Chapter 763.3: IPO?

Quite a few wastelanders had previously attempted to slip into the line, only to discover that they were ineligible once they reached the front. Some had then thrown tantrums, rolled around on the ground, or even caused disturbances. As a result, the guard’s superior had instructed him to politely remove anyone without subscription eligibility from the line, so they would not waste everyone’s time.

He was not suspicious that the man had forgotten his identity card. He suspected that the man did not possess one at all.

However, to his surprise, the man first glanced furtively to either side as though confirming something. Then he puffed out his chest, openly took an identity card from inside his clothes, and handed it over while speaking with impeccable courtesy. “Of course. Here is my identification! This is a genuine identity card for sure! Ahem, what I mean is that it could not possibly be fake. Would you like to enter my identification number into the system to confirm it, sir?”

The guard froze, partly because the man was cooperating so readily and partly because he truly possessed an identity card.

Since the founding of the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee, the eligibility period for obtaining an identity card has been extended from three months to one year. Applicants also needed proof of taxation, employment, and a series of other complicated documents.

Otherwise, even those admitted through the Home of Refugees could only obtain residence as supervised persons.

Was he one of the refugees from the Battle of Sunset Province?

The guard gave him a peculiar look, nodded, and returned the card.

“That won’t be necessary. I only needed to see it. The staff inside will verify its authenticity later. Also... thank you for cooperating. Have a pleasant day.”

“And I wish you a pleasant day as well.” Niyan bowed politely, with even greater courtesy than he showed Duke Garawa, and wore a radiant smile.

He had begun researching how to obtain a New Alliance identity card on the very first day he arrived in Dawn City. At the time, the requirements had not yet become as strict as they were. An applicant merely needed to reside in Dawn City and hold a job requiring at least 120 hours of work per month.

He had found a tavern operated by wastelanders, paid the proprietor a sum of money, and resolved the problem with ease.

Duke Garawa had a bad temper, but as long as someone flattered him sufficiently, he could still be quite generous.

Of course, there were plenty of intelligent people in the New Alliance, especially with the Moonfolk girls from French Fry Harbor assisting them. The loophole where he could simply pay someone off for proof of work had already been closed, and the eligibility requirements for obtaining identification had been raised considerably.

However, the law did not apply retroactively, so it did not affect the Dawn City resident status he had already obtained.

At the time, he had applied for the card merely out of admiration for that great man. He had never imagined that his decision would bring him such an enormous benefit.

Baiyue Strait Development Company might have beaten up his emperor, but so what? He hated the City of a Thousand Pillars.

He wished the Baiyue Strait Development Company would advance another step and smash every last pillar there! Even destroying only the pillar belonging to the ratfolk would have been enough!

The residents of Dawn City felt that losing money would not matter. What a coincidence, he felt exactly the same way. In fact, he was even more radical than they were.

Far too few rats had died on Ten Peaks Mountain!

Of course, having carefully read every issue of the Survivor’s Daily, he knew perfectly well that this was actually a benefit the administrator was distributing to everyone.

Losing money was nearly impossible. It was practically free money.

The line slowly moved forward and after waiting for a full two hours, Niyan finally saw the entrance of the stock exchange. His heart pounded with excitement as the line continued advancing.

Although three different security guards had inspected his identification three separate times during those two hours, his mood had not been affected in the slightest. Nor did he feel that he had suffered discrimination. Compared with the humiliation he had endured in White Elephant City and under Duke Garawa, the minor offense was nothing.

In fact, he felt that they should inspect people even more strictly.

They had better not allow any other rats to slip inside and contaminate with their filthy claws the tiny taste of cream he had worked so hard to obtain.

At last, he reached the end of the line. The cool air conditioning inside the hall dispersed some of the heat burning his heart. Under the guidance of the staff, he quickly obtained his number and the forms he needed to complete. When his number was called, he eagerly hurried to the counter.

The employee handling his application was a beautiful New Alliance girl. Her face was the prettiest thing he had seen, and her eyes sparkled as though they reflected glimmering water.

Compared with her, Duke Garawa’s wife and mistresses looked like cattle living in a shack!

He admitted that his eyes might have been biased and that the New Alliance’s cosmetics possessed a miraculous ability to transform the ordinary into the beautiful, but he could swear that he was not lying. In the New Alliance, even ordinary people shone so brightly!

Feeling uncomfortable beneath his burning gaze, the female clerk coughed softly and spoke in a businesslike tone. “Please present your identification.”

“Niyan, citizen of the New Alliance.” Niyan immediately presented the card he had handled so often that its surface was nearly polished smooth, then gave her an attentive smile.

She encountered at least a thousand smiles like that every day, but she still responded with a professional smile. After verifying his identification, she took the completed form from his hands. Judging from his almost fanatical enthusiasm, he was probably a wastelander who had only recently joined the New Alliance.

That was what she thought as she looked down at the form.

However, once she saw the number written upon it, astonishment appeared in her eyes, and her glossed lips parted involuntarily. “... 90,000 shares?!”

That was almost the maximum an individual could purchase! How had this man earned so much money?

It was not that she was a snob. She treated all clients equally. The contrast presented by this particular client was simply too great, like a beggar pulling a thick stack of banknotes from his pocket.

It was difficult not to wonder where his money had come from.

Seeing the astonishment in the beautiful woman’s eyes, Niyan smiled modestly, though he could not conceal the pride in his gaze.

“I earned a little money through my business. It was definitely obtained through lawful business dealings. You may investigate it however you please... But once the investigation is complete, please give me this opportunity. I am also a citizen of the New Alliance, and I wish to invest this money in a greater cause.”

Suppressing the surprise on her face, the clerk stared at him and continued.

“As part of my responsibilities, I must make this clear beforehand. The Baiyue Strait Development Company does not operate for any great cause. It is a profit-seeking institution and is fundamentally different from relief organizations such as the Home of Refugees.”

“You must clearly understand that this is an investment. It is neither a donation nor gambling. At the same time, every investment carries risks. You must accept responsibility for your own decision and declare that you fully understand what you are doing.”

“How many fingers must I raise to swear the oath?” Niyan asked with a smile, lifting his right hand above his head.

“None.” The clerk took two contracts from a drawer. “You need to carefully read this share subscription agreement and this risk disclosure statement, then sign at the end.”

Niyan accepted the contracts and pen. Without even looking at them, he signed his name on both agreements before gently placing the pen upon the desk. “I understand perfectly well that this is no great cause, and I also understand that the respected administrator has no need for my small amount of money. Even so, I hope they can move faster. Faster still... Please understand the tiny wish of a rat. My strength is so insignificant that my master does not even notice me. He considers me so weak that I am not even qualified to betray him... And he is right. I do not have that ability, nor do I possess that qualification. My business could never survive without his support.”

Looking at the bewildered clerk, Niyan gave a slight bow according to the court etiquette of the Xilande Empire. “I wish you a pleasant life, beautiful lady. In the Poro Province, girls your age are merely commodities... Of course, as livestock, I am essentially the same.”

The girl behind the counter stared blankly as the man completed every procedure, turned around, and walked out through the door. She blinked in confusion before quietly asking the older colleague beside her a question.

He was her senior at work, and she trusted him greatly.

“Is the Poro Province really that extreme?”

Even as she spoke, her hands did not stop moving. She tapped the tablet and called the next number.

Her colleague shook his head and offered a noncommittal tease before beginning his next task. “Who knows how much of what wastelanders say is true? Perhaps he was only trying to flirt with you. From the look of him, he probably came from French Fry Harbor. I heard the people there dream about finding a partner from Dawn City. Come to think of it, even French Fry Harbor is already far enough away.”

As for the Poro Province, that was even more distant, so far away that he had no interest in learning about it. His only exposure to the place had been eating its regional dishes at some restaurant out of idle curiosity.

The food that was supposed to be a delicacy had tasted rather ordinary. He could not tell what distinguished one type from another, and they could not compare at all with the dazzling variety of cuisine available throughout the New Alliance.

Perhaps the Baiyue Strait Development Company truly had changed the lives of the people there, teaching them to use utensils and eat at tables, causing them to begin desiring even more, but that was their concern. He was merely a minor employee in Dawn City. He did not care about such things.

By comparison, he cared far more about the respected administrator and the interests of the New Alliance. At least that would make him worthy of the hourly wage of eight silver coins he received.

Praise the administrator!

He would remain forever loyal to that noble gentleman.

That gentleman could clearly have placed all the money into his own pockets and left the people waiting in line with nothing but envious stares. However, he didn’t do so. Instead. He chose to share.

He had heard that the survivors of Port Gallon earned only one-tenth of his hourly wage, and before that, they had earned even less. He was truly curious how they had managed to survive.

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