Page 34

Zhu Ji said, "I'm Yan Kexing's friend. Just treat me as a friend; there's no need to be so polite."

Shi Wen smiled again. "All right."

Zhu Ji introduced the assistant beside him, Duan Kuo, and said with a smile, "You're Hua Nation's only Qilin Bloodline Ability User. We've long wanted to come and see how you were doing, and whether there was anything you needed help with. But we've been too busy to get away, so we only managed to come now."

"Thank you for your hard work," Shi Wen said.

"It's part of our job. Nothing to thank us for." Zhu Ji looked around and asked, "Could you show us around the ranch?"

This ranch had been approved by the Anomaly Management Bureau.

For ranches of the same size near N City, annual rent started at 150,000, and their facilities were not even as good as his.

The Anomaly Management Bureau had directly granted him free use for forty years. If nothing went wrong with his bloodline after those forty years, it would surely still belong to him.

It was practically permanent ownership.

Even for that reason alone, Shi Wen could not possibly refuse to show Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo around.

Shi Wen led Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo deeper into the ranch, first taking them to see the livestock shed.

The three of them went from the sun-drenched ranch into the dim livestock shed, and their vision went black for a moment.

Before Shi Wen could say anything—

The puppy in the livestock shed started barking first. "Woof, woof, woof!"

Shi Wen looked at Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo, then at the energetic puppy barking its head off, and concluded that Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo were probably not as formidable as Yan Kexing.

When Yan Kexing was around, the puppy had not even dared to make a sound.

Zhu Ji had no idea Shi Wen was quietly assessing him. He crouched down to look at the puppy and smiled as he met its gaze. "Your puppy's really spirited. What's its name?"

Shi Wen lightly tapped the cage, signaling the puppy to stop barking, then answered, "The one barking is named Le Wa. The one beside it is called An Wa."

Zhu Ji reached out to tease the puppies. "Those are very unusual names."

Shi Wen smiled. "They mean peace and joy, and taking things as they come. We only just brought them back, so we'll wait a couple of days for them to adjust before letting them out."

Zhu Ji stood and looked over the livestock shed with feeling. "This ranch has come back to life in your hands."

After showing Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo the livestock shed and introducing the cattle, sheep, dogs, and geese he currently kept, Shi Wen took them to the backyard to see the vegetables he had planted earlier.

The ranch had been in his hands for less than two months, so the renovations were still limited. Even so, it was clear that the entire ranch was improving, filled with a thriving vitality.

After the tour, Zhu Ji said to Shi Wen, "Based on your overall circumstances, you can be rated as an Intermediate Ability User."

Shi Wen froze. "So soon?"

He remembered that the handbook said both Divinity and Abilities had to reach above five hundred to qualify as an Intermediate Ability User. His Divinity was sufficient, but his Abilities were still more than a hundred short, so he had not yet met the requirements.

Zhu Ji smiled. "In theory, you would need to wait a little longer. But your bloodline is extremely rare, and your progress has been very fast. Taking everything into consideration, we can make an exception. Being rated as an Intermediate Ability User sooner will be more beneficial for you."

Shi Wen thanked him.

Zhu Ji said, "You're welcome. It's our job. In your situation, you can apply for special funding early to develop yourself. If anything comes up, you can contact either me or Duan Kuo."

Zhu Ji specifically added Shi Wen on WeChat and left his phone number. Duan Kuo added him as well.

They did not stay at the ranch for long. After leaving their contact information, they headed back.

After seeing them off, Shi Wen thought for a moment and sent Yan Kexing a message: [Director Zhu came to see me just now.]

After a while, Yan Kexing seemed to have taken a moment out of his busy schedule to look at it. [Zhu Ji? They came to assess your situation?]

Shi Wen replied: [Yes! Director Zhu said I can be rated as an Intermediate Ability User. Afterward, I can apply for special funding through the Anomaly Management Bureau's official website.]

Yan Kexing replied: [The requirements for the Anomaly Management Bureau's special subsidies are relatively lenient. Give it a try and apply for as much as you can.]

Shi Wen replied: [Director Zhu told me the same thing. If I can get the funding, things will be much easier on my end.]

Yan Kexing stared at that line for a while. Only when someone called for him did he turn off his phone and place it face-down beside him.

That night, after finishing his work, Shi Wen sat down in front of his computer.

The Anomaly Management Bureau's official website had an unusually simple layout.

He opened the funding application page.

From low-level Ability Users to high-level ones, then Divine-level Ability Users, the available funding rose from tens of thousands to tens of millions, and then to a hidden option—the funding available to Divine-level Ability Users was a hidden option that Shi Wen could not access at all.

What kind of people were Divine-level Ability Users?

At that thought, Shi Wen suddenly remembered Yan Kexing.

Could Yan Kexing be Divine-level? Otherwise, why would his confidentiality level be so high?

Shi Wen stared blankly at the computer for a while before turning back to see how much Intermediate Ability Users could apply for.

Intermediate Ability Users could apply for funding in the hundred-thousand range, from 100,000 to 900,000. Each tier required different documentation.

After carefully studying the examples, Shi Wen decided to apply for the 300,000 subsidy tier.

His ranch was genuinely in operation, with a total of 115 sheep, plus two dairy cows, thirty geese, and three puppies. It was not a small operation.

Zhu Ji had personally said that his bloodline was rare and that he was progressing quickly. That should count as an advantage in the application.

If it did not work out, he could drop down a tier next month and apply for the 200,000 one.

Shi Wen diligently filled out the paperwork, taking photos where photos were needed, uploading data where data was needed, and attaching purchase records where purchase records were needed, determined to get the funding approved in one go.

If he had the money, he wanted to repair the ranch's wire fencing and renovate the livestock shed. It would be even better if he could buy some more farm machinery.

Perhaps because Zhu Ji had indeed taken note of him, Shi Wen's application went very smoothly.

In only a week, the first installment of 50,000 was deposited into Shi Wen's account.

Looking at his suddenly fuller account balance, Shi Wen was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.