Chapter 10: | West

[How much is Ticket X?]

Tu You replied immediately after the ticket price was displayed: [Ticket X starts at 50 star coins, and the longer you stay, the more expensive it gets.]

Sang Chu checked her own balance—she had a thousand star coins left. She didn’t really trust others, so even though Dr. Li had said he’d take care of her material needs, she still wanted to handle things herself, just in case.

After completing the mission, the free supply box and the temporary space device were both reclaimed. In other words, if she wanted anything in the West, she’d have to pay for it herself.

[Youyou, since I just returned from the apocalypse world, does that mean I don’t need to pay travel tax this year?] Sang Chu asked.

[Nope! In the mutated world, you were piggybacking on someone else’s ticket, so it doesn’t count as your own trip. After you settle down, you’ll still need to take a trip yourself.]

After thinking it over, Sang Chu decided to give Tu You a hundred star coins: [I’ll keep this money just in case. Whatever’s left after I buy what I need, I’ll give to you.]

[Deal!]

After all, Tu You didn’t want Sang Chu to die before she could get her reward.

After a few casual exchanges, Sang Chu set off.

She soon saw a shop called “Space Station,” advertising the latest portable space devices.

The shop owner was a big, chubby man, dressed in shiny clothes that almost hurt the eyes.

“New customer, eh? What can I help you with?”

He greeted her with a wide grin, showing eight gleaming teeth. His plump, cheerful face was hard not to smile at.

Trying to keep a straight face, Sang Chu said, “Boss, I want your latest portable space device. The ad says it’s really spacious inside?”

The shopkeeper beamed. “Of course! Our new model has a huge capacity and can be customized however you like. Here, take a look.”

He continued, “You’ve come to the right place! We have all kinds of portable space devices, but this latest model can adjust its internal space freely. You can change the layout, move the partitions, and the maximum area can reach 160 square meters, with a height of up to three meters in each compartment. You can have up to seven compartments if you want.”

“Seven compartments, each about three meters high?”

“More or less. Do you like it?”

“How much?”

“This latest model uses the newest energy stones from the Academy of Sciences—just released for use! That’s why it can freely build and adjust the space. So, as for the price…”

The shopkeeper started rambling, but Sang Chu cut him off. “Boss, just tell me the price. If I can afford it, I’ll buy it. If not, I’ll get a cheaper one.”

“This new model is five hundred star coins. All our prices are transparent—you can check them online. No hidden fees!”

“Five hundred?”

Adding what she’d just given Tu You, that would leave her with just over five hundred coins. After thinking it over, Sang Chu gritted her teeth and paid.

“By the way, do you know where I can buy food?”

While helping her set up the device, the boss smiled. “First time in City A, right? Are you a guest or a scavenger?”

“Scavenger.”

The boss looked up at her, surprised. He’d thought she was a guest—she looked so thin and frail. But hearing she was a scavenger, and seeing her tanned skin and the marks on her body, he realized she did have the look.

“If you’re a scavenger, you can apply for a supply order with the scavenger office. Just list the ingredients you need, and someone will deliver them to your assigned address. The price is half what you’d pay outside—very cheap. But if you don’t want to wait, you’ll have to go to the market yourself. The food market is in the tallest building—just head there and you’ll find it.”

After explaining, the boss tapped a few buttons and handed Sang Chu her new device. “Here you go!”

“Thanks.”

Sang Chu followed the boss’s instructions and learned how to use the device. It was very convenient—she fumbled a bit at first, but at least she now had a portable space and knew where to buy food.

After leaving the shop, Sang Chu headed toward the tallest building. It took her about half an hour to get there.

The Food Market

As soon as she entered, Sang Chu understood why it was called the food market—it was truly fresh, with everything still growing in soil.

There were grapes, greens, tomatoes, watermelons, cucumbers—all sorts of fresh fruits and vegetables, each growing in oddly shaped cultivation trays.

She hadn’t eaten watermelon in ages, so she went straight for the watermelons. “Boss, are these watermelons for sale? Can I buy the whole tray?”

She pointed at the tray of watermelons. The boss was momentarily stunned, then patiently explained:

“You’re a scavenger, right? It’s rare for scavengers to buy food for themselves, so it’s no wonder you don’t know. The cultivation tray is for sale, but it costs extra. One watermelon is ten star coins, one watermelon vine is a hundred, and the tray itself is five hundred.”

“Can the watermelon plants in these trays bear fruit again?”

“Of course! These are top-quality plants—they can bear fruit four times a year. Otherwise, how could I charge so much?”

Sang Chu looked around. It seemed this was the only stall selling watermelons, so she bought ten in one go. After paying, she stored everything in her portable space, which she’d already set up as a backpack for convenience.

“Little girl, here, take this as a bonus.”

The watermelon seller handed her a small bottle of nutrient solution, with instructions on the label. After thanking him, Sang Chu went to other stalls.

Cucumbers, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes…

No matter what it was, she bought a pot of each.

Finally, she reached the meat section. All the meat here was fresh!

There were even some whole, unprocessed poultry—dead, but not yet butchered.

“Boss, how do you sell these?”

The moment someone wanted to buy meat, the boss’s eyes lit up. But seeing it was a young girl, he couldn’t help but ask:

“Little miss, these are just regular poultry, but their skin is tough—even a laser knife can’t cut through it. Are you sure you want them?”

“Uncle, I’m a scavenger. I know how to handle these. Do you have any more?”

“A scavenger? That’s great! These are all I have—do you want them all?”

“Yes, I’ll take them all. How much?”

The boss grinned from ear to ear, afraid she’d change her mind, and quickly packed everything up for her.

Before long, everyone in the food market knew about the young female scavenger who didn’t haggle—she just bought whatever she liked if the price was right!

After a round of shopping, she’d spent about twenty star coins on food, and her portable space was nearly full. But the boss had taught her how to organize things efficiently.

Tired from shopping, she sat down on a stairway, fiddling with her portable space device, and after much trial and error, finally managed to get everything sorted."

"Here’s a fluent, natural English translation of your text:

---

**Chapter 11: Got Scammed?**

**Chapter 11: Got Scammed?**

[Wow, so much stuff!]

Tu You yawned and watched Sang Chu organize the things in her storage space after sorting through them.

After the permissions were synced, Tu You could see everything Sang Chu had in her storage.

[Some of these can regrow, so they don’t really count. I have wood-type abilities, so maybe I can try to speed up the growth of these plants when we get back.]

Tu You: [Then I’ll hurry back!]

[No rush, I’m going to check out the water source first.]

Sang Chu stood up and walked toward a nearby water source shop.

The shop was run by an older couple. As soon as they saw Sang Chu, they squeezed out a smile and greeted her enthusiastically.

“Looking for a water source, miss? Take a look at these water containers—top quality, all of them! See this one? It’s made with the latest new energy stone, can control water flow, and holds up to 140 cubic meters.”

Sang Chu frowned slightly. The middle-aged woman immediately grabbed her hand. “If you don’t like what my husband recommended, why not look at this one? It’s an old-fashioned model, cheaper, though it doesn’t hold as much. But it’s affordable! And when you run out of water, you can just buy more!”

Sang Chu pulled her hand back, a bit uncomfortable. “How much is the new energy one? And how much is the old-fashioned one?”

The old man glanced at his wife and said smoothly, “This new energy container uses the latest solar stone, very rare! And don’t be fooled by its small size—it holds 140 cubic meters. It’s a great deal at only eighty-eight star coins!”

Sang Chu: “And the old-fashioned one?”

The woman beamed. “The old one doesn’t hold as much, maybe twenty or thirty cubic meters, and it can’t control the water flow. But it’s cheap—just ten star coins, and it’s yours!”

Sang Chu didn’t reply. She just searched for other water source shops in the city, but it seemed this was the only one.

Tu You hovered in front of Sang Chu, knowing others couldn’t see him. He floated right up to the couple and took a look. Huh, turns out this was a black market shop!

[Ah Chu, this shop is shady! They’re scamming people! Those new energy containers—they can’t even sell those!]

Sang Chu frowned: [What did you see?]

[I saw their inventory. They only have three new energy containers, but they’ve marked up the price at least tenfold!]

Sang Chu: [So the new energy containers are real, but they’re way overpriced.]

Tu You nodded: [That’s right.]

Sang Chu fell silent.

They’re real, but once sold, they’re swapped out for something else, and no one seems to care. This shop is still the only water source shop in the city—there must be someone backing them.

Sure enough, there are shady people everywhere!

The woman saw Sang Chu wasn’t speaking and couldn’t help but urge, “Little sister, are you buying or not? This new energy container is almost sold out! Once it’s gone, that’s it!”

“I’ll take an old-fashioned one for now.”

“Alright, wait here. I’ll get it for you. Husband, take care of the register.”

The woman called out, and a young man nearby responded, “Sure thing, miss!”

He led Sang Chu to the right, while the woman unlocked a cabinet, went inside, and started rummaging around.

“Another sucker. Let’s see what I can find for you this time!”

Tu You watched the dishonest woman and wished he could bite her.

[Ah Chu, even the old-fashioned ones are a scam! She’s probably giving you a container with no clean water inside!]

Hearing Tu You’s angry voice, Sang Chu replied: [Forget it. Didn’t you say I have a small storage space? If I need water, I can just put my little bucket inside and fill it up. The container isn’t that big—once we’re out of the city, you can help me.]

Tu You’s ears perked up: [Right! Why didn’t I think of that? Once she leaves, I’ll grab some stuff. If all the containers in the barrel are old, I’ll just take the ones on the shelf!]

[Yeah, you can take some old ones too. The more containers, the better. The dorms have big water tanks, so after cleaning them, you can fill them up. Those new energy ones are too expensive anyway!]

Tu You couldn’t help but laugh: [I thought everyone here was nice!]

[Good people do honest business. I’m happy to pay for that. But if they’re going to scam me over an old water container, why shouldn’t I steal from them?]

Tu You: [Yeah, I’ll wait until you’re done and then take some, so you don’t get caught up in it.]

[Okay.]

After a while, the old man finished up. When Sang Chu tried to check the container the woman handed her, she grabbed Sang Chu’s hand tightly.

“Miss, it’s getting dark. My husband and I need to pick up our kid from school. The container is fine—no need to check. You should head home, too. We’re closing up.”

Sang Chu protested, “But if I can’t check, how do I know the water inside is clean?”

“It’s clean, absolutely! We’ve run this shop for years. You think we’d scam you over a few star coins? I need to lock up now.”

The woman pushed Sang Chu out the door, then her husband locked up, and the two of them walked off in the opposite direction.

Expressionless, Sang Chu walked back toward the mercenary dorm under everyone’s gaze.

She checked the container. The inside was covered in green moss, and the water was murky—who knows how long it had been sitting there. Sang Chu felt her mood sink.

[Tu You, don’t take the containers with moss inside—they’re impossible to clean. Only take the clean ones.]

Tu You: [No way! That’s so shady! They’re selling containers that can’t even be cleaned!]

He had thought they were just a bit dirty from sitting too long, but hadn’t expected them to be full of stagnant water!

The containers couldn’t be cleaned!

[Alright, Ah Chu, wait a bit. I’ll be done soon. They’re not coming back, so I’ll grab some stuff!]

[Okay, I’ll head back to the mercenary dorm. Let me know when you’re done.]

[Got it!]

“Honey, when do you think that girl will realize she bought a useless container? Hahaha~”

“Who cares? Ten star coins is enough for a good meal tonight!”

“Yeah, she was dumb enough to buy it. Without official channels, she can’t get good stuff anyway. Should I really go home now?”

“Go ahead, I’ll finish up here and head home.”

As Tu You saw them leave, he quickly stuffed everything from the shelves into his own storage and quietly slipped away."