Chapter 525.1: I Will Consider Giving Myself A Few Days Off

Recently, the Queen of the Night had been opening earlier and earlier, especially for the generous VIP clients. For them, it practically ran 24/7.

However, to the slight disappointment of the patrons, the stockings made from Devil’s Silk had quietly vanished from the bar. They had been replaced entirely by nylon imitations.

While it was arguably more convenient, people couldn’t help but feel that something was missing.

After all, humans weren’t mere animals. Beyond physical desires, they also longed for a touch of spiritual fulfillment. The indestructible Devil’s Silk had elevated otherwise vulgar dancing into something with at least a hint of artistry.

And what could provoke the desire to conquer more than the act of refusal?

People might have complained that the material was too durable, but ironically, they were more willing to pay for it because of that.

Yet, when it came to banning the Devil's Silk artworks, the Queen of the Night’s owner, Rob, had been resolute in his decision.

Even though he had been the first to profit from it.

The side publication of the Survivor's Daily mocked his girls, which he didn’t mind, neither he nor they cared about their reputation. They only bothered with chips. However, that same article dared to mock the inner city nobles as well.

They were basically committing suicide.

He didn’t want blood on his hands...

At that very moment, inside the most luxurious VIP suite which was a symbol of status, a few well-groomed rich boys lounged on plush sofas, arms wrapped around barely-dressed beauties.

From the casually discarded belts nearby, it was clear they were men of wealth. The belts were made from Deathclaw leather. Not just any Deathclaws either, but mature ones.

Basking in the indulgent embrace, Kishur squinted in contentment, gave a half-hearted shiver, then smacked his lips and chuckled, "Still, nothing beats Boulder Town."

"Back there, I always had to handle things myself. But in the outer city? One look, and they know exactly what I want."

"And they’re way more gentle, more considerate too..."

A curious guy sitting across from him asked, "Aren’t there a lot of androids in Ideal City?"

The person who spoke was called Kumiter, and he was the son of Sid.

Sid was a well-known noble in the inner city, with shares in both the Vega Trading Company and the Boulder Town Bank. To someone like him, chips were just numbers.

Technically, his father’s status was slightly higher than Kishur’s father’s, so Kishur should have been his follower. But he admired that guy too much and willingly lowered his own status to sit beneath him.

He always had crazy ideas. Whenever things got boring, they would come up with something wild to do. Only this time, seven years ago... They might have gone too far.

The girl they messed with was about the same age as Kumiter’s little sister. The fact he even came up with that idea... Anyway, before the whole thing was exposed, the old man, instead of accepting chips, clung to both of them, crying and demanding they take responsibility...

How could they?

What were they supposed to do? Were they supposed to draw lots and pick one of them to marry her? Not only would Malvern or Sid be furious, they would probably beat the both of them to death.

Feeling that there was no other choice, they made the whole family disappear.

Unfortunately, the matter wasn’t handled well. The fire spread and burned several nearby houses, enraging the commander of the city defenses. That incident led to Kishur being sent off by his father to lay low in faraway Ideal City with a merchant caravan. Kumiter was punished too. He was sent for several days of solitary confinement and reflection.

Kumiter had assumed he would never see his best buddy again, until the Enterprise suddenly opened a new flight route to Clearspring City.

Sure enough, his old friend didn’t disappoint. The moment he could, he rushed back.

Kishur sneered. "Androids understanding humans better than humans? Give me a break. And they don’t age. You’re still obsessed with the same stuff after all this time? That’s kind of low man."

Kumiter grinned. "What else do we have for fun? You call me crude, so how about sharing some entertainment from the East Coast?"

The others chimed in as well.

"Yeah!"

"Come on, spill it already."

All the rich brats looked eagerly at their buddy who had come back, hoping he would share more about the East Coast. While many of our fathers were from the inner city, not everyone had the chance to send their kids to Ideal City.

3,000 kilometers was no short distance.

And the farther from Boulder Town their influence reached, the more useless it became.

Unless they were massive merchant groups who were well trusted, no one would dare to entrust their family to be brought away to the East Coast.

In the wasteland within the Great Wall, a mere intent was enough to end a life. In places where chips didn’t circulate, a human life was cheaper than paper.

To be honest, even if they had the chance, none of them really wanted to stay in Ideal City for long. However, that didn’t stop them from wanting to hear stories from people who had been there.

Especially firsthand tales from a close friend. They were far more reliable than whatever the traveling merchants claimed.

Enjoying the attention, Kishur’s eyes gleamed with a natural sense of superiority as he spoke slowly. "Ideal City... It isn’t quite as amazing as you would think."

Kumiter raised an eyebrow skeptically. "But it has to be better than Boulder Town, right?"

"You’re thinking too simply." Kishur shook his head. "They’ve have rules upon rules. Everything you can and can’t do is written down and they are crystal clear. There’s no wiggle room at all."

Though, maybe there was some wiggle room.

Well, he wasn’t at the level where the Highest Council would bend the rules for him. As such, he had no idea which rules they would allow him to break.

Kumiter still didn’t believe him and pressed on. "What about the nobles? They must be living better, right?"

Kishur responded indifferently. "In theory, sure. But in my opinion, they lack vision, and are really short-sighted. Maybe the real power players are different. I’ve heard they’re more secretive, more conservative... Aside from that, they’re not much different from us. That’s exactly why life there feels so stifling. Why else would I come back the second I could?"

To him, Ideal City was merely a goal for the rest of the wasteland to strive towards.

He could only live in a 70 square meter house where he was hooked up to neural-link gear. All he would do was to argue with junkies on the Endpoint Cloud. It was the cheapest and laziest form of entertainment. At worst, he would get flagged for a violation and be forced to watch propaganda films, or thrown offline by security.

The rules there were maddeningly strict, but the efficiency was undeniably high. It was something unthinkable in Boulder Town.

Basking in the admiration of his simple-minded friends, Kishur popped a grape fed to him by one of the girls and lazily commented on his hometown. "That said... The city’s changed quite a bit. It used to take two days to reach the northern suburbs, now, we can arrive in a day."

Kumiter chuckled, "True, those nosy guys in the northern suburbs are always brawling with marauders. The northern gangs have all run south."

A chubby guy joined them in excitement. "Did you hear they’re rebuilding the roads outside the city walls? It’s a total overhaul!"

A petite woman’s eyes lit up. "You know, your dad invested a lot in that project!"

Kishur curled his lips. "How much money can you even make off steel and cement? Anyway, aren’t you guys interested in real money-making deals?"

Kumiter’s eyes lit up. "You’ve got something?"

"More than just something." Kishur shot him a mysterious smile and beckoned his eager friends closer.

He cleared his throat and lowered his voice dramatically. "I’ve got a little project that’s going to make us a fortune."

...

In a certain residence in Dawn City.

Liszt played around with his black room card as he sat in the library while staring at the clock on the wall. He eventually yawned lazily.

He was finally starting to feel a little bored.

Initially, to obtain the black card he was playing with, he expended huge effort. He spent millions upon millions, and finally, with the help of several nobles, he managed to kick out a poor soul from the inner city. Spending a massive relocation fee to send the poor guy away, he finally took over a spot in the inner city.

That way, he became a noble of Boulder Town.

In Boulder Town, the appearance and living standards of those nobles were the most important. Their reputation wasn’t the best, and their identities weren’t kept very secret either.

As long as one managed to get a place to stay in the Boulder Grand Building, regardless of how large their apartment was, they could be considered a noble and gain voting rights.

As for how to get a place there... It all depended on their connections. There was no way anyone would sell a spot there on the open market.

Maybe nobles didn’t stay in the building, but all they needed was the black card which signified their identity and authority. Not too far away from the Boulder Grand Building were newly built residences. They were in the inner city, and the living conditions there were much better.

Moreover, if any noble stayed in their little apartment in the Boulder Grand Building every day, it meant that they were not far from bankruptcy.

Everyone would immediately try to help them to sell off their spot, finding a buyer for their place immediately.

The noble Liszt took over was the classic example. He was the lowest existence in the building and had no children. He had no skills either and all he did was eat all day and waste his time away. All he wanted to do was to sell away his spot for an appropriate price, before taking the chips to start a life somewhere else.

If one compared Boulder Town to a massive casino, buying a room card with enough chips meant that one had finally reached a certain level of achievement and stability.

That was also why Liszt paid such a huge price without much hesitation.

It wasn’t just because the new identity would make him immune to the games the nobles would play just to mess with him if he wasn’t one. It was also because he possessed ambition far beyond that of ordinary men. He planned to rely on his extraordinary business acumen to change Boulder Town and even the River Valley Province. He wanted to build a massive commercial empire!

If he could enter the true core of power of Boulder Town and make a few like-minded friends, he felt that his plan would proceed more smoothly.

Shame... Shortly after entering that circle, he was quickly disappointed. There were no like-minded partners there at all! There wasn’t even a single one with real competence.

He felt that those people were a bunch of useless fools who fed on each other’s incompetence.

There was not a trace of human intelligence left in their minds, or rather, they had used all their remaining brain matter on fighting against one another.

Even slave-owners knew that a shovel was faster than digging with bare hands. They would occasionally buy things like wood generators or tractors from merchants like him to upgrade their equipment. Yet those spoiled swine insisted on pulling off the shoes off their horses just to eat them, and then smugly called it an achievement.