"It's not about the house, I'm looking for something else."
"Oh, wait a minute." The middle-aged real estate agent went to pour two glasses of water. There was no one else around, so he didn't mind chatting with Bai Mu.
After all, the house was already rented out, and Bai Mu had paid three months' rent. Even if he changed his mind, he'd already made his profit.
The agent was a little curious: "You didn't encounter anything strange in that house, did you?"
Even in middle age, his gossipy nature hadn't disappeared.
Bai Mu shook his head: "I just moved in. I want to know about the local Dream Management Bureau."
"The Dream Management Bureau, huh?" The agent wasn't so surprised. In Rota City, asking about this was like asking the local police station—everyone could give a vague answer, but the specifics were beyond most people's knowledge.
Nobody dealt with these places every day. Reputation? If someone had a universally known reputation, they'd have to seriously consider how chaotic their neighborhood was.
A truly skilled strategist doesn't need dazzling achievements; everything needs comparison, especially in a place like the police station.
If they were constantly trying to make their presence felt in their assigned area, would they be wasting their time? It's only when the police station handles a large number of cases that the locals truly know about their reputation.
The same applies to the Dream Management Bureau. Most people have opportunities to interact with the police in their daily lives—seeing them patrolling the streets, eating in restaurants, and so on.
The Dream Management Bureau is different; they don't handle the cases that the regular police deal with, and ordinary people have even less chance of encountering them.
"Are you trying to take precautions?"
The intermediary suspected that Bai Mu was a dream enthusiast. He had had similar thoughts when he was younger, but as he grew up, thinking back on his past hobby, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable facing the ghostly youth.
How could he have been so bold back then? Luckily, he didn't encounter a real dream; if he had, he might not be where he is now.
"I want to apply."
"Huh?" The middle-aged agent scratched his balding head. "It might be a bit difficult. Wait, you're not thinking of getting involved with alternate dreams before joining the Dream Disposal Bureau, are you? Young man, don't be courting death."
The middle-aged agent didn't mention anything about the Dream Disposal Bureau. He knew a little about it; the people there were people too, and they needed housing.
Especially since the Bureau's benefits were quite good, sometimes lucky people who joined wanted to leave the lower city and find suitable accommodation in the upper city.
Those people couldn't afford to buy a house at first, but renting was no problem. He knew some related information; those renting were proud of joining the Dream Disposal Bureau and liked to show off.
They were lucky to join the Bureau, having survived contact with alternate dreams, and their courage led to their recruitment.
The specifics were definitely not as simple as they made it out to be, but the middle-aged agent didn't delve too deeply into it.
He didn't know about other things, but there were quite a few deaths related to alternate dreams every year.
Although no one died in the strange dream event that occurred in the house where Bai Mu currently lives, it still had some impact on the surrounding area.
However, the impact was not significant. The Strange Dream Management Bureau acted quickly, transferring the source of the strange dream and cleaning up the scene, thus eliminating the impact.
That's what the Strange Dream Management Bureau said, but for the wealthy people near Rota Avenue, a house where a strange dream event had occurred was like a dumping ground for nuclear waste. The stuff had been cleaned up, but no one wanted to come near it for a while.
"Then I'll go submit a resume first. You see, I'm strong and healthy; maybe I'll get selected."
"I admit that, but I recommend you change into some nice clothes and go for a stroll around Rota Avenue. You might not be able to join the circle of those rich people, but there are always some lonely ladies who might take a liking to you."
The middle-aged real estate agent commented on Bai Mu's appearance, implying that a perfectly normal person shouldn't be thinking about contacting the Strange Dream Management Bureau. You'll never believe why I moved to… Sukkur That kind of place is destined to be inaccessible to ordinary people; there are too many strong and healthy people there. Would they really need someone like Bai Mu?
The agent didn't offer much advice, only suggesting something a young person would likely find more interesting. As for Bai Mu's original thoughts, he didn't think they could change much; he wasn't old enough yet.
"I'll try again."
The agent was taken aback: "You've already been there?"
Bai Mu nodded: "I walked around the entrance. I wanted to learn more about things there so I could succeed on the first try."
"Why don't you try to join the police force first... Oh, before that, you need to find a way to get a professional gun license, and to get that license, you need government approval."
Seeing Bai Mu's face furrow, the agent smiled: "Many things aren't as simple as you think. Even buying a house, without us, you'd have a ton of things to deal with."
Bai Mu stood up: "I'll think about it some more."
The agent didn't stop Bai Mu. He wasn't a psychologist. If there were other clients, he wouldn't be chatting so much. He just wanted to get rid of this problem youth and make sure he didn't come back again.
After leaving the agency, Bai Mu went to the city hall to complete his civil registration. It wasn't complicated at all; according to the staff, they welcomed those who voluntarily registered.
At least it saved the local government a lot of trouble during population checks.
Some newcomers to Rota City never even considered it; for most newcomers in the lower city, registration wasn't necessary.
Bai Mu's proactive registration, at least in terms of attitude, showed he wanted to settle down in Rota City.
"Want to grab a drink?" As they exited the city hall, a man leaning against a pillar suddenly asked.
"It's Brother Eller! You're in the upper city too?" Bai Mu greeted Eller with a smile. "I don't drink."
"...I know places that provide milk."
That was fine. Bai Mu sized up Eller; he was still bandaged, but seemed to have no problem moving around. It seemed he had come specifically to see him.
Eller led Bai Mu to a bar. The bar wasn't noisy; Eller seemed to be a regular. He led Bai Mu to a secluded spot, and soon a waiter brought over a drink and a glass of milk.
"I want to thank you for the sewer issue first,"
Eller said, clinking glasses with Bai Mu and taking a sip of his drink.
"Bioviruses are quite troublesome. Dealing with them properly is good for everyone."
Eller remained noncommittal. "You were right not to use the enhancement potion in the alternate dream. That scum Wilfer deceived us with that stuff. The enhancement potion works, but the consequence is still turning into zombies."
"Things related to viruses are never that reliable," Bai Mu smiled, his face showing an expression of unsurprised expectation. Since he hadn't used that stuff, whatever Eller said now was 'within his expectations'.
"This problem has been resolved by the Dream Processing Bureau, and I retain the enhancement effect."
Ailer didn't see the emotion he wanted on Bai Mu's face, so he simply said, "The Dream Processing Bureau is looking for you. I don't know why, but I'll definitely report it after they find you."
"Report? You're with the Dream Processing Bureau now?"
Seeing Ailer nod, Bai Mu had a new idea…
(End of Chapter)