Chapter 9: The House-Building Device

""Alright, I'll use the house-building device to trade you some gold, but you mustn't tell anyone else about this, okay? When you're out in the wild, you absolutely have to put the house-building device away!""

Sang Chu was shocked when she heard this. She only knew that the house-building device could build houses; she hadn't expected it could be taken away and stored!

""Okay, I understand, Dr. Li!""

She glanced at Hua Xi, who was about to leave. As Hua Xi was walking away, Sang Chu called out, ""Doctor, wait! I want to get rid of these mutated creatures first.""

Sang Chu took out the collection box, and Hua Xi immediately flitted to her side, wings fluttering.

Dr. Li said, ""Alright, I'll wait for you over there. Be quick!""

Hua Xi and Sang Chu headed toward the trading area.

""Sang Chu, just hand the collection box to that robot over there. Once it's counted, the gold will be transferred to your account. Each person's collection box is linked to their own light-bracelet, and since you're alone, it's already set to yours. Next time you go out, just buy another collection box.""

Mutated creatures aren't that easy to clear out, so usually people just sell the collection boxes for gold and leave the creatures inside to be dealt with slowly.

Sang Chu didn't really understand the process, so she could only nod and follow Dr. Li for now.

At the Research Institute

Dr. Li handed Sang Chu a small silver sphere. ""This is the house-building device. It's the latest solar-powered energy robot. If you want to build a regular house, it takes about a minute. If it's a whole city, it might take a month.

What you need to pay attention to is this: there are three indicator lights on it. Green means the energy is sufficient, orange means it's low, and red means it's almost depleted. You need to recharge it with new energy in time. If it flashes red three times, the robot will enter sleep mode.""

""Doctor, how do I recharge it with solar energy?""

But in the apocalypse, there isn't much solar energy for her to use!

Dr. Li smiled. ""I have five permanent solar energy systems here. As long as you can pay, I'll sell them all to you!""

""How much do they cost?""

Dr. Li replied, ""That depends on how much gold you can give me!""

Seeing the smile on her face, Sang Chu's pupils widened slightly and she subconsciously took a step back.

Dr. Li laughed, ""Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your situation. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought you into my research institute. This is my place—no one else can see you here. My glasses can detect the gold elements in your body, so I know you produced them, not that you stole them!""

Sang Chu didn't say anything, so Dr. Li explained further, afraid she might misunderstand.

""I'm not trying to threaten you. It's just that the mutated creatures are too dangerous. You've seen it yourself—their territory is even larger than humans'. That's because those creatures secrete a toxic substance that accelerates plant growth. While those plants aren't as dangerous as the creatures themselves, they're still not to be underestimated. The more people live in an area, the more mutated plants there are, and the harder it is to clear them out. That's also why the cities are so far apart. For example, it takes almost five months by hovercar to travel from City A to City B. You've been out for so long, and you still haven't reached the next city!""

Sang Chu nodded. She had always thought the mutated creatures were only dangerous to outsiders, but she hadn't realized they were a big problem for the locals too.

Dr. Li continued, ""So, Sang Chu, I'm not threatening you—I'm begging you. If you have these materials, please sell them to me. I'll pay whatever price you want. I don't want to wake up one day and find I've lost my home and have to flee to another city.""

Tu You: [You can agree to her request. She's not a bad person.]

Sang Chu hesitated for a moment, then asked, ""Doctor, besides seeing the gold elements I throw out, can you see anything else?""

Dr. Li immediately understood Sang Chu's concern. She hurried over to a device and synchronized it with what her glasses were detecting.

""Light element, gold element, wood element, fire element, earth element, and water element—they all form a sphere inside your body, with the light element being the strongest.""

The display made it very clear, and it was the first time Sang Chu realized that in Dr. Li's eyes, she looked like this.

""Dr. Li, is there any way you could give me a pair of those glasses?""

""I'm afraid not. They're a unique product from a certain faction, and outsiders can't use them. I haven't figured out how to replicate them yet. But the house-building device is my own invention, so I can give it to you. The solar energy system is also something I developed myself.""

""Alright, if I give you the gold, what can you give me in return?""

""What do you want?""

Sang Chu thought for a moment. ""Food. Lots of food and water. Space bags, physiological inhibitors, weapons, hovercars, and light-bracelets if possible. But at the very least, I want the basics. And of course, the more of these things, the better.""

Dr. Li looked at Sang Chu in shock, then gritted her teeth and said, ""Alright, I'll get them for you!""

Sang Chu said, ""Make it quick. Four days. In these four days, get everything ready, and I'll give you the gold beads.""

Dr. Li asked, ""Can you give me a rough estimate of the price?""

Sang Chu pointed at a nearby box. ""I can give you a whole box of gold beads about this size.""

Dr. Li replied, ""Alright, I understand. Go back and rest for now. In these four days, don't let anyone else find you like before!""

Sang Chu laughed. ""I won't.""

After they finished their business, they went their separate ways.

'Ding-dong—'

Suddenly, Sang Chu saw a notification pop up on her light-bracelet: [You have received 1,000 Star Credits!]

Tu You saw the message and started jumping excitedly on Sang Chu's shoulder. [Wow, that's so much money! As expected of my chosen ticket-holder~]

Sang Chu was infected by Tu You's excitement. ""Then I'll give it all to you.""

[Yes, yes, yes!!]

Sang Chu didn't know how to operate it, so Tu You did it herself. She pressed her little rabbit paw on the bracelet, and in an instant, 1,000 Star Credits disappeared from Sang Chu's account.

Between her and Tu You, it felt like they were bound together by an invisible thread—a sense of shared destiny.

[Ah Chu, you have 1,000 credits now. What should I save up for?]

Tu You wiggled her big ears in front of Sang Chu, looking full of anticipation.

Sang Chu was about to reply when Tu You said, [You don't have to say it out loud. Just think it, and I'll know.]

[Really?]

[Yes, I can sense it.]

Sang Chu thought for a moment. She couldn't put all her hopes on Dr. Li—who knew if she would go back on her word? So she decided to buy things herself.

[I'll give you the credits you need first, and then use the rest to buy food.]

Tu You: [That's great! Why don't you give me the ticket for your next trip as well, just in case you can't get a ticket when you return to the apocalypse and can't travel next time?]"