Registration successful, leisurely wandering through the city.

The teacher finally came to his senses and quickly handed the form to Wen Jiu.

Wen Jiu lifted the tent’s curtain and walked toward the registration desk, handing her form to the teacher there.

“Congratulations on passing our institute’s test.”

Upon hearing this, a smile uncontrollably spread across Wen Jiu’s face. The thought of no longer having to worry about hunger or sleeping outdoors, and even the possibility of earning a scholarship with some effort, filled her with joy.

But the very next moment, the teacher delivered a crushing blow.

“Unfortunately, our investigation shows you are undocumented and do not meet the criteria for free admission. Therefore, you must pay a tuition fee of 8,000 star coins to enroll.”

Eight thousand?

Even selling herself wouldn’t come close to that amount.

Wen Jiu’s almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief. How was she undocumented?

“Could you possibly make an exception? Please take another look at my form—I have dual abilities in two disciplines!” Wen Jiu’s eyes instantly welled with tears as she choked out her words. “Besides, I’ve had no parents since I was a child. I don’t want to be undocumented either.”

She tried her best to put on a show, but the teacher was unmoved.

“Sorry, the institute’s policies are fixed and cannot be altered.”

Could she really not get free food and lodging?

Wen Jiu felt disheartened but didn’t give up. “Does the institute offer any financial aid? Or could I sign an IOU and repay through work-study?”

The teacher shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry, but if you can’t pay the tuition…”

“Wait a moment.”

Before he could finish, Yu Ruman arrived and interrupted.

Clicking in her high heels, Yu Ruman approached the registration desk. She gently touched her curled hair and curled her red lips into a bright smile. “Zhou Sen, process her enrollment first, then arrange a campus job for her.”

Zhou Sen, the teacher addressed, froze for a moment and stammered, “Director Yu, this… this might not be within regulations.”

“Regulations are rigid, but people are flexible.”

Without looking back, Yu Ruman extended her slender hand and pulled Wen Jiu closer to inspect her.

“Little girl, you’re a rare talent. I’m helping you get into the school, so you must study hard and repay me someday.”

Wen Jiu looked at the stunning beauty before her, blinked, and smiled, “Thank you, beautiful sister~”

This made Yu Ruman smile even more charmingly. “Alright, go prepare yourself. Remember to come report three days before school starts.”

As Wen Jiu walked away, Yu Ruman’s previous smile vanished, replaced by a cold glare at Zhou Sen.

“How could we let such a promising dual-ability student slip away?”

“Just follow the procedures from now on. I’ll report the rest to the vice principal.”

With that, she left the registration desk, leaving Zhou Sen standing awkwardly.

He hadn’t meant to make things difficult for Wen Jiu; the rule that undocumented students must pay tuition was official policy at Institute 3047.

Soon he regained composure and continued processing paperwork for others.

------

Now that she had successfully registered, Wen Jiu no longer needed to prepare supplies for the coming cold season.

With over an hour left before nightfall, she decided to stroll around the city.

It was her first time in the urban area, and the technological progress of the interstellar era was astonishing.

Unlike the cities she once knew, this place was aglow with dazzling neon lights, which only grew brighter as night fell.

Towering skyscrapers made of various metals rose everywhere, forming a jungle of steel and iron. Electronic screens flickered constantly, dazzling the eyes.

Hover buses wove through the streets, while levitating cars occasionally zoomed overhead, their roaring engines deafening.

After wandering around, Wen Jiu noticed a promotional message on an electronic screen outside a mall: Redstone Supermarket was having a sale.

A sale, huh.

Wen Jiu touched her chin thoughtfully; for someone as poor as her, this was definitely noteworthy.

Following the crowd, she entered the mall and then descended to the basement level where Redstone Supermarket was located.

The supermarket had a wide variety of goods, though Wen Jiu recognized only a few.

Most flora and fauna in the interstellar era had undergone vast changes, especially plants, which now looked very different.

In the fruits and vegetables section, she carefully searched until she found the bitter apricot kernels and licorice root she wanted.

Their names remained the same, but the bitter apricot kernel had grown from a tiny seed to the size of an apple.

Wen Jiu marveled inwardly. She had expected to need several seeds, but now just one would suffice.

However, she didn’t have much money, so she glanced at the price tags first.

[Bitter Apricot Kernel—Promotional Price: 8 Star Coins Each]

[Licorice Root—Promotional Price: 12 Star Coins per Bag]

If it had been the old Wen Jiu, she would have turned and left immediately. But now was different. In just three days, she would be enrolled with food, clothing, and shelter provided; spending a couple dozen star coins was affordable.

Without hesitation, she tossed both items into the automated basket behind her. This basket was incredibly convenient—it followed her automatically after briefly scanning her face, sparing her the need to push a cart or carry a basket.

She then browsed other sections and picked up eight of the cheapest nutrient supplements before heading to checkout.

Today’s haul was quite satisfactory. With a “buy eight, get one free” deal on the supplements, Wen Jiu smiled warmly as she carried her bags toward the exit.

As she reached the mall’s exit, the sky had darkened and a torrential downpour was underway.

Raindrops pattered noisily on the ground, splashing water everywhere. Without a device to store her purchases, Wen Jiu hugged her shopping bags tight and dashed into the rain.

She had planned to walk home after shopping, but the heavy rain disrupted her plans.

She could only brave the downpour to the nearest hover bus stop and use ten star coins to ride the bus to the stop closest to the garbage district.

The speeding hover bus pierced through massive holographic projections in the sky. Raindrops slid down the windows as Wen Jiu gazed outside, her gray-blue eyes illuminated by the dazzling neon lights.

She was a stranger here, an outsider, but she still yearned to carve out a place of her own in this new world.

“Windless District, B12 Street. Please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark.”

Stepping off the bus, Wen Jiu found the rain had ceased.

Windless District was a slum; the residential buildings varied in height, their sparse lights casting a dim glow over the desolation.

Yet even such dilapidated shelters offered Wen Jiu no refuge.

It would take over half an hour to reach the garbage district from here.

Without lingering, she brushed her wet bangs back, expressionless, clutching her shopping bags as she headed down the pitch-black gravel road.