Wei Bai's commission agency was the only one in Lungmen located in the slums.
He was tall, around 1.9 meters, with a fair and clean face, and handsome, heroic features. Although he wore a long black shirt, it was dirty and tattered, looking as if it hadn't been mended or washed in over a decade.
Some of the masters from the upper district always found that he botched the jobs they gave him, and after botching them, his mouth was always full of incomprehensible phrases like "this is the wisdom of modern people," leaving them utterly confused. Consequently, people gradually stopped visiting his dilapidated agency, and Wei Bai fell into poverty.
Because his surname was Wei, people took the half-understood phrase he often said, "Do not scorn a youth for being poor," and gave him a nickname: Young Master Wei.
The moment Young Master Wei opened his door in the morning, all who passed by would look at him and laugh.
One of them called out, "Young Master Wei, how did your face get scratched by the master's cat again!"
He did not answer, instead saying to Xiao Zhang, who ran errands for a living, "Warm two bowls of wine for me, and a plate of fennel beans."
As he spoke, he laid out nine Lungmen Dollar bills.
They then deliberately shouted in loud voices, "You must be living off some rich young lady again!"
Wei Bai's eyes widened. "How dare you stain my innocence..."
"What innocence? I saw that wealthy young lady bring you a basket of things with my own two eyes the day before yesterday!"
Wei Bai's face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging as he argued, "Investing in the protagonist, can that be called living off a woman?"
What followed was a string of incomprehensible words, something about "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river," and "a transmigrator must consider the bigger picture," which made the crowd roar with laughter.
The dead silence of the slums was filled with a joyous air.
Before Wei Bai arrived, the slums were just the slums. After Wei Bai came, the slums became like a close-knit little village.
"Alright, alright, everyone get back to your business... Hey, Xiao Zhang, don't forget my wine."
"You got it." Xiao Zhang smiled and took the money. After counting it, he took only one bill and respectfully handed the rest back.
"Brother Wei, I can't take this."
"You stubborn kid. Your mother is Infected. How will she get treatment without money?"
"But..."
"Scram, scram."
Wei Bai picked up a stick and started shooing him away. Xiao Zhang could only give a wry smile, drop the money, and quickly run off.
The Lungmen Dollar bills scattered across the ground, blown about by the wind.
"This stubborn kid..."
Muttering to himself, Wei Bai bent down and picked up the bills one by one along the road.
Although he was also destitute, for the past year, his agency had been helping the people of the slums without ever charging, and he often gave them money instead.
"Hm?"
A dark shadow suddenly fell over the ground, and a striking shade of blue appeared before his eyes.
Wei Bai looked up. The woman before him wore a bamboo hat. Although he couldn't see her face clearly, her gentle aura was one of a kind.
His expression turned to one of pleasant surprise. "Miss, it's you again."
The woman hummed a soft "en" and, grasping Wei Bai's shoulder, gently helped him up.
"What brings you here today... It's cold outside, come in and have a seat!"
Wei Bai grinned and opened the door.
She seemed very busy. He had only seen her three times since he transmigrated. The first time was right after he arrived; this kind-hearted woman gave him a sum of money, which was how Wei Bai could afford to open his agency.
The second time was three months ago. When he asked for her name and where she was from, she refused to say anything. All he knew was that she came from a place called the Great Wilderness City, but Wei Bai had no idea where that was.
"There's no need."
The woman refused in a soft, gentle voice and took out a stalk of wheat from the straw basket hanging on her arm.
"How could you be so careless..."
Her pained tone carried a hint of reproach. The stalk of wheat gently brushed across Wei Bai's face, and the scratches from the cat vanished.
"Thank you."
Wei Bai smiled. "You came this time to..."
"I came to see you."
The woman's gaze remained fixed on Wei Bai, not leaving him for a single moment.
It wasn't until Wei Bai began to feel thoroughly uncomfortable that she took out another stack of Lungmen Dollars and handed them to him.
"This... I can't..."
"Be good."
"..."
For some reason, he felt as if his mother had gotten angry, even though he was already twenty-six or twenty-seven.
Wei Bai timidly took the money and felt a pair of warm, slender hands gently caress his face. In his confusion, the woman inexplicably disappeared.
Originium Arts, pretty amazing, right? A pity that he had transmigrated with his body, so he couldn't awaken any at all.
"Leaving without a word again."
Shaking his head and muttering, Wei Bai walked into his agency.
To call it an agency was an overstatement. It was just a dilapidated wooden house with a sign that read "Commission Agency." The furnishings inside were all made of wood, and there wasn't even any tea to offer.
In any case, ever since he had injured the master's cat, there was no money to be made. Wei Bai decided to open his phone. This was the "golden finger" he got when he transmigrated, and no matter how he looked at it, it was trash.
Other people got powerful Originium Arts, or at least something to protect themselves. His only function was to play a game and make money.
There was only one game on the phone: [Universal Commission Agency]. Completing commissions would grant Lungmen Dollars. It was commonly known as proxy grinding.
"Well, it's better than nothing."
Shaking his head, Wei Bai opened the game.
The game interface was simple. In the top-left corner was the [Withdrawable Amount], and besides that, there was only the [Top-up Interface] and the commission tasks.
That's right, you could even top-up in this game, and you could only use the rewards earned in-game to do so.
Because the in-game Wei Bai inherited his real-life abilities, making him a complete weakling, it was impossible to complete commissions without topping up.
But hey, as long as the game was fun to play, that was all that mattered.
The first [Urgent Commission] he completed was [The Gods are Felled, the Land of Yan is Built]. The NPCs in it were incredibly generous, offering a hundred thousand at the drop of a hat. In the end, Wei Bai had spent all that money topping up his character.
Although it pained his heart to spend so much, it was true that he'd had a blast. Those incredibly majestic behemoths were slaughtered by Wei Bai, one man and one sword. He fought so fiercely that "Sui" itself decided to switch sides mid-battle, leaving the emperor completely dumbfounded.
But topping up also had different categories and levels. The [Arts Type] was the most expensive, while [Production Type] and [Culture Type] were the cheapest. The cost also varied for abilities from level one to ten.
Although abilities obtained through top-ups could be carried over, they would reset upon the character's death, making it the ultimate money pit.
"Hm, another commission from the Imperial Court?"
Wei Bai really liked this big-spender client.
Ignoring the [Daily Commission] to [Help a Noble Find Their Kitten] and the blank [Urgent Commission] tab, Wei Bai locked his sights on the [Special Commission].
[Special Commission: "Sui Beast's Disintegration"]
[Client: The Grand Yan Imperial Court]
[After the founding of Yan, the Sui Beast shattered into twelve fragments. Their minds are like those of children. One faction in the Imperial Court believes these threats should be eliminated, while another hopes for a powerful individual who can keep them in check to guide them towards good.]
[Commission Completion Reward: 200,000 Lungmen Dollars, Unlock Level One Agency Structure]
Seeing this commission, Wei Bai frowned.
The Sui Beast was, at the very least, one of the great contributors to the war. To eliminate them root and stem would be too cruel.
No matter what, he had to accept this commission.
[You have accepted the commission. Transporting you to the commission world]
[Note: When you exit the commission, your in-game body will also disappear]
With a flash of white light, Wei Bai arrived outside a magnificent and towering palace.
He was still dressed in a wide-robed black shirt, the attire of a wandering free spirit, but there was a new sharpness in his eyes.
Upon seeing him, the guards bowed their heads deeply.
The hall inside was in a heated argument. Wei Bai kicked the door open and bellowed:
"I've come looking for my sons and daughters. Does anyone here have any leads?"