All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 5: Young Apan

Curiosity ultimately couldn’t overcome fatigue, and Zhanyue slept hazily for several hours. When he woke up and opened the window, the sunlight was dazzling but also particularly welcoming. The sunlight in this world had a kind of magical power. His room was on the third floor, with a green courtyard outside the window, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, like an oil painting.

He changed into the clothes the bellboy had brought and put his backpack away. The backpack contained things from his original world, which might be useful later. The inn was very luxurious with excellent security, so his backpack should be fine.

“Now people won’t stare at me anymore, right?” Zhanyue looked at the blue casual wear he was now wearing. It was a well-fitting outfit that didn’t restrict movement at all, and the fabric felt extremely smooth. “Looks like that bellboy didn’t rip me off after all.”

After having breakfast at the inn, Zhanyue decided to get to know this world better.

Unlike the deep night, the area in front of the Fulai Inn during the day was bustling with people and vehicles. Some were walking, some riding mule-like pack animals, and others sitting in mechanical vehicles similar to rickshaws, pulled by drivers.

As soon as Zhanyue walked out, a crowd of people quickly surrounded him, startling him.

“Sir, take my cart, it’s comfortable.”

“Take my cart, I’m most familiar with Sun City. I can quickly take you wherever you want to go.”

“Ride me… no, sorry, I misspoke. Take my cart.”

A group of drivers waited outside the inn to compete for business. Sun City had a large flow of people and complex roads, so for those unfamiliar with the city, taking these rickshaws was a good choice. The drivers served as both chauffeurs and guides. These ordinary people made a living by selling their physical labor, and people coming out of the inn were their prime targets.

Among the crowd of tall figures, Zhanyue saw a boy about thirteen or fourteen years old, looking like a little chick among a group of big men. The boy also noticed Zhanyue looking at him and quickly squeezed through.

“Sir, please take my cart. I grew up in Sun City and know it very well,” the boy said, his eyes full of pleading.

“You look so small and thin, can you even pull the cart?” Zhanyue asked in return.

The boy patted his chest and guaranteed, “No problem. Sun City is mostly flat roads, and my cart has been modified by Master Lu, it’s very efficient. Don’t look down on me because of my age I can take more than ten customers a day without even breaking a sweat!”

“Alright, I’ll go with you,” Zhanyue said, pointing at the boy. The other drivers dispersed in disappointment, waiting for their next target. Zhanyue looked at the boy, thinking that for someone so young to be doing such hard work, he must have some untold difficulties.

“Sir, where do you want to go?” the boy asked politely, inviting Zhanyue onto the cart. The cart wasn’t big, just enough to seat one person. Zhanyue hadn’t expected so many rickshaws in Sun City. He didn’t know that this was intentional on the part of the Sun City Lord. Except for merchant caravans, many large mounts were prohibited from entering the city, which both maintained the city’s security and hygiene, and provided a way for these ordinary people to make a living.

“Take me around Sun City, introduce me to those important landmarks and buildings,” Zhanyue said.

The boy’s eyes lit up when he heard this. This was a big job, serving just this one person would be equivalent to a whole day’s work. “Don’t worry, sir. I’ve grown up in Sun City since I was little. I know this city like the back of my hand. I guarantee I’ll complete the task perfectly!”

Zhanyue smiled and then asked, “What’s your name? Since you say you know this city so well, I’ll have to test you a bit.”

“You can call me A’Pan,” the boy said, feeling a bit nervous, not knowing what kind of questions Zhanyue would ask.

Zhanyue pointed at the towering white illumination Tower and asked, “Who built this tower, why does it glow at night, and what’s the purpose of its light?”

“Just this? Just this?” The boy relaxed. It turned out Zhanyue really was just “testing” him. This was basic common knowledge: “This tower was invented by the illumination Goddess in ancient times and built by thousands of craftsmen, hence its name, the illumination Tower. Every city with a population of over a million on the Myriad Spirits Realm has an illumination Tower to protect it. The illumination Tower absorbs sunlight as energy during the day and releases light at night. The light covers Sun City and the surrounding satellite towns. Where the light shines, Nightmare demons dare not approach. The illumination Tower is the most important thing in a city. Without it, the fate awaiting the city would be to be swallowed by the dark night.”

Zhanyue nodded, knowing that this knowledge was probably basic common sense on this world. He didn’t show surprise but continued asking as if testing: “Hmm, it seems you’ve grasped the basic knowledge well. Let me ask you this then: if clouds block the sun during the day and not enough energy is collected for the night’s needs, what do they do?”

The boy A’Pan pouted disdainfully, wondering why this person was asking such foolish questions.

“The excess energy from sunny days is stored as illumination Stones. If there’s cloudy or rainy weather and the daytime energy isn’t enough, the night is supported by illumination Stones. The hundred cities of the Eastern Kingdom are connected. If one city doesn’t have enough illumination Stone reserves, other cities will support it. In any case, the operation of all cities has never had any problems. This is also due to the Eastern Kingdom’s good organization.

Sometimes, when there’s a severe surplus of illumination Stones, they’re circulated in the market and even exported to other countries with insufficient sunlight. illumination Stones have many uses and are the Eastern Kingdom’s most important export product. Our Sun City has the most abundant sunlight among the hundred cities of the Eastern Kingdom, so our illumination Stone production is also the highest. Sun City’s status among the hundred cities of the Eastern Kingdom is only below the Imperial City and the Scholar City, ranking third.”

“I see,” Zhanyue understood that this world’s utilization of solar energy even surpassed that of his own world, and their storage of solar energy was also very advanced. The formidable illumination Tower was the best proof of this.

“We’ve arrived, sir. This is a must-see place in Sun City – the illumination Goddess Statue!” A’Pan pointed at a huge 100-meter-high statue in front of them.

Zhanyue stared at the nearby 100-meter statue in astonishment. This statue was much larger than the Statue of Liberty, occupying a vast area. For Sun City, where land was extremely valuable, it was unthinkable to place such a tall statue within the city. Without a doubt, the person this statue represented must have an extremely important status in this world.

The statue depicted a woman with indistinct features and a tall figure. Her right hand held a sword pointing to the sky, while her left arm cradled a thick book. The sword represented military might, and the book represented wisdom. The features were indistinct because few had seen her true appearance, and the craftsmen didn’t dare to carve arbitrarily. It was said that the ancient illumination Goddess was extremely beautiful, and she was also revered as the Sun Goddess and the Wisdom Goddess. It was she who invented the illumination Stones and illumination Towers, allowing humans to no longer fear the night.

“Every country has a 100-meter illumination Goddess statue to commemorate the illumination Goddess’s great contribution to humanity. In the Eastern Kingdom, the illumination Goddess statue is erected in Sun City. The Imperial City also has several goddess statues, but none as large as this,” A’Pan explained.

Looking at the huge goddess statue, Zhanyue felt a strange palpitation in his heart, as if he desperately wanted to touch this statue.

“Can we touch this statue?” Zhanyue asked curiously.

A’Pan hurriedly stopped Zhanyue’s crazy idea, “Do you see the line on the ground? We can only admire from afar. Without the City Lord’s order, no one is allowed to cross the line. Touching the goddess statue would be a heinous act of disrespect, punishable by death at worst!”

Zhanyue sighed in disappointment but memorized the statue. That palpitation was very strong, but at this moment, he didn’t know what it meant.

“Let’s go, A’Pan. Take me to the largest bookstore in Sun City,” Zhanyue felt that learning about this strange world from books would be the fastest way. As the distance from the goddess statue increased, the palpitation in Zhanyue’s heart also subsided.

“By the way, A’Pan, do you know who in the Eastern Kingdom owns a dragon?” Zhanyue suddenly remembered this question.

The boy A’Pan was particularly exasperated. This customer was full of oddities. Wasn’t this something even a three-year-old would know? Couldn’t he ask something a four-year-old might know? But he didn’t dare offend his customer.

“Among the countless beast contractors on the entire Myriad Spirits Realm, there’s only one dragon contractor, and that’s our Eastern Kingdom’s eldest princess!” A’Pan answered.

“The Eastern Kingdom’s eldest princess?” Zhanyue nodded. No wonder she was so generous. It turned out she was a top-tier rich beauty – truly fair-skinned, truly rich, and truly beautiful. “Beast contractor, what’s a beast contractor? Well, these cultivation questions should be explained in detail in books.”