he wanted to experience life at the bottom of society.

Experience what?! Your Highness, you've experienced more of life's different things than all your subordinates combined!

Princess Consort sighed repeatedly, utterly perplexed. How could she, along with someone like King Firehawk and in an environment with the Firehawk royal family's influence, have allowed her children to develop into this way?

Finally, the princess attributed the cause to generational inheritance, a historical legacy, because the prince's grandfather had a similar personality, which is why he withdrew early in the struggle for the throne by the Firehawk King of that generation.

His grandfather wholeheartedly approved of the prince's actions, and on several occasions, it was this old man who instigated and assisted in the crimes. Thus, the current Firehawk King and the former Firehawk King worked together to separate the old man and the prince. These two, grandfather and grandson, were truly an anomaly in the Firehawk Fivig family. If these two anomalies were to cooperate, wouldn't that cause chaos?!

As long as His Highness the Prince didn't go looking for his grandfather, the Firehawk King let him cause trouble. As a result, the two people who followed behind the Prince to protect him and clean up the mess became haggard after that.

The two haggard-looking men were sighing to each other, while the prince they were talking about, who was intermittently having tantrums, was currently busy repairing the flying car with Xilin.

As Xilin had anticipated, everyone was preparing to try their luck in the city. All the cars that were damaged or had problems and were left idle rushed over for repairs. Many people on the repair street had already driven their cars to the city. So now, any repair shop that was open was doing very well. People no longer cared about the repair cost. What mattered was the quality and speed of the repair. If it was even a second late, people would feel like they had been taken advantage of. How could they accept that?

Old Chang is so busy taking orders that his hands are sore. These days, it's mostly Xilin and Peter who do the repairs. Old Chang only does the final check after the repairs are completed. Xilin and Peter repair the flying cars perfectly well, and in fact, they do a better job than Old Chang, and it takes less time.

Because Xilin hadn't focused on speed before, he had to restrain himself. But now that orders are coming one after another, he can't stop anymore. He's going from one car per hour to one car per half hour. Actually, he could do it even faster, within two minutes, but that would be too conspicuous. Xilin still has that much sense of proportion.

Butler's speed was also quite fast, basically repairing one flying car every half hour, which made Old Man Chang very happy. He felt like he had struck gold again.

Xilin felt that Pierre could actually repair it faster, but Pierre shared the same thought as Xilin: not to stand out too much, just to do a token job. So the two of them worked together to maintain a similar pace to complete the repair.

There are many people waiting in line for repairs, but the line moves quickly. Several repair shops have raised their prices, but Old Chang's shop hasn't raised its prices, or rather, the price increase isn't too significant.

Gray Cat wasn't in the mood to discuss programming issues with Chang Xiaowu. Instead, they were calculating today's earnings. As the numbers grew larger and larger, Gray Cat felt that its beloved fish cakes were swimming towards it from not far away.