Chapter 127 - Auntie Nan (2/2)

“Same old rules.” Jiang Baimian pulled out the brass key to the room by the street. “I’ll share a room with Shang Jianyao. The two of you will share a room.”

She had to look after Shang Jianyao personally to prevent him from doing anything during his bouts of brain spasms.

For example, turning on his speaker and disturbing the people living nearby late at night.

For example, he would jump out of the window and ‘participate’ when he heard a commotion on the streets.

Bai Chen was clearly unable to deal with Shang Jianyao.

Without giving Shang Jianyao a chance to speak, Jiang Baimian flipped her wrist and looked at her electronic watch. “There’s still ten minutes to 12:30. Everyone, make the best use of your time to take a tactical shower and change your clothes. We will then head out for a meal and contact the intelligence agents.”

Jiang Baimian preferred electronic watches over mechanical watches because they had more functions.

To this day, the Old Task Force’s members could be considered well-trained. They each took two minutes to finish their shower and change into clothes that were closer to those of ordinary Ruin Hunters and Weed City civilians.

Shang Jianyao wore a short, dark-blue down jacket. The material was slightly old, but it wasn’t that shriveled. For his bottoms, he wore a thick pair of pants made of a thick, blue, diagonal-patterned cloth. It had very little impact on his actions.

Long Yuehong was wearing a black cotton jacket that reached his thighs; Jiang Baimian was in the same style as him, and Bai Chen was wearing a gray windproof suit that just covered her armed belt.

Their pants were about the same as Shang Jianyao’s. The men wore brown, high-heeled leather shoes, and the women wore short, black boots.

These were perks issued by the company for employees who needed to carry out missions on the surface during winter.

“Hide your pistols well.” Bai Chen pulled the scarf around her neck and reminded them, “In Weed City, there’s a relatively strange ban—’don’t let the patrolmen see your weapons.’”

Those placed in gun shops didn’t count.

“They aren’t forbidden, but we can’t let the patrolmen see them?” Long Yuehong asked in surprise.

“Yes.” Bai Chen nodded. “The first time they see it, they will confiscate your weapons. The second time they see it, they will lock you up for a month. The third time they see it, you’ll be locked up for three months before being expelled from the city. You will also be deemed ‘unwelcome.’ This will also result in the deduction of your credit with the Hunter’s Guild.”

“How strange. Can’t they just ban guns?” Long Yuehong expressed his confusion.

For example, Pangu Biology had a clear gun ban.

“I don’t know why,” Bai Chen replied calmly.

Jiang Baimian smiled. “In many places, there are similar restrictions that puzzle people. Every restriction has a very deep historical reason.”

“What’s the reason for Weed City’s restriction?” asked Long Yuehong.

Jiang Baimian shot him a glance. “I don’t know either. I hope I can find an answer later. Doing such digging is a form of pleasure.”

In fact, she had a certain guess. However, it was difficult to say it without confidence.

After chatting about this topic, Jiang Baimian looked at Shang Jianyao—who was crazily giving hints by rubbing his stomach—and chuckled. “Let’s go. Time for our meal.”

Upon hearing this, Shang Jianyao turned around first and walked along the cold corridor to the stairwell.

After going down to the parking lot, Bai Chen pointed at the jeep. “We have to exchange stuff for coins.”

“How do we exchange?” Long Yuehong always asked questions for anything he didn’t know. He was an excellent student.

“At the municipal building, there’s a row of ‘kiosks.’ You can use different supplies to exchange for local money. If you aren’t afraid of trouble and have acquaintances, you can go to the Hunter’s Guild, a bar, a teahouse, or a nightclub to exchange for money in the underground market. It will give a better rate,” Bai Chen explained simply. “In Weed City and in First City’s sphere of influence, all open transactions can be done using their currency.”

“Is that so…” Long Yuehong suddenly had a sense of anticipation because this was something he had never experienced before. It was very refreshing.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go to the kiosk. It’s best not to make contact with the underground factions here before establishing contact with the company’s intelligence personnel.”

Bai Chen had no objections. She pointed at the remaining cans, energy bars, and compressed biscuits and inquired, “How much do we bring?”

“What’s your take?” Jiang Baimian had always respected the judgment of those with authority.

“Half,” Bai Chen answered without hesitation. “The value of the coins here often fluctuates. It’s safer to keep more supplies with us.”

“Fluctuation?” Long Yuehong questioned curiously.

Bai Chen casually replied, “In First City, the one with the smallest denomination is Cass, followed by Drace, and the largest is Oray. Under normal circumstances, one company contribution point is equivalent to 2c when it comes to buying supplies. 1d is equivalent to 10c, and one 1o is equivalent to 10d. Yes, that means that 1o can buy one pound of raw pork, but sometimes, they can only buy eight ounces. Sometimes, it can buy one pound and two ounces, or more.”

Cass, Drace, and Oray were words in the Red River language. They originated from the names of a few leaders back when First City was established. 1c, 1d, and 1o—were the simplified way of calling them in Ashlandic.

The official language in Weed City was the Red River language, but the commoners mainly spoke Ashlandic.

“In that case, won’t we earn a sum sometimes?” Long Yuehong asked with great acumen.

“That’s right.” Jiang Baimian smiled. “In the Old World, this is a specialized trade. Now, it doesn’t matter if you occasionally earn money. Those who do it for a living will be directly dragged out to face a firing squad.”

“Cannon fire,” Bai Chen corrected.

This was First City’s habit of punishing such people. They would finish off one batch at a time.

Long Yuehong hissed and took a deep breath of cold air. He deeply felt a chill run down his spine.

This time, Jiang Baimian heard someone’s stomach rumble without Shang Jianyao’s hint. She smiled and ended the topic before pointing outside. “Move the things up!”