After dozens of refreshes, the monthly votes haven't budged in half a day.

I'm begging for monthly votes to ignite some passion! I was hoping for an increase of 100 votes today, but it seems Old Gu was too greedy.

If we can hit 50 votes today, I'll release four updates! Still short by over a dozen votes—my good sirs, I need your support! ...

The base city is riddled with guilds; as of now, there are 108, led by the triumvirate of Dragon Ascent, Splendor, and Iron Blood.

At this very moment, this wanted poster has been jointly issued, spearheaded by the Dragon Ascent and the other two major guilds. "This person is too cruel.

How could he kill Young Master Yun Jing, such a good person?" "You don't know anything; you just parrot what you hear." "Hmph, treasures go to the capable.

Who stipulated that corpse belonged to the base city?" "Shhh, keep it down.

If you're overheard, you're dead.

But speaking of which, the reward is truly substantial.

If only I could run into this person.

Just reporting the coordinates could earn a huge bounty, much better than hunting monsters." The crowd gathered around the wanted poster buzzed with discussion.

Some were furious at Ye Chen's actions, others watched with cold detachment, and a few even felt the injustice was done to Ye Chen.

Yet, under the lure of the hefty reward, everyone yearned to track down Ye Chen’s whereabouts for the bounty.

Gu Xinghe glanced at the wanted board, his brow furrowed.

Worried that these people might provoke Ye Chen, he quickly urged him, "Let's go, lest these people notice us." However, when he turned, he saw Ye Chen looking utterly composed, as if the vile curses being hurled by the crowd were nonexistent.

He sat calmly, exhibiting the composure of one who could endure the scorn of a thousand faces and the slander of ten thousand without his countenance shifting.

A flicker of admiration crossed Gu Xinghe’s eyes.

Ye Chen’s sheer poise alone was something few could match.

Ye Chen spared a glance for the wanted board, then paid it no further mind, walking past them with complete openness.

Those hoping to locate Ye Chen were completely oblivious that the "anti-human" they were discussing was standing right beside them.

Seeing Ye Chen swaggering so boldly, Gu Xinghe nearly choked on his spit.

Boss, the entire city is hunting you right now, searching for you—could you perhaps show a bit more awareness? The two walked away into the distance.

Gu Xinghe asked Ye Chen, "What are your plans now?" Ye Chen replied casually, "Just wander around, visit a few friends first, then settle scores with those people." Since he was already wanted, there was no need to rush revenge.

Hearing Ye Chen utter those words in such a flat tone sent an unnerving jolt through Gu Xinghe.

He managed a wry smile, "If there's anything I can do to help later, just call on me.

I won't forget the life you saved me." Ye Chen nodded, showing no sign of humility or politeness.

Gu Xinghe gave him a helpless look, bid farewell, and turned away to attend to his own affairs.

After Gu Xinghe left, Ye Chen entered the ruins' entrance and stepped into the city of Atlantis.

The streets were bustling with hurried pedestrians, and in several open squares, many people were laying out cloths to sell things like monster pelts, teeth, and venom sacs.

Ye Chen didn't linger; he went directly to a tailor shop.

Looking up, he saw a distinctive emblem beneath the shop's name, marking it as belonging to the Light Guild.

He nodded approvingly at the shop’s impressive appearance and clean decor and stepped inside.

At the entrance, four beautiful girls bowed in unison upon seeing a customer, sweetly announcing, "Welcome." Most commercial shops rarely employed greeters; in the apocalypse, greeters were a luxury, an entirely superfluous profession.

However, shops under the Light Guild mandated this position, established by Ye Chen's own decree to Xu Tianguo.

It was primarily meant to provide sustenance and resources for vulnerable women, essentially a form of free relief.

With the Light Guild's initiative, the greeter profession soon spread to other guilds.

For the same price of goods and equipment, a customer would naturally choose the shop with a greeter—it offered a sliver of the warmth reminiscent of pre-apocalypse times.

This forced all base city guilds to reluctantly adopt the role, ensuring even women without combat capabilities had a means of livelihood.

Inside, the hall was exceptionally spacious and brightly lit.

Various styles of beast-hide clothing hung on the walls.

Several exquisitely beautiful sales assistants stood ready in the main hall.

One spotted Ye Chen and swiftly approached, respectfully stating, "Welcome." Ye Chen addressed her, "I'm here to order a full set of equipment." A full set usually comprised a hat, tunic, bracers, kneeguards, and gloves.

The young woman looked at him with surprise.

She had initially been slightly dismissive upon seeing his ordinary clothing, but out of gratitude for holding a sales position, she approached with a smile.

She hadn't expected him to order custom equipment, let alone a full set right away. "Sir, what level do you require?" the sales associate hesitated.

Ye Chen stated calmly, "I will provide the materials myself." "Oh, in that case, there will be a customization fee.

I'll fetch an expert to appraise your materials and then calculate the fee." The sales associate gave a sweet smile and guided Ye Chen toward a seating area in the hall. "Please wait here." Ye Chen sat down casually.

When he had left previously, he had instructed Ai’erwei and Xu Tianguo that all matters concerning forging weapons and leather armor were to be handled by Xu Tianguo.

If a patron provided their own materials for custom gear, those materials were to be collected and given to Xu Tianguo to pass along to Ai’erwei for refinement.

To find Ai’erwei, he would have to travel to the central Temple and use the hidden passage there to access the underground tunnels—a cumbersome process.

He preferred channeling the request through the guild staff for delivery.

Not long after, the sales associate returned, smiling, "Please follow me." Ye Chen stood up, and under her guidance, they ascended to a spacious room on the second floor.

Inside sat a middle-aged man wearing glasses, possessing a long face that suggested a stubborn nature. "Mr.

Lin, the client has arrived." The sales associate knocked lightly before leading Ye Chen in.

She then turned to Ye Chen with a smile, "This is Mr.

Lin, he can appraise your materials for you." With that, she excused herself and discreetly closed the door behind her.

Mr.

Lin remained seated on the sofa, filling his pipe with tobacco, not once looking up.

Ye Chen was unbothered.

He sat down casually, picked up the cigarette case on the table, pulled one out, lit it, and took a slow drag.

White smoke drifted lazily from his nostrils.

He leaned back on the sofa and said, "I have some materials.

I need you to craft several full sets of gear for me." Mr.

Lin finally looked up, his brow furrowing slightly. "Where are your materials?" Ye Chen flicked the ash, stood up, and walked to the door, opening it slightly.

He glanced around the hallway, not necessarily checking for people, but rather for any hidden cameras.

Perhaps out of respect for client privacy, there were no cameras installed in such areas.

Reassured, Ye Chen moved toward a wall, feigning a reach while swiftly opening his Rune Space.

He pulled out the scales from a Python skin resting on a metal plate, then closed the Rune Space.

A pile of snake skin, dotted with dried blood, now lay scattered in the hallway.

Ye Chen gripped one end and dragged it into the room, which was quite large, serving as both a reception area and the material appraisal room.

Mr.

Lin was not suspicious, assuming the skin had been left in the corridor earlier.

Upon seeing such a massive sheet of snake hide, he started slightly, put down his pipe, and quickly stood up, peering closely at the scales.

Ye Chen dragged the skin into the appraisal section for him to examine.

Just then, a beautiful young woman entered.

Tall, with a delicate oval face and soft, slightly dyed hair cascading over her shoulders, she immediately noticed Ye Chen.

Her delicate eyebrows pinched together. "Who are you? This is the material appraisal room; unauthorized personnel are forbidden." Ye Chen glanced at her and replied calmly, "I'm here to do business." The beautiful girl appraised him up and down, noticing his ragged clothes, and frowned, her pretty face chilling slightly. "We only sell and customize equipment here.

What kind of business are you here for?" Ye Chen looked at her and countered instead of answering, "What business is it of yours?" The beautiful girl, angered by Ye Chen’s indifferent demeanor, snapped, "I am Mr.

Lin’s apprentice.

This is where materials are appraised.

If you want to buy leather armor, go downstairs—though judging by your appearance, you probably can’t afford it..." "Mo'er, come in quickly." At that moment, Mr.

Lin's voice sounded from the appraisal room.

The girl named Mo'er immediately responded, "Coming," before giving Ye Chen a sharp look. "You better leave before I call security." She then turned and hurried into the adjoining appraisal room.

Upon entering, she saw the enormous scales of the Python, her pretty face instantly flushing with surprise as she gasped, "Master Lin, what level of hide is this? It's so large?" "Hard to say." Mr.

Lin adjusted his glasses, meticulously examining the scales.

Mo'er approached the Python scales, looking at them curiously. "This hide is so large; it must have been stripped from an enormous python, right?" Mr.

Lin said sternly, "This isn't python skin; it's from a Boa constrictor..." Mo'er gasped, her beautiful eyes darting over the Boa constrictor scales.

She stared at the skin before her in disbelief.

Having studied appraisal with Mr.

Lin for so long, she was intimately familiar with serpentine classifications and never imagined this belonged to a Boa constrictor. "Oh, right, Master Lin, who is that person outside? He's dressed so shabbily, not even affording regular clean cloth clothes, let alone leather armor.

Is he a thief?" Mo'er frowned slightly, glancing toward Ye Chen outside.

Mr.

Lin tapped the scales of the Boa carcass with a small iron hammer, checking for hardening, and replied casually, "This Boa carcass belongs to him."