It was still the same wooden hut, but as Yang Ling made his way there, countless miners stared at him, their eyes full of astonishment.
That was exactly the effect Yang Ling wanted.
If he concealed his identity as a Constable, he would be more likely to invite unnecessary speculation.
But if he made his identity clear, then when Mountain River Sect discovered that Wu Que had embezzled a stash of Fire Crystal Mine ore and "skipped town,"
they wouldn't make things too difficult for him, a Constable of the Iron Clothes Department.
The only thing that made him suspicious was that he had entered and left the city with Wu Que.
His identity as a Constable could make Mountain River Sect overlook, or simply ignore, that minor suspicion.
Would a sect dare move against the government's law enforcement offices?
Impossible.
Inside the wooden hut, Yang Ling invited the two men to sit.
"Brother Yang, so you're a Player too."
Chen Xu gave a bitter smile.
"I guessed you were Players too from what you were talking about that day."
"The reason I didn't want to tell you was that something happened to me."
Yang Ling briefly told them about his conflict with Zhang Wei.
"You must have experienced it firsthand. Lin Guoliang and Zhang Wei are pretty much the same kind of person, though the latter is more resilient than Lin Guoliang. At least he can feed himself."
Yang Ling smiled.
Chen Xu looked ashamed, but he also understood why Yang Ling hadn't revealed that he was a Player.
"The Players who entered the Divine Domain this time are a mixed bunch. Lin Guoliang and Zhang Wei aren't exceptions."
Officer Chen mused:
"What you did was right, actually. Quietly helping when you're able to is enough to fulfill your duty."
"Can you two see your Attribute Panels?"
Yang Ling suddenly asked.
"Attribute Panels? We can't see them. What's on them?"
Chen Xu and Officer Chen perked up.
"At least Zhang Wei wasn't lying about that."
Only now was Yang Ling truly certain that Zhang Wei hadn't been pulling his leg.
"The Attribute Panel has information about your level, attributes, and Cultivation Methods."
Yang Ling explained, "Based on what I learned from Zhang Wei earlier, you have to become Martial Artists before you can access your Attribute Panels."
He had just checked both men's attributes.
Since they had been mining, both had already leveled up.
Chen Xu was already level 5, with 7 points of Strength.
Officer Chen was two levels below Chen Xu, at level 3.
But his base attributes were pretty good.
Aside from Spirit, his base Strength and Agility were even much higher than Yang Ling's.
Character: Chen Guoqing Occupation: Miner Level: 2 Strength: 6 Agility: 5 Spirit: 4 Health Points: 60
This meant Chen Guoqing's base Strength and Agility were both 5.
Those were already quite high base attributes.
"Becoming a Martial Artist lets us access our Attribute Panels?"
The two men's spirits lifted.
But they quickly realized what that meant.
Become Martial Artists? That would probably be difficult...
"Becoming a Constable is one way, and you won't need to go through a Class Transfer afterward."
Yang Ling knew what they were thinking and smiled faintly.
"Once you become Constables, the Iron Clothes Department will give you a copy of the Thief-Catching Saber Technique. Since we have the Game System, you can learn it directly and get the basics down."
"Brother Yang, our levels are probably low, and we don't have much savings. We're still refugees, too... Becoming Constables will probably be difficult."
Chen Xu pondered.
But Chen Guoqing's eyes gleamed.
"Nothing is impossible if you're determined. Maybe we can't become Constables this year, but what about next year? Or the year after?
As long as we're alive, anything is possible."
Yang Ling looked at him, feeling a little gratified.
The man wasn't rigid, and earlier he had firmly refused to give Lin Guoliang alms.
At the same time, he was a man of principle, with a much stronger will than most.
If he really could become a supervisor at the Red Gold Mine,
Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing would make good assistants.
"For now, stick with me and mine. Try to gain a few levels."
"As for the chance to become Martial Artists, once you have a goal, it'll happen sooner or later."
Yang Ling said.
The two men were delighted. Having a high-level player willing to take them along was the best possible outcome!
"Xiao Yang, I heard you became a Constable?"
Steward Niu's voice suddenly came from outside.
Yang Ling's expression shifted. He immediately pushed open the hut's door and greeted him with a cupped-fist salute and a smile.
"Steward Niu."
Steward Niu glanced at his clothes and nodded slightly. He wasn't surprised at all; in fact, he thought it was only natural.
Yang Ling guessed why.
Wu Supervisor had ultimately decided to use him as a scapegoat
because he'd learned from Steward Niu that Yang Ling might be a member of the Yang Family from Hongkun City.
With that kind of background, it was only natural that he'd become a Constable in Qingshan City.
"Xiao Yang, becoming a Constable is good. It's a promising career. At least you won't have to get involved in the Jianghu's various disputes, and ordinary thugs won't dare pick a fight with you."
Steward Niu smiled meaningfully.
After a pause, he asked curiously:
"Now that you're a Constable, why did you come back?"
"Steward Niu, it's like this... I don't have to be on duty, so I'll come back to mine when I have free time."
Yang Ling smiled. "It's a good way to make money."
"A Constable coming to mine?"
Steward Niu looked baffled, but he understood. After all, Yang Ling was ridiculously fast at making money from mining.
Who else in this massive Fire Crystal Rock Mine could mine for several days straight and gather more than thirty pounds of Fire Crystal Rock in one go?
At a guess, he could make twenty or thirty taels a month without a problem.
"All right. You did come up through our Ore Vein, after all. Mine whenever you like, and I'll pay you the same rates as the other miners."
Steward Niu laughed:
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