Only I can make them stronger

"Then will I also join the firm as a clerk?"

Xia Ye nodded and continued to ask.

This is also one of his biggest concerns.

"That depends on you, Mr. Xia Ye. I don't have a clear understanding of your ability and combat capabilities, so I can't give you any advice."

"But if you want to live in this city, you have to find a job no matter what. Becoming Qianshi's clerk may be dangerous, but at least we can help you. It should be a pretty good identity."

"Is there any other work? To be honest, my physical fitness seems to be much worse than that of the aliens. A type 1 dog can easily take my life." Xia Ye frowned slightly.

It’s not that he had any objection to the identity of a clerk, he just wanted to understand more clearly how dangerous this job was for him.

"Too many to be imagined..." Luo Qi put the washed dishes into the cupboard, wiped her hands, sat back at the table, and continued:

“Everything a man can sell can become his job.”

"The strong have power, and can hunt monsters, complete commissions, or do some official tasks. As for ordinary people..."

"Porter, waiter, experimental subject, selling blood, decoy... these are jobs that ordinary people who have just arrived here usually come into contact with."

“They can be divided into nothing more than labor… and one’s own body, which are essentially what is necessary to survive in this city—urban merit.”

"City Merit?" Combining with Luo Qi's words, Xia Ye felt that this word sounded a bit ironic.

"If you want to maintain your residency, you must submit enough city merits to the government affairs center on tax day every month."

"Its core meaning is to prove to the Shia city-state that you are a useful person to the city."

11. The City on Top

"Those who fail to pay the residence tax for two consecutive months will be forcibly expelled from the city and will no longer have the right to stay permanently."

"People who are useful to the city... are being exploited blatantly." Xia Ye sighed after understanding the meaning of city merit.

Taxation based on income and mandatory taxation linked to residency are two completely different concepts.

In reality, this is pure tyranny.

But under this worldview, it is forced to become reasonable.

"Every city is made up of cold steel and powerful elements, but what actually burns as energy is blood and sweat." Luo Qi seemed to be deeply touched by Xia Ye's words.

"But at least the city does provide people with shelter and living space. Life in the wilderness is not that easy... Mr. Xia Ye should have deeply experienced this."

Xia Ye didn't say anything and could only nod to show his understanding.

"In addition, the extra city merits can also be exchanged for the common currency between city-states - [Takou] at a certain ratio. The ratio of the Shia city-state is usually 1:15."

“So, it can be said that urban merit is the only element for anyone to live in the city.”

"Although Qianshi Office has more than enough city merits in the Xia City-State, Mr. Xia Ye, you should also understand..."

"I understand. In this environment, if you want to have a normal life, you must have your own legitimate 'source of income'." Xia Ye interrupted Luo Qi.

Even if the other party is willing to support him, he cannot accept it.

He still understood the principle of no reward without merit, not to mention that if he wanted to become stronger, it would not work just by relying on others.

"I'm glad that Mr. Xia Ye can understand..." It seems that Luo Qi admires the "guts" shown by Xia Ye, and her smile deepened.

"Let's go to the government service center. I've almost determined the direction." Xia Ye nodded and stood up.

"I believe Mr. Xia Ye will be able to make the choice that suits him best." Luo Qi also stood up and walked towards the door.

………………

Not long after, the two arrived at the government affairs center.

This is a five-story building that looks much more imposing than the surrounding buildings. The overall style is somewhat European. There is a silver statue at the door, probably a role like a city manager.

There weren't many people in the hall, and those who occasionally passed by Xia Ye had different expressions on their faces.

Luo Qi seemed to be familiar with the place and took him to the counter and said:

"I am Luo Qi, the manager of Qianshi Agency—"

"This is a wanderer that my clerk met while on a mission in the wilderness. After communicating with him yesterday, he confirmed that he intends to stay in the Shia city-state."

The staff at the counter looked at Xia Ye, then took a few more glances at his skin exposed outside his clothes, then casually pulled out a form and handed it to him.

"Fill out the form, then go to the interview department. If you pass the residence qualification interview, you can stay. Otherwise, you must leave the Shia city-state within three days."

The form mostly contained some basic information such as name, age, previous cities of residence, etc. Xia Ye filled it out quickly at the counter.

"Mr. Xia Ye has decided to become Qian Shi's clerk?"

Luo Qi glanced at the message and smiled.

"Like you said, at least there are people who can help."

Xia Ye shrugged and asked, "Where is the interview department?"

"It's the second door in the corridor on the right. Mr. Xia Ye will have to go there by himself. I'll wait for you in the lobby."

Xia Ye nodded and walked straight in the direction Luo Qi pointed.

Soon, he found the door with a sign that said "Interview Department".

After knocking twice and hearing a voice from inside inviting him to come in, he opened the door and walked in.

The furnishings in the room were very simple, with only a desk, a sofa, two chairs and a bookcase full of files.

A gray-haired man was sitting behind a computer, typing away on the keyboard. Xia Ye came in without even looking up.

"I'm here for an interview for residence permit." Xia Ye frowned. The other party's attitude seemed too cold.

"I know, sit down." The man still didn't look up, but just pointed lightly to the chair opposite him.

Although Xia Ye felt very unhappy, due to the current identities of both parties, he could only sit down according to the other party's instructions and put the watch on the table.

The interviewer took the watch from under the computer screen, looked at it for a few seconds and said:

"You are very lucky. There are less than ten vacancies left in the Shia City-State. If you had come a day later, you would have been forced to squeeze out here."

"It's really an honor." Xia Ye said indifferently.

The other party's attitude clearly showed contempt, which also indirectly showed how unattainable the city was for most ordinary people on the Xia continent.

"Qianshi Law Firm is... a Class II β commissioned firm. Its corresponding resident status is also Class II, so it needs to pass qualification certification."

Luo Qi had already told him all the information about the residents' levels and office categories on the way.

Simply put, the higher the resident level, the more usage and purchasing rights the city will grant them, but correspondingly, the more city merit they need to submit each month.

A rather troublesome point in the Shia city-state is that the level of the residents is strictly linked to the content of the work they can do.

This also cut off Xia Ye's idea of obtaining a low-level identity and then making a profit by doing high-level work.

At the same time, as low-level residents, they cannot even stay overnight in most residential areas, and it is common for them to sleep on the streets at night.

Now he can live in Qianshi Office only because of his temporary status and the guarantee that Leah made when she brought him into the city. After three days, he will have to truly face the cruelty of this city.

In a game, Xia Ye would say this kind of setting is "rigorous, reasonable, and exciting!"

But when it came to himself, he just felt fucked up.

The Class II β agencies are the most common in the city. They make a living by completing non-high-risk and non-gray area commissions. The commissions they provide cover a relatively wide range, from hunting monsters and escorting transportation to finding lost pets or wallets.

In general, there are a lot of things he can do, so he chose to become a clerk.

"Are you sure you want to become a clerk at Qianshi Office? If you are, I will take you to take the qualification certification test now."

"Confirmed." Having made the decision, Xia Ye did not hesitate any longer and answered quickly.

"Follow me." After saying that, the interviewer stood up and walked out the door quickly.

Only then did Xia Ye finally see what the other person's face looked like.

An ordinary face, his eyes have never been on me for even a second from the beginning to now.

12. The value of +2

In an empty room, the interviewer held a form and whispered to himself:

"No signs of infectious disease infection. Inhuman factor No. 13, characterized by extremely high inspiration, strong explosive power and certain healing ability..."

Just now, the interviewer took Xia Ye through a device similar to a customs inspection gate, and soon, a data list appeared in his hands.

As for the reason why the instrument can accurately detect the alien factor in Xia Ye, it is because of Luo Qi.

In order to prevent people from suspecting that Xia Ye, a human being, could use supernatural powers, Luo Qi gave him a special drug.

This drug can disguise one's physical signs and internal structure. "Special people" like Luoqi and Liya also take it every once in a while on weekdays.

In this way, Xia Ye can, at least most of the time, use his abilities in front of outsiders without any worries.

"Then, let's evaluate the healing and destructive power."

"First of all, it's the healing ability." The interviewer decisively took out a paper cutter and casually cut a line on his arm.

For a moment, blood gushed out.

"Damn, how much are you paid? You're working so hard for an interview?" Xia Ye thought in shock when he saw this scene.

This man did what he said he would do, and he remained calm even after cutting such a big cut. He really admired him.

"Please hurry up. If there is too much blood, it will be difficult to clean up. It will be even worse if it gets on clothes."

The interviewer's rather impatient voice brought him back to his senses.

"Okay..." At this point, Xia Ye quickly activated the healing effect of his ability, and a ball of white flame quietly rose on his fingers.

"Flame?" The interviewer frowned.

He didn't seem to have the impression that he had never seen this form of healing ability.

However, there is still a large gap in the research on extraordinary people in various cities, and it is normal for unknown situations to occur, so he didn't care too much and just moved his arm closer to Xia Ye.

"Bah!"

The white flame came into contact with the bleeding wound, making a sound similar to that of barbecue.

But the warm temperature relaxed the interviewer's brow a lot.

As Xia Ye's fingers moved, the wound was healing rapidly, without even a trace of trauma left on the skin.

The wound was not serious, and Xia Ye spent less than ten points of mental energy to heal it. He asked with ease:

“Is this effect considered qualified?”

The interviewer raised his fully restored arm and looked around in surprise for a long time, then for the first time focused his gaze on Xia Ye.

qualified?

This is simply perfect!

He had never seen a healing ability that could instantly treat wounds to such an extent!

This strange person is very unusual!

Suddenly, the interviewer's eyes became hot.

"What...what happened?"

Xia Ye was somewhat flattered by the other party's burning gaze, and for a moment he did not understand his attitude.

"No, it's nothing. Let's move on to the next test - the destructive test."

The interviewer withdrew his gaze, stood up and snapped his fingers. The originally empty floor in the middle suddenly split apart, and a black hexagonal crystal slowly rose from the ground.

"This is a test device made of the muscles, bones and energy core of a Devil Beast. It is strong enough to withstand destructive forces below twenty equivalents. It is a common device used for Level II resident identity authentication."

"Don't be nervous. With your current performance, you can pass the resident certification even if your destructive test performance is average. It's just that we need to record comprehensive data for the sake of process."

It was obvious that the other party's attitude changed drastically after Xia Ye showed off his skills.

In the city-state of Xia, people with strength will be treated preferentially wherever they go.

Especially for the interviewers, if the residents who have passed their interviews make outstanding contributions in the future or can maintain tax payments for a very long time without arrears, they will also receive corresponding rewards and commissions.

Therefore, in the eyes of the interviewer, Xia Ye has transformed from an ordinary man into his own performance.

"It looks like it's stable..."