Firefly Journey

Early in the morning, before dawn, the giant machine that was Yicheng started up.

He wasn't a deep sleeper to begin with, and the slightest noise woke Lin Yuanran from his sleep.

Rubbing his eyes, Lin Yuanran pulled back the covers, put on his slippers, and opened the small window in the room.

Years of industrial emissions have caused large areas of gray smog to accumulate over Yicheng, naturally affecting air quality. While humans can tolerate it, the wild winged magical beasts cannot accept it and stay away from it.

On his first morning in Yicheng, Lin Yuanran, who was used to the tranquility of the countryside, felt somewhat out of place.

Outside the window, dawn was breaking, and the guests of the ghost hotel seemed unaffected, heading out to work.

At this moment, Lin Yuanran glanced at the clock hanging on the wall; the hour hand was stopped a little past six.

"I need to adapt to this fast-paced lifestyle as soon as possible... Oh, right, I need to buy a watch so I can make better plans."

Looking down at the people coming and going downstairs, Lin Yuanran couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

He didn't know where they came from or where they were going; the only thing he knew for sure was that they weren't doing well.

"Working from dawn till dusk" used to be a compliment, used to praise the fine virtues of working people. But since when people discovered that hard work could only barely make ends meet, it has taken on a different meaning.

Most of the time, hard work doesn't yield good results. This was the thought that came to Lin Yuanran after reading "Rickshaw Boy" in his original world.

Lin Yuanran carried the plastic cup to the public restroom, only to realize that he hadn't filled it with water beforehand. So he had to awkwardly return to his room. Fortunately, the ghost hotel wasn't a shady business and provided guests with buckets and other daily necessities.

Carrying a bucket of water, Lin Yuanran came to the yard. There was a long line in front of the water tap, and he seemed to understand why many tenants got up so early.

Water is scarce, and if you arrive late, you may not be able to get a turn.

Of course, even if you get up early, like now, you'll still have to wait in long lines, though it's a bit better than during peak hours.

Carrying the water bucket, Lin Yuanran obediently came to the back of the crowd, thinking to himself, since we know it's difficult to get water in the morning, why not store it at night?

As soon as he thought of this, he immediately understood. After a long day, seeing the long queue at night, probably no one would choose to continue suffering.

Around 7 a.m., it was finally Lin Yuanran's turn. He filled the bucket, swayed as he carried it back to his rented room on the third floor.

After getting my toiletries, I went to the public restroom. The awful stench from yesterday had largely dissipated; it was clear that it had been cleaned this morning.

Nevertheless, the accumulated grime couldn't be easily cleaned up. Lin Yuanran suppressed his nausea, quickly washed up, and returned to his room.

He laid out all his possessions—including the three magical artifacts—on the table and began to consider his next move.

After deducting the rent he paid yesterday, he had only 2 silver and 50 copper coins left, which happened to match a certain number used to determine intelligence.

"We definitely can't sell those three extraordinary items; we're not that short of money yet."

"'Neon' looks pretty good, let's try our luck..."

Having at least eighteen years of experience living in the original world, Lin Yuanran knew that in this place without television or the internet, the only channels for advertising were billboards and newspapers.

The recruitment advertisement for the "Neon" Extraordinary Guild was a small section in the "Yicheng Daily".

The Endor newspaper, which publishes the Ibiza Daily, is one of the more popular newspapers among the dozens in Ibiza. Naturally, advertising with them would be expensive, which shows that the "Neon" guild is very powerful.

With a sigh, Lin Yuanran put away his few belongings and three extraordinary items. After thinking for a moment, he put the "convenience key" in his pocket. The other two items were relatively large and inconvenient to carry.

At times like these, he would be incredibly envious of the wind chimes, which possessed a spatial storage artifact like "Venus".

He had a reason for bringing the "convenience key." His job interview at the "Neon" guild would require showcasing his extraordinary abilities, and this key might come in handy. After all, not every superhuman is a skilled fighter; picking locks and stealing doors is a special ability...

In early summer, Yicheng was like a sauna, scorching hot from the sun and emitting industrial fumes. Lin Yuan ran out of the Ghost Hotel, his skin directly exposed to the sunlight, a wave of intense heat instantly washing over him, forcing him to lower his head.

After walking a few steps, Lin Yuanran arrived at the bus stop and had no choice but to wait for the bus under the scorching sun.

This world also has buses, but they're not powered by oil or steam; instead, they're pulled by various magical beasts.

Before long, a carriage pulled by two strong black horses appeared in front of them. Lin Yuanran and several other waiting passengers lined up to board and casually tossed in two copper coins.

"Although the suffix is ​​different, the number is still 2..." Lin Yuanran silently complained.

In Ibiza, the bus costs only 2 copper coins from the starting station to the end station, no matter when you board. This price is quite low, considering that a loaf of bread would cost at least 5 copper coins.

The entire carriage is made of iron. Compared to wooden structures in economically underdeveloped areas, iron carriages are more durable, but they also have disadvantages. For example, right now, the passengers are almost steaming.

After five stops, Lin Yuanran quickly got off the bus. Luckily, it wasn't a long ride, otherwise he probably would have been burning up from the heat, the kind where he'd be panting with his tongue sticking out...

As Lin Yuanran wandered through the streets and alleys, he did not see any more homeless people like those found everywhere in the Pafetti district. The streets were clean and tidy, a stark contrast to the area around Pafetti.

The Neon Guild is located in the "Champs-Élysées," a paradise for the middle class, adjacent to the Pafetti district, yet completely different.

Based on the address provided in the newspaper, Lin Yuanran found the location very easily. The "Neon" Guild was located on the first floor of a domed building, which was very easy to spot.

"Uh, I'm here for an interview," Lin Yuanran said directly.

Seated at the reception desk was a sexy woman with wine-red hair. She wore a sheer silk dress, her legs were bare, and her lips were heavily painted red, exuding charm.

"Are you a superhuman?"

As she spoke, she took out an exquisite black-handled dagger, tossed it into the air, and caught it steadily.

Lin Yuanran replied without changing his expression: "Yes."

"What level? Detailed information?"

Seeing that Lin Yuanran remained unmoved, a strange light flashed in the beautiful woman's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

Lin Yuanran handed over the prepared introduction and gave a brief self-introduction: "My name is Ario Morris, I'm from the Rhineland, and I'm this year..."

Listening and looking, the beautiful woman's expression was slightly surprised, because the man in front of her, no, the boy, would only turn 16 next month.

Young superhumans are not uncommon, but young superhumans who start earning money are extremely rare.

After learning that Ario only had one awakening skill and a single class, the beautiful woman smiled slightly. As expected, his skill level was not high. Although he could not handle some difficult tasks, he was good enough to be a bodyguard.

Lin Yuanran carefully considered the woman's attitude, unsure of what to do.

After a long while, the woman with wine-red hair put down her resume and extended her delicate arm: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Tong En Fernando, a vampire, and your future boss."

Lin Yuanran quickly went to greet him; he knew that he had been hired.