WEF - Chapter 13
Chapter 13: What? You Can't Afford It?...
Ning Dali ignored the shouts behind her. Her long legs pumped rapidly, and the scenery around her raced backward in her eyes.
After awakening two abilities, her physical condition seemed to have undergone some subtle changes. She could run faster now.
But she still could not compare with the staff member in the green suit.
"Swoosh!" A pale green afterimage swept past Ning Dali, and a face with an exaggerated smile appeared before her.
"Hello, Ms. Dali. I'm Zhao Jin, a staff member from Fertile Base. You can call me Xiao Zhao," Zhao Jin said.
She matched the sprinting Ning Dali's speed exactly, appearing to remain stationary beside her. She looked both eerie and elegant: eerie because she was running backward, elegant because her body did not bob up and down as she ran.
A self-balancing scooter?
Ning Dali glanced down and saw a round Ice Disc beneath Zhao Jin's feet.
The thin, disc-shaped ice carried Zhao Jin along as well as a self-balancing scooter, if not better.
An ability.
There was no way she could outrun her.
Ning Dali slowed from a run to a walk.
Playing innocent, Ning Dali asked, "Xiao Zhao, hello. What do you want with me?"
Zhao Jin was clever. She smiled and played innocent as well. "Sis Dali, where is your car? I'll take you through the VIP lane for Three-Character Ability Users."
"I'm not entering the base. I'm only waiting in line with a friend."
Zhao Jin made a show of her disappointment and murmured, "Ah? You aren't joining our Fertile Base? We have a special talent policy for Three-Character Ability Users."
"Oh?" Ning Dali said without changing expression. "If I enter the city through the Three-Character Ability VIP lane, do I skip inspection entirely?"
The subtext was whether her food could remain unconfiscated.
"That will not do," Zhao Jin said quickly. "It is the principle."
"Then I won't enter," Ning Dali said just as quickly.
Converting food into Points had one rate, and converting Points back into food had another. The base set every standard of conversion, so one round trip would reduce the value of her meat by twenty percent.
A twenty percent loss was bad enough, but there might also be limits on how much food she could buy.
Ning Dali already had more than enough Points. She would not enter a base until the beef was gone.
Besides, she could buy [Shield] without entering a base.
"Won't you at least hear out our talent policy?" Zhao Jin said, unhurried.
Listening would cost her no meat.
Ning Dali curled her fingers in a beckoning gesture, telling Zhao Jin to come closer and whisper.
Zhao Jin leaned close and whispered into her ear, "Three-Character Ability Users receive a free home when they join our base!"
Ning Dali: "..."
That was indeed tempting. The longing for a place of their own was carved into the DNA of Federation citizens.
"How big?" Ning Dali said. "Give me the details."
She had wanted to ask whether they would issue a property title, but since she did not know whether such a thing existed here, she had to change her question.
"It depends on your ability type," Zhao Jin said. "Defensive types get 100 to 120 square meters, Offensive types 110 to 130, Control types 120 to 140, and Healing types 130 to 150. Farming-Type Ability Users get a detached villa with a full interior fit-out. Concept-Type Ability Users are considered through an interview."
"All of these are talent policies for Three-Character Ability Users." Zhao Jin's gaze remained fixed on Ning Dali as she laid heavy emphasis on "Three-Character."
She worked for Fertile Base and knew that [Strongman] was the ability Ning Dali had just awakened.
In other words, Ning Dali had another ability, and it was at least a Three-Character Ability.
The first ability an Ability User awakened determined their ceiling. Even if they awakened a second or third ability later, none could have fewer characters than the first.
Ning Dali's second ability had three characters, so her first could not have more than three.
It might have three. It might have two. Or even... Zhao Jin's breathing grew labored.
If Ning Dali went on to ask about the talent policy for Two-Character Abilities, that would mean she possessed a Two-Character Ability!
She would cling to Ning Dali's leg until the Base Lord of Fertile Base came to recruit her in person.
Zhao Jin stared at Ning Dali with bright, eager eyes, her hands poised to grab her by the legs.
Ning Dali had no idea of the rules governing ability awakening.
But she understood the look in Zhao Jin's eyes. It was the look of someone driven mad by the KPIs set by her leader.
She understood the slight tremor in Zhao Jin's hands too. It was a tacit threat: if she refused to cooperate, she would be beaten until she did.
Ning Dali grew more wary and put distance between herself and Zhao Jin.
The more wary Ning Dali became, the more excited Zhao Jin grew.
She thought for a moment, then decided to pile on. "We can also offer you tax reductions!"
This should sway her now!
Zhao Jin had no idea how deeply Ning Dali's mind had been shaken.
Tax? A reduction? You people levy taxes too?!
She had never paid a single tax in the Federation!
After hearing this, Ning Dali did not have the slightest desire to join a base.
As someone who had received an education, she knew that paying taxes was right, glorious, and necessary.
If no one paid taxes, a base could neither continue operating and developing nor guarantee the welfare and safety of its members.
She understood all of that.
But when she hauled cement in the Federation, her income had never reached the threshold at which she owed tax.
In thirty-five years, she had never paid a single tax. Then she had come here, and suddenly someone had popped up to make her pay.
Ning Dali felt she needed time to process this.
She was not refusing to pay taxes. She would pay late, pay slowly, pay optimally, and pay flexibly.
Moreover, even taking a step back, she was not a local either.
She had been kidnapped here. Who had ever heard of being kidnapped to a foreign country and then paying taxes to the people there?
Even if she wanted to pay taxes, would the Federation agree? Would the Federation be willing?
Ning Dali shook her head inwardly, her reasoning impeccably righteous, and told herself that she could not betray the Federation.
She was only staying here for a while. Once she found a way, she would go back.
How could she pay taxes here!
"Thank you for your tax reduction policy," Ning Dali said slowly, "but I do not have any income yet."
Actually, she did have income. Accountant Li simply had not transferred it to her yet. Wait, would that money be taxed? She would have to ask Accountant Li later.
"You'll have income as soon as you join the base," Zhao Jin said, sticking to Ning Dali like a ghost.
Her enthusiasm was excessive. Ning Dali did not believe Fertile Base treated every Three-Character Ability User with such enthusiasm.
The base's preferential policy for Three-Character Ability Users meant it was not short of them.
Ning Dali slowly furrowed her brow.
Had she overlooked some detail? Did Fertile Base know that she and the Shadow King had shared drinks and laughter? Impossible.
Or had they discovered how much meat she had? That made no sense either. The Shadow King had five bases under her command, and Ning Dali could not afford them. Could Fertile Base afford to buy that much meat?
Wait. Fertile Base could not afford that much meat, and she wanted to buy [Shield] from Fertile Base. She did not want to anger it too badly...
A clear chain of reasoning formed in her mind.
Ning Dali's eyes suddenly became more eager than Zhao Jin's.
They looked into each other's eyes, and both saw the pull of a fate that had sent them hurtling toward one another.
"Do I have to join a base to get a home?" Ning Dali asked first, posing a simple question to lower the other party's guard.
"If you join, you definitely will. If you do not, you might still have one," Zhao Jin said gravely.
She could tell that Ning Dali was not eager to join, so she did not commit to an answer. Even if Ning Dali did not join, becoming a partner to the base would still be good. A partner could receive a home too!
"Fertile Base is really wonderful," Ning Dali said, deeply moved. Two seconds later, she continued, "If I enter the base, do I absolutely have to exchange all my food for Points? Can't I exchange some and leave the rest alone?"
Zhao Jin shook her head and said firmly, "No, definitely not. That is the principle. It is the principle of every base, and it is the principle of [The Law]!"
The principle of [The Law]? Then it was even more reassuring.
Ning Dali looked torn, pained, hesitant, and on the verge of giving in.
"One last question."
"Is [Shield] safe? Will anything I put inside [Shield] be stolen? Can [Shield] block the effects of Crystals? If I use an Invisibility Crystal outside [Shield], will I still be invisible when I enter [Shield]?"
Zhao Jin: "..."
You call that one question?
She grumbled inwardly, but not the slightest impatience showed on her face. She began answering in a professional manner.
"If [Shield] were not safe, no ability in this world could be called safe."
"Items placed inside [Shield] cannot be stolen by an ability, but they can be stolen by a person. If you are worried, you can put another [Shield] around your home, one that only you can enter. Then it will be very safe."
"Crystals are also a type of ability, and [Shield] will block their effects."
"Someone who has used an Invisibility Crystal cannot enter [Shield]."
Zhao Jin's face was filled with trust and pride in [Shield].
Ning Dali believed her.
"Then I'll enter your base... I'll go in and look around first. Whether I buy a home or anything else, we'll discuss it later."
"Yes! Of course!" Zhao Jin had never expected such a sudden reversal. Ning Dali had actually agreed.
Overjoyed, she pointed toward the city exit, where no queue had formed.
"Bring your car over here. We'll inspect the entire vehicle, and then you can reverse directly into the base."
No waiting, no need to obey traffic regulations. This was the VIP lane for Three-Character Ability Users.
"All right. Wait a moment," Ning Dali said.
A few minutes later, Ning Dali returned to her car. The Rolls-Royce pulled out of the long queue and headed toward the city entrance.
Everyone else waiting in line to enter watched it pass.
Eight staff members who had been urgently summoned stood ready to inspect their vehicles.
Ning Dali rolled down her window and signaled for Wang You to open the trunk.
"There are two refrigerators in the trunk. One is the large refrigerator built into the car, and my food is inside it."
"The other is a portable refrigerator belonging to my two friends. They are only here to exchange for Points; they aren't entering the city."
"Understood," Zhao Jin said with a smile.
Zhao Jin went over to the open trunk herself.
Just as Ning Dali had said, there were two refrigerators in the trunk.
Wang You pressed the control, and the refrigerator built into the Rolls-Royce opened automatically.
"Pretty high-end," Zhao Jin said.
She bent down and pulled a hiking backpack out of the refrigerator.
Why was this hiking backpack from one of the Shadow King's bases?
A vague doubt flashed through Zhao Jin's mind, and she pulled open the zipper.
"What is this?" Zhao Jin said, staring blankly. "Meat? Where did so much meat come from?"
So much meat. Human meat?!
Zhao Jin's heart jolted. She zipped the backpack shut with a swish and scurried to the car window like a thief.
"You cannot eat that."
Ning Dali: "?"
She asked, "Isn't it five grams a day?"
Zhao Jin rubbed her arms, visibly pained. "What do you mean, five grams a day? You cannot eat even half a gram! Have you lost your mind!"
Ning Dali: "?"
What? Has Fertile Base pulled some special trick once again?
"We grew from the same roots, so why are you in such a hurry to fry me?" Zhao Jin said, giving an oblique hint.
"Take it to the Farming Folk and have them dispose of it. I will pretend I never saw this."
Ning Dali: "?"
Ning Dali's gaze darted to one side, and she suddenly understood Zhao Jin's meaning.
After a pause of several seconds, Ning Dali asked, "Have you seen Ying's food videos?"
"Open the video she updated at noon today. There is a bowl of beef ramen in it. Yes, drag it back to the beginning and look at what kind of meat it uses. Now unzip the hiking backpack and look at what kind of meat this is."
Zhao Jin's eyes widened slightly. Her lips moved, and she asked in a breath, "Beef?"
"What else did you think it was?" Ning Dali replied, her voice weak with frustration.
Zhao Jin: "..."
She lowered her head in shame.
As an inspector, she had failed to recognize beef. It was a dereliction of duty.
But she could not blame herself. This was also the first time she had seen so much meat that was not human meat. Not everyone was as well-informed about such things as the Shadow King.
Zhao Jin hugged the hiking backpack tightly.
As she held it, she suddenly stiffened all over.
The weight was not quite right.
If it was all meat, the weight in the bag was enough to rival the wealth of an entire nation.
If they bought all of it... if they did not... their principle...
A chill passed through the hiking backpack and into Zhao Jin's heart.
Across space and time, she and Ying, whom she had never met, unknowingly cried out the same thought in perfect unison: "[The Law], you have a bug!"
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