The standard buildings that made up the slums were all in the form of official low-rent housing. It was an architectural model that maximized the use of space. Of course, spaciousness, light, air, scenery and so on were not part of it. The only concept of the designer was something that was repeatedly stressed by his boss, who had a bigger belly than Juumo, over and over again:
"I only have one f * cking request for your design plan, and that's to stuff as many people as you can into it! Stuff, stuff, stuff!! Stuff it to the point where not even a stamp can fit in! Screw art, aesthetics, and comfort! Even if you turn this place into a presidential suite, the poor bastards living in these houses will never pay a penny more! "
It was said that a total of 230 design proposals were submitted at that time, and the final winner was an unknown designer. The only reason he was shortlisted was because he had referenced the architectural layout of Tokyo in ancient Earth when it was at its most prosperous time ….
Therefore, all the residential areas in the North District were the same. Everyone should have seen a modern chicken farm before. The buildings in the North District were similar to the chicken cages in a chicken farm. They only needed to be able to accommodate more chickens per unit area. The building materials were also durable and practical, so they were all black in colour. That was why the North District had another nickname – the Black Chicken Coop.
The giant conveyor belt did not extend all the way to the Northern District, because it was not cheap to build. When Sheyan and Old Charlie stepped down from the conveyor belt in the middle of the street, they saw a very chaotic and noisy area. It was almost as lively as a vegetable market. People of all walks of life were talking to each other with fake smiles on their faces, but the words they said were very obscure and even absurd. For example, Sheyan heard someone ask, "How much for two eggs?" Old Charlie's face was filled with people who were talking to each other.
Okay, the question might be a little inappropriate, but it seemed very normal. However, the answer was very abnormal. Another voice actually replied, "That's right.
"Forty ears …."
It was only later that Sheyan learned from Old Charlie's "translation" that the so-called "eggs" referred to grenades, while the "ears" referred to a kind of local baked bread that was made in the shape of an ear. Such a strange way of talking was almost the same as the bandit before liberation who would say something like "the heavenly king covers the earth tiger" in front of an opening.
As Old Charlie led Sheyan deeper into the area, Sheyan noticed that it was indeed easy to get lost in this damned place because the buildings were all the same. All he saw were the same buildings, and of course, there were also many people of different skin colors bustling around at all times.
Many strange gazes were fixed on him. Some were questioning, some were envious, some were doubtful, some were disgusted, some were angry.... Sheyan could feel that most of these gazes were directed at his unfamiliar face. Fortunately, he had changed his clothes before leaving the house. Otherwise, the feeling of being stared at would have been even more intense.
Old Charlie, on the other hand, quietly shrank behind his coat and hat, not even lifting his eyelids. After Old Charlie broke the fingers of two thieves who were less than ten years old, the two were able to move on.
Soon, Sheyan finally saw a different building, but the difference was limited. To put it simply, it was an unfinished building. In order to enter the building, Sheyan and Old Charlie had to pay 30 Imperial coins, which was almost equivalent to the purchasing power of 300 RMB.
After entering the dilapidated building, Old Charlie finally broke the silence and said, "I'm sorry.
"Master, this is the best place for you to experience. Someone will come in and deliver food later. After the meal, there will be a black market auction today. After that, we should go back. "
Sheyan nodded with a smile.
"An auction? Then I'll have to check if I have enough money with me. You know, the richest people are often born in the slums. "Sheyan's words were not without basis.
There was a strange phenomenon in the world that people with higher education often worked for people with lower education. Steve Jobs was an abandoned baby. Before he was adopted, he stayed in an orphanage in the slums. Thaksin Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand, who was so luxurious that he bought a Premier League team, was also born in an ordinary business family. So, if you underestimated the underground black market in the slums, you'd better be careful not to run into a wall.
While talking to Old Charlie, Sheyan was led inside. Only then did he realise that the unfinished building was just a cover for the outside. The inside had actually been renovated into a pretty good small theatre. You could even see the street from the box seats. Although there was nothing much to see on the street, looking down at the bustling crowd with numb expressions still gave you a sense of satisfaction.
There were not many people sitting in the private room at the moment. It didn't take long for someone to deliver food. The first dish was a basket of steaming hot pastries. However, the processing was very rough. Although they had a faint fragrance, they lacked a delicate texture.
The pastries were made by grinding cassava into powder, stirring, fermenting and steaming them. They were neither hard nor soft. They were dipped in the sauce on the side. The sauce was a kind of gravy called nyama. The gravy was made from chicken and beef, but the meat of other animals could also be used as gravy.
Old Charlie reminded Sheyan that it was best not to dip the pastries in the gravy, because with the expansion of the population, the supply of food and other necessities would inevitably exceed the supply. Therefore, the meat used for the sauce was probably rat meat. Sheyan had no qualms about it, as long as he did not eat rat fur or internal organs.
The next dish was a fruit that Sheyan found very novel. It was about the size of a grapefruit. The top was cut off, and a few drops of soy sauce were poured into it. It was eaten with a spoon. It was very crispy and refreshing. The combination of soy sauce and fruit flesh created a very strange taste.
After Sheyan was done eating, he was served a cup of brownish-red wine called Hani.
According to Old Charlie, on the eighth star of the Andromeda constellation, there was a kind of Hani tree in the strange climate of the northern part of the planet. It could bear unique sour fruits. Every spring and early summer, the people on the planet would gather the Hani fruit, extract the fruit flesh, and process it with sweetening and fermentation.
Then, the extracted Hani liquor was stored in an oak barrel for two years to be mellowed. Finally, the mellowed liquor was perfectly blended with fresh cream, thus creating this wine with a smooth taste and unique flavor.
Sheyan took a sip of the wine. It was thick and sweet. He drank it directly. The tip of his tongue first tasted the sweetness of milk, then the taste buds on both sides of his tongue felt a slight bitterness similar to coffee. When the wine reached his throat, he felt a burning passion.
While Sheyan was eating, nearly three-quarters of the seats in the hall were filled. A skinny man with a curly beard walked to the middle of the hall, took off his hat, and bowed respectfully.
"Gentlemen, we've just received news that a big shot is visiting this evil place full of opportunities. It's estimated that law and order will be enforced soon, so we won't wait any longer. Let's hold the auction in advance."
Following a dull knocking sound, the first to walk up were three women. Oh, women who were completely naked. Although Sheyan was an adult man, he had Zi as a reference, so he had higher standards. He was not interested in these vulgar women, so he passed.
The next items to be auctioned were nothing more than drugs, weapons, and other contraband items. Sheyan felt sleepy just looking at them, but fortunately, the specialties smuggled from other planets soon appeared. Sheyan was surprised to find an unknown mysterious object among these auction items. It was a high-grade item that could be sold for 5 achievement points per piece!
This unknown mysterious object came from the eighth star of the Centaurus constellation. The air there was so dense that living creatures could move about in it as if they were swimming in water. On that star, there was a creature with few natural predators called the elephant whale.
The unknown mysterious object that Sheyan obtained was the beginning of another parallel world overlapping with the main plane, and the entry point happened to be on the planet. An elephant whale was hit by a space-time rift and died immediately, but for some reason, its giant tooth was preserved in the terrifying turbulence.
In terms of economic value, the tooth was, of course, a piece of junk in the eyes of others, but to Sheyan, it was a priceless treasure. Fortunately, no one competed with Sheyan for it, so he obtained it without much effort.
Sheyan did not know whether to laugh or cry when he saw what was being sold next! The people who bought the item were still very generous. It turned out that the item being auctioned was actually an edited video! The video was none other than a series of experiences on planet Uplos filmed from the first-person perspective of Old Charlie. However, the places where the battle took place must have been cut out for fear of scaring the investors. The focus was on the rich mineral deposits, the natural environment of planet Uplos, and so on.
The video was sold at a sky-high price in the end, which of course proved that the person in charge here was indeed very resourceful to be able to get his hands on such a thing.
The next item that was thrown out next shocked everyone. It was a miniature mech, and it was even a standard military mech! Although the mech only had a sevenfold amplification, it still looked brand new, and its weapons were still intact. It was definitely not an emasculated version!
Obviously, nine out of ten people present at the scene wanted to get their hands on this thing. Who would complain that their subordinates were too weak? But just as the crowd was about to explode with anger, a hoarse voice shouted, "I want it.
"I want this. Give it to me." If you like this work, you're welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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