Chapter 107 - 107 90 Entering the Door

107: Chapter 90: Entering the Door 107: Chapter 90: Entering the Door Originally, Lu Ping’an had a rare vacation. The start date for the special major at Ancient City University was in early August, so there was still a month and a half of summer vacation left. Lu Ping’an had planned to apply for early admission to make the most of this time. Since classes didn’t start until August, and he could only study on his own, he naturally had plenty of time. Under the original plan, he would spend time reading and looking for more clues and paths to deepen his knowledge. But this new development seemed like an equally good choice… “Internship? Yes, I know about it. I applied to join Special Service Team Three in Zion District. My guardian is the captain of the team there…That’s right, my legal guardian. You can check.” The school’s inquiry notice about whether he would accept the internship arrived, and Lu Ping’an agreed without hesitation. This was the second notice for the same matter – seemingly redundant, but actually necessary. Xia Qin’s contact was on a personal level, while the school’s inquiry was part of the official process. “Thank you for your understanding and support, but please come to school either today or tomorrow to pick up your internship notice and temporary practice license. The uniform and police equipment will be provided at your internship placement. The expected internship period is two weeks and may be extended. Please coordinate your vacation time with your internship placement. Is there anything else I can help you with?” The young lady on the other end of the phone had a sweet voice that effectively diffused the irritability of students working overtime during their vacation. She even hinted that if Lu Ping’an needed it, he could apply for an advance on his bereavement pay and resettlement allowance…No need for the latter, but who wouldn’t want the former? “Great, how do I apply for the bereavement pay?” Lu Ping’an felt he might need it. “You can either provide a written statement proving you have no other relatives or get approval signatures from all your living relatives to receive the bereavement pay.” Alright, Lu Ping’an decided to keep quiet, realizing he wasn’t the only one trying to cheat the system. However, there were indeed some things he needed the school’s support for. “If I need knowledge and experience above first-tier, who can provide it for me?” “You can either wait for the start of the semester, when professors will teach in class, or buy it from clubs or individuals on campus…” Knowledge below first-tier and some first-tier knowledge itself is public, but higher-tier knowledge is considered classified. Becoming a Quasi-Secret Keeper doesn’t mean all treasures are free, but that the rights to purchase and possess such treasures are granted to you. Public courses provide the basics and will still cover general material. If you want something higher-end, more unique, or more niche, you have the options of privately apprenticing, networking, or buying and trading. Most acquisition channels for “high-end knowledge” come with additional terms stating that it cannot be retransmitted a second time or has a limited number of retransmission allowances. Penalties for violating agreements can be quite troublesome, with even a single Red Character Warning potentially causing “social death.” “Is there a simpler way?” “We recommend joining a club or organization on campus. They are all in urgent need of new members. They often purchase useful ‘knowledge’ collectively for new members, then semi-openly share it within the club as club benefits. Campus clubs and organizations are generally more lenient with their rules, and departing after graduation does not come with too many consequences.” Lu Ping’an quietly noted this as a potential answer. While he had already taken the initiative to learn about various clubs, they were not simply charities. Their purpose was due to the dangers of the supernatural world and the specialization of professionals’ abilities. Oftentimes, an individual’s power was limited. For example, many large and dangerous secret realms were near-impossible to traverse solo. Campus clubs served as an initial model for social organizations and small to medium-sized companies. Ninety percent of campus clubs dissolved upon entering society, but some evolved into the initial forms of various companies, organizations, exploration teams, adventure groups, and combat teams. Considering his own abilities, Lu Ping’an knew he would eventually need to form a team, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use a more lenient team as a transition during the initial stages. “New member contracts are usually not too harsh, making them great for a transitional phase. You can earn some club benefits and learn about their organizational structure.” From what Lu Ping’an knew, Hua senior sister, who was busy establishing her own club recently, followed a similar approach. She spent her freshman and sophomore years in other clubs, and now that she was a junior and had become more self-sufficient, she started her own club. She even brought several trusted friends and colleagues from her previous club to serve as the backbone of her new organization, but due to its newness, she was urgently recruiting new members. Due to the strong “functionality” of professionals, as long as they come and go as they please and make things clear beforehand, this kind of thing is quite common. After some thought, Lu Ping’an added “find a club that’s easy to join” to his task list. He indeed had several questions for the school. “I participated in the college entrance examination of Knight’s Secret Realm a while ago, didn’t I? I obtained a blueprint for a Taboo item that seemingly can be used to modify weapons with the help of professionals. Does the school offer such services?” Perhaps it was due to the seal, the sweet-voiced young lady on the other end of the call hesitated for a moment before replying. “You can contact clubs with an inclination for alchemy and refining or post an ‘Invitation Commission’ on the school forum. If you have higher quality requirements, you can also contact a professor from the logistics department directly… Since you might not be familiar with our school, do you need me to introduce you to a ‘Refiner’? Although their services are paid, the fees won’t be too high if their tier is not high.” Lu Ping’an certainly needed such services. He asked Xia Qin who suggested inquiring about the logistics of the Bureau of Anomaly Management, which was an employee benefit. However… “It might take two or three months. Last time I saw them, they were almost overworked to death. Just maintaining and repairing weapons and equipment is driving them crazy.” Now, another problem had been solved. Just as Lu Ping’an was about to hang up, the young lady on the other end seemed to remember something. “Right, since you were in the top ten of this entrance examination, you will receive a Silver-tier Taboo item as a reward. Do you have any specific requirements for its attributes?” “Can’t I choose it in person?” “… Now I believe that you’re a real newcomer, but that’s not possible. You wouldn’t want the weakness of your weapon to become public knowledge, would you?” As it turns out, while Silver-tier Taboo items are powerful, they also come with a heavy price and are usually kept confidential. Even without a cost, who would want information about their “trump card” to be made public? The “reward” this time was partly provided by the school and partly by the Bureau of Anomaly Management, an official organization. Even the powerful items themselves have code numbers within the Bureau of Anomaly Management. Even managers can only determine their functionality based on their “labels”. Lu Ping’an could only come up with “attribute labels” like “I need powerful weapons” or “I need medical support items”, and then check if there were any matching items on the other end before pairing them up. “Da Mao?” At this point, the wisdom of the elder was needed. “… A weapon, a powerful Death system weapon, or an offensive item. Preferably with the ‘Withering’ and ‘Aging’ concepts from the Death system, in order to threaten high-level Life system beings.” This choice was quite important as most professionals would never get a chance to encounter Silver-tier Taboo items in their lifetime. Some people choose immediate combat power, constructing their combat system around it. Some aim for specific “Laws” to increase their chances of breaking through. Lu Ping’an, on the other hand, wanted to use it to deliver a fatal blow and prevent others from doing the same to him. As the requirements were quite specific and considering the rarity of mid-to-high-level Taboo items, it was quite difficult to fulfill them. However, this time the provider was the Bureau of Anomaly Management, a professional department dealing with anomalous items and events! They constantly controlled and supervised various “pollutants”. Although they might lack manpower, they certainly didn’t lack Taboo items. It was expected that they would equip their combat forces with items from their inventory. However, after stating his requirements, the young lady on the other end still fell silent for a while before answering: “I will convey your request. If there is a matching item, we will notify you to pick it up. But are you sure? Items from the Death system, especially the two dangerous concepts you specified, are not only extremely dangerous in themselves but also often have terrifying side effects and costs. To my knowledge, you mainly belong to the Life system…” “Yes, I’m sure.” Lu Ping’an didn’t want to say more. Who would want to willingly reveal their own information? However, the official tone on the other end suddenly changed to a playful one. “Alright, little junior, even though your request is picky, I believe the big dogs in the Administration Bureau can take care of it. By the way, since you’re interested in the Death system, would you consider joining the ‘Nightingale and Dusk Song Society’? We are recruiting new members, and those in the Death system get priority. I checked the information, and you have the Soldier profession, right? Our club offers free access to common first-tier Death system information, including Soldier…” Lu Ping’an, who was drinking water, almost spat it out. It turned out this wasn’t staff, but a senior sister working and recruiting new members. After thanking her for her kindness and agreeing on a rough time to meet the refiner when he picked up his certificate, Lu Ping’an finally hung up. Next, he could head to the police station and consider the selection of reinforcements…</p