Embers Ad Infinitum

"Do they know how to repair firearms?" Long Yuehong looked at Bai Chen in the driving position and opened the car door.

What he meant was that this was no longer a simple repair.

"If you can't eat this bowl of rice, you can't open a store like this." The cold wind was howling outside, and Bai Chen couldn't help but pull the gray scarf around his neck.

"Moreover, sometimes, a broken gun may not really be broken, or the damage may not be that serious." Jiang Baimian speculated based on his own experience and knowledge, "It's just that the people selling guns don't really understand."

Bai Chen nodded and said:

“That’s the most profitable part.”

After saying that, she closed the car door and walked to "Afu Gun Store".

"Money?" Long Yuehong has learned this term, but has only seen it once in reality, and that was the old world coins that Shang Jianyao got from Wu Shoushi.

Jiang Baimian said casually through the windshield:

“This is considered a part of a large force, and there must be money circulating, but it’s often limited to the interior.

"Actually, the company's contribution points are essentially equal to money. Have you forgotten the concept of general equivalents?"

Long Yuehong thought about it for a few seconds and said weakly:

"We haven't learned..."

Jiang Baimian was speechless, and it took several seconds before he laughed and said:

"I'll give you some books later, take a good look at them.

“While it’s not very useful in terms of life within the company, it helps us understand a lot of things for those of us who are often out there in the dirt.

"Moreover, if you can master it, it will be much easier for you to be transferred from the 'Old Adjustment Team', and you can even be assigned to the department responsible for foreign trade."

"Okay, okay." Long Yuehong's eyes lit up.

Although he will definitely be in the "old transfer team" for the next six months, people who don't think about the long-term will always worry about the near future, and they still have to be prepared for future job transfers.

Otherwise, after adapting to such a high-paying position, it is really easy for people to feel disappointed if the salary is low.

Besides, I have to support a family in the future!

Jiang Baimian smiled and nodded, then looked at Shang Jianyao suspiciously:

"Why are not you talking?"

The quieter this guy is, the more afraid she is that he will do something wrong.

Shang Jianyao touched his belly and said:

"Save your energy."

"Yes..." Jiang Baimian also felt hungry.

It was quite a while after lunch time.

While talking, Bai Chen came out of the "Afu Gun Shop" and returned to the jeep.

Behind her, a young man wearing an old windproof suit walked out and opened the iron gate a few meters away.

This leads to the back of the building where the gun shop is located.

This is a square courtyard surrounded by several buildings. The ground is paved with gray-white stone bricks, but it has been broken a lot and some rainwater has accumulated.

After Bai Chen found a place to park the jeep, he opened the door and said:

"right here."

Jiang Baimian nodded lightly, got out of the car and looked around, firmly remembering the locations of the four exits of the yard in his mind.

Then, they followed Bai Chen into the back door of the "Afu Gun Shop" and climbed up a cold and damp gray-white staircase to the second floor.

A woman who looked to be in her thirties was waiting here.

Her black hair was pulled high into a bun, and her facial features were not outstanding, but she had an indescribable charm.

At this time, she was wearing a dark red cotton-padded jacket, with a dark scarf around her neck, and her whole body was tidied up.

"Aunt Nan." Bai Chen greeted.

Aunt Nan glanced at everyone in the "Old Tune Group" without asking anything. She pointed to the end of the corridor on the second floor and said:

"Your rooms are the two innermost rooms. If you encounter problems, you can jump to the yard or the street.

"The key is on the door."

Jiang Baimian looked at the scarf around Aunt Nan's neck, smiled and said:

"Thanks."

"It's not like I'm giving you a free stay." Aunt Nan pursed her lips and smiled, "Two rooms, one 500-gram military can every day. I hope you won't owe any debt in the end."

Jiang Baimian said in a brisk tone:

"Don't worry, if they really can't afford it, I'll let them find something to do."

She was referring to Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong.

Aunt Nan smiled nonchalantly and said:

“In Weed City, competition among ruin hunters is fierce.

“Sometimes, they even take on the task of delivering lunch and dinner to people.”

She paused and added:

“The toilet and bathroom are on the other side, you can see them from the end.

"If you want to take a shower but are afraid of the cold, it's best to take a shower between 12:00 and 12:30 at noon and between 6:30 and 7:00 in the evening. At these times, we have just finished cooking and there is enough hot water in the hollow wall of the stove to directly press Come up and use it, haha, save your money. If you miss these two points, you have to put the water into the water heater yourself, use electricity to boil it, and then add cold water to adjust it to the appropriate temperature.

"Well, it's winter now, and there's not enough water. The living area only has electricity for five hours a day. Noon is from 11:30 to 1:30, and evening is from 5:30 to 8:30. You can calculate the time yourself."

Long Yuehong and others were not surprised at Aunt Nan's reminder. After all, the energy supply within "Pangu Biology" was even stricter than this, with a quota system.

"If we use electricity to boil water ourselves, do we need to pay extra?" Jiang Baimian knew that Bai Chen might not be so easy to talk to, so he took the initiative to take on the responsibility of bargaining.

Aunt Nan glanced at Bai Chen:

“Four times a can.

"If you want us to prepare your meals, you have to tell us in advance."

After confirming the details, Jiang Baimian said goodbye to Aunt Nan and walked towards the room along the cold corridor with only light shining from both ends.

The two doors stood opposite each other, painted with dark red paint, and both had certain signs of damage, giving them a very ancient feel.

The layout inside the house is the same: a bunk bed, a table by the window, a wooden cabinet with insect-eaten marks and two square stools.

Because of the climate and environment here, the air is slightly humid, and the coldness seems to penetrate through clothes and penetrate into the bone marrow.

"Still the old rules." Jiang Baimian pulled out the brass key of the room next to the street, "Shang Jianyao and I share a room, and you two share a room."

She had to watch Shang Jianyao herself to prevent this guy from doing anything if his brain twitched.

For example, turning on the speakers will disturb people late at night.

For example, if you hear something moving on the street, you can jump out of the window to "participate."

And Bai Chen obviously couldn't deal with Shang Jianyao.

Without giving Shang Jianyao a chance to speak, Jiang Baimian turned his wrist and looked at his electronic watch:

"There are still ten minutes to 12:30. Everyone, take the time to take a combat bath, change clothes, and then go out to eat and contact the intelligence agent."

She prefers electronic watches to mechanical watches because they have more functions.

As of today, all members of the "Old Tune Team" are well-trained. It only took two minutes for each member to finish bathing and put on clothes closer to those of ordinary ruin hunters and civilians of Weed City:

Shang Jianyao's upper body is a dark blue short down jacket. The fabric is slightly old, but the overall body is not so dry. The lower body is a pair of thick trousers made of blue denim, which has a very small impact on movement;

Long Yuehong wore a black cotton-padded jacket that reached her thighs; Jiang Baimian wore the same style as him; Bai Chen wore a gray windproof jacket that just covered his armed belt.

Their pants are similar to Shang Jianyao's. Men wear brown high-top leather shoes, and women wear black short boots.

——These are benefits given by the company to employees who need to perform tasks on the surface in winter.

"Hide your pistols." Bai Chen pulled the scarf around his neck and reminded him, "In Weed City, there is a strange prohibition, which is, 'You cannot let the patrolmen see your weapons.'"

Those placed in gun stores don't count.

"It's not prohibited, but it can't be seen by the patrol?" Long Yuehong asked in surprise.

"Yes." Bai Chen nodded, "The first time I see you, your weapons will be confiscated. The second time I see you, you will be imprisoned for a month. The third time I see you, you will be imprisoned for three months and then expelled from the city. , and be declared persona non grata, which will also result in the Hunter Guild’s credit points being deducted.”

"That's weird. Can't we just ban guns?" Long Yuehong said she couldn't understand.

For example, there is a clear ban on guns within "Pangu Biology".

"I don't know why." Bai Chen replied calmly.

Jiang Baimian smiled and said:

"In many places, there are similar bans that feel strange, and each of these bans has deep historical reasons."

"Why is Wild Grass City?" Long Yuehong asked.

Jiang Baimian gave him a blank look:

"I don't know either. I hope I can find the answer later.

"It's a joy to dig like this."

In fact, she had a certain guess, but it was hard to say it out without being sure.

After talking about this topic, Jiang Baimian glanced at Shang Jianyao, who was rubbing his belly and making crazy hints, and laughed:

"Let's go out to eat."

Upon hearing this, Shang Jianyao turned around first and walked along the cold corridor to the stairs.

After going down to the parking yard, Bai Chen pointed at the jeep:

"I have to get something to exchange for coins."

"How to change?" Long Yuehong asked because he never understood anything. He was a good and qualified student.

"Go to the municipal building. There is a row of 'exchange windows' where you can exchange different materials for local money. If you are not afraid of trouble and have acquaintances, you can go to the Hunter's Guild or a bar, teahouse, or nightclub to find an underground market to exchange, which will be more cost-effective. One thing." Bai Chen simply explained, "In Weed Grass City, within the sphere of influence of the 'Primary City', all transactions on the surface can only use their coins."

"That's it..." Long Yuehong suddenly had some expectations for what was going to happen next, because this was something he had never experienced before and was very fresh.

Jiang Baimian thought for a while and said:

"It's better to go to the exchange window. Before contacting the company's intelligence personnel, it's best not to have contact with the underground forces here."

Bai Chen had no objection, pointing to the remaining cans, energy bars and compressed biscuits and said:

"How much to take?"

"What do you think?" Jiang Baimian always respects the judgment of "authoritative people".

"Half." Bai Chen replied without hesitation, "The value of coins here often fluctuates, so it's safer to keep more supplies on hand."

"Fluctuation?" Long Yuehong asked curiously.

Bai Chen replied casually:

"The coins of the 'First City' have the smallest denomination called Kas, followed by Drase, and the largest one is called Ole.

"Under normal circumstances, in terms of purchasing materials, one contribution point of the company is equal to about two slag, and 1 sze is equal to 10 szes, and 1 austria is equal to 10 szes. Well, in other words, 1 austria can buy 1 catty of raw pork, but there are Sometimes, you can only buy eight taels, and sometimes you can buy one pound, two taels, or more."

Kas, Drase, and Aore are all words in the Red River language. They come from the names of several leaders when the "Primary City" was established. 1 Si, 1 Sai, and 1 Ao are the abbreviations of the Gray Tu language.

In Yecao City, the official language is Honghe dialect, but the folk language is mainly Gray Tu dialect.

"In this case, wouldn't it be possible to make a fortune sometimes?" Long Yuehong asked keenly.

"That's right." Jiang Baimian smiled. "In the old world, this was a specialized trade. But now, it doesn't matter if you make money like this occasionally. Those who make a living from it will be dragged out and shot."

"Cannon shot." Bai Chen corrected.

This is the "First City"'s habit of punishing similar people, one group at a time.

Long Yuehong hissed, and as a result, he took a big mouthful of cold air into his body, and deeply felt what it meant to feel a chill in his heart.

This time, without Shang Jianyao's hint, Jiang Baimian heard someone's stomach growling. He smiled, ended the topic, pointed outside and said:

"Get your stuff up!"