Star Hunter.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Entering the City

Chapter Twenty-Four: Entering the City

Lazy tune

Title:

Please log in and read. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Chapter Twenty-Four: Entering the City

Thanks to the Fiery Eagle, Old Chang's repair shop now earns over ten thousand yuan a day, and on one peak day it even reached thirty thousand.

Thirty thousand Lansa coins might not be much to many people in the city, but in this area it was an astronomical price. Old Man Chang was so excited that he couldn't sleep for several nights. At this rate, he could finally raise enough money for Chang Xiaowu's medical expenses.

Seven days later, after finishing his day's work, Old Man Chang settled Xilin and Peter's wages for the past few days after dinner. Xilin's wages were agreed upon beforehand, while Peter's were calculated based on performance and other factors as previously stated.

After dividing it up like this, Xilin got 50,000, Bile got 20,000, and Old Man Chang got nearly 100,000. Originally, Old Man Chang wanted to give them more, but Xilin and Bile refused. In addition, they needed to save money for Chang Xiaowu's medical treatment, so Old Man Chang didn't say much, but he took care of all the food and other necessities.

The gray cat licked its paws as it pondered when Xilin could go to town to buy some dried fish cakes; it had been missing them quite a bit.

"By the way, I noticed today that we're running out of some parts. Several major clients need a few key parts for their flying cars' repairs these days, and I've checked, but it seems like we don't have those parts in this area. I guess we'll have to make a trip to the city," Xilin said.

The gray cat's ears stood up instantly, and its eyes shone as it looked at Xilin.

Old Man Chang nodded and handed 20,000 to Xilin directly. Xilin didn't refuse; given Old Man Chang's personality, he couldn't refuse such money. After accepting the money, he asked what else he needed to buy. Old Man Chang thought for a moment and listed them one by one. However, the most important thing was to ask Xilin to help him find a major hospital in the city. A few years ago, when he inquired, a full treatment would cost at least 100,000 Lansa coins, not including the subsequent rehabilitation treatment. He just didn't know what the current market price was.

"Okay, I'll go ask."

Xilin recently checked Chang Xiaowu's physical condition, and after treatment with buffer medication, he has indeed improved a lot, at least the success rate of the comprehensive treatment project will be much higher. In addition, Chang Xiaowu's mentality has been quite good recently, and he laughs more often, which is a good sign.

"Then I'll be in charge tomorrow!" Peter said eagerly, patting Xilin on the shoulder. "With me here, you can go without worry!"

Xilin: "..." Why does this sound so awkward?

Knowing that Xilin was going to enter the city, Chang Xiaoqi couldn't sleep all night. He was even more excited than Chang Xiaoba was last time, which made Chang Xiaoliu and Chang Xiaoba envious.

They've never been to the city before, even though they've grown up.

The next morning, Xilin carried Chang Xiaoqi onto the passenger flying bus bound for the city, since it was difficult for Old Man Chang's dilapidated flying bus to fly into the city.

The passenger shuttle buses have been overcrowded lately. Many extra buses have been added, and prices have skyrocketed, but so far, every single one is full. If you're even slightly slow, you won't get a seat. Before, people could squeeze in as many passengers as possible, but now the city entrances are strictly inspected. Overloading is repeatedly prohibited, and if an overloaded vehicle is caught, it's not just a matter of a fine; the shuttle bus will be impounded, and the driver will face criminal charges. So now everyone is behaving themselves.

Many of the passengers on the passenger shuttle bus were going to the city to try their luck. When Xilin was at the repair shop, he often heard the waiting passengers talking about the latest happenings in the city, who had gotten lucky, who had won the favor of whom, and so on. Each story was more exciting than the last.

Whether those rumors were true or not, more and more people were heading to the city to try their luck. Those who had previously hesitated were now restless after hearing the rumors, packing their things and rushing to the city. Even owners of well-performing repair shops couldn't stay put; they closed their shops and hurried to the city. Even with booming business, wasn't it still just the life of a lower-class commoner? Generations of people in this small, impoverished place had been tending to this shop. If they could gain the favor of nobles, if they could get an opportunity, who would care about this small shop?

So Old Chang's shop made a fortune, buying large quantities of parts and other supplies several times at very low prices. He made a killing.

Even on the bus, the passengers' conversations revolved around those few success stories. They spoke as if they had been there themselves, their voices filled with passion and barely concealing their envy and longing.

Chang Xiaoqi was a restless person. After getting on the bus, she leaned against the window to look at the scenery outside. Even the most boring natural scenery could be viewed with great interest.

  

"Look, look! That's the Star Tower!" a passenger exclaimed excitedly.

"Really...?"

"Let me see! Let me see!"

For a moment, the passengers in the car stopped talking about what they had been discussing and pressed their faces against the windows, looking out. There were images on the display screen, but after all, it wasn't something they could see with their own eyes. Only seeing it in person would be something worth showing off.

The Star Tower is the tallest tower on this planet and a landmark building in the city. When you see the Star Tower, it means that the city is not far away.

Seeing Chang Xiaoqi squish her face so much it was almost like a pancake, Xilin laughed and patted Chang Xiaoqi's head, "What's the rush? You'll be able to see it clearly in a bit."

"Mmm!" Chang Xiaoqi responded, but her little face was still pressed against the window, looking out. "I wish Xiao Liu, Xiao Ba, and Fifth Brother could see this."

"It's okay, we'll come together next time."

"Really?!"

"real."

"Okay!" Chang Xiaoqi smiled brightly, all the guilt and regret she had felt earlier vanished in an instant.

After entering the city, Chang Xiaoba was very quiet, as Old Man Chang had told them not to talk nonsense in the city. Although he remained silent, his eyes were restless, constantly darting around.

The passenger flying car was parked in a parking lot on the edge of the city. This parking lot was set up for flying cars that came here from the civilian area. Looking around, everyone was dressed similarly, but you couldn't tell the difference here.

Outside the city, there are also private estates or large factories owned by wealthy families, but those people and factories have designated parking lots inside the city, and the conditions are much more luxurious, unlike the crowded and dilapidated conditions here.

Moreover, the small shops around the parking lot are almost not entirely owned by urban residents. Like the client that Band introduced, they only live on the outskirts of the city. But even so, they feel an absolute sense of superiority compared to the working-class area.

As for the people who live entirely in the city, they have always looked down on the people here. If they are passing by, they will usually take a detour because they think this place is full of filth and would lower their status.

The station was crowded, especially at the exit, where people were constantly coming and going.

Xilin carried Chang Xiaoqi out of the parking lot. There were no taxis inside the station, and very few taxis in the area. It was as if there was a plague here, and people avoided them. However, as soon as you walked a little further and turned a corner, you would see more and more taxis.

So these people weren't really against money; they were just concerned about saving face, acting as if they were afraid people would say they had connections with the locals. Before coming, Xilin had inquired about the situation here. In the civilian district, identification wasn't difficult to obtain. Xilin spent some money to get a fake temporary ID. Anyway, in the city, people without identification were basically treated the same as those in the civilian district. They wouldn't bother to thoroughly check someone with civilian status.

After verifying their identities, Xilin carried Chang Xiaoqi out of the station and followed the route they had inquired about. After walking a short distance and turning a corner, they saw a taxi parked there.

Xilin hailed a taxi and gave a directions.

"Three hundred," the driver said without turning his head.

Three hundred... No wonder people from the working-class areas used to be afraid to go to the city; they couldn't afford taxis here.

After Xilin paid the fare, the driver reluctantly started the flying car.

Traffic control in the city is very strict now, so it will take about an hour to get to the place Xilin mentioned. An hour is neither a long nor a short time. Perhaps the driver was bored, so he started a conversation with Xilin. Although he started it, his tone was not very pleasant, and he had a sense of superiority about him.

"You're here to try your luck too, aren't you?" the driver asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"No, I need to buy some parts. The store is running low on parts." Xilin said with a smile, as if he hadn't heard the driver's tone.

The driver, familiar with the situation, immediately recognized Xilin's words and gave an understanding "Oh": "It's good that you had the self-awareness to not get involved in this matter. How could nobles choose someone from the commoners' district? It's laughable!"

Xilin remained silent, and the driver continued to earnestly recount some of the delusional things that ordinary people from outside the city had done after entering the city. Xilin simply listened with a smile, occasionally responding, without offering his own opinion. The driver probably didn't want to hear Xilin's opinion either, and just talked to himself.

The flying car finally arrived at the place Xilin had mentioned. It was a parts market. For the city's high-end residents, this was a bustling area, but they didn't come here often. When their flying cars broke down, they would just send them directly to the repair shop. They didn't bother with parts or anything like that.

As for those with a lower standard of living, they often still buy the essential parts themselves to save money. Those who don't have much money sometimes secretly go to working-class neighborhoods for repairs.

Replacing the same parts in the city costs more than three times as much as repair shops in the working-class area. Perhaps the quality of repairs in the city is indeed guaranteed to a certain extent, but many people with limited incomes prefer cheaper repairs.

Arriving at the auto parts market, it was much busier than the auto parts street in the working-class area. Just by glancing around from the outside, Xilin could see many high-end parts, and the shops were much more spacious. As for the prices, they were absolutely high.

Xilin mainly deals in used parts; if he used new parts in Old Chang's shop, customers might not be willing to accept it.

As Xilin walked towards the secondhand parts store, some people around him cast disdainful glances his way.

"He looks like a kid from a working-class neighborhood. He doesn't have money to buy spare parts?"

"He's destined to buy secondhand parts."

"Tch, why bother with all that? Let's talk about our trip to the casino last time..."

The voices of those people weren't particularly loud in the noisy city, but Xilin could still hear them clearly and simply ignored what they were saying.

Walking into a second-hand parts store, it's not particularly eye-catching among the many shops. But if I had to say what's special about it, it's the order in which the shop owner arranges the parts. Many parts sellers aren't necessarily familiar with the specific uses of these parts, and the parts they display are arranged according to personal preference, however they look good.

However, the shop owner arranged the parts in a different order. To a layman, it might seem like the owner has poor aesthetic sense, as the arrangement of the parts is unattractive. But those familiar with repairs will notice that the parts are arranged according to the assembly order, demonstrating the shop owner's expertise in repairs.

When Xilin entered, the shop owner was engrossed in drawing something and barely paid attention to the customers. Only two crude-looking service robots were handling the customers. The prices of the parts were all marked and not open to negotiation.

There weren't many customers in the shop. Compared to other shops, this secondhand parts shop was less popular. However, the shop owner didn't seem to care. He was hunched over the table, doodling on paper instead of using an electronic tablet. He would sometimes frown and sometimes smile. Several customers had originally planned to chat with the shop owner, but seeing him like this, they gave up the idea and left.

The shop owner was a middle-aged man, somewhat wealthy, who seemed completely unconcerned about the customer leaving and went about his own business.

Previously, Xilin had only glanced at the arrangement of the parts from the outside, but now that he had come in, he noticed that some of the tiny parts were arranged in a specific order, which showed that the shop owner was somewhat obsessive about the placement of the parts.

Xilin put Chang Xiaowu down and looked at the prices of several parts he needed. They were not bad, at least not as expensive as the previous stores. Although the previous stores were slightly more expensive, they were negotiable. Here, however, it was just a final price, and the prices of some parts were similar to the initial prices of the other stores. No wonder this place was not very popular.

As Xilin examined the parts on display, several more people left the store, leaving Xilin as the only customer. The store became much quieter. Even a service robot came over to assist him, but it didn't explain the function of each part to Xilin.

After scanning the area, Xilin said to the service robot, "I need the inner casing rotator blade #3, the JVII primary actuator, and the PV5 metal contact wire..."

Xilin described the parts he needed, and one of the robots began to retrieve them.

But just as Xilin stated the parts he needed, the shop owner, who had been engrossed in his work, suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming. He laughed heartily, put down his pen, and said, "You're quite the expert!"

The portly shop owner turned to the robot that was picking up the goods and said, "20% off."

Xilin looked at the fat shopkeeper with surprise; he was quite an interesting person.

The chubby shop owner walked over and looked at Xilin and Guaiguai, who were standing to the side, watching Chang Xiaoqi with curious eyes as she looked at the two service robots. He took out a bag of unopened candy from his pocket and handed it to Chang Xiaoqi, but Chang Xiaoqi swallowed and did not take it. Instead, he looked at Xilin.

"Take it, this is the shop owner's kind offer," Xilin said.

Chang Xiaoqi then accepted the bag of candy and politely said, "Thank you, Uncle!"

"Oh, you're welcome," the chubby shopkeeper chuckled, rubbing his large belly covered in thick fat. "I have one habit: I like to eat candy when I'm thinking. It gives my brain more energy to think about problems, so I always put a bag of candy in my pocket when I'm drawing. Hehe, that's how my belly grew."

Don't be fooled by the chubby shop owner's aloof demeanor at first glance; once you look at his mouth, you'll see that he's actually a lively person.

Xilin noticed that the bag of candy didn't look cheap; the price of just that bag of candy might be equivalent to a good used spare part. It seemed the shop owner had some wealth.

The portly shopkeeper chatted with Xilin about the parts. He was always friendly to people who knew their stuff, and he didn't look down on Xilin for saying that they came from a working-class area outside the city. However, there were many differences between them.

"I know there are some talented people on that repair street outside the city. My father has a saying: geniuses are often hidden among the common people."

Xilin smiled but didn't say anything.

The portly shop owner chatted with Xilin about some aspects of flying car repair, but then said with a troubled expression, "Some models I painstakingly made a few days ago were smashed. Otherwise, I could have shown them to you; maybe you could have given me some inspiration. Inspiration is a fickle thing; it just won't appear when you really need it!"

Listening to the fat shop owner's complaints, Xilin felt that this fat shop owner was quite special. He loved racing cars, or rather, he loved designing racing cars, but his family looked down on his hobby. They would send people over to sabotage him and destroy the models he had worked so hard to make. This shop could only be kept open when the fat shop owner threatened to kill himself.

After the robot neatly arranged the parts, it handed them to Xilin, who then took his leave, as he had other matters to attend to. The portly shopkeeper told Xilin to come back next time he was in town, as he might be able to see his newly made flying car model then.

After leaving, Xilin went to a large hospital in the center of the city to find out what was going on.

Standing in another building not far from that large hospital were two people, the very same two whom the planetary government leaders had treated with such respect.

"Is that the kid?"

"Yes, our prince is currently enjoying life at his home."

"Sigh, it seems that His Highness is going to experience a life of poverty this time. It's rare for the Firehawk royal family to produce such a strange creature who can afford fine food but also swallow coarse food."

"A life of poverty? Not necessarily. From what I understand, our arrival caused a commotion in the working-class area, and that repair shop is doing booming business. I doubt the poor and destitute can even feel it."

"When will those personnel Your Highness mentioned be transferred over?"

"In the next few days."