Chapter 725: Chapter 720: Spiritual Essence Logistics
Bai Pu had no reason to refuse.
As a "low-powered" Awakened, newly arrived, having a fellow Huaxia willing to take him in was an opportunity he couldn’t have prayed harder for.
Moreover, Bai Pu also wanted to lie low in Lingshu City, thoroughly understanding its social structure and regulatory order before considering his next steps.
Of course, this needed to be done quickly... Bai Pu certainly could work at the Spirit Plant Shop for three to five years, slowly getting familiar with the Silver Heart Continent. He had the patience for it.
However, Earth still faced an immediate threat that must be resolved by him, the Earth Captain.
Uncle Mu led Bai Pu and soon arrived at his shop.
The shop’s name was quite distinctive, called "Frosty Spirit Plants." According to Uncle Mu, Frost was a famous sight from his hometown, in Huaxia’s Northeast Region.
This shop was very small, a typical husband-and-wife store. Uncle Mu handled outside work, primarily responsible for stocking and maintaining regular customers. His wife managed the store, multitasking as the receptionist, handyman, gardener, and more.
Even though she was an Awakened, Aunt Mu still looked visibly old.
They also had a daughter who was attending high school in the Heng Bay District.
Seeing Uncle Mu bring in a stranger and saying that the shop would add another helper, Aunt Mu’s expression showed a bit of surprise, and she sighed slightly: "So... how much will his salary be?"
"A regular apprentice earns three to four hundred Silver Dragon Coins, so let’s give Xiao Bai 400," Uncle Mu said.
"Uncle and Aunt’s willingness to take me in is already a huge help. I’ll forgo a salary during my apprenticeship; just meals will do."
Bai Pu said decisively. Before this trip, the Huaxia officials had transferred a large number of Spiritual Points to Bai Pu and, along with what he already had, his account had over ten million Spiritual Points!
Although Bai Pu had a demand for Silver Dragon Coins, he didn’t care about a few hundred a month. Exchanging them with Spiritual Points, four hundred Silver Dragon Coins were only about ten or twenty thousand Spiritual Points.
Being able to hide in the Frosty Spirit Plants shop and use this opportunity to learn some common knowledge about the Silver Heart Great World was already extremely valuable.
"How can that be, a salary must be paid." Uncle Mu evidently felt uneasy.
"Uncle, you’ve already covered the Star Gate expenses and helped with the Spirit Avoidance Pattern. That’s about 1300 Silver Dragon Coins, right? How about using the salary to offset this 1300 Silver Dragon Coin debt, deducting 400 per month? My apprenticeship period of three to four months should be enough to pay it off," Bai Pu suggested.
"Haha, aiming to graduate from apprenticeship in three to four months is not easy... Alright, let’s go with what you’ve said."
Uncle Mu was amused, "Xiao Bai, you’ll mainly greet customers at the front desk; me and your aunt will take care of the Spirit Plants..."
Just as Uncle Mu finished speaking, a "beep" sounded, and a message came through his smartwatch.
After checking it, Uncle Mu laughed: "Your temporary ID card has arrived."
When making the Spirit Avoidance Pattern at the Inscription Shop, the shop uploaded Bai Pu’s personal information to the Gaia Network. This was a requirement in Lingshu City; anyone new who engraves a "Spirit Avoidance Pattern" must upload their personal information to avoid unregistered residents.
The "Jingnan Road" administrative center, which Bai Pu belonged to, had already prepared his temporary ID card and delivered it through the Spiritual Essence logistics.
"Such high efficiency? We just got home..." Bai Pu was somewhat amazed by Lingshu City’s efficiency.
"Haha, do you think it’s manually made? The ID card, also known as the ’Spiritual Essence Holographic Card,’ is processed by the Gaia Network’s intelligent AI, including subsequent card production and forwarding, all controlled by AI."
Bai Pu followed Uncle Mu to the entrance to retrieve the card from the "Spiritual Essence Mailbox" at the Spirit Plant Shop.
Picking up the card was quite like retrieving items from a Storage Space for an Awakened. A flash of light, and a white card fell into his hand.
"This is Spiritual Essence Logistics. Anything that can be transformed into Spiritual Essence can be delivered to any Spiritual Essence Mailbox," Uncle Mu explained. "Of course, my Spiritual Essence Mailbox’s Storage Space is only 10 cubic meters. Too large items can’t be delivered and must be collected at the district’s Spiritual Essence logistics warehouse."
Bai Pu accepted the Spiritual Essence Holographic Card, which featured his photo and name.
However, Bai Pu’s appearance was altered using a Qi Concealment Talisman. Although it didn’t diminish his charm, his appearance was different from his real one.
Bai Pu’s name on the card was the alias he had uploaded himself — Bai Yujing.
This was a temporary ID card without strict identity verification. For an official card, information control was stringent, and it required checking spiritual energy fluctuations, energy waves, and other hard-to-fake details.
"With this temporary ID card, you can log into the Gaia Network."
Uncle Mu said, "The Gaia Network is essential for learning. The basic knowledge of being a Spirit Plant Master is all in the Gaia Network’s public community. As for more advanced knowledge and little tricks, your aunt and I will gradually teach you."
Bai Pu thanked Uncle Mu.
Uncle Mu’s small shop indeed didn’t have many customers. That afternoon, while helping with accounting and greeting customers, Bai Pu found that on average, only one or two people came by per hour, making it quite leisurely.
Bai Pu took this time to learn the Lingua Franca of the Silver Heart Continent.
He had a phenomenal memory, nearly photographic, and by afternoon he had memorized hundreds of everyday words, sufficient for greeting customers in the Lingua Franca.
Soon it was nighttime when it was time to rest.
Uncle Mu invited Bai Pu to sleep in the house behind the shop, but Bai Pu gently refused.
"There’s space at home. Little Man is at Heng Bay Middle School, and the room’s been vacant," Uncle Mu said.
"I’ll sleep in the shop. Someone should always be here to mind the shop, especially at night when the Starlight Orchid needs watering," Bai Pu said.
The Starlight Orchid was a Tier Two Spirit Plant, a rare item Uncle Mu had brought back this time. Having just been transplanted, it required careful tending, or else it might shed leaves.
Losing leaves would ruin its appearance; this Starlight Orchid was of the "Eight Leaves" grade, the so-called "Eight-star Orchid." If not carefully managed and a leaf fell off, its price would drop significantly.
"That works too. I’ll sleep first and come to relieve you later at night..."
Night fell, and all around was silence.
Bai Pu gazed upwards, looking at the unfamiliar starry sky of the Silver Heart Continent.
The stars here differed from those on Earth.
Earth’s stars are stars themselves, emitting light and heat.
Here, the stars aren’t stars but are Spiritual Ability Planets like Earth. They shine by reflecting the light of the Silver Heart Great World’s sun.
The Silver Heart Great World also has a sun, emitting light and heat several times more than the one in the Solar System. Fortunately, the civilized planets of the Silver Heart Great World have spiritual energy protective membranes that absorb and store some of the energy, making the surface environment suitable for human habitation.
Of course, most planets without spiritual energy protective membranes have harsh environments that even Evolvers dare not linger on.
"Let’s try connecting to the Gaia Network."
Bai Pu held his ID card and gently injected a trace of energy.
