Chapter 35: Opening an agency called Circular!

Gu Fangyi unwrapped the bandage from his chin to make speaking less uncomfortable. "Joining the Hunters is indeed the best choice. I was fairly confident I could get into the Hunters too, but the problem now isn’t just about the Hunters. According to the contract, we must complete two years of studies at East Ring University and then fulfill the contract by joining Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals. If we decide to breach the contract, then the 250,000 in damages is the real difficulty. How are we supposed to earn this 250,000?" Gu Fangyi always got straight to the point when addressing issues. This was something Lu Luo couldn’t solve at the moment. The purchasing power of 250,000 Alliance Currency was comparable to 2,500,000 in his previous life. As a transmigrator who came to the Wasteland Era, all those routines and ideas in his head seemed to have nothing to do with making money. Writing novels? Making movies? Designing games? Let’s not even mention that in the Wasteland Alliance’s Fourth Ring class, every factory has shares owned by nobles. But even these seemingly profitable trades have more or less existed in the Wasteland before. However, with the outburst of the intelligence machinery crisis and the subsequent appearance of Exotic Species of intelligence machinery, many similar industries could no longer continue. As for starting a business guild or opening a supermarket, please, the Wasteland Alliance has developed for hundreds of years. Humanity here has not gone extinct; their business models have undergone hundreds of years of changes and have already become very mature. Lu Luo didn’t believe his individual wisdom could contend with the wisdom of an entire era, so... "Making money? If you’ve got hands, you can do it. It’s only 250,000—easy peasy within two years." First, you talk big; that’s how you get the drive to do things. As for the process, well, that’s up to fate. You’re right, money is nothing. After all, with your looks, there are so many women in the Wasteland, including those of higher status. If you don’t mind lowering your standards a bit, it’s not like... Scram! Listening to Lu Luo’s confident assurance, the light in Gu Fangyi’s and Zhou Kai’s eyes rekindled. The youth of the Wasteland were just that fiery. "So what exactly do we need to do?" Lu Luo paused for a moment to organize his thoughts, then began to share his ideas. "From the interaction with Captain Ludie yesterday, I’ve discovered a very serious problem among the Hunters, one that is actually far beyond our imagination." A problem more serious than imagined? Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai glanced at each other, their brows unconsciously arching upwards. "A serious problem with the Hunters?" "Yes, the one who spent a lot of time with us yesterday was Ludie, Captain of Hunter Team 13. But from what I’ve learned, each of the four regions—east, west, south, and north—has 36 Hunter teams. Most of these Hunters are the elite of the Alliance. They go beyond the high walls, exterminate mature Exotic Species, and deal with the constant possibility of Exotic Species crises. Those who are powerful and work beyond the walls for long periods are a prideful bunch, living by their own set of rules outside the walls: survival of the fittest. The Hunters, who fight against deformed Species, Humanoid Species, and Specter Species, have honed a very tough, yet under certain circumstances, seemingly fragile willpower. The survival of the fittest rule poses no problem among these Transcendents outside the wall, but once they return inside the wall, it becomes a huge issue." Listening to Lu Luo, Zhou Kai scratched his head, feeling like he understood something, yet at the same time as if he understood nothing at all. Gu Fangyi, however, was much quicker to respond. After pondering for a bit, he spoke up: "This issue is about the conflict between the laws, or more accurately, the conflict between the rules inside the wall and those outside." Lu Luo nodded, giving Gu Fangyi a thumbs-up. "You’re quick on the uptake, Gu," he praised the reticent young man. "And you’re not wrong. Outside the wall, might makes right, and it’s survival of the fittest, while inside the wall, one must follow laws, morals, and Alliance rules. That’s the crux of the problem. When we were at the Wasteland Security Bureau, Lawyer Li Yang and Captain Luo Sen of Squad 33 had a very obvious verbal clash. By status, both of them are second-class citizens of the Wasteland, entitled to the same Wasteland resources, benefits, powers, and social status. The issue is that Captain Luo Sen is a powerful Transcendent, while Lawyer Li Yang is just an ordinary person. A haughty lawyer facing an ordinary second-class citizen is naturally no problem. But Luo Sen is different. That day, Luo Sen released a very clear murderous intent, and that kind of aura was definitely not just for show. It was Captain Ludie who stopped him. Otherwise, no one could predict what the ultimate outcome would have been. Such contradictions are happening everywhere among Hunters and ordinary people of the Wasteland. The rules within the wall bind the Hunters. These rules make them depressed, uncomfortable, and even prone to homicidal outbursts. Yet their fate is still to face the sanctions of the laws inside the wall. After the Alliance punishes a Hunter, more Hunters become dissatisfied and depressed as a result. Unless the Wasteland Alliance undergoes a revolutionary social change, such conflicts will continue to exist, and it is here that our opportunities and interests lie." Zhou Kai and Gu Fangyi remained silent, overwhelmed by Lu Luo’s analysis. They’d spent five years at school together, all orphans—so how had Lu Luo become so impressive? Where did all this knowledge come from? "Our interest is to resolve the conflicts between them?" Zhou Kai asked uncertainly. "Right, and wrong. Their conflicts can never be resolved, so we must avoid them happening as much as possible." "Avoid them from having conflicts? How do we do that?" "Start an agency—oh no, ’agency’ sounds too crass. We should give it a nicer name, call it the Hunter’s Daily Affairs Office. Then give the office a catchy name. Hmm, the differences in rules originate from the high wall, and the wall is circular, so let’s call it the Circular Hunter’s Daily Affairs Office!" "Circular Hunter’s Daily Affairs Office! What exactly are we going to do?" Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai asked in unison. "What we are going to do is very simple: become the intermediary for both sides and handle their job handovers." "All these are commissioned jobs, what’s the point? How do we make money?" "Of course, there’s a point, and it’s a huge, revolutionary one at that! Hunters are public servants, and their duties lead them to have too much contact with ordinary humans. And many ordinary people, who have never gone beyond the wall, make Hunters loathe such contact, hence the conflict. Our role is to isolate their contact, to act as their lubricant, and then to take a commission from it. For example, a clueless merchant might want a Humanoid Species female slave, like a centaur or a doe, for some life science research. We could quote 2,000 Alliance Currency to take on such a job, and then commission a Hunter with 1,000. The only modification is that the task becomes capturing a female centaur for Exotic Species genetic research. This way, the whole task handover becomes much smoother."