Sales Office
Sales office.
Upon seeing these, Lu Ban subconsciously twitched the corners of his mouth.
The concept of buying and selling houses, or commercial housing, certainly doesn't exist in the wilderness right now.
This sales office is undoubtedly a remnant from the past.
If they knew the current situation, the sales office's slogan could probably be something like "Even if the world ends, the building will remain intact," absolutely true.
"This is probably a residential area, and these houses are all for sale."
Lu Ban explained.
"Sell? You can sell a house?"
Frostheart seemed somewhat curious.
"Weren't our houses all directly allocated by the governors?"
"Yes, people used to have to buy things. I've seen some old documents about people's livelihoods. Back then, you had to buy everything, even houses."
Lu Ban explained.
The population of the wasteland is small and includes people with supernatural abilities, so land has become the least valuable thing. The governor of the city-state can allocate land according to need. Families with more members live in large houses, and families with fewer members live in small houses. Everyone is happy and harmonious, and there are certainly no issues with household registration or school district housing.
"Then who should pay the money for the house? Doesn't the land belong to everyone?"
Frostheart frowned, sensing that something was amiss.
Well...
Lu Ban felt it was best not to go into details.
Times change, and values certainly change too.
"In short, this is how the world used to be. Many people would spend their entire life savings to buy a house and would still be paying off the debt before they died."
Lu Ban's words resonated with Frostheart for a hundred years.
"Still paying back debts before you die? The world of the past must have been terrifying."
Frostheart sighed.
"In a city-state, owing money is a very despised behavior because it means you cannot control your own wealth and have a deficit. I can't even imagine what it's like to owe so much money."
Lu Ban thought for a moment and didn't continue to tell Frostheart about the fact that the house, which would require a lifetime of repayment, only had a fifty-year usage period.
If we continue, Frostheart will probably only feel fear towards the world before its destruction.
Lu Ban looked around and saw some promotional brochures in the sales office lobby.
These papers have been stored for many years, and some of the printing colors have faded, but some text can still be faintly discerned.
Lu Ban felt somewhat relieved when he saw these words; thankfully, he didn't recognize them.
Otherwise, wouldn't this mean that the wasteland represents the future of the world they are familiar with?
Through the translation of the Silent Land, Lu Ban was able to see the text clearly.
"The Central View King Building makes a distinguished debut; Future City welcomes all homeowners."
"The most exceptional service, the most futuristic community."
"Luxury residences under the grand vision of the Metaverse".
"Owning a house in Future City means you've grasped the future."
"Public gardens, natural spaces—you deserve them."
Such words stir people's hearts, as if buying this house would bring them a perfect life.
Perhaps in that era, a house was indeed the entire meaning of a person's life.
However, compared to the sales offices or real estate developments that Lu Ban had seen, this place was obviously much more high-tech.
Lu Ban saw in the brochure that those windowless rooms actually utilize state-of-the-art technology to adjust sunlight and ventilation as needed, creating the most natural and comfortable environment, and that the robot vacuums are also fully automatic.
These houses utilize the latest technology; almost all of them are connected to the internet, making them appear quite advanced.
Frostheart was stunned.
"It's so advanced?"
As a researcher, Frostheart was naturally quite curious when she saw these things that she had never encountered before.
She accepted a brochure and then picked up a poster next to her to read it carefully, greedily absorbing all the information.
"There are newspapers here."
Lu Ban didn't know if it was because of the dry and cool environment or the cleaning by the robot vacuums, but the newspapers in the cupboard were surprisingly not badly damaged.
He thought for a moment, then picked up the silver pen formed by his Last Words and wrote the words "undamaged" on the newspapers before flipping through them.
This destroyed world is indeed quite different from the world Lu Ban lives in.
Its technology is obviously more advanced, and its urbanization level is higher. Forests, mountains, lakes and oceans are all private property, and you need to pay a certain fee to enjoy them. This is why such completely enclosed houses are so popular.
Since those beautiful natural landscapes don't belong to me anyway, I might as well just immerse myself in my own little room.
If the world develops further, it will probably become cyberpunk.
"This place might just be a ruin, but it's so clean because of the robots."
Lu Ban glanced around but found no trace of the insect swarm.
He and Frostheart prepared to leave the sales office lobby and decided to take a look at one of the houses.
"Etc."
Lu Ban suddenly remembered something, turned around and searched the sales office, then picked up a few cards.
"All the doors here should be locked. We need to use this key to Door Opening."
Lu Ban handed one of the cards to Frostheart and said.
"You seem to know a lot about this?"
Frostheart looked at Lu Ban with suspicion.
"It's all written in the previous documents."
Lu Ban gave a vague answer, and Frostheart didn't ask any further questions.
The two arrived on the street, where a robot vacuum cleaner had already cleaned the area.
Lu Ban noticed that the roofs of these buildings all had solar panels, estimating that the intense sunlight from the wasteland would be enough to keep the community running.
Arriving in front of a building, Lu Ban swiped his card to open the tightly closed door.
However, after entering the building, Lu Ban felt that something was wrong.
The air here doesn't have that dusty smell that comes from air conditioners running idly for years when no one lives here.
It's important to know that humans themselves are the largest reservoir of bacteria, and the smell is completely different in environments with and without living organisms.
Lu Ban even smelled a faint fragrance.
"What's this strange smell?"
Frostheart's nostrils twitched slightly as she detected the same scent.
However, since she may never have truly smelled the fragrance of flowers, she found this scent strange.
Her nose was itchy, as if something was scratching it, causing her to wrinkle her nose instinctively.
"It should still smell like flowers."
Lu Ban walked ahead, using a crowbar to probe the way.
The outermost part of the house is a long corridor leading to the stairs, and in front of it is a door.
Lu Ban used a card to open the Door Opening.
A refreshing breeze blew in from behind the door.
He heard the sound of birds.
"This is."
Frostheart walked behind Lu Ban, listening to unfamiliar voices, and saw a dazzling array of colors before her eyes.
She saw lush green plants, clear flowing water, a blue sky, birds flitting among the flowers, animals drinking by the stream, and a vibrant world.
Frostheart saw a fawn grazing on the lawn, and next to it lay a girl in white.
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