"Deputy Train Captain, Iāll introduce you gradually later. Letās go first; the smell here is making it hard for me to keep my eyes open."
The young man hurriedly nodded in agreement, held his sisterās hand, and followed Old Pig, looking ahead at the dim light streaming down from the groundās manhole cover. His expression gradually became dazed; this is how his life is.
A drowning person wouldnāt let go of even a straw.
This group of people is like that weak beam of light ahead, pulling him out of the dark sewer.
He doesnāt know what the future holds after joining this pirate group, but he knows he has no choice.
He doesnāt want to die.
At least he doesnāt want his sister to die.
That man turned out to be the Train Captain of the "Philia Pirate Group". It seems the goblin was just a rumor to conceal their tracks. Which pirate group might he belong to then? The only other powerful pirate group nearby is the "Geek Pirates," which has also emerged recently and is very strong.
In the next moment āā
The dim light ahead suddenly brightened, and the manhole cover slightly ajar on the ground was completely opened. Biaozi poked his head down impatiently and said, "Can you hurry up? Are you hiding back there taking a sh*t?"
The young man was slightly stunned, then stepped forward quickly.
"Coming, coming."
...
In Sanshui City, inside a clothing store named Impression City Mall.
Chen Mang walked in with Biaozi and the others, glanced around, and found that the prices were not cheap. A jacket was priced at 20,000 units of iron ore; this was killing him.
"You two pick something that fits."
"Just buy one set, donāt get too much. There are better ones for you back home."
What kind of trashy clothes are these?
Not even a "Spatial Bag," the clothes he made on the train all came with Spatial Bags and only cost 1 unit of wood. Even high-quality clothes only cost 500 units of wood, much better than here.
Even though he has money, heās unwilling to waste it on such nonsense.
Itās a clothing store situated on the first floor.
It should be considered a luxury brand.
However, when he saw the apprehensive expression on the young manās face, he couldnāt help but laugh. The simplest way to win over such a down-and-out young man is to bring him to some high-quality places and gradually shatter his worldview.
20,000 units of iron ore for a jacket, itās alright; the moneyās well spent.
"Alright, this way please, you two."
The shop assistant warmly invited the young man and his sister to a sofa, starting to introduce the styles one by one: "This is the latest model this year, featuring elements from Star Sea and starships, the effect on wearing..."
At this moment āā
A middle-aged man with his arm around a woman walked briskly into the store.
Immediately!
The other shop assistants, enthusiastic as flies drawn to dog excrement, gathered around.
"Master Qi, why did you come in person? I was just about to send all the latest styles to your residence for you to see."
"Thatās right, Master Qi, why didnāt you say you were coming earlier? We havenāt cleared the area yet."
"Hurry, Master Qi is here, why arenāt you quickly clearing the area? Have some insight."
"No need."
The middle-aged man cheerfully waved his hand, looked at Chen Mang and the others standing aside, and nodded with a smile, "Occasionally, itās nice to enjoy with the people. Besides, running a store means welcoming customers, and all should be treated equally."
"Master Qi has a great vision!"
"Itās gotta be Master Qi!"
"..."
Chen Mang let out a gentle sigh, avoiding the gaze of this middle-aged man. Based on his experience, if he dared to make eye contact now, the man might ask him what heās looking at. Newly arrived, he truly didnāt want to cause trouble.
The other person clearly appeared to be a local authority figure; itās best to stay humble.
Nonetheless, this scene was noticed by the young man secretly observing from the side. Seeing his new master avoiding Master Qiās gaze, a trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes, and the excitement on his face waned considerably.
Even if itās joining pirates, he hopes to follow a master strong enough to provide ample resources for his research.
Yet, as a pirate, unable to even provoke a local authority figure, he must be just a minor pirate.
Can there really be enough resources for his research?
"Eh?"
Standing nearby, Biaozi glanced at the middle-aged manās clothes with a slight start: "Master Mang, look at that guyās clothes, doesnāt the sun logo look familiar? We have them too, remember, Master Mang."
"You have them too?"
The glamorous woman beside the middle-aged man sized up Chen Mang and his group, fiddled with her manicure, and laughed, "Do you know what these clothes are? Itās the top luxury brand from āMechanical Civilization,ā Fiery Sun!"
"During the peak of Mechanical Civilization, the price of a Fiery Sun garment was already extremely steep."
"Let alone now that Mechanical Civilization has fallen, each Fiery Sun garment is a limited edition. Just casually showing one can make it to an auction, thatās a genuinely priceless treasure. You say you have one too?"
"You think you deserve one?"
"Alright, alright."
The middle-aged man faked anger and scolded the woman: "Watch your words."
Then, with an apology, he approached Chen Mang and his party, took out a business card from his pocket, and handed it over.
"My subordinates arenāt good at speaking; sorry for the fright."
"Hereās my business card."
"As compensation, the two clothes you buy today in the store will be charged to me."
...
"General Manager of Sanshui Port."
"Zhou Shen."
No contact information, just the position and name.