Chapter 216: Middleman
Lin Ye sat in the reserved private room. Here, he only needed to enjoy the delicious food while the service staff handled everything else. There was a certain interval between each dish, and the staff wouldn't serve the next course until he finished the current one, yet every dish was cooked to perfection.
Xiao Bai sat opposite Lin Ye. She hadn't originally wanted to sit down and eat, but Lin Ye didn't like having someone watch him while he dined.
"The flavor is truly excellent, and they're all my preferred tastes and foods. Does the system even collect this kind of information?"
Lin Ye disliked sour and numbing flavors, leaning more toward salty and spicy tastes, and these dishes clearly took his preferences into account.
"The system collects all information and utilizes it when needed."
Xiao Bai picked up a middle section of chicken wing and placed it in Lin Ye's bowl. She knew he favored that part.
"So, is it the system I'm conversing with now, or the bionic maid Xiao Bai?"
Lin Ye didn't feel his privacy was being violated. The fact that the system cared for him so much indicated he held some value to it.
"The system is a vast collective. I am part of the system, an endpoint for the system's interaction with the external world, and I am also the bionic maid Xiao Bai."
Xiao Bai slowly ate the parts Lin Ye wasn't as fond of. As for why those parts were on the plate—for humans, consistently eating only their favorite portions would make those parts seem ordinary. "Then can I ask you questions related to the system?"
Lin Ye was curious about how far Xiao Bai's capabilities extended.
"No. Within the Rest Area, I can only provide you with services related to relaxation. I don't recommend you try to find loopholes in the system; that would be a waste of your precious time."
Xiao Bai replied.
"Alright, I won't ask then."
Lin Ye also had no intention of seeking out system loopholes, because even if he could find one, exploiting system vulnerabilities was extremely dangerous behavior.
At most, he would use the Shelter to handle some external threats. That wasn't a loophole—it was the system's security mechanism.
After the two finished their delicious lunch, just as Lin Ye prepared to leave the room, a knocking sound came from the door.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
Lin Ye felt somewhat puzzled. The dishes had all been served, and if there was nothing else, the service staff wouldn't disturb them.
"There's a gentleman outside who wishes to see you. Would you like to meet him?"
The service staff entered the private room and spoke.
"Let him in."
The other party had politely waited until he finished lunch, so of course Lin Ye wouldn't refuse outright.
The service staff left the room, and before long, a young man wearing a light golden formal suit pushed open the private room door.
"Hello, Mr. Lin. You may call me the Middleman."
The young man sat at the side of the dining table and handed Lin Ye a light golden business card.
"Middleman? What business do you have with me?"
Lin Ye accepted the card. It had no name or contact information, only characters representing "Middleman."
"Nothing at the moment, but that may change in the future. I hope you can become my client. You can tell me about any needs you have. Perhaps I can't solve them myself, but some of my other clients might be able to address your problems. As for me, I only charge a modest fee for acting as the intermediary."
The Middleman said with a smile.
"Can you acquire items from some dangerous Planes?"
Lin Ye put away the business card. He didn't mind becoming the other's client, provided the Middleman was truly reliable and not some shady intermediary who only knew how to scam people.
"I have clients in many dangerous Planes. Which dangerous Plane's items are you seeking?"
The Middleman naturally understood Lin Ye's meaning—he needed to prove his capability.
"Anything except the Abyss. The Red Sea, Emerald Capital, Gray World... preferably items that aren't extremely dangerous but still have research value."
Lin Ye needed to make contact with other dangerous Planes. His basement contained collections from those Planes, but those collections were too hazardous—studying them might trigger uncontrollable, unknown risks.
"...I may need to upgrade your client level. I can indeed acquire the items you want, but the acquisition process would incur considerable costs, all of which would need to be covered by you. Therefore, I don't recommend you obtain that category of dangerous items through me."
The Middleman seemed slightly troubled, but he quickly proposed a relatively reliable suggestion.
"If you wish to rid yourself of the Abyss's influence, I recommend you purchase water from the Pure Sea and use it with a memory storage device. This is currently the best method to escape the Abyss."
"Never mind. I have no desire to wash away my memories; feels like I'd turn into a fool."
Lin Ye didn't believe the water from that Pure Sea could sever the connection between him and that Abyssal Evil God.
"As you wish. Do you have any other requirements?"
The Middleman maintained his smile with effort. This was the first time he'd encountered such a troublesome second-tier client.
"That's all. If I have needs, I'll contact you."
Although the other's capabilities seemed average, Lin Ye decided to give him a chance.
"Very well, then I won't waste any more of your time... It's best if you don't visit the Rest Area too frequently."
Before leaving, the Middleman added one more comment.
"Why?"
Although Lin Ye had his own thoughts about the Rest Area, he was willing to listen to others' advice.
"Those who can come to the system's Rest Area to relax are all the Survivors with the greatest potential. However, treatment here varies based on the system's evaluation. I've seen many Survivors who wasted their time here and ended up sleeping on the streets. Some of them were my clients, and ultimately, they were all eliminated. I believe the system established the Rest Area not to let Survivors rest, but to eliminate those with weak resolve in advance. I hope you won't be eliminated by the system."
The Middleman had said these words to every Survivor who could become his client, because each client was an asset to him. Yet, some still became addicted to the comfortable illusion, eventually disappearing from his client list.
This was truly "survival comes from hardship, death comes from ease."
"I understand."
Lin Ye certainly wouldn't relax his guard. If he had known about the Rest Area's nature beforehand, he might not have even entered.
But after interacting with Xiao Bai, Lin Ye had a faint sense that the Rest Area might not be as simple as it appeared on the surface.
So from now on, he would set aside time each day to come here and rest for an hour or two.
After seeing off the Middleman, Lin Ye returned to the hotel room with Xiao Bai. Unlike the Game Room, in the Rest Area, only by lying on the hotel room bed could he return to the Shelter.
"Will you still come here?"
Xiao Bai stood beside the bed, calmly watching Lin Ye as he lay down.
"Of course. Tomorrow I plan to go shopping at the mall. It's a pity the things here can't be taken back to the Shelter."
Lin Ye said regretfully.
"You could stay here forever. This is also a Safe Zone."
Xiao Bai gazed intently at Lin Ye. She didn't want him to leave.
"Let's forget that. I have no desire to sleep on the streets."
Lin Ye closed his eyes, allowing his consciousness to sink into another world.