Chapter 2666: The Union(2)

"Most certainly, esteemed guest."

The maid gave a courteous bow before explaining, "The Union is split into five districts. The Southern District, Northern District, Western District, Eastern District, and the Central District, and we’re currently in the Central District."

"Since our city is quite small, we only have two teleportation devices, both of which you’ve already used, so you’ll have to travel on foot if you wish to explore the city. This area is only accessible through the teleport device, so you’ll have to use it to enter and leave this place."

"I see. Thanks for the information," Yuan said.

Just as he turned around and began walking away, the maid spoke again, "Excuse me, but are you going to leave without a disguise?"

Yuan halted after hearing such words, and he recalled what the Ironwoman told him before they arrived at the Union.

"I don’t have any mask on me," he said.

"We can provide that for you," she said with a smile.

"In that case..." Yuan nodded.

"Please follow me."

Yuan proceeded to follow the maid to another building about ten minutes away.

The interior of this building was just a long hallway with several rooms.

"Just enter any of these rooms and choose whichever disguise you like best," the maid gave a quick explanation.

"Alright."

Yuan walked into the room closest to the exit and was surprised to find it was essentially a massive walk-in closet, filled with thousands of masks and outfits ready for him.

Since he wasn’t picky about his appearance, he swiftly picked an ordinary black mask and a black outfit that fit perfectly to match it.

After spending not even five minutes inside, Yuan left the room and returned to the maid.

"I’m done."

"Then I will take you to the teleporter now," she said.

Shortly later, they arrived at the teleport device.

"You can step on the teleport device whenever you are ready," she said.

Yuan stepped onto the device the next moment and said, "Thanks for the help."

"I don’t deserve it, as I am only doing my job," she replied with a calm smile.

The next moment, Yuan vanished from the teleport device and returned to the docking area.

Then, he randomly picked one direction and walked in it.

As he walked through the streets, Yuan noticed that while there were many people wearing masks like him, there weren’t nearly as many as he had expected. In fact, roughly ninety percent of the people walked around openly with their faces uncovered.

Of course, he knew these people were likely locals, since only those from another city had any reason to keep their identity hidden.

The buildings in the city weren’t particularly impressive, either. Compared to Gaia’s Heaven, where skyscrapers were a common sight, most of the buildings here were no more than four stories tall.

After walking for some time and passing by many shops, Yuan stopped before a restaurant and stared at it in silence, thinking to himself that he hadn’t really eaten anything in a long time.

’I have some money from handing in Unknown Ores and Crystals... but how do I use it?’

Since he never had the opportunity to spend money, he never learned how to pay using the system.

After pondering for a bit, Yuan decided to enter the restaurant.

"Hello. Will you be dining alone?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind sharing a table with another customer? We’re a bit full right now. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait."

"I don’t mind."

"Great. Please follow me."

Yuan followed the waiter to his table, where another masked customer was already seated across from him, her attention focused entirely on the menu in her hands.

Yuan gave the individual a quick glance as he sat down, but swiftly turned his attention to the menu.

After looking through the menu to ensure he had enough money to pay for it, he gestured toward a waiter.

"Hello, are you ready to order?"

Yuan nodded and said, "I want one of everything on the menu. You can send them out one at a time since there is limited space."

"E-Everything on the menu?"

Not just the waiter; even the one seated in front of Yuan looked surprised.

"Yes."

After a moment of silence, the waiter snapped out of his daze and said, "My apologies, but for an order this large, we’ll require payment upfront..."

Yuan nodded. "Sure."

"Please give me a moment."

The waiter left, then returned a few moments later with a palm-sized device with a crystal orb embedded in it.

Yuan didn’t ask any questions and placed his palm onto the crystal orb.

<Maple’s Dining has requested a payment of 7,122 Gaia Credits>

’Looks like Gaia Credits are universal...’ Yuan thought to himself as he confirmed the payment.

Once the waiter confirmed the payment, he bowed to Yuan and said, "Thank you for the payment. Your food will be out as soon as possible."

"I am also ready to order."

The individual sitting across from Yuan suddenly said.

Yuan raised an eyebrow after hearing her voice, as it sounded quite familiar.

"Of course. What would you like?"

"I’ll have the A-4, C-6, and a C-7."

While the woman placed her order, Yuan quietly examined her.

She had light brown hair tied into a bun at the back of her head and hazel-colored eyes.

Once the waiter walked away, the woman removed her white mask and placed it on her lap.

"..."

Yuan’s eyes widened slightly upon seeing her face.

"Lulu..." Yuan muttered, as the woman before her looked exactly like Chu Liuxiang.

"Excuse me?" The woman looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Hm? Oh, I was just talking to myself," he quickly said.

"Is that so?"

The woman didn’t say anything else and quietly waited for her food.

A few minutes later, Yuan’s food arrived first.

"Thanks."

Yuan removed his mask before eating.

"..."

The woman, who had been minding her own business, suddenly started staring at Yuan while he ate.

Yuan noticed that he was being watched, but he paid it no mind and continued eating in silence.

By the time he finished his first dish, the second had already arrived, followed shortly by the third.

When Yuan’s seventh dish was brought to the table, the woman finally received her first.

Time passed swiftly, and before he realized it, Yuan had finished every single dish on the menu. Meanwhile, the woman across from him was just starting her final dish.

"I have never seen anyone eat even half as much as you just did," the woman suddenly remarked.

"It’s a hobby," Yuan replied with a smile.

"Is that so?"

Yuan then asked, "Which city are you from?"

"Spirit City. What about you?"

"Gaia’s Heaven."

"Did you come here just to eat?" she then asked.

"Maybe. Why are you here?"

"Sorry, but I can’t tell you."

"Is that so?"

Yuan didn’t question her any further, and a moment later, he stood up.

"See you later."

"You make it sound as though we’re guaranteed to meet again," she remarked.

"I have a feeling we will."

The woman raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond.

Yuan left shortly afterward and continued wandering through the city, stopping by several other restaurants along the way.

Eventually, he arrived before a ten-story building, one of the tallest structures he had seen in the city thus far.

"Union’s Treasury."

After reading the sign above the large entrance, Yuan entered the building.

The building was basically a shopping mall, with the first floor selling all sorts of weapons.

Yuan approached one of the stores and peeked at the prices.

"Two hundred million credits?" His eyes widened slightly at the staggering price.

After turning in ten thousand Unknown Ores, Yuan had received ten million credits, which he initially thought was a fortune, especially considering the cost of his meals. However, after seeing the price of the weapon, he quickly realized that wasn’t the case.

’I think I am beginning to understand why the military doesn’t provide a weapon to every soldier...’ Yuan thought to himself.

He visited several other stores to compare prices and was surprised to discover that the first store had actually been one of the cheaper ones, with some weapons elsewhere costing over a billion credits.

"Why do the prices vary so drastically? They all look the same to me," Yuan asked one of the sellers.

"They may look identical on the outside, but their functions differ greatly. Some have a higher capacity, allowing the user to channel more Limitless through them, while others are designed for greater efficiency."

"How do they compare to military weapons?" Yuan asked curiously.

"That’s difficult to say, since every military uses its own specialized weapons. Generally speaking, military weapons are superior at the higher end. However, when it comes to standard equipment, publicly available weapons are usually better."

"How can you tell whether a weapon is high-end?"

"All high-end weapons can draw upon external sources, such as Unknown Ores, to increase their power, while standard weapons rely solely on the wielder’s Limitless."

"I see..."

Yuan thanked the seller for the information before heading to the second floor, where the stores shifted from selling weapons to techniques.

And moments after he entered the second floor, he noticed a certain individual standing outside one of the stores.

Yuan approached this individual with a smile behind his mask.

"I guess my feeling was right," he said, prompting the individual to turn to look at him with her hazel-colored eyes.

"Did you follow me?" she asked.

"Are you calling me a stalker? That’s rude." Yuan shook his head. "It’s a coincidence."