【How much is the ticket?】
Tu You pulled up the fare chart and showed her directly:
【The starting price is 500,000. The longer you stay in a world, the more it costs.】
Sang Chu checked her account. She had one million star coins left. She didn’t fully trust people yet, so even though Dr. Li promised to prepare supplies for her, she still wanted to prepare her own backup—just in case.
After mercenaries complete a mission, their free storage box and container are reclaimed. This meant she would need her own space device if she wanted to buy supplies.
【Tu You, when I go back to the apocalypse from the Mutated World, I don’t need to participate in this year’s mandatory travel anymore, right?】
【Nope. You piggybacked someone else’s ticket this time. It doesn’t count as your official journey. After you return, you still have to travel once more.】
After thinking, Sang Chu transferred one million to Tu You.
【Keep this for emergencies. Whatever’s left after buying supplies, I’ll give to you.】
【Okay!】
As long as the money arrived safely, Tu You wouldn’t complain—it did not want her dying somewhere.
As they chatted, they walked.
Soon, she found a shop called “Space Station,” advertising the newest space anchors.
The shop owner was a chubby man dressed in glittering clothes—so bright she had to look twice.
“Oh—new customer! What do you need?”
He approached with a wide grin, eight shiny teeth showing. His squishy smiling face was so silly that Sang Chu barely held back a laugh.
Softly, she said, “Boss, I want the newest space anchor you’re advertising. It says the internal space is large?”
The boss brightened. “Correct! Our newest model has massive capacity and customizable structure. Please, come this way.”
Boss Jin continued proudly:
“You’ve come to the right place. We have many types of storage devices. The new model can adjust interior layout, time flow, temperature, climate, and even appearance. The base area is about 160 square meters, and it can go up to seven floors, each about three meters high.”
“Seven floors? Each around three meters?”
“Yes! Do you like it?”
“How much?”
“This newest model uses the latest light-energy technology. The energy stones come from New Star and are brand-new to the market. The spacious internal construction is thanks to these new stones, so the price is…”
Sang Chu interrupted him.
“Boss, just tell me the number. If I can afford it, I’ll buy it. If not, I’ll choose a cheaper one.”
“Five million star coins.”
“Five… million?”
Including the million she gave Tu You, more than half her money would be gone. But after a moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth and paid.
“Boss, do you know where I can buy food?”
While setting up the space anchor, Boss Jin asked, “First time in A City? Are you a traveler or a mercenary?”
“Mercenary.”
He looked up at her again—surprised. He’d assumed she was a tourist given her small frame, but on closer look, with her tanned skin and visible wounds, she really did look like a mercenary.
“Well, mercenaries can request a food allocation from the Mercenary Guild. Just list what you need, and the kitchen will prepare and deliver it. The cost is half of market price.
“But if you don’t want to wait, you’ll have to buy your own food. Go toward the tallest building—the one labeled ‘Fresh Food.’ That’s the market.”
While talking, he removed the certification tag from the space anchor and handed it to her. “All done.”
“Thank you.”
She learned the basic controls from him. It was very convenient, expensive or not—it was worth it. And she now knew where to buy food.
Leaving the shop, she walked toward the tallest building. It took half an hour.
Fresh Food
Stepping inside, she immediately understood the name—everything really was fresh.
Most produce was planted in soil inside oddly shaped cultivation pods.
There were grapes, greens, tomatoes, watermelons, cucumbers—fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds.
It had been ages since she tasted watermelon. She went straight to that stall.
“Boss, do you sell the watermelon alone, or do you sell it with the cultivation pod?”
The stall owner blinked, then patiently explained:
“Little girl, you must be a mercenary. Not many mercenaries buy food themselves. The cultivation pod can be sold, but it costs extra. One watermelon is ten coins. One watermelon vine is a hundred. One cultivation pod is five hundred.”
“Can these vines continue producing fruit?”
“Of course! These are top-grade. They produce four harvests a year—that’s why they’re expensive.”
She checked. This seemed to be the only stall selling watermelon.
After calculating, she bought more than ten entire setups—fruit, vine, and pod—then stored them in her space anchor, which she adjusted into bracelet form.
“Here, little girl, take this. A small gift.”
The stall owner gave her a tiny bottle of nutrient solution with instructions.
Sang Chu thanked him and continued shopping.
Cucumbers, pumpkins, tomatoes, chestnuts…
Anything edible, she bought whole—plant and pot.
Finally, she reached the meat section.
The prices were astronomical.
Chicken, duck, fish—whole, unprocessed, just dead but with intact outer layers.
“Boss, how do you sell these?”
The butcher’s eyes lit up at the rare meat customer—until he saw she was just a young girl.
“Little miss, these are Level 5 livestock. Their outer shells are very tough—ordinary laser knives can’t cut them. Are you sure?”
“Uncle, I’m a mercenary. I can handle them. Are these all you have?”
“Mercenary? That’s great! Yes, these are all. You want everything?”
“Mm. Everything. Please calculate.”
The butcher beamed so hard his eyes nearly disappeared. Afraid she’d change her mind, he hurried to pack all of it for her.
Very soon, the entire Fresh Food market heard about a female mercenary sweeping the place clean—never haggling, buying whatever she liked on the spot.
She spent a little over twenty thousand on food. The space anchor was nearly full, but the boss had taught her how to build layers.
Tired from walking, she sat on a staircase and started setting up the layers in the space anchor.
After much trial and error, she finally finished.
(End of this chapter)