Ordinary Designer

"Sir, are you a designer too?"

Linsey never hesitated to lend a helping hand, so he stepped forward and helped the middle-aged man pick up the sheets of paper.

As expected, the contents of these pages were all interior architectural drawings.

The designs are diverse, with simple and clear lines, and there are no problems at first glance.

"Thank you." The middle-aged man took the papers from Linsey and replied with a wry smile, "However, I am not an Awakened One, nor have I been able to establish my own studio."

Linsey just remembered her little plant shop.

The blueprints required for upgrades are only used to determine the direction of the building's upgrade; they do not require overly advanced skills.

Isn't this designer, who's just an ordinary person, a great choice? Linsey immediately asked, "Sir, I'd like to ask how much you charge for design commissions?"

"For example, drawing expansion plans for a simple shop?"

The middle-aged man understood the meaning behind Linsey's words, and a spark of hope ignited in his eyes.

However, a regretful, wry smile quickly appeared on his face, and he handed a small card to Linsey:

"Sir, I would be happy to assist you."

"However, I made appointments with quite a few shops here today—even if I get turned down, I at least have to fulfill the appointments first."

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man took the design drawings and walked towards other studios inside the building.

"Ridiculous!"

"You actually came?"

"Sir, I'm sorry..."

Just as the middle-aged man himself said, he was rejected time and time again.

Although each design studio had a different attitude, some mocked, some comforted, and some even ignored.

But there was not a single person truly willing to cooperate with him.

"..."

Linsey stared at the other person.

In our line of sight, this man, who was clearly in dire straits, possessed an air of steel in his back.

Yao Xing approached Linsey and asked, "Linsey, why is this gentleman leaving?"

"He'll only get rejected here; he might as well talk to you about the design."

Linsey shrugged:

"Practical benefits, and agreements that offer no real advantage."

"Being able to choose the latter between the two... may not be very wise, but I still quite like it."

Yao Xing nodded, her tone somewhat regretful. "Now that you mention it, it does resemble the chivalry in a play."

"But that's not good for survival."

Linsey picked up the card in her hand.

[Pingsi District (Orange District) - No. 16, West Cape Avenue - 003]

Interior Designer – Will Palpatine

"Palpatine?"

Linsey couldn't help but pronounce the other person's surname, while Yao Xing curiously peered over. "Palpatine... is there something wrong with that name?"

Linsey gave an awkward smile, "No problem. It's just that the name... well, I knew someone before who also had this name."

Yao Xing casually remarked:

"You seem to have a special connection with this surname."

Linsey's face darkened.

He recalled Will's conversation with the people in the design studio and asked Yao Xing:

"By the way, do you know what Hallucination Dream is?"

"Judging from Mr. Will's conversation when he was rejected, it seems he was planning to save up money to get in."

Yao Xing explained, "The Hallucination Dream is an entrance left by great artists when they advanced to the Eighth Stage, and the rules of the world within it are quite different from this world."

"The City of a Thousand Sails has stood for countless years since its establishment. Although few have successfully advanced, there are still more than a dozen entrances to the Hallucination Dream left behind."

"There are many dangers there, but also opportunities."

"Wealth, power, curing diseases, and even turning the tide of life and death."

"All miracles and dreams are contained within this."

Linsey said thoughtfully, "So this Mr. Will also has his own goals that he wants to achieve."

"..."

Hey! You two, what are you doing?

Wala Wala appeared behind the two of them like a ghost.

The girl clung to their backs, one hand gripping one of their shoulders, her whole body hanging in the air.

Especially in Linsey's left hand, she was holding a small money bag.

Splash—

She shook the bag with Wala Wala, "Look, this is my earnings for today!"

"Thank you all for coming with me—let's go shopping, dinner's on me tonight!"

"..."

I heard the word "shopping".

Linsey's eyes instantly filled with despair, while Yao Xing nodded excitedly beside her:

"Okay, let's go together!"

"I haven't been to the Orange District much yet!"

The City of a Thousand Sails has one advantage.

For some people, it may also be a disadvantage.

That is, there is never a shortage of creators here, nor is there a shortage of shops that turn these creations into money.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west against the azure sky.

As the sea breeze gently blows, seabirds fly over the city, leaving shadows stretching from west to east.

A whole day has passed.

For some reason, Linsey, whose Constitution was already extraordinary, felt extremely tired at this moment.

In contrast, the two ladies beside him looked radiant, as if they could shop for another 24 hours.

"What time is it...?"

Linsey's vision went black.

When Wala Wala and Yao Xing went shopping, they were the type to both look and buy, and his bag was filled with their 'spoils'.

"I said, aren't we going to rest? It's getting dark!"

Upon hearing this Wala Wala immediately turned her head:

"Linsey, don't you know? The City of a Thousand Sails is a city that never sleeps!"

"The city at night has a completely different feel compared to the daytime!"

Linsey's legs went weak, and she stammered:

"So... shall we continue shopping for another night?"

Wala Wala immediately retorted:

"Linsey, are you not impotent?"

"..."

Linsey's eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings.

He even had an urge to find an open patch of sea and jump in to end it all.

However, in reality...

His words are much harder to come by:

"How could I not be able to do it!"

"I'm not very hungry tonight, so I'll be having dinner later and won't be coming with you..."

Wala Wala's gaze became subtle and teasing. "Oh ho!?"

"Don't want to eat? You really don't want to eat, or..."

Linsey suddenly thought of a good reason and immediately interrupted the girl's teasing, "Wala Wala, I'm also planning to go to the Messenger Hall."

"The situation with Mermaid Island, Anthony, and Lina is still unclear, but there might already be news from over there."

"..."

"Hmm..."

When it comes to serious matters, Wala Wala also becomes serious:

"That's true."

"How about this, let's have dinner over there and then go check on the situation at the Messenger Hall."

Of the three, only Yao Xing was unaware of all this.

The big star could only stand by curiously and ask, "Mermaid Island? Anthony and Lina? What are all these?"

"Go to the Messenger Hall to get information—do you have connections with the Art Association?"