The bright sun was high, baking the ground. The hot weather, over 30 degree celsius, made the streets empty of people.
Ender walked down the street under the hot sun while people near him frowned and looked at him with dislike because of the stink.
Ender had already gotten rid of the cart and sold the horse cheaply.
Counting the money in his hand, Ender sighed. The money was called Berries. He got 100,000 Berries for selling the horse, which sounds like a lot, but it was only worth about 800 USD in buying power.
Do not think highly of this 100,000 Berries; its actual buying power is much lower than you think.
Ender had already checked. A good set of clothes cost 8,000 Berries, and a filling meal cost about 900 Berries.
He looked around. When he saw no one, Ender slowly walked up to a private house.
This seemed like a random choice, but he had been watching this house for a long time.
The house was not completely clean, but no climbing plants grew on the walls, which meant someone lived there, and the things inside were all working.
A thin layer of dust on the doorknob showed that the owner did not come back often, only once in a while. This made it a perfect temporary place for Ender to stay.
As for why he didn't stay in places like hotels or bars, it was because those places were mixed with all kinds of people and could easily cause problems he didn't need.
He was in this derived world to finish a mission. The mission time limit had only 68 hours left. Unless the mission needed it, he would not deal with many people.
Dealing with too many people whose background he didn't know equals trouble equals unknown danger.
After checking again that no one was around, Ender took out some simple lock-picking tools.
Click, click, snap.
The door opened right away. Ender had learned how to pick locks, and the simple locks in this derived world were child's play for him.
As if he were walking into his own home, Ender entered the house and then closed the door tightly.
When he entered, the room was empty, just as he had expected.
This was a house of over 100 square meters. A photo hung on the wall. The picture showed a man, a woman, and a young girl of a few years old. The woman's honest smile showed that they were a very happy family.
Ender quickly took off his clothes and rushed to the bathroom. Although he could handle a lot of pain, the terrible smell on him was making him feel sick.
Clear water ran down his head, washing away the dirt and smell. After changing into new clothes, Ender felt completely refreshed.
Sitting on the sofa, a White Treasure Chest suddenly appeared in Ender's hand.
[White Treasure Chest. Open? Yes/No.]
He chose to open it. The White Treasure Chest in his hand opened silently. There was no big flash of light, and it did not even make a sound.
[You opened the White Treasure Chest, and received the following items]
[500,000 Berries (Can only be used in this world)]
[Letter of Introduction from Guard Team Captain Lowen]
[100 Paradise Coins]
He only got three items. The reward was not huge, but it was good. This was only a White Treasure Chest. Based on the Reincarnation Paradise item ranks, the White Treasure Chest was the lowest possible reward chest.
Ender put away the Berries first, as he did not need it right now. He picked up the letter.
–
[Letter of Introduction from Guard Team Captain Lowen]
Quality: White.
Type: Trigger Item.
Rating: 5. (Item rating is the same as Equipment rating. 1–10. The higher the rating, the more valuable the item.)
Summary: This is an eager letter of introduction. Captain Lowen used his power wrongly to suggest that a thug from Windmill Village should become a member of the Guard Team. With this letter, anyone can become a member of the Guards, as long as you are a male and have enough Berries.
After reading the description of the letter, Ender looked happy. This was exactly what he wanted.
Since he could not kill the King directly, he needed to at least see him. The mission difficulty of a Nightmare world could not be solved just by force.
Ender put all the items into his Inventory and left the house right away.
First, he found a restaurant for a full meal, and then he started watching the guards patrolling the streets.
The Guard Team, as they were called, were mainly in charge of patrolling the streets and punishing minor thieves. Although they didn't have much power, they were part of the Goa Kingdom's government.
By following a few guards, Ender quickly found the Guard headquarters. It was a two-story office building, with two guards standing lazily at the door.
Ender had the letter of introduction, so he walked straight up.
"Stop right there. This is the Guard Team headquarters. You can't just walk in."
A young guard spoke harshly. When he saw Ender dressed like a regular person, his voice sounded a bit proud.
"I am the new guard..."
Ender was about to say his name, but quickly thought that the name Ender sounded a little out of place in this derived world. His mind worked fast, and Ender continued to speak.
"I am the new guard, Hakuitsu."
The young guard was surprised and looked Ender up and down.
"Hakuitsu? I never heard about a new person. You're not trying to sneak in..."
"Reese! Remember what the Captain said before? Don't ask too many questions. Hakuitsu, come with me."
Another old guard glared at the young guard, then led Ender into the headquarters behind him.
The young guard gave Ender a sharp look and mumbled something.
Ender didn't pay attention to this unimportant person. Following the old guard, he came to an office door.
"Cough, cough."
The old guard stood up straight and fixed his clothes. He was about to knock on the door when a voice came from inside the room.
The old guard lowered his hand and stood quietly to the side.
Knocking on the door right now would clearly be a bad idea and would bother the old guard's boss.
The old guard gave Ender a sorry smile. Ender was someone who was "taken care of" by the people "up top," so the old guard didn't want to upset him.
Ender and the old guard stepped to the side. He took out a box of cigarettes and offered one to the old guard.
Snap
The cigarette was lit, and the two chatted in the hallway.
Even just one cigarette could start a small 'friendship,' so why not?
"You are so lucky to have people 'up top' looking out for you. Don't worry, someone already talked about you joining the Guards, so it's all fine. By the way, my name is Hank. From now on, we are co-workers."
Ender gave a polite smile, but his eyes showed no change in feeling.
"My name is Hakuitsu. Please take care of me."
As Ender spoke, he put the rest of the cigarettes into Hank's shirt pocket.
He was already thinking if the guard in front of him had any use. He knew nothing about the capital city right now, so the man could be very helpful.
Hank's smile became noticeably happier.
Hank waited for a while before finally knocking on the door.
"Who is it? Get in here!"
A rough voice came from inside the office.