: The First Pot of Gold

Qiao Yuan ate another slice of durian pizza. He was indeed hungry. The battle had just taken a toll on his energy, and he had been working late into the night.

He completely ignored Zhou Ye's targeting and didn't care at all.

The demonic substitute is just the beginning; now that it can travel to various timelines in the past and future, the benefits will only increase.

Yan Baobao ignored Zhou Ye and, while eating her pizza, asked Qiao Yuan, "How much more do you need?"

"I'm still short 60,000," Qiao Yuan shook his head. "After tonight's commotion, not only did I lose my income, but the hotel just demanded compensation from me. Those bastards!"

"Don't worry about compensation, I'll handle it."

"Thanks," Qiao Yuan said with a smile.

"Go back quickly. Today is the 3rd. On August 20th, we will go to Galaxy University for the assessment and class placement. Then there will be a ten-day practical military training. I will figure out how to make money if we don't have enough then," Yan Baobao said very seriously.

Qiao Yuan felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this and smiled, saying, "It's alright, don't worry, it's just 60,000, I have a way to handle it."

Although the baby borrowed millions, he used it all up before the college entrance examination by buying various flagship martial arts potions, gene enhancement fluids, and so on.

Now, like him, all they have left is tuition fees; they don't have much extra money.

In other words, the baby has already taken out a loan of 130 million from [Fajia Heavy Industry].

He was well aware that it would be difficult to obtain more loans before enrolling in school.

The salary for Yu Jin's internship wasn't much either.

Moreover, the majority of household expenses have always been paid by the baby, including the annual rent, the purchase of martial arts medicine, and basic community insurance, etc.

Now that his coveted job is gone, he needs to find new ways to make money, and he wonders if he can leverage the advantage of the past timeline.

As soon as Qiao Yuan got out of the car, a message popped up on his phone: "[Yan Baobao transferred 1000 yuan.]"

The baby called out from behind, "You look terrible. Go buy some fresh air. When you get home, help me collect my clothes. It looks like it's about to rain. I'll be back in a bit. If you're sleepy, go to sleep."

"Okay," Qiao Yuan waved his hand.

The baby is so good; in this cold and dark world, she's no different from her older sister.

After putting on the Demon Substitute Ring, he left the Ember Floating Vehicle and headed along the left-hand floating passage of the Rebirth Hotel to another floating megastructure diagonally opposite.

He hasn't been home for several days, working day and night at the Sheng Hotel.

The hotel is located in the Fanxing commercial district in the northern part of Huanxi Prefecture, while he and his baby live in the Moon Community, ten kilometers away, in the central part of Huanxi Prefecture.

Most of the floating buildings here are old, and there are many exposed, dense wires and cables along the roadside. They are black and dirty, and some of them even spark and crackle.

The dark alleyways were littered with garbage, and the steel roads were covered with mottled rust or potholes, almost all of which were in disrepair for years.

But thankfully... we're almost gone.

He was passing by a psionic factory called [Legalist Heavy Industry], which exuded a strong sense of oppression.

The massive, dark quantum megastructure, over a kilometer tall, had hundreds of white indicator lights flashing on its surface from time to time.

Most of these factories are shaped like cones, with the pointed end facing down, seemingly floating in the clouds.

The purpose is to mine important energy sources such as spiritual helium-6 within the crust of Yaoguang Star, or to extract from the corpses of monsters on the ground.

The area is heavily guarded, with numerous black triangular drones and white spheres scattered around, as well as many mechs that are over ten meters tall, resembling Gundams.

As a giant interstellar enterprise that originated in Silvermoon City, Fajia Heavy Industry has a wide range of industries and is well-known in the Federation.

Such as warp starships, super-large mechs, various military equipment, planetary weapons, and artificial Dyson hoops.

It is also one of the top ten interstellar giants in the Apocalypse Federation, a behemoth.

It was also because of the Legalist heavy industry that Yaoguang Star became the foundation of the thirteenth administrative star of the Apocalypse Federation, and in some aspects, it could be compared with the twelve main stars of the Central Star Sea.

Its influence is ubiquitous, affecting every aspect of daily life.

The Ember Bureau, which represents order, is also backed by Legalist Heavy Industries.

In addition, Silvermoon City also houses branches of ten interstellar giants from other planets, including [Supernova Armed Forces] and [Twilight Group].

He wasn't really interested in any of this. As he walked down the street, he heard some people talking about it.

"Have you heard? The spiritual helium-6 energy we use to defend Huanxi State against monsters and provide a spiritual barrier has decreased. It's said that the Legalist Heavy Industry's production capacity has declined..."

"Hey, what's the point of saying all this? We can't go to the main city anyway, so we're just waiting to die."

"I heard it's possible to smuggle people into the country?"

"Damn...you know what...I know a friend of mine who seems to have succeeded before."

Qiao Yuan frowned slightly as he listened.

Although he's going to the main city, he can't go until the 20th, which is more than half a month away.

You have to earn enough money to go; otherwise, you won't be able to attend university.

Has the spiritual helium-6 run out again?

This is the third time in the last decade that this has happened, due to the disruption caused by the Star Empire.

Ugh.

He was very familiar with this spiritual helium-6. A thousand years ago, the first nuclear fusion power generation fuel discovered by mankind was called helium-3, which was pollution-free, safe and efficient. It was also called perfect energy, but it was scarce and difficult to use on a large scale.

As the vast universe expanded and was invaded by the multiverse, our ancestors gradually mined helium-4 and helium-5 by relying on technological singularities.

It wasn't until the discovery of multiverse-level helium, rich in spiritual atoms and capable of creating spiritual barriers, that it was finally named Spiritual Helium-6.

Such groundbreaking spiritual energy is quite rare. The reason why Yaoguang became a terrestrial planet was because its crust contained a large amount of helium-6.

For over nine hundred years, since the arrival of human immigrants on Yaoguang Star, it has been completely monopolized by [Fajia Heavy Industry], which has continuously supplied the floating city.

The so-called spiritual barrier is a cutting-edge technology that can block the invasion of monsters from the multiverse and prevent the occurrence of time layering!

As the name suggests, time overlay is a phenomenon where two different timelines intersect when another universe invades, eventually covering reality.

For example, the polluted area 20 kilometers outside of Huanxi State was invaded by the light beings of Universe 06755 three years ago.

Through the layering of time, the original land is transformed into a world of light, generating blinding white light radiation that causes mutations in people, eventually twisting them into monsters.

Silvermoon used to have a lower city, but it was destroyed by monsters, leaving only the large upper city floating in the air.

North of the Rebirth Hotel and beyond the northern part of Joyful State, there are deserted cities, ghost towns, that have been attacked by large flying monsters.

After countless civilians died and buildings were severely damaged, the spiritual barrier was removed by [Fajia Heavy Industry], ultimately turning the area into a polluted wasteland, which was extremely dangerous.

Due to the influence of anti-gravity materials, most of the empty cities still float in the high sky.

Although it can no longer survive, it can still be considered an invisible defensive perimeter.

It is said that departments such as Ember and Legalist Heavy Industry have deployed a large number of remote-controlled nuclear bombs in these contaminated areas.

An explosion will occur once a monster uprising is detected that threatens the territory of Joyful State.

Although spiritual helium-6 is scarce in the Apocalypse Federation, it is readily available throughout the territory of the Star Empire.

Unfortunately, the Old Federation and the Star Empire have been out of contact for more than thirty years, and the energy crisis of Spirit Helium-6 is becoming increasingly tense.

As Qiao Yuan sighed, he subconsciously looked down into the abyss.

Under the illumination of the cutting-edge lights of the Legalist Heavy Industry Psionic Factory, one could vaguely see vast urban ruins and densely packed monster corpses, like mountains of corpses and seas of blood, on the land surface.

From giant mammoths measuring five or six meters in size to carcasses of hundred-eyed octopuses hundreds of meters in size, and even amphibious jellyfish with diameters exceeding one thousand meters, the variety of species is endless.

The corpses of monsters accumulated over nearly a thousand years have piled up to hundreds of millions, polluting the ground into a hellish place, and even affecting the airspace two thousand meters above Huanxi State.

Moreover, the land wasn't just littered with corpses, because the vast majority of monsters were still alive!

Purchasing "fresh air" and taking "impurity filtration agents" have become routine.

Both of these things help purify the body and maintain a certain balance.

Similar to health supplements, they are only effective if taken regularly; once stopped, they will gradually revert to their original state.

Actually, it's okay not to buy fresh air or use filter agents.

It's nothing more than a decline in physical health, a continuous loss of spirituality, increased susceptibility to illness, and gradual physical alienation.

Unless it's one of the four Silver Moon capital cities five or six thousand meters in the sky...

We need to make money faster.

We definitely have to go to the main city!

Qiao Yuan took a deep breath: "I need to reach the next level of sublimation as soon as possible and unlock the future timeline, only then can I rest easy."

Knowing the future is of paramount importance!

Having made up his mind, he continued walking towards the subway station ahead.

There is an abyss just ten meters away.

In addition to purchasing fresh air and filtering agents, individual flight backpacks are also very important in this interstellar floating era.

If you fall, you're lucky and land on a floor below or on a floating surface.

If you're unlucky, you might fall hundreds of meters, or even land two thousand meters below, or be killed by a floating vehicle.

This kind of bad luck happens every day; he encounters it frequently.

In fact, the edges of the floating city buildings are often covered with lush green belts and tall coconut trees, as well as 150cm high double-layered tempered glass, which serves as a certain warning.

But it's not very useful, because in many places there are only fences, or even nothing at all.

Right now, many passersby are using jetpacks to jump up and down, breaking free from the limitations of walking and becoming as free as birds.

He had one before, which was bought for him by his baby. It had been repaired and patched up many times, posing a serious safety hazard, and could no longer be used.

Don't let it malfunction halfway through the flight and crash; otherwise, you'll really be rushing to your next life.

It is said that the capital city of Silvermoon has a very advanced gravity control device that can prevent falls from great heights.

Moreover, the main city has an energy shield that can withstand super-large monsters, which is far superior to anything outside the city; the difference is like heaven and earth.

This is why he desperately wanted to go to the main city—not only because it was free from pollution, but also because of the enviable protection of citizens' lives and property in all aspects.

Everyone says that only the main city is the true Silvermoon City! Only the main city is truly alive!

Five minutes later, Qiao Yuan walked along the commercial street to the nearby giant Starlight Station.

This is an old atomic punk building, already covered in rust.

In the interstellar floating city, in addition to the extensive air-floating transportation network, there are also many vertical power elevators that move at high speeds.

In places like Huanxizhou, the lowest altitude you can descend is 1500 meters, and the highest altitude can reach 2700 meters.

The Moon Community where he and his baby live is about 2200 meters away.

The area ahead, called Haitang, is at a higher altitude, around 3500 meters.

He swiped his biometric code to enter the station and then boarded the 050 suspended subway.

These infrastructures, like those from [Fajia Heavy Industry], have a speed exceeding 1000 kilometers per hour and are made of diamond materials similar to those used in the Ember Flying Vehicle.

At this moment, beneath a series of aerial highways, a suspended train shuttles through countless floating buildings at lightning speed.

Large swaths of blue-purple or red-yellow neon lights occasionally flashed past the car window, painting the interior of the carriage with vibrant colors, like layers of thickly applied oil painting.

The few passengers in the midnight carriage were mostly numb and tired, and it was very quiet.

Qiao Yuan yawned; he was exhausted. He planned to take a shower and get a good night's sleep as soon as he got home.

Then find a new job, upgrade your physique to level 5 as soon as possible, achieve secondary sublimation, and unlock the ability to travel to future timelines.

He currently has a physical constitution of 4.8, while his spirituality is 0.48, which is one-tenth of his physical constitution.

This is the official psionic formula developed by countless predecessors. The stronger one's physique, the more one can sense the spiritual atoms in the universe.

Once you reach level 0.5 spirituality, you can proceed to the next level of sublimation, choosing one of nine sublimation methods.

When you reach the first level of sublimation, choose the one that suits you best from the thirty sequence paths.

He has above-average talent and has consistently ranked around tenth in his class. He was able to get into Galaxy University because he was a local student admitted through the priority admission program, barely making it into the top-tier university.

Yan Baobao has already reached level 17 physique, the difference is astonishing, crushing the first-level sublimation of the same realm.

They are rising stars with limitless potential, incomparable to anyone else.

However, having a genius older sister is still pretty cool.

Three minutes later, after stopping at two stations on the suspended subway, we finally arrived at the Moon Platform.

Qiao Yuan looked around and saw the old Moon Community just 200 meters away diagonally across the street.

The summer breeze at midnight was cool, something he had grown accustomed to having lived in high-altitude environments since childhood.

On the floating city, occasionally a very strong wind will rise, strong enough to blow people away.

Some unlucky souls, walking on the road without their personal flight backpacks, are often blown directly below the floating city by a strong gust of wind, dying without knowing why.

As soon as Qiao Yuan stepped off the platform, he heard a bargaining voice: "Hey, what I mean is, since all of these are second-hand goods, could you help me find a jade pendant that has been blessed?"

"As you know, several Buddhist temples in Huanxi Prefecture are very unscrupulous, with prices that are outrageously high. Please help me out, Boss Du, I'm a regular customer."

That's a Du's General Store on the left side of the platform, selling only secondhand goods.

He knew the boss; he had bought a lot of his products in the past. Although they were all used by others, they were cheap.

At this moment, the bald shop owner, Mr. Du, helplessly spread his hands and said with a wry smile, "My machine can only detect the authenticity of goods and whether the jade is scrap material. But how am I supposed to tell which piece of jade has been blessed, sister?"

"Hmm, let me think," the woman said thoughtfully. "For jade that has been blessed, whether by Taoists or Buddhists, an eye is drawn with a cinnabar brush. Can you look for one?"

Qiao Yuan frowned slightly. He had originally planned to go to the black market to find treasures, but he had almost forgotten.

Technology is so advanced now; a quick scan with a machine can instantly tell if a product is counterfeit or substandard, making it impossible to find a bargain and resell it.

Seeing that Boss Du was shaking his head again, he slapped his forehead and suddenly thought of something.

You can use the [blessed jade] as an anchor point to travel to the past timeline and find the second-hand goods that woman wanted!

only……

Even if everything goes smoothly, how do you cash in on it? You can't exactly buy it first and then resell it to a woman, can you?

That's possible.

But... it always feels like this is a charade, and it's hard to gain a woman's trust.

Ugh, this is so troublesome.

"Oh, it's Xiaoyuan?"

Boss Du had just received the money and was in a good mood when he saw Qiao Yuan and called out to him.

Qiao Yuan nodded slightly: "When you go back, please save one for me if you get a new flight backpack."

"Okay, I'll get back to you during the day. When you have time, could you ask your sister to patronize my shop? Things have been really chaotic lately. Only members of the Embers can keep those Zero Alliance workers in check. Please, I'll give you a discount later."

This time, Qiao Yuan smiled and indicated that he understood, but did not agree directly.

He didn't want to make this promise, even if the baby didn't mind such a small thing.

He walked past Du's Grocery Store and headed towards Moonlit Neighborhood.

Gradually, they bumped into two people from the Zero family, both reeking of alcohol, especially the burly man who was sighing. Both were wearing dark blue suits and orange industrial rubber shoes.

These are all members of the Zero Clan Alliance. They were originally construction workers under the Legalist Heavy Industry, who built many floating structures in Huanxi State.

However, they were ultimately abandoned by Legalist Heavy Industry due to various problems.

They banded together for mutual support, formed a workers' alliance, frequently criticized Legalist heavy industry, and armed themselves with technology and connections.

They eventually formed a formidable gang force, and now, after hearing Boss Du mention it, I wonder what they're up to now.

"Enough!" The speaker was a long-haired, blond man with a gloomy expression.

The man was in his forties, with grayish-white mechanical prosthetics implanted in both hands.

He was now complaining to the burly man beside him in disappointment, "I just told you not to hold it in your hand, fuck! That's the gold bracelet I use to pay my bills."

"I'm sorry, brother, I was wrong, I... I'll definitely get it back for you."

"Shut up! How could I have such a useless younger brother like you, just like that old geezer?"

Qiao Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, and a flash of inspiration struck him: this estimate might be feasible.

He brushed past the two men and then walked into the dark alley next door.

[Anchor point: The lost gold bracelet.]

[Time: 6 minutes and 17 seconds ago.]

Wow, it actually worked!