ATIGIBTC Chapter 22

«The Creator’s city is full of talented people!»

“Why are you asking this?” Min Zhizhou carefully considered He Fang’s words and a sudden chill ran down his spine.

He Fang blinked innocently and asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Don’t you ever have any improper thoughts when you see so many beautiful people?”

In Min Zhizhou’s memory, even in the desperate struggle for survival during the apocalypse, humans had tried their best to maintain their appearance. Now, he understood that true happiness and peace were what allowed humanity to radiate their most beautiful selves.

“Indeed, within the city, whether male or female, everyone is extraordinarily attractive by any standard,” Min Zhizhou said with a touch of wistfulness in his tone.

He Fang didn’t notice Min Zhizhou’s melancholic reflection. His mind was occupied with the physical differences between the people inside and outside the city. If, in the future, their city truly established formal relations with others, would marriages between them occur?

Such vast physiological differences—what kind of significant impact might arise if they truly united?

However, seeing Min Zhizhou’s hesitant and awkward demeanor, He Fang decided to drop the subject. He had only been musing about the idea due to Min Zhizhou’s particular interest in women.

He Fang then witnessed firsthand the scene of a lively, youthful, and mischievously smiling nurse attending to Min Zhizhou’s abdominal wound with her gentle touch.

The usually stoic Min Zhizhou grimaced and bared his teeth in pain, his expression contorted in a way that could only be described as indescribable.

When the cheerful nurse waved goodbye and left, He Fang slowly asked, “Are you sure you really don’t want to get married?”

“At first, I just hadn’t thought about it,” Min Zhizhou said, his face clouded with bitterness. “Now, I don’t even dare to think about it.”

“I’m… I’m sorry,” He Fang murmured, realizing he might have shattered Min Zhizhou’s confidence in pursuing a partner.

“You don’t need to apologize. I should be thanking you,” Min Zhizhou replied, his tone laced with self-deprecating humor. “For helping me see reality clearly.”

The two fell silent.

“How about I take you to the nearby diner for their signature burger?” He Fang, feeling both guilty and sympathetic, attempted to repair the emotional damage he believed he had caused to the fragile NPC’s heart.

Min Zhizhou had initially wanted to decline.

But he couldn’t resist the lure of food.

At least, after ridding himself of such frivolous thoughts, he still wanted to satisfy his appetite.

The richly flavored patty, bursting with juice, paired perfectly with the soft and warm bun. The delightful texture filled his mouth, and the purest flavors of the food stimulated his nerves with pleasure. This was a luxury unimaginable in the mobile cities, yet here in this utopia, it was commonplace. Min Zhizhou’s face revealed a look of utter bliss.

Meanwhile, a bored He Fang, having opened Min Zhizhou’s attribute panel out of curiosity, watched in astonishment as Min Zhizhou’s loyalty leaped from 99% to 109%.

Just one meal could boost loyalty points? He Fang even began to wonder if the residents’ exceptionally high loyalty to the city was due to eating many such meals.

“How do you usually make money?” He Fang asked, noticing that Min Zhizhou’s pace of eating had slowed. He was finally ready to address the main reason for seeking him out today.

The astute Min Zhizhou quickly understood that He Fang was referring to ways of earning money outside the city. After a brief moment of thought, he replied, “The Nightmare Beast Forest usually takes root directly above a city, continuously corroding it. Our method involves leveraging our experience with the Nightmare Beast Forest to sneak in and steal as many city resources as we can. Afterward, we return to safe zones to barter those resources with mobile cities.”

Min Zhizhou’s explanation was concise, without embellishing the hardships involved. Still, He Fang could more or less imagine the difficulties and perils of such endeavors.

“When you first arrived, you used some gold coins to buy radishes. How significant is the purchasing power of those coins?” He Fang asked.

“A lot. I’m an experienced and somewhat renowned mercenary—I always return with a full haul.” Min Zhizhou’s tone carried a trace of pride, which quickly faded into bitterness as he thought of his fallen comrades, a constant reminder of his failures. “Gold coins themselves are extremely valuable metals. The total amount of gold in all mobile cities is very limited. Each coin represents a large sum and isn’t easily exchanged for smaller denominations.”

He Fang frowned. This meant that if his gold coins were introduced to the economy outside, they could disrupt the market balance.

“So, bartering is more common than currency exchange?” He Fang asked.

“Yes,” Min Zhizhou confirmed.

“But isn’t bartering difficult to manage?” He Fang found it hard to imagine such an old-fashioned trade system existing in a technologically advanced world.

“It’s not.” Min Zhizhou shook his head and explained, “That’s because the residents of mobile cities don’t enjoy the abundant resources that your city has.”

His gaze drifted to the window, where a little girl was buying snacks and a street vendor was tidying up a table while pocketing the coins left by a customer. Here, people had their own belongings and everything he could only dream of.

“In mobile cities, even a person’s body doesn’t belong to themselves. How could personal possessions exist under such conditions?” Min Zhizhou’s words stopped there, but their implications invited endless speculation.

He Fang scratched his head, realizing that life for people outside the city was harsher than he had imagined.

Initially, he had thought about opening trade routes. However, based on Min Zhizhou’s information, any trade wouldn’t likely be between individuals but rather city-to-city.

He Fang controlled vast resources but lacked strong defensive measures. Any reckless interaction could be fatal.

Moreover, analyzing the information revealed a staggering disparity in resources between the two sides. Such an extreme imbalance was akin to aliens trading with humans on Earth—both parties would struggle to establish a fair value system in a short time to balance the market.

He Fang ruffled his hair in frustration. All he wanted was to make some money—why was it so difficult?

“Make money, make money, I just want to make money!” He Fang muttered in defeat, resting his cheek against the cold surface of the table. Even the icy sensation cooling his skin couldn’t clear his mind or change the fact that he was out of ideas.

At that moment, Min Zhizhou put down his thoroughly emptied soda cup, even crunching up the ice cubes, and looked at the boy’s dejected face. “Why does a city lord like you need to come up with ways to make money on your own?” he asked.

He Fang raised his head, resting his chin on the table. The red imprint from leaning on it still lingered on his cheek. His delicate, youthful face appeared far too innocent—no matter how one looked at him, he didn’t resemble a shrewd and calculating businessman.

“I don’t want to! But who else is going to think of it?” He Fang shot back, his tone drenched in despair. He glared at Min Zhizhou, accusing him of making unhelpful remarks. “You? You’re still stuck in the bartering era.”

“A leader doesn’t need to be good at everything,” Min Zhizhou said evenly. “Every field has its experts—researchers specialize in research, the police maintain law and order, and hospitals focus on medical care. As the city lord, what you should master is the art of using people effectively.” Even in his small mercenary team, each member had been carefully chosen for their strengths. His expression darkened slightly, recalling his lost comrades, but he continued, “Don’t you have subordinates who are experts at making money?”

He Fang blinked, stunned for a moment. Suddenly, a memory surfaced of the grand architectural models he’d once drafted. His eyes lit up. “The Finance Department!”