Chapter 224
Chapter 224: Entering the City [Part 2]
After authenticating their IDs, Cillin walked out of the public transport station while carrying Chang Seven and walked some distance down the route he inquired about earlier . A corner later, he saw a taxi parked beside the road .
Cillin beckoned the taxi over and gave a location name .
“300,” said the driver without even bothering to look behind and face him .
300… It was no wonder no one from the commoner zone dared to enter the city before this . They couldn’t even afford a taxi ride .
After Cillin paid the taxi fare, the driver finally started the engine slowly and with a reluctant look on his face .
Right now, traffic inside the city was controlled very strictly, so it took nearly an hour to reach the place Cillin had mentioned . The hour wasn’t particularly long or short, and perhaps the driver himself happened to be bored at the time . Anyway, he found a random topic and started talking with Cillin, and although he was the one who initiated the conversation his tone was truly unpleasant . There was an obvious sense of superiority behind every word he spoke .
“You’re here to test your luck too, aren’t you?” asked the driver . There was a note of ridicule in his voice .
“We’re not, actually . The shop’s running out of supplies, and I’m here to buy some parts . ” Cillin smiled as he answered as if he didn’t notice the driver’s discriminatory tone .
Surprisingly, the driver was apparently familiar with his trade because he let out an exclamation of realization when he heard this, “Oh, so that’s why you’re here . I suppose I should commend you for being smart enough to stay out of this matter . After all, why will a noble ever choose a commoner to serve them? What a hilarious notion!”
Cillin didn’t say anything . The driver then started talking about some troubles the commoners caused due to their ‘delusion’ after they entered the city as if he was trying to persuade Cillin to not make the same mistake . Cillin simply smiled and gave a non committal response from time to time without expressing an opinion, although it was likely that the driver wasn’t actually expecting a response to begin with . He was simply talking to himself .
The flying car finally reached the location Cillin had mentioned; a market that sells parts . To the higher class citizens of the city, this place counted as part of the city center . However, they didn’t visit here often because their flying cars were delivered directly to repair shops if they broke down . They couldn’t be bothered to care about the parts that were used in the process .
The citizens with lower living standards still bought the important parts personally, however . After all, it was cheaper to buy them separately . In fact, those who were poor would even sneak their way to the commoner zone to get their flying cars repaired .
A repair using the same parts cost up to 3 times higher in the city than in the commoner zone . Therefore, even though the quality of repairs might be better inside the city, the people with low income preferred to repair their cars cheaply if possible .
The parts market was bustling with a lot more activity than the Repair Street . A single glance from outside the market was enough for Cillin to spot many high end parts sold within the shops . Moreover, the shops were decorated a lot more lavishly, and the parts they sold were absolutely expensive .
Cillin’s main interest lay in second hand parts . Suppose he bought first hand parts for Old Chang’s shop, Old Chang’s customers might actually be turned off by the increased repair costs .
The surrounding people cast Cillin disdainful glances as he walked towards the second hand parts shop .
“It’s obvious he’s from the commoner zone, so how is he going to buy anything here without money?”
“He’s destined to buy second hand parts for life . ”
“Tsk, just ignore that commoner, will you? Why don’t we talk about the time we went to the casino instead…”
These people’s voices weren’t obvious amidst a noisy environment, but Cillin still heard them crystal clear . He ignored their comments completely .
Cillin entered a second hand parts shop . To be honest, this shop appeared the same as all the other shops around the area . But if he had to give a reason as to why he chose to visit this particular shop, it would be that he liked the order placement of the parts better than others . There were a lot of parts seller who didn’t necessarily understand the exact usage of their goods, so the way they ordered their parts were mostly up to their individual preferences . In short, the parts were put on display however they liked it to be .
But the way this shop owner ordered his parts and put them on display were different from others . From an amateur’s point of view, the shop owner’s sense of aestheticism appeared to be lacking because the parts were displayed in distasteful order . However, a veteran in the repair trade would realize that these parts were arranged so that they could be put together and assembled in perfect order . This meant that the shop owner truly knew his stuff in terms of repairs .
When Cillin walked into the shop, the shop owner was busy drawing something on the table . He didn’t pay much attention to the customers who just walked in . There were only 2 rough-looking service robots serving the customers, and every part were labeled with a fixed price . They were non-negotiable .
This shop didn’t have many customers . In fact, it was less popular than the rest of the shops out there, although the shop owner didn’t seem to mind . Cillin noticed that he wasn’t drawing on an electronic tablet, but on papers, and from time to time he would frown or break into smiles suddenly . There were a few customers who planned to chat a little while with the shop owner, but when they saw his weird appearance they canceled the thought and left the place immediately .
The shop owner was a somewhat portly middle-aged man . He didn’t seem to notice his customers’ departure at all as he continued to work on his paper .
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