He sat on the bed until dawn, too unsettled to sleep. Above him, Zhao Nannan and her daughter clung to each other through the night, sleepless as well. At six o'clock, the landlord showed up with repairmen to fix the iron door—surprisingly prompt, perhaps driven by guilt for failing to protect his tenants.
The so-called repairs involved hammering out the dents and welding the broken parts back together. The clanging lasted less than half an hour. It was still the same door, but it no longer looked the same.
After locking the door, Liu Weian headed out to pick up a delivery. The streets bustled with activity. Armed police patrolled the area; sanitation workers hauled corpses onto trucks for cremation. Doctors in white coats tended to the wounded, while laborers repaired critical infrastructure. Not a single slave was in sight today. Only the dried bloodstains left on the ground told of the tragedy that had unfolded the night before.
The commercial district remained as lively as ever. Last night's slave uprising hadn't reached here. Guarded heavily, it was not a place slaves dared to approach easily.
Citizenship Administration Bureau.
"Hello. What documents do I need to enter the East District?" Liu Weian asked as he stepped into the hall. Only one clerk was present, groggy from just waking up—clearly the night shift. No one else had arrived for work yet.
The clerk glanced at Liu Weian with a blank expression, as if he hadn't registered the question.
Liu Weian pulled out a silver coin and placed it on the desk.
The clerk's eyes lit up. His indifferent expression softened into a slight smile. With a casual swipe—as if waving away a fly—the coin vanished.
"Business or permanent stay?"
"What's the difference?" Liu Weian asked, slightly surprised.
"Business trips, tourism, shopping—those are temporary. You'll need a temporary travel permit, valid for three days. If that's not enough, you can extend it—10 gold coins per extension. For permanent residence, you need a residence permit—50 gold coins. And your identity status matters. Slaves pay an extra 50 coins. Commoners, 30 extra. If you're from the East District and drifted here, it's just 10 coins."
"I'm undocumented," Liu Weian said after a moment's pause.
The clerk gave him a curious look. After centuries of development, the three empires had perfected population management. Even slaves had official IDs. Undocumented individuals were rare. Still, in a place like this, filled with all kinds of people, even a few space pirates wouldn't be surprising.
"That complicates things. No matter what document you're applying for, an ID is mandatory."
"Can I get an ID here?"
The clerk smiled, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "With the right price, there's nothing we can't arrange."
"How much?"
"You're planning to move to the East District, right?"
"Yes."
"If you trust me, I can handle it," the clerk said, lowering his voice. "Household registration, birth certificate, medical certificate, national ID, and residence permit—everything you'll need for living over there. I'll even throw in a diploma. All of it, 200 gold coins."
Liu Weian was speechless. He hadn't expected it to be so expensive. Two hundred gold coins—an unimaginable sum for most people. For an average commoner, a single gold coin could last a month. For the poor, it could stretch three to six months. For a slave, it might last a whole year. Two hundred gold coins could sustain a slave for two centuries.
The clerk noticed his hesitation and offered an explanation.
"Changing your status isn't as easy as crossing a street. You can get by here as an undocumented person, but over there? You wouldn't last a day. I know it sounds steep, but it's essential. I'll be honest—there are other ways to get the documents for 180 coins. But those are done by exploiting system loopholes—technically valid, but vulnerable. If someone looks closely, they'll find the flaws. Mine are official. The extra 20 coins pay for peace of mind. I'm risking my job here—I deserve a little compensation."
Liu Weian thought for a moment, then looked up. "How long will it take to get everything done?"
"Fastest is five days, but only if you're willing to pay more. Usually, it takes about twenty days—maybe a month if things go slow."
"I can pay a 5-coin deposit now. Once it's ready, I'll pay the rest. Is that okay?"
The clerk shook his head with a smile. "Here's the truth: just getting the paperwork started costs 50 coins. Bribes and connections eat up another 115. I have to pay my colleagues 15 coins to keep quiet. In the end, I only make 20 coins from the deal. So the deposit has to be at least 60."
"Fine." Liu Weian gritted his teeth. "I'll come back in a few days."
"You're serious about this, so let's do a preliminary registration. It'll save time next time you come in," the clerk said helpfully.
"Thanks." Liu Weian filled out the forms and handed them over.
"No problem," the clerk replied with a smile. "All in the service of the people." But inside, he was impressed. Seventeen years old, and already handling things like this on his own. Not bad.
When Liu Weian left, the clerk handed him a card: Zhou Xingchen.
He picked up his package from the Meihua Trade Guild's express branch and stopped by a hardware store to buy two iron rods before heading home. It was 8:10 AM, but the sun was already scorching.
"You're back, big brother!" Zhao Xin ran into his arms. She'd been terrified by the events of the previous night, and only seeing Liu Weian calmed her down.
Liu Weian gently patted her head and looked at Zhao Nannan. She appeared composed, but he could see the relief in her eyes at his return.
After a few words, Zhao Xin relaxed and began playing on the tablet—the first toy she'd ever owned. Zhao Nannan just sat quietly by, not saying much. Liu Weian ignored them and opened the package. Inside were grain-sized strength seeds. He tossed one into his mouth.
Then another. And another.
In total, he swallowed five, then lay down motionless.
Zhao Nannan gave him a curious look, wondering why he wasn't logging into the game. But she was a reserved person; no matter how many questions she had, she never asked.
By that point, Liu Weian was fully immersed in his own world. His senses were shut off from the outside. The strength seeds erupted like mini volcanoes in his body, sending torrents of energy surging through his veins and limbs. He felt like an overinflated balloon—ready to burst—yet the power kept building.
Fortunately, he didn't explode.
The energy coursed through him like a desert spring, nourishing his body. He could feel it—muscles once atrophied from inactivity swelled with renewed life. Stiff joints loosened. His blood surged, his body regenerated. Everything was changing for the better.
In World of Beasts, the mental projection (avatar) and the real body complemented each other—but one always took precedence. The real body absorbed up to 50% of a strength seed's power. The avatar? Barely 15%. Very few people knew this secret; only powerful families had access to it. Liu Weian had stumbled across it by sheer luck.
When he finally woke up, it was 1:30 PM. He had slept for nearly four hours. As he rose from bed, he instantly noticed the difference.
First—agility. If he had been a rusty machine before, now he was oiled and smooth. He moved without a sound.
Second—strength. Power coursed through his muscles. He felt like one punch could put a hole in a steel door. Every cell in his body was cheering, drunk on newfound vitality.
His eyes gleamed with clarity. Even though the room lights were off, he could make out everything—Zhao Nannan's facial features were clearly visible. She seemed to sense something and looked up, surprised.
"What's wrong, Mom?" Zhao Xin asked.
"Nothing." Zhao Nannan shook her head, puzzled, and quickly returned to her usual stoic expression.
Liu Weian didn't linger in this euphoric moment. He logged into the game without delay. When he arrived at the graveyard, Black Bull and the others were still waiting.
"Ran into a situation—sorry to keep you waiting."
"No problem. We're just glad you made it," Black Bull replied with a calm smile, showing no irritation despite waiting all morning.
Without wasting another word, Liu Weian charged into the graveyard and began slaying Rotten Corpses. He had just over 90 arrows left—he'd recovered most from the previous day, though a few were damaged beyond use.
In under half an hour, all 90 corpses had been cleanly dispatched. He collected the strength seeds and meat sacs, then headed into the forest to craft more arrows.
Two hours later, he had over 300 arrows—but now faced a new problem. The iron birch trees suitable for arrow shafts in that area were all gone. Only large trees remained, which would take far more effort to cut down. Then they had to be sawed, split, shaped, polished… Each arrow would take five to six times longer to make. And time was the one thing he lacked.
Now what? Liu Weian frowned, troubled.