Chapter 07: Overnight Wealth

"Hai Nuo? Is 'Hai Nuo' the AI of this wristband device?"

Xiao Sa didn’t think much of it. Most AI products on the market have similar welcome messages upon activation.

"Detected your language, language system automatically switched."

At least the translator was reliable for once; he was finally able to avoid being helpless due to language barriers.

Strangely, this old-model optical brain has a more extensive language library than the translators used on warships.

Xiao Sa adjusted the optical brain to real-time translation mode and pointed at the test report. "What is this? Is there something wrong with my health?"

The attending physician explained patiently, "You fainted at the hospital entrance a few days ago. We’ve done a full-body check-up on you, and there’s nothing significantly wrong with your physical functions."

Xiao Sa felt somewhat relieved. His biggest fear was that his physical structure might be different from that of humans here. If the hospital discovered he was an alien and sent him to a research institute for study, it would be a serious issue.

The doctor held up an X-ray image and pointed to an unusual tissue mass near his neck, saying seriously, "There’s a suspected tumor in this area, indicated by an unusual tissue mass. Since you’ve woken up, it’s best to undergo a more detailed examination."

A tumor? Xiao Sa looked helpless. Well, that was a gland that everyone on his planet had.

Fortunately, the current results indicate that the medical equipment here hasn't detected that he is an alien, at least not yet.

Xiao Sa shook his head. "Thanks for the reminder, but I don’t need it right now."

After unsuccessfully persuading him, the doctor finally took the test report from the nurse and sighed. "Mister, each year on Zhiyang Star, one in ten thousand young people lose the ability to summon a mental entity due to extremely weak mental strength."

"Your fainting was due to abnormally weak mental strength."

The doctor pushed his glasses up and looked puzzled. "People with mental disabilities are often physically weak and typically have only D-level mental strength. Your test results show C-level, which is extremely rare."

Xiao Sa was speechless. As a proud S-level Alpha, he had been diagnosed with C-level mental strength and labeled as disabled. Was it the aura of this star system that didn’t agree with him?

The doctor added, "Additionally, you have a severe allergic reaction to ultraviolet light."

No, it couldn’t just be a UV allergy causing an Alpha to faint.

He silently recalled the sun before he passed out. Perhaps the light from the stars in this star system is harmful to alien species, though he wasn’t sure exactly which type of light it was.

The nurse gently reminded him, "While you were unconscious, there were no signs of spiritual body activity. Why don't you try to connect with your mental sea and summon it now?"

Xiao Sa shook his head awkwardly. He genuinely couldn't manage it!

The attending physician and the nurse looked at each other and sighed in unison, their eyes filled with sympathy and concern.

The doctor, feeling a bit of reluctance, still tried to offer some comfort: "Generally speaking, people with such mental impairments tend to have significantly shorter lifespans. However, if you rest well and, with the help of advanced medical technology from higher-level planets, or seek the assistance of a spiritual healer, you might still live steadily to forty or fifty if fortune favors you."

Xiao Sa fell into complete silence. Forty or fifty years? And that's considered good luck?

Indeed, for people in the Star Sea region, having lived for millennia in an environment corroded by mental pollution, they evolved spiritual bodies to coexist with their environment.

The stronger one’s mental power, the better they could resist pollution, stabilize their genes, improve physical fitness, and extend lifespan. Conversely, the weaker one’s mental power, the more prone they were to weakness and early aging.

Since the Great Catastrophe a thousand years ago, people have gradually found two ways to mitigate pollution through their long struggle with nature:

The first was to form a bond with a partner whose mental power was highly compatible. The second was to rely on the treatment of spiritual healers, who produce various suppressant and soothing agents commonly found on the market.

Their spiritual bodies were not small animals or plants but purely condensed mist formed by mental power.

These individuals were exceptionally rare and special, thus enjoying high social status and widespread admiration, standing at the very top of the pyramid.

In the entire Dawn Empire, there were only a few thousand spiritual healers, with 70-80% gathered in the Royal Healer Association. The rest were firmly entrenched in the major noble families of the empire, truly at the pinnacle of society.

Ordinary people rarely had the chance to come into contact with spiritual healers. The only option was to rely on the Central Processor's marriage matching system and accept arranged meetings.

After explaining the examination results, the kind-hearted nurse told him, "You don't need to worry too much about the treatment costs. The empire has a minimum medical guarantee for those with mental impairments, and you can also receive a subsidy every month with a certificate."

"You just need to register your identity ID on your light brain."

Xiao Sa felt awkward again. He didn't have any identity ID; he was an unregistered person!

The little money and light brain he had were obtained from a kind-hearted individual.

Seeing his troubled expression, the nurse was not surprised. Instead, she offered a solution: "If you don't have an identity ID for now, you can register a temporary one and go through the replacement procedure at the city hall later. However, you won't be able to receive the subsidy with a temporary identity."

This was the edge of the lower district on an inferior planet, a place that had no shortage of mixed blacklisted individuals. This hospital frequently treated injuries from gang fights involving gang members and had long since grown accustomed to such sights.

Once the ward returned to silence, Xiao Sa began fiddling with the old-fashioned light brain on his wrist.

This inexpensive optical brain has been around for several years. Its model has long been discontinued, but fortunately, it still retains most of its basic functions.

After registering a temporary identity and scanning the diagnosis report from the hospital, a round smiling face emoji popped up on the main interface: ^O^

"Hello, I am Haino, your 24-hour full-service companion. Please select your preferred projection image—"

"Strange, I didn’t click any settings."

Dozens of character images were automatically displayed on the projection screen. He swiped his finger across, his gaze passing over a pure and innocent young beauty, a cute, puppy-like young man, the boy-next-door type big brother, a cool and intellectual mature woman, and a rugged tough guy uncle.

His eyes lit up in excitement—this kind of animal had only appeared in literary and artistic works before, and he didn’t expect to find it here.

In his excitement, Xiao Sa accidentally tapped again, and the screen smoothly moved to the next image—a sexy uncle wearing a cardigan.

Xiao Sa: '?'

Suddenly, a lifelike, wheat-skinned, muscular uncle projection appeared before him.

"Yo, kid, not bad taste," said Uncle Haino as he straightened his coat collar, crossed his arms, rubbed his slightly stubbled chin, and smiled at him.

Xiao Sa: “……”

Narrowing his eyes and staring at the AI optical brain for a moment, he expressionlessly chose to exit without saving the page and slid over to the restart button—he must have started the optical brain incorrectly.

Haino: ‘?’

"Wait... the projection image has been saved, and the temporary identity can’t be changed, okay~"

Xiao Sa took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself, barely accepting the heart-wrenching reality that the cute black-and-white bear was now gone, replaced by a chatty uncle AI.

He furrowed his brow at Haino. "Help me inquire about the materials and procedures for changing to a formal identity."

"To change to a formal identity on Zhiyang Star, you need to provide a mental assessment result, a fixed address, a property in the central living area, and a bank deposit certificate," Haino reported.

Incidentally, Haino also kindly informed Xiao Sa of his current financial status: no house, no car, no savings, no spouse, no job—a standard "five-no" person.

"Oh, wait, you have one more 'no'—you don’t even have a spiritual entity," added Uncle Haino, shrugging with a vivid sympathetic expression, even raising his hand in an attempt to pat Xiao Sa on the head.

Xiao Sa fell silent.

He always felt that the smart AI brain here was quite different from the ones on his home planet... It seemed a bit too ahead of its time in terms of "intelligence."

"A small sum can stump a hero," Xiao Sa let out a helpless sigh. "Is there anywhere I can make quick money?"

Xiao Sa quickly browsed the list of jobs and various special transaction venues that Haino had compiled for him, when suddenly, his gaze flickered to the sales list of a nearby auction house.

"C-grade spirit soothing agent, priced at 2000 star coins per dose?"

Soothing agent?

The image of the blonde officer’s pet lion being calmed by pheromones popped into his mind, and a big light bulb lit up on his forehead—there were no ABO dynamics in this star system. He could sell pheromones!

※※※

As night fell, the day's heat gradually dissipated, leaving only a faint warmth lingering in the air.

The Ross Guild Auction House was ablaze with lights for its annual celebration day. More rare and valuable items would be on the block today.

In a VIP room on the second floor of the auction house, a group of burly men surrounded a weak middle-aged man.

Almost everyone was holding a standard-issue laser gun, and their attire was different from the local gang members, appearing more disciplined, exuding ferocity and a warrior spirit.

"Boss," the deputy leader Deken called out softly, "I heard that besides the C-grade inhibitors, there might be B-grade ones tonight. We must get them no matter what."

The man lying on the sofa lifted his eyelids and glanced at his legs.

Under the blanket, fully transformed spikes and scales were visible, and what remained of his human toes had become sharp, deformed beast toes, making it difficult for him to even walk.

"It's no use, I'm nearly finished."

"Boss!" Deken called out anxiously.

Broken Peak managed to shake his head. "My psychic entity shattered during the battle with the Third Legion fleet. Even the gods can’t save me anymore. I came here today to leave you with more resources to protect yourselves."

"You’re still young; there’s still hope for recovery. I led you to defect from the empire, wasn’t it all just to survive?"

It took Broken Peak a great deal of effort to finish the few sentences.

Deputy leader Deken, looking at the boss he had followed for decades, felt his eyes welling up with tears.

In the past, they were comrades-in-arms who could entrust their backs to each other on the battlefield, exuding youthful vigor and commanding respect. But now, they have fallen into such a miserable state.

Maintaining a human form and dying with dignity has become a luxury.

Even more tragically, Broken Peak's desolation foreshadows the fate awaiting all of them—this is the destiny of those who betray the empire.

Broken Peak forced a bitter smile. No wonder General Landis of the Third Legion didn’t exterminate them; he must have foreseen their inevitable downfall.

A heavy silence settled over the room.

It wasn’t until the sound of a golden hammer striking downstairs that the custom curtains of the VIP room automatically parted, revealing a one-way glass window through which the guests could clearly see the exhibits below.

The audience in the first-floor hall had already filled the seats. The chatter quickly quieted as the host began their welcoming speech. The spotlight converged on the exhibition stand, where the first item was already in place, covered by a black cloth.

The host rapped the small golden hammer: "Ladies and gentlemen, the first item of tonight is a limited edition flying craft..."

The attendant removed the cloth, revealing the sleek curves of the gray-black flying craft, which glistened with a cold, metallic luster under the lights, immediately drawing bids from flying enthusiasts.

Most of the VIP rooms stayed quiet. All had the list of items for the evening and were clearly waiting for the main attractions.

An hour passed, and seven or eight items had already been auctioned. The attendants wheeled in a small cart, revealing five long, slender test tubes, each about two fingers wide, filled with a clear, colorless liquid.

The host smiled and said, "We have a set of five C-grade mental stabilizers, crafted by the Royal Spiritual Healers Association of the Central Star District, with a 60% concentration and excellent quality."

"The starting bid is 2,000 starcreds per tube, with a minimum increment of 1,000 starcreds."

Before the first-floor guests could start bidding, three chimes sounded simultaneously from the VIP rooms upstairs.

"11,000," the representative of the local Ross Guild quickly called out.

"12,000," their rival countered.

Moments later, three more factions joined the bidding, gradually driving the price up to 20,000 starcreds.

The first-floor guests couldn’t compete with the VIP rooms and soon fell silent. As the bidding slowed, Broken Peak’s deputy, Deken, suddenly interjected: "25,000 starcreds!"

The surrounding VIP rooms quieted down, and after a long pause, no one else bid. The host’s smile grew wider as he struck the golden hammer three times: "The five C-grade stabilizers are sold for 25,000 starcreds to guest 208!"

"Next, we have the final item," the host said mysteriously with a smile. "This item was not originally on the list and was added tonight."

The attendant rolled in another small cart, and on it stood two test tubes, each about a finger thick. The liquid inside was a very light, pale golden color. As soon as it appeared, it immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"It’s a B-grade inhibitor, but why is it this color? Aren’t inhibitors usually transparent?"

"I’ve heard that only high-concentration reagents show any color."

"Who is the seller? Why would someone not keep such a good thing for themselves..."

The host smiled and said, "This was consigned anonymously by an individual. Our association’s professional appraisers have confirmed that it is indeed a B-grade inhibitor with a concentration exceeding 90%. The starting bid is 10,000 star coins, with increments of 1,000 star coins..."

People didn’t even wait for the host to finish speaking. Upon hearing that the concentration exceeded 90%, the entire venue erupted in excitement!

In the Star Sea Region, psychic inhibitors are a strategic resource, a necessity for everyone, directly linked to genetic stability, lifespan, and offspring. They are monopolized by the imperial government.

Most of what is available on the market are C-grade and D-grade inhibitors, which generally have low concentrations and are barely sufficient for ordinary married individuals.

However, many people lack highly compatible partners, especially those in high-intensity jobs, who desperately need higher-grade inhibitors.

A-grade inhibitors are military-controlled and are only distributed to the military. The even higher-grade special inhibitors are only available to royalty and upper-class elites. B-grade is the highest grade available to the general public, and a concentration of 90% is unheard of.

"12,000 star coins!"

"15,000!"

"18,000!"

"20,000!"

In the corner of the first-floor audience seating, Xiao Sa, completely wrapped in a black cloak and wearing a black mask that revealed only his eyes, sat quietly.

Xiao Sa had recently been staying in during the day and going out at night to avoid direct sunlight that might weaken him. He always wrapped himself up tightly, like the "vampires" from the legends of his home planet, who would die upon exposure to sunlight.

The enthusiastic bidding around him was completely unexpected.

On his home planet, Alpha pheromones were also precious. Excessive loss would cause weakness, so no one would normally sell them. Everyone on his home planet had pheromones, so no one would deliberately buy Alpha pheromones to cause themselves trouble.

It had taken him a great deal of effort to extract a little of his own pheromones and dilute them several times until the unique scent was completely masked, just to gather a few vials of the reagent.

Out of caution, he had only consigned two vials this time, hoping to get around 10,000 star coins to solve his urgent needs. He had never expected them to be so popular in this region.

"100,000 star coins!"

Xiao Sa raised his head in surprise. Once again, it was the guest in room 208 on the second floor who had placed the bid.

Who is this wealthy and generous big spender? Even Xiao Sa, who was usually unbothered, felt a bit embarrassed.

The host smiled and struck the small golden gavel: "Is there a higher bid? Once... twice... three times! Sold for 100,000!"

Xiao Sa quietly returned to the backstage reception room, where the auction manager was already waiting for him.

As soon as the manager saw him, he obsequiously approached: "Mr. Alpha, congratulations. After deducting the auction house's 20% fee, you've made eighty thousand star coins tonight, which has already been deposited into your personal account."

Yes, Xiao Sa had given himself a simple and straightforward alias, Alpha.

Xiao Sa checked his account balance on his data brain and breathed a long sigh of relief. This is what it feels like to get rich overnight?

He had never lacked money back on his home planet, but now he had become a destitute refugee, struggling to afford meals. Reflecting on it, earning eighty thousand star coins in one night was quite exhilarating. Unfortunately, he couldn't extract too many pheromones. Otherwise, he could have made a fortune from this alone.

The manager cautiously asked, "The buyer from room 208 has requested to meet you."

Xiao Sa raised an eyebrow, ready to refuse without hesitation, but the manager continued, "They are willing to pay an additional ten thousand star coins as a meeting fee."

...It might not hurt to consider it.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Sa cocked his head: "You won't take a commission, right?"