Starting Cultivation in Wasteland

Qu Jianlei asked about it, and to his surprise, the overnight rate wasn't expensive at all, only three hundred silver coins.

When he thought about the "Adventurer's Bar" on Star No. 4, the expenses there were much higher, and that's still at the edge of the Imperial territory.

So he simply chose a private room, which required a minimum spend of only five hundred; he could still afford that.

He didn't hold back on spending and ended up spending just over six hundred, leading the waiter to actually ask if he wanted a lady to accompany him for drinks.

Is the living cost in Pan Shi City really this low? Qu Jianlei felt a bit surprised.

But he didn't dwell on it, declined the waiter's offer, and began sipping his drink slowly.

After all, he urgently needed some time to let the little pond gather information on the Star Realm.

Before he knew it, the night had passed, and Qu Jianlei gained some understanding of the Star Realm, especially Celestial Sharp Star.

Living on this planet, identity checks are quite strict.

Without being a resident of this planet, anyone from the same Star Realm staying more than a month needs to apply for a temporary residence permit.

If they are visitors from the Outer Star Realm, the time is even shorter, more than fifteen days without applying for a permit will lead to punishment if discovered.

But Qu Jianlei's thought process was different from others.

He thought that since identity checks are strict, it means many people are concealing their identities!

It's like the drunk driving laws in the Divine Land; without a common phenomenon, how could corresponding laws exist?

As dawn approached, he left the bar and found a restaurant outside for breakfast.

Then he spent four hours walking to an old street in the suburbs.

This place is called "Gunman Valley," and it was said to have produced gunslingers hundreds of years ago—not only with firearms but also cold weapons.

Unfortunately, with the passage of time, now there are no gunslingers, and even the valley is almost flattened.

However, it now has a new name, "Talent Supply Center," not an official term, but that's what many people call it.

The people of Celestial Sharp Star all know that there are buyers and sellers here, and no matter what kind of talent and buyer, they could exist.

This center isn't recognized by the government, but it does exist, and it's not small in scale.

The area covers about four to five square kilometers, with not many high-rise buildings, mainly three to four-story houses and large areas of bungalows.

When Qu Jianlei saw this information, he instinctively thought it was a black market and was ready to enter the slum area.

But when he arrived, he was slightly surprised.

Though the buildings were old, they were quite clean and tidy, and the streets, though bustling with people, were well-ordered.

This means the managers are quite capable, and Qu Jianlei knew very well how difficult it is to manage such a mixed area.

He had taken only a few steps when a young woman approached him with a smile and spoke up.

"Friend, you look unfamiliar. Are you here to buy or sell?"

Qu Jianlei glanced at her indifferently and kept walking, ignoring her.

Daring to ask about buying and selling like this, she's ninety percent likely a broker.

He didn't reject brokers, even willing to spend money for a commercial guide, but right now, he wanted to tread carefully since it's an unfamiliar place.

The woman was a bit taken aback and sulked, "Just a C-level, what's there to be proud of."

That's right, the cultivation level Qu Jianlei displayed was just a C-level Gold Attribute.

He no longer pretended to be a Modified Warrior; being low-key is important, but being too low-key can make one underestimated.

He continued walking into the area and was approached by a few more people asking questions, but he still ignored them.

Some, seeing this, no longer wished to inquire further—it seemed that even if he didn't have connections, he was very cautious.

After walking six or seven hundred meters, there were no more brokers soliciting him; instead, he saw signs from small shops along the streets.

The content on the signs was varied—some offered guards, others professional talents, and some even promised to solve various problems.

The problem-solving methods might not necessarily be physical, as some signs specifically emphasized "comprehensive problem-solving abilities."

Some signs even openly stated—"Various beautiful women available, can be customized"!

In short, it was quite bizarre; after all, talent doesn't only mean Superpower Warriors are considered talent.

Correspondingly, where there were signs offering talents, there were also those seeking talents.

Some shop signs even clearly stated they were brokers, "No fee unless successful."

Though it looked a bit disorderly with all sorts of advertisements, these ads were legit, no illegal stickers around.

There weren't even any illuminated signboards.

This doesn't mean the Imperial people didn't know how to use lightbox advertisements—when even the Hope Star Realm had them everywhere, how could Celestial Hook Star Realm not?

It showed that the managers here indeed had their methods, even controlling the cityscape so well.

In the middle of the day, there were people cleaning the streets... It's really hard to believe.

Qu Jianlei casually observed as he walked on.

As he walked, he noticed something even more interesting: there were Modified Warriors squatting by the roadside with small signs in front of them.

The signs had a variety of content, "Guard," "Tutor," "Training Partner"...

Qu Jianlei even saw a sign that read "Accepting B-level and below assassination tasks."

Just an ordinary modified warrior, yet daring to speak like this—it seems there are indeed many extraordinary people.

But why does it feel so weird? If those signs were "flooring," "home cleaning," "electrical work"...

Qu Jianlei walked a little further and found that there were indeed people whispering with these modified warriors.

However, why are there only modified warriors and no superpower warriors?

Today, Qu Jianlei is pretending to be a C-level with a Gold Attribute, obviously, it's not convenient to casually put up a sign.

As he walked, his eyes lit up. Another "Accepting B-level and below assassination tasks"?

He walked over, squatted down, and asked in a low voice, "Assassinating a B-level... what's the price?"

"You..." The modified warrior wasn't happy. Could someone squatting by the roadside take on such a big job?

But when he looked up, his eyes narrowed slightly. This is... a C-level warrior?

A C-level warrior wanting to kill a B-level, the possibility objectively exists.

But those coming here for help probably aren't very reliable either.

So he still lazily replied, "Five thousand as a deposit, then you provide the target's information, and we quote."

Qu Jianlei blinked at this, "Do nothing and give you five thousand first?"

"Of course," the modified warrior answered without looking up, as if he were the C-level and the other was the modified warrior.

"If you think it's expensive, you can find someone else. We won't force you, but without five thousand, we won't quote."

Qu Jianlei thought about it and then asked again, "No matter what B-level, you can kill them?"

"That depends on whether you can afford it," the modified warrior answered nonchalantly, "As long as the price is right, we can even kill A-level!"

"Stop joking, will you?" Qu Jianlei laughed at this, "Killing A-level... you?"

"Who told you it's just me?" The modified warrior looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Daring to take on B-level assignments, you think I don't have anyone behind me?"

Qu Jianlei thought again, then shook his head, "Words alone aren't credible."

"Believe it or not," the modified warrior replied with indifference—they weren't the ones in a hurry, after all.

Qu Jianlei hesitated and spoke, "In that case, you shouldn't send just a modified warrior to take on this kind of job."

The modified warrior got annoyed upon hearing this, "Take a look around Gunman Valley—any awakened warriors taking jobs?"

Qu Jianlei was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Why not take them? Awakened warriors stepping in has a strong credibility."

The modified warrior cast a glance at him, "Obviously because of reputation—who dares put up a sign will be known throughout Pan Shi the next day."

Qu Jianlei shook his head at this, "No wonder there are no big jobs here, relying solely on modified warriors—credibility is too low."

The modified warrior glared at him, asking with annoyance, "You've been here how many times and already know there are no big jobs?"

Qu Jianlei raised an eyebrow with interest, "Tell me?"

"Haha," the modified warrior laughed dryly, drooping his eyelids and saying no more.

Qu Jianlei took out a card coin worth twenty and placed it on the other's sign.

"Haha," the modified warrior chuckled again, twenty coins—who are you underestimating?

"That's unfortunate," Qu Jianlei reached to take back the twenty card coin, then stood up, "Catch you later."

"Wait," the modified warrior quickly squeezed out a smile, "Let's just chat casually, why get angry?"

He indeed looked down on the other—what of a C-level warrior? You're just a fledgling, knowing nothing.

Thinking twenty silver coins could buy knowledge…far too low!

But when the person truly was about to leave, he realized another issue: what he was reluctant to say was common knowledge in Gunman Valley!

While driving others, he could demand high prices, but truly cornering someone could end up with these messages traded for a cigarette.

The value of information lies in monopoly. Without monopolizing it, don't take the message too seriously.

And twenty silver coins is quite a bit, enough for two friends to have a nice meal and drink.

Since that's the case, why offend this C-level?

He pulled Qu Jianlei down and whispered, "There are plenty of superpower warriors taking jobs; it's just that they can't put up signs."

"With so many off-road vehicles parked by the side, if the driver is a superpower warrior, then keep an eye on the roof for drinks."

"If there's a drink, it means they're looking to take on jobs. The more expensive the drink, the higher the value of the job!"

"This is something only people in Gunman Valley know—you're just barging in, knowing nothing... really, twenty is too little."

"Alright, it's good to earn something," Qu Jianlei smiled and shook his head, placing the twenty card coin back on the sign, "Let's talk more."

The talk was such, but he couldn't shake off a strange feeling.

The matters this guy mentioned... why is there such a strong sense of déjà vu?