Making a Friend

"Good thing he didn't start nagging me about getting married or anything..."

Tao Yu, using his current body, took a cold shower to scrub himself clean before lying down on his wooden plank bed. He watched the night sky gradually darken outside the paper-covered window and lit the Will-o'-the-Wisp beside his bed.

He pricked his fingertip with a small needle and dripped two drops of blood into the lamp oil.

Although it was just a dim glow the size of a soybean, it filled the room with a warm feeling.

"Speaking of which, since I have Mental Immunity, I don't actually need to light it at night, right?"

Tao Yu pondered this in his heart but didn't act out of the ordinary.

These low-level Will-o'-the-Wisps only offered a certain degree of protection in the urban areas, guarding against the invisible monsters that emerged from the Gray Mist. It was said that some powerful Will-o'-the-Wisps, ignited by the Flame of Civilization, could guide people across the Gray Mist to other cities.

However, due to the dangers of the Gray Mist, such connections had become increasingly rare. Tao Yu recalled seeing a few dust-covered foreign caravans arrive, bringing specialty Wish Power items from other cities' settlements...

Lacking relevant experience, Tao Yu didn't attempt to venture out at night and quietly spent his first night back.

Compared to the Abyss, where one had to sleep with one eye open, Tao Yu found a sense of peace at home, despite the terrible environment.

Even though he occasionally heard the sounds of automated cannons from other regions at night, it only helped Tao Yu fall asleep and recover his tense nerves.

As expected, humans are social creatures...

It's a shame that my talent means I'll probably have to act alone most of the time...

The next morning, Tao Yu went out early.

Tao Long had wanted to come along, but Tao Yu persuaded him to stay.

The nearest stronghold wasn't far from Tao Yu's home, less than a kilometer away.

The produce harvested from the farm was always processed at this stronghold.

There were more than a dozen such strongholds in the outer city.

Even though Tao Yu had woken up very early, by the time he reached the entrance of the stronghold, a queue had already formed. They were likely people from the outer city going to work or set up stalls in the stronghold, many carrying goods on their shoulder poles.

The stronghold itself looked quite abstract. The entrance was blocked by discarded oil drums and wire fences on wooden frames. Guards armed with various weapons were checking people at the entrance.

The perimeter of the stronghold was also a makeshift assembly of wooden boards, wire fences, and oil drums, barely enclosing the area.

In addition, there were tall structures equipped with automated turrets for defending against Gray Mist monsters.

These automated turrets could cover a larger area with fewer units by using crossfire, ensuring the stronghold's safety.

This was the most stable environment in the outer city, second only to the security team's family residential area. Many outer city residents' lifelong goal might be to move into a stronghold, and only a few managed to achieve it.

"The stronghold has a radio, a mission hall, and you can even accept Partner missions. Also, in this Hound Stronghold, there's an outer city skill dojo recommended by Uncle Hu..."

Tao Yu's main purpose this time was to sell goods. Once he had startup capital, he planned to use his free learning privileges.

Since he could learn two skills for free, he naturally wanted to pick the most expensive ones!

Unfortunately, the outer city didn't offer any breathing techniques other than the Basic Breathing Technique. The few people who mastered this technique or similar abilities that increased human limits did not pass them down.

"Even if someone were willing to teach it for a fee, the cost would probably be less than deifying my breathing technique again."

If he could get his hands on something like that for free, Tao Yu would certainly take it, but with his talent as a fallback, he wasn't that desperate.

Learning the skills he could acquire and then deifying them using the cheaper first-time opportunity was the most cost-effective choice...

While Tao Yu was lost in thought, it was his turn in line. When he showed a copy of his 'Partner' certificate, he was quickly let in without any trouble or questioning.

Even as a 'Junior Partner,' one needed at least one Level 5 basic skill.

This already granted a decent status in the outer city.

Moreover, Tao Yu looked so young; no one would go out of their way to cause trouble.

Although the oil drums and wire fences outside the Hound Stronghold looked crude, the interior environment was much cleaner than the outer city. At least there were no censored figures like Oli Gei on the streets.

The buildings inside were also quite dense, resembling a refugee camp with tightly packed, makeshift structures lining narrow streets and alleys. However, since there were no vehicles, passage was still possible.

The complex layout made the not-so-spacious stronghold feel like a maze; it was normal for first-time visitors to get lost.

Tao Yu had lived in this area for eighteen years, and this was the closest stronghold to his home, so he was quite familiar with it.

He didn't choose to set up a stall or haggle prices when selling his goods. Instead, he headed straight for the 'Starlight Recycling Station,' a shop nominally belonging to the company.

This would save him a lot of trouble and effort. Not many people in the outer city could afford to buy skills with a large sum of money at once.

Compared to the nearby refugee camp, the 'Starlight Recycling Station' was a decent three-story wooden building. Since Tao Yu arrived early, it seemed the shop had just opened, and there were few customers.

After all, most outer city residents were shrewd and wouldn't come here if they could sell their items for more elsewhere.

"Well, a customer? What can I do for you?"

A clean-shaven man in his thirties, looking much more refined than the average outer city resident, chuckled as he saw Tao Yu enter.

Judging by his more elaborate clothing compared to ordinary outer city dwellers, this was likely the shopkeeper, who might have come out for some fresh air.

Compared to the company employees in the 'Black House,' this shopkeeper seemed more like a businessman, focused on making a profit through pleasant interactions.

"I'm selling a set of skills, from the New Frontier. There are two skills in the set."

Tao Yu got straight to the point, not intending to waste time with pleasantries.

No matter how good the other party's smile or attitude, they were still trying to make money off me.

"A complete set of skills? Today's luck is pretty good, a great start."

The shop manager seemed a bit surprised. Receiving a complete set of skills in the Outer City was rare. Usually, they only got scattered Wish Power items that they had to sort and combine themselves.

What was even rarer was that the other party said these came from the New Frontier?

This meant the skills were likely not the common ones. Even if the skills themselves were ordinary, they could greatly benefit someone who hadn't learned them before, making their value much higher than normal.

Since the other party had pointed this out from the start, there was no way to trick them on this point. Therefore, the shop manager made a welcoming gesture.

"Please follow me, guest. We'll go to the private room. Ah Hua, serve the tea."

The shop manager walked ahead, signaling for the store assistant to serve tea.

The store assistant, named Ah Hua, had the traditional look of an Outer City resident. Although she was a woman, she appeared a bit sturdy and strong, reminiscent of the 'I farm' style from Kung Fu Hustle.

It was clear that the food and board here were quite good.

Her movements were also very nimble. As soon as Tao Yu sat down, the tea was served.

However, neither Tao Yu nor the shop manager drank the tea first. The shop manager took the initiative to speak.

"The first batch of returnees arrived only yesterday, and you're here so early today. You must know that very few people in the Outer City can afford these skills. Even if they bit the bullet and bought them, they wouldn't be able to sell them at a high price."

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have come to you. You're directly affiliated with the company and have connections to the Inner City. If you sell them for five thousand units of Wish Power, you can earn thousands by finding someone in the Inner City who wants them."

Tao Yu knew the other party wanted to haggle, so he decided to quote a relatively high price to shut them up.

Tao Yu had already discussed these skills with Uncle Hu. Because they came from the New Frontier, the skills [Stealth: Python] and [Burst: Python] should interest people in the Inner City with related talents.

Given the wealth and resources of Inner City residents, they might even pay ten thousand for something they truly wanted and suited them.

However, even with that said, if these skills were sold in the Outer City, they would fetch at most three thousand units of Wish Power. This was because most Outer City residents, unlike those in the Inner City, were not yet at a stage of "adding flowers to the brocade."

To the people of the Outer City, these skills from the New Frontier were no different from the ordinary skills produced near their own settlements.

Tao Yu himself didn't have a channel to sell to the Inner City, and neither did Uncle Hu.

Therefore, the price difference had to be earned by Starlight Company. Five thousand was already an inflated price; Tao Yu's bottom line was three thousand five hundred.

"May I have the guest's permission to appraise them?"

The shop manager pondered for a moment, showing no reaction to Tao Yu's quoted price.

"Certainly, I have a few extra fangs from this set."

Tao Yu took a snake fang from his backpack and handed it over.

"Haha, it's not to the point of absorption. In our line of work, we have to master a few skills."

The shop manager chuckled, took the snake fang wrapped in a cloth, and placed it directly on the table. He then extended his finger and traced along the fang, following its grain.

After a moment, he nodded.

"Indeed, there are two skills, but they are both quite ordinary. One seems to be a stealth-type skill, and the other is for muscle burst. There might also be side effects."

Tao Yu was somewhat surprised that the shop manager could roughly determine the information content just by looking at a single snake fang without absorbing it.

As expected, those who could rely on the company's backing were no simple folk.

Tao Yu himself would have to absorb one to make a judgment.

"How about this, five thousand, and the store will take them. The price is a bit inflated, consider it a gesture of friendship."

The shop manager pondered for a moment and readily agreed to Tao Yu's price.

This even made Tao Yu briefly think he had undersold them!

Judging by the price difference between purchasing and selling from the company's meat-grinding pricing, it was quite exploitative!

This time, Tao Yu and Uncle Hu had discussed it. It was good enough if they could sell them for more than ordinary skills. It saved him the time of setting up a stall and even allowed for a slight premium.

The tuition fee for learning a simple skill at a general dojo was usually eight hundred to a thousand, and for better ones, it could go up to two to three thousand.

Directly absorbing Wish Power items to learn was undoubtedly faster, but it also carried the risk of contamination. Therefore, the price of ordinary skills was usually only about fifty percent higher.

These two skills could hardly be considered excellent. A normal price for both would be around three thousand, with an additional five hundred to a thousand premium for being from a new settlement would be acceptable.

But the "sky-high price" Tao Yu had started with was directly accepted by the other party, which caught him completely off guard.

He couldn't even control his expression.

"Does the young man feel I'm too easy to talk to?"

The shop manager looked at Tao Yu with a smile.

"Actually, as I said before, I'm doing this to make a friend. There are definitely many good things in the New Frontier, and they will be rare for a while. I hope you'll remember to come to me first next time you have something good."

Bringing back a complete set of skills on his first trip to the New Frontier, and from an Outer City resident at that – no matter the reason, it was worth his investment!

Whether it was talent, intellect, or just pure luck, he didn't mind building a good relationship.

After all, selling them to the Inner City would indeed earn thousands in profit. Earning a thousand less was still the company's profit, so it was better to use it to build future performance