Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Caring for the Elderly Living Alone

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Asta sent an exclusive red envelope (Wangshu)

Asta sent an exclusive red envelope (Wangshu)

Asta: "Good luck with the business!"

Asta: "The first one is some financial aid. The second is a stall cart..."

Wangshu: "Wait, wait! Why does the Herta Space Station have a stall cart?"

Asta: "Ahaha... it's a long story. Let's save it for the next training session."

Jingliu: "Why does it have to wait until training?"

Asta: "Ehehe~"

Because right now was her relaxation time, and spending relaxation time on gossip was an absolute waste of life.

But Asta didn't say that. She just dropped an "ehehe" and moved on.

Wangshu also started selecting ingredients.

Leaving Jingliu alone in the empty Abyssal Prison, quietly watching the chat screen, until she confirmed — after a long while — that the group had indeed gone silent.

"Medium-gluten flour, cornmeal, mung bean flour, soybean flour, millet flour... why isn't there any sorghum flour? Whatever, missing that bit won't matter."

Wangshu patiently sorted through ingredients. He wasn't planning to do this long-term, of course — he hadn't transmigrated just to run a food stall. But focusing on the immediate present was never a mistake.

Beside him, Jingliu followed along with her small hands clasped behind her back, looking prim and proper. She wasn't exactly the patient type, but she felt that since Wangshu had been screwed over this badly because of her, she ought to bear at least some responsibility.

The weekend supermarket was crowded, mostly young-looking-but-actually-ancient Xianzhou folk. There were also quite a few Foxians and Vidyadhara.

"Cangcheng's commerce is booming, attracting visitors from all over."

Jingliu walked at his side, explaining in the tone of a local guide.

"Right now in the Xianzhou Alliance, the only one that isn't warlike... is probably just our Cangcheng. The IPC has set up shop here, and many Foxians — even Vidyadhara — with that new-era pioneering spirit have congregated in this place."

"What's 'new-era pioneering spirit'?"

Wangshu was curious.

"It means not wanting to live the old way anymore — following every rule, letting the elders decide everything. They think a new era needs a new way of living... at least, that's what all the Vidyadhara who come here say."

A Foxian woman nearby who'd been selecting spices overheard and inserted herself into the conversation with casual familiarity, her fluffy ears giving a contented little twitch.

The Xianzhou had taken in both the Foxians and the Vidyadhara, but in doing so had also subtly divided them. Setting aside the Xianzhou Xuleng, Cangcheng was the most unique place of all.

Here, everything revolved around money. Commerce thrived, the economy flourished, opportunities were plentiful, and rules were few. As long as it was legal, anything went.

Wangshu: ...

Sounded like the most rebellious kid in the family — the one who ditched the ancestral business to chase the latest trends.

Unfortunately, this was the world of Star Rail, a world where strength mattered. Commercial prosperity would only end up filling the neighbors' granaries...

Oh wait — Cangcheng's neighbors were all family. So Cangcheng really could develop commerce with peace of mind.

"That's pretty much it."

Little Jingliu nodded. Noticing Wangshu seemed lost in thought, she rose on her tiptoes, trying to meet his gaze.

"Little Wangshu, what are you thinking about?"

Jingliu herself had no interest in these well-worn topics.

Back then, everyone had been groping through the fog. Nobody knew right from wrong. Some preferred boldness, some preferred caution. People mocked Cangcheng for its timidity, but nobody refused the resources and aid Cangcheng provided.

Cangcheng was simply too wealthy.

"I'm wondering if the money I have will actually work here."

Incidentally, the money on him was Asta's sponsorship. In the wealthy lady's own words: an advance investment.

After all, Star Calendar Year 6299 held considerable archaeological value.

Jingliu: ...

"It's fine. Use mine."

She quietly slipped behind Wangshu and secretly pressed her savings card into his hand. Due to the height difference, the maneuver looked extremely covert and was unlikely to be noticed.

Wangshu didn't use it. He first claimed the first red envelope from Asta — a yellowed bill of exchange and what appeared to be a freshly printed identity document.

He stared. The clerk stared too.

The Foxian young woman politely gestured toward a flame emblem nearby. "The Blazefire Commerce Guild branch is right there. You can cash the bill of exchange first and then come back. I'll hold the items for you."

"Is the bill of exchange something the future me gave you?"

Jingliu leaned in curiously, studying the yellowed bill.

It certainly looked like it had some years on it. Whether it could even still be used was questionable... Come to think of it, could someone from Star Calendar Year 8100 really get their hands on a bill of exchange that still worked in Year 6299?

"No."

Wangshu shook his head, tucking away the bill and documents. "It's support from another friend of mine. She... comes from a well-off family."

Exactly how wealthy, Wangshu wasn't sure. But he'd heard her family had someone on the IPC's board of directors. Whether that was true or not, he hadn't asked.

"I didn't give you any money?"

Jingliu zeroed in on the key detail with sharp precision, crimson eyes widening slightly.

Wangshu honestly shook his head.

Little Jingliu sighed once more, her shoulders slumping slightly. So her future self couldn't even be relied on for financial support.

The Blazefire Commerce Guild branch was just a few steps from the supermarket entrance. The storefront was small but tastefully appointed.

Behind the counter, a Foxian clerk with soft, folded ears was lazily sprawled across the surface, half-heartedly scrolling through her Jade Omen, looking thoroughly bored.

"Hello, I'm here to cash a bill of exchange."

Wangshu walked up and placed the bill and identity documents on the counter.

He'd never used a bill of exchange before. For a wage worker, this sort of thing was genuinely rare.

But he'd seen it done on TV before.

The fold-eared Foxian glanced at the bill in his hand, sluggishly produced an exchange application form, her voice carrying a drowsy drawl: "Bill of exchange, identity documents, fill out the form, leave it here, wait for review. If it's quick... two to three business days."

The process sounded perfectly routine. Even a touch dismissive.

But it would take two to three days?

Wangshu wasn't familiar with these things. He sighed — in the end, he'd still have to use little Jingliu's money.

Left with no choice, he began filling out the form meticulously, matching the information line by line. He'd barely finished a few rows when a hand — fair-skinned, slender, nails trimmed to impeccable neatness — slapped down on the form above his writing.

The Foxian clerk who'd been languid and listless just moments ago had sprung fully upright, beaming from ear to ear.

"Oh my! I'm so terribly sorry! Distinguished customer, please forgive my negligence!"

"If you could just provide your receiving account, I'll process the expedited handling for you right away!"

"Would you like to open our guild's highest-tier Blazefire VIP account? It comes with exclusive perks and privileges!"

Wangshu: ...

Jingliu: ...

"Your friend... seems to have a rather extraordinary status."

Jingliu gently nudged Wangshu's arm, whispering.

Wangshu answered hesitantly: "Probably."

In truth, Star Rail featured many powerful figures among its cast. But outside of Jarilo-VI, whether in-game stats or out-of-game lore, the power scaling had inflated so dramatically that many people's impressive backgrounds looked almost ordinary at a glance.

"By the way — this friend of yours, are they a man or a woman?"

Jingliu asked with deliberate nonchalance.

"A woman. Asta. Though you definitely wouldn't know her right now."

Wangshu replied, continuing to cooperate with the Foxian clerk on the paperwork.

Asta. Jingliu silently committed the name to memory.

A wealthy woman who could casually throw around money like that, and yet it still hadn't shaken little Wangshu's resolve to come here and save her? Her future self truly had incredible game.

Jingliu was mentally constructing an image of her future self, but somehow... the more she built it, the more it looked like a heartless player!

PS: Getting a contract signed is so hard — two days and it's still not done.