311: Chapter 311 All expenses will be paid by the City Lord's Mansion!

Chen You's brow furrowed as he looked at the red warning box popping up on his retina.

"Absolute Equivalent Exchange?"

"What on earth are Star Shards?"

"Is this some new way to force players to pay?"

He tried to take a step forward.

[Ding! Moved one step, 1 Star Shard deducted. Current Star Shard balance: 0.]

[Warning: Insufficient Star Shards, 100 Health Points deducted.]

His health bar flickered almost imperceptibly.

Chen You had high health and defense, so this small amount of damage didn't even count as a scratch, but this disgusting mechanic made him extremely annoyed.

The key was that this was a clone; it couldn't recover health!

He looked up, his gaze locking onto a figure in front of a massive mechanical console not far away.

It was an extremely burly man with dark-brown skin.

He wore a vintage-style jumpsuit and had a head of greyish-white curly hair.

At that moment, the man's back was to Chen You, and his hands were frantically working the dense array of buttons and levers on the console.

Those movements, that rhythm, the way his shoulders shook—it was as if he were frantically DJing at a nightclub.

Chen You didn't advance any further and shouted toward the man.

"Ahem, hey there, buddy."

The man abruptly stopped his movements and turned around.

"An outsider?" The man sized up Chen You, his gaze lingering on the magnificent moyuan star river robe for a second before letting out a cold snort from his nostrils.

"Looking at you, you don't even have a single Star Shard, yet you dare enter the mining area? Aren't you afraid of being sucked into a mummy by the rules here?"

"What on earth are Star Shards?" Chen You asked.

The man folded his arms across his chest, striking a highly imposing bodybuilding pose, his chin held high.

"Star Shards are the only hard currency in this mining area! They are high-end products converted from the energy here by our ancestors."

"In here, only Star Shards allow you to move normally!"

"That's such a scam?" Chen You raised an eyebrow.

Wasn't this just a pay-to-play map in disguise?

"Rules are rules," the man said proudly.

"I am Buck, the peripheral supervisor of this mining area. Since I like the look of you, I'll give you a piece of advice."

"If you don't have Star Shards, get out while you can. Otherwise, once your health points are drained, not even a god can save you."

"How do I get Star Shards?" Chen You didn't want to waste words and got straight to the point.

"At the Cangxing City Quartermaster," Buck said with his arms crossed. "Exchange them with your Reputation points. One Reputation point for ten Star Shards."

Chen You frowned again and clicked on his quest log to take a look.

The main quest reward was 5,000 Cangxing City Reputation points, but it was still in progress, so he couldn't turn it in.

"Can I buy them with gold?" Chen You habitually pulled out a handful of gold coins.

The gold coins clinked together with a crisp sound.

Buck's expression didn't change at all.

"Rules are rules. Gold is just scrap metal here."

"It's an iron rule set by the ancestors—only Reputation can prove your contribution to Cangxing City."

"Can't you make an exception?" Chen You pulled out another handful of gold coins and slapped them directly onto the console.

"Take back your filthy money," Buck snorted.

"I am Buck Bryan, Cangxing City's star employee for three consecutive years. I will never accept such an insult."

"If you don't have Star Shards, then get out of here immediately."

Chen You looked at this stubborn muscle man and felt a bit of a headache.

Going back to the city to grind reputation would be too much of a waste of time.

Chen You opened his bag and scanned the contents.

The Vice City Lord Token was for Thousand Light City; it probably wouldn't be recognized here.

His gaze fell upon a worn-out book.

The "sacred object" he had obtained from Sander.

"Five Years of Simulation, Three Years of Practical Combat: Star Sea Mine Internal Data (Top Secret Edition)."

Chen You took out the book and tossed it onto the console.

"Do you recognize this?"

Buck glanced at it nonchalantly.

A second later, his large eyes suddenly widened.

He reached out a thick finger and touched the worn-out cover of the book.

"This... this is..." Buck's voice trembled. "A sacred object left by the ancestors! Where did you get this?"

"The City Lord gave it to me," Chen You said without changing his expression. "Now, can I go in?"

Buck took a deep breath, and his attitude underwent a complete 180-degree turn.

He held the book with both hands and respectfully handed it back to Chen You.

"So you are a Special Commissioner holding high-level clearance." Buck bowed deeply.

"Please forgive my rudeness just now. According to the third edition of the employee manual, those who hold this sacred object have the right to use all facilities within the mine free of charge."

Chen You raised an eyebrow.

This crappy book was this useful?

"In other words, I don't need those Star Shards anymore?"

"No, the rules are the underlying logic and cannot be changed." Buck turned around and quickly pressed several buttons on the console.

"But I can enable the 'Public Expense Reimbursement' mode for you."

A card slot popped out of the console.

"Please swipe the manual."

Chen You took the book and swiped it through the card slot.

"Beep—Clock-in successful."

A mechanical voice sounded.

The red warning box on Chen You's retina instantly turned green.

[Ding! Access granted by Hidden Star City internal permissions.]

[Obtained Status: Business Trip.]

[All your Star Shard consumption within the Cangxing Mine will be reimbursed by the Cangxing City Finance Department.]

Chen You looked at this prompt and almost laughed out loud.

He didn't expect to be able to get a free ride like this.

Chen You put away "Five Years of Simulation, Three Years of Practical Combat" and cleared his throat.

"Since the clearance is confirmed, tell me what the situation is now."

Buck sighed, the flesh on his face trembling as his expression became solemn.

"Sir, you may not know, but something major has happened in the depths of this mine recently."

"Everyone was originally mining Star Marrow peacefully, but a few months ago, a strange energy fluctuation suddenly erupted from the Power Room."

"What kind of fluctuation?"

"A highly infectious... rhythm." Buck gestured with lingering fear.

"That power not only corrupted the low-level miners but even caused those old mining machines to mutate."

"They now attack anyone they see, and they keep playing deafening Electronic music on loop."

Chen You raised an eyebrow.

Electronic music?

It seemed all of this was related to that Star Sea King.

He pulled the [Damaged DJ Deck Part] from his bag and handed it directly to Buck.

"Does the rhythm you mentioned have anything to do with this thing?"

Buck took the part with both hands and brought it close to his eyes to inspect it carefully.

He even stuck out his tongue and licked the residual oil on the edge of the part.

"Pah, pah, pah!" Buck spat out the oil, his brow furrowed.

"Sir, this thing... I'm just a peripheral supervisor. I usually just work the console and clock in; I really don't know what this is for."

"However," Buck's tone shifted as he pointed toward the dark passage leading deep into the mine.

"If you want to find out the truth, you must go to the Power Room. The source of the mutation is definitely there."

Chen You nodded and put the part back into his bag.

"Alright, start the encounter."

Buck's spirit lifted, and he immediately straightened his back, making an extremely standard "after you" gesture.

"Sir, this way please!"

He walked to the console and forcefully pressed a large red button.

With a loud "clack," a thick metal wall beside the console slowly rose, revealing a dark and deep passage.

A pungent smell of rust blew out from the passage.

Just as Chen You took a step, Buck suddenly dashed out from behind and blocked the way.

"Sir, it's dangerous inside. Let me scout the way for you!"

Buck looked righteous as he pulled two glowing batons from under the console, leading the way like a traffic policeman.

Chen You's mouth twitched.

"Aren't you the peripheral supervisor? Aren't you afraid of getting a pay cut for abandoning your post?"

Buck waved the glow sticks while looking back with a fawning smile.

"You must be joking, sir. Being able to serve a Special Commissioner holding a sacred object is a blessing I've earned."

"Besides... the Cangxing City treasury is nearly bankrupt, and I haven't been paid in a long time."

Chen You was speechless.

"Is he trying to hint at something?"