“Of course not! Miscalculate? Pfft! “

Phyreel planted her hands on her hips.

“This was calculated based on top-tier pay of fifteen silver coins aweek, ” she said, flicking her fingers over the abacus. “Going by an average journey time of seven months, mandatory insurance and transit fees for the various countries—at minimum—dock two hundred silver coins upfront. Would you like to exchange an entire year’s salary under this rate? “

“Of course not. ” Yang Zicang shook his head decisively. “I’ve got a bit of savings stocked up; I think I’ll pass on exchanging this for now. “

“Just a heads-up, ” Philary returned the Fog Citizen ID, “this era is practically at its end. There’s no need to waste time on work. Besides, two hundred and twenty silver rounds is actually a pretty decent wage, you know—sweeping streets only gets you two copper coins a day. “

“Speaking of which, you still haven’t answered me—can I swap that piece of ‘antique mirror’ or whatever of yours for my Ether Name Card Beacon? “

“I… ” The girl’s face twisted back into a knot.

“Is there something wrong with that thing? ” Yang Zicang’s heart lurched. Had he overestimated the worth of his Name Card?

“No, it’s not that… It’s just… I— I was a waitress back on Earth. I don’t want… the whole universe to think I could only ever be a waitress… “

……

Just then, a young blond man with hair to his shoulders walked over from the side.

He looked about seventeen or eighteen, his face still youthful, yet there was a seasoned poise in his every gesture. He greeted Yang Zicang with a beaming smile.

“Hello, sir! Do you have something urgent on your plate right now? ” He gave a slight bow. “I’m Schmidt, the district liaison officer here. “

Yang Zicang had been about to leave, but stopped at the words. “Good day, Mr. Schmidt. Nothing urgent, actually. But I do need to see what I can do in town—maybe find some work. “

“Ah, that’s wonderful! ” Schmidt’s eyes lit up.

“Hmm? “

“Well, you see, I actually have a somewhat urgent assistance task here. Most people have already left by now. I was wondering if you might be free to lend a hand? In return, I can tell you some insider information about this world—the unspoken rules the folks have agreed upon among themselves. “

There were very few people left now. In the past, one could rely on exchanging favors and trading intelligence to get a wealth of information, but those conditions no longer yielded quick results. Hearing an employee here offer to share that information voluntarily, Yang Zicang, who had worked at Lost Illusion Company, knew it was like February. Di’an willingly giving away something that was originally a paid service for free.

After all, these were just a set of temporary rules that existed only until this era reached its destined conclusion.

“What kind of business do you need to handle? ” Yang Zicang asked.

Schmidt leaned in closer, his tone clear and accompanied by a smile.

“The Public Security Office and the Land Administration Office of White Violet City have recently been reclaiming some of the vacant land and houses that were abandoned during the exodus. However, they’ve run into resistance from villagers in a few settlements outside the city. “

Yang Zicang’s eyebrows twitched.

“The work has been grinding to a halt. The matter has escalated to the commander of the 47th Infantry Division, who just returned to defend White Violet City. “

“What are you suggesting…? “

“The battalion commander wasn’t interested in suppressing this-type civil dispute with military force. So, the people from the Land Administration Office brought us a formal request in Fogfolk’s rented settlement area, asking us to send a few people to help them complete the land surveying and pacify the locals. After all… “

Schmidt spread his hands, flashing a helpless yet slightly self-deprecating smile.

“Even if we take a few blows, it won’t cause us any serious injury, so we’re better suited to handling this kind of thing. “

Filo, behind the counter, propped her chin up casually and said, “It’s a pretty simple task, you know. If you’re interested, we’ll pay you ten silver coins once it’s done. Also, if you do a good job, we could ask the division commander for a well-paying job opportunity—normally, they’re quite happy to oblige. But, as I said before, that kind of thing will take you at least seven days. “

“There’s work involved? ” Yang Zicang’s interest was piqued a little. He didn’t have many silver coins left himself—though he was a wealthy man with a check of thirty thousand Heiwen guest silver coins. However, in the Grand Duchy, not a single bank would provide such an exchange service.

Yang Zicang stared at him. “What’s the maximum salary? “

“Hmm… ” Schmidt pondered for a moment, his eyes slanting downward before lifting back up, saying,

“We’ll need to finalize the details with the divisional headquarters. But going by usual practice, this kind of collaborative military work shouldn’t pay less than ten silver coins per week. And that’s an exceptionally generous salary—doesn’t cost them much. If you don’t have any more urgent arrangements, why not take this small errand to maintain a peaceful relationship between the military and the civilians? “

Ten silver coins per week, that came to five hundred and twenty silver coins a year… Yang Zicang quickly calculated in his head. This job was easier and higher-paying than leading a group across the continent—especially since his own leadership expeditions were basically a zero-profit venture monetary-wise. Still, he had recently obligated himself to take the Steffin spies to the inn and discuss the redistribution of rooms.

Seeing Yang Zicang’s hesitation, the blond Steffen gave Philry a slight nod. Philry pouted in dissatisfaction but still took out a small, cube-shaped crystal from behind the counter.

Yang Zicang noticed this district liaison officer pick up the little gadget and hold it in his palm.

“Mr. Zicang, if you’re willing to take this job and help us complete two more tasks later, you can exchange this for one millennium of temporal principal. Back in the day, you would have needed to finish pretty important work just to be eligible to exchange for it. “

“What is this? “

“Don’t you think we Fogfolk stand out here because of the shine of our models and our ears? The ears can be dealt with, but if we’re not careful with our models, they can blow our cover. Especially during missions where we need to blend in secretly as locals, the glow from our models is a huge, uncontrollable threat. “

He handed it over along with the documents. “You can sense it first—if you want to activate it right now, you’d need to put down one hundred thousand years of temporal principal with us. “

Three tasks plus a thousand years of temporal principal, versus a hundred thousand years of temporal principal as a deposit—very few would choose the latter when compared charge accounts.

“Besides, I bet you’re short on travel expenses too, Mr. Yang. With money, life’s always a lot easier, right? ” Philry chimed in again.

｛I touched the “Crystal of Serenity. “｝

Yang Zicang’s eyes lit up—so this was the thing… He recalled the man who had brewed him black tea; this must be something similar to the “Fragment of the Place of Serenity ” he possessed.

However… he furrowed his brow.

｛I, the Great Quadrilateral Ruò Jiě Róng “Quiescence Crystal “, can autonomously control whether to accept investments and communications from other Models.｝

Does that mean that while hiding its radiance, I would be unable to communicate with anyone?

There are benefits…

But not many.

Yang Zicang unfolded the document and read it carefully:

——Temporary Command and Management Office of the 47th Division garrisoned in White Violet City. Hereby requests Fogfolk from the White Violet Fogfolk Rent Zone to dispatch personnel to assist the “Land Administration Office ” in surveying and inventorying idle land and residential properties, as well as to soothe public sentiment and prevent escalation of conflicts.

Essentially, the document explained that due to frontline standoffs and coastal harassment, large numbers of residents from coastal villages and towns had fled.

The vacant land and houses they left behind had been coveted and occupied by nearby villagers or distant relatives, making recovery efforts difficult for the City Municipal Bureau, ultimately escalating the matter to the military.

“So, Mr. Yang, are you willing to take on this assignment? ” asked Fillery from behind the counter.

Yang Zicang flipped through several village census forms and other materials attached to the documents.

“It’s not about forcibly seizing land from existing residents, right? “

“That’s what the document states, ” Schmidt confirmed.

Yang Zicang hesitated no longer, signed his name on the documents—Yang Buchen—and returned the crystal to the other person.

Holding the signed documents, he walked out of the Moten Residents’ Rent Zone. A black sedan, with a backsloping shape like a beetle, was parked by the street. Two men in black trench coats, cigarettes pinched between their fingers, saw him coming out with paperwork. They immediately stubbed out their butts and strode swiftly toward him…

The snow had stopped. The pale sunlight poured down, carrying a biting chill.

Yang Zicang was taken to the “White Violet City Special Land Administration ” compound. As soon as he entered the yard, he spotted a wounded soldier with a sling on his arm and a face not looking too well.

“That brutal? “

“In the days before, would they ever have dared to do this? “

People there were grumbling curses under their breath.

Yang Zicang didn’t want to linger in this oppressive courtyard. After quickly learning the basic conditions of several target villages, he climbed aboard a truck. Together with the personnel dispatched by the Land Administration Hall, he headed to the first village, five or six miles outside the city.