Lan Li reluctantly tucked away the treasures he could have flaunted, and the two left the bustling heart of Wanjin City for its fringes, seeking out a small shop in the outer districts. There, Lan Li managed to pick out an outfit—white trousers and a blue top, colors flashy enough to suit his flamboyant nature.

An Junlie dressed entirely in black, save for white trim at the collar and cuffs of his top.

Once they changed, they looked like entirely different people.

Wanjin City was a colossal drain on resources, yet simultaneously a slum. The prosperous areas were intensely vibrant, while the poor districts were frighteningly desolate.

To evade pursuit from the Arena, An Junlie stopped the young master Lan from splurging on a luxury hotel, forcing him to continue living meagerly with the supplies they salvaged.

Of course, there was another reason: An Junlie possessed no skill in pleasure-seeking; he and his master had never stayed in a proper hotel...

The two sat on a bench by the street and began unpacking the relief supplies.

Lan Li stared at the items blankly. "What are these for?"

The young master Lan, having lived a life of luxury since birth, had no idea what survival gear looked like, whereas An Junlie, having wandered outside for so long, knew a little about everything.

He carefully dismantled the first item. "These small, capsule-like things are sleeping capsules. When you need to sleep, just toss one into water, and this tiny object will rapidly inflate into a large sleeping bag, two meters long and one meter wide. It's waterproof and can float, serving as a life preserver in an emergency. The box is a mobile space. Hang it on the space station dock, connect to a specific cosmic frequency, and the small box transforms into an apartment—they come in various sizes, but the standard issue is about seventy square meters."

Lan Li fiddled with an item. "Are we sleeping in a capsule or a box tonight?"

An Junlie didn't answer, holding a capsule in his left hand and the box in his right, letting Lan Li choose.

Lan Li immediately put down An Junlie’s hands and exclaimed excitedly, "Didn't we win money? If we aren't staying in a luxury hotel, can we at least stay in a slightly smaller place?"

Without another word, An Junlie took back his own card and confiscated all of Lan Li’s cards.

Lan Li stared blankly at his empty hands and bare pockets, immediately flying into a rage. "That’s my card! You just spent my savings and now you’re stealing my money."

An Junlie cut to the chase. "You spend money without restraint."

"I spend money without restraint!? You don't know who spent my life savings the moment we entered the planet." Lan Li protested irritably toward An Junlie.

An Junlie shrugged, feigning innocence. "You never told me it was expensive. Besides, weren't you enjoying the meal?"

"Weren't you enjoying the meal too..."

"Weren't you happy..."

"Happy..."

The phrase struck Lan Li’s fragile heart like a curse. "Waaah, you can't be this heartless." Lan Li crouched down and sulkily drew circles on the ground.

An Junlie was actually showing restraint; he hadn't exposed the fact that a single cocktail cost two thousand credits. He said lightly, "Didn't you want to wander the stars? This isn't star wandering; it's a star tour."

Lan Li’s face fell. "Fine, I give up."

An Junlie smiled. "I'm going to find some ingredients to celebrate that we don't have to sleep on the streets. We’ll cook something delicious tonight."

Hearing An Junlie's words and recalling his culinary skills, Lan Li instantly revived, leaping up from the ground to catch up with An Junlie, happily flipping through a menu.

An Junlie couldn't be bothered to tease Lan Li; he just glanced at the menu and eliminated the impractical dishes.

In the densely populated areas of this technological civilization, traditional farmers' markets—places that made the planetary environment messy and polluted—had long been abolished. All food resources were purchased via the StarNet.

Lacking a comms system and a neural interface, the two resembled humans from an ancient era.

After much deliberation, they finally decided to first find the location where they could set up their small space station unit.

Their goal this time was clear: take the hover shuttle to the space station docking bay.

The moment they entered the dock, the two were stopped by a boy no older than six. The boy’s eyes were bright with moisture, and he looked entirely sincere: "Big brothers, hello! This is Angel's Haven. Our docking facilities are complete, services are excellent, and the prices are quite reasonable."

Just as Lan Li was about to lecture An Junlie on not trusting people easily when traveling, not even children, An Junlie spoke up, patting the little boy's head. "Little guy, lead the way."

Lan Li felt a slight pang of dissatisfaction.

It was as if the right to make decisions had been stripped from him.

However, An Junlie seemed genuinely fond of children, so he swallowed his words.

Upon reaching the designated spot, An Junlie surveyed the surroundings and found the safety level quite high, so he began setting up. He noticed Lan Li staring blankly ahead, lost in thought, and said, "Hey, hurry up and design the house. If you don't design it, I’ll just slap up a simple cube."

An Junlie had grasped about 99% of the other's personality, knowing he was a stickler for detail in certain aspects, making him perfect for dumping these trivial tasks onto.

"Little Junjun, I knew you couldn't manage without me. And besides, this is our home, not just some cold, sterile room."

Lan Li snapped out of his reverie, exaggeratedly praising An Junlie, then quickly darted to his side when he saw An Junlie's expression darken, operating the cosmic frequency controller with grave seriousness. He moved like a magician; the small, palm-sized metal square in his hand gradually transformed into an exquisite miniature castle.

An Junlie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "First time?"

Lan Li covered his face. "Building houses is one of my greatest joys! Aren't you super impressed with me?"

An Junlie shuddered slightly before a hearty laugh cut in. "Haha, very impressive! I heard from the children that two new members arrived today; you must be them. Oh, forgive me, it’s just habit. I hope you don't mind my presumption in seniority. I’m the administrator of this space station dock, Ditar. All the children here call me Old Man. You can call me that too."

Old Man Ditar was a rugged man nearly two meters tall with a thick, dense beard. Strangely, despite his imposing height, the Old Man exuded a warm, spring-like kindness. Not only did An Junlie take an immediate liking to him, but Lan Li also felt, deep down, that this man was decent.

Of course, he couldn't help but view the situation through the lens of his former family status, noting that Ditar lived rather frugally.

An Junlie said, "Alright, Old Man Ditar, I want to buy some ingredients, but I don't have a neural interface. Could you lend us a hand?"

Old Man Ditar chuckled. "No problem, no problem. I have an autonomous neural interface right here; you can use it."

An Junlie nodded and followed Old Man Ditar.

Lan Li gloomily realized that An Junlie was actually better at dealing with outsiders.

Gloomy.

What about his specialty?

Was his only talent building houses?

He desperately wanted to tear it down and rebuild it!

An Junlie placed the order on the interface and found the delivery location was nearby. Ditar laughed, "Done. The ingredients you ordered happen to be from our family. Little Five will bring them over shortly."

An Junlie said, "I ordered a bit extra. I'll go over too."

Ditar replied, "That's fine, we have plenty of children."

When he arrived, An Junlie found four small boys had been dispatched. Two were twins, one was Little Five, and there was one other child. All were exquisitely crafted, looking adorable.

An Junlie accepted the provisions, gave them a hundred credits as a tip, and happily hummed a song he had learned from a native resident of a primitive world as he prepared dinner.

Lan Li emerged from inside. Seeing the hundred credits, his eyes twitched. That was generous—not letting him stay in a hotel but tipping the children handsomely.

But how could Old Man Ditar, with that bushy beard, raise such beautiful children who appeared to be of different nationalities and races?

When dinnertime arrived, the aroma of cooking food drifted across several hundred meters, making everyone inside their small villa unable to stay put. They rushed out to find the source of the fragrance.

Moments later, two small boys were squatting beneath the window of their miniature villa—they were the twins who had delivered the groceries. They craned their necks, drooling, greedily sucking in the scent with their noses, whispering to each other.

"Aike, what are they making? It smells so good!"

"You aren't going to ask me to sneak in first again, are you?" the twin named Aike puffed out his cheek. "It's your turn this time. Old Man almost kicked me out of the house last time."

Their murmuring by the wall was perfectly audible to An Junlie. He paused slightly, adding a few drops of sesame oil to the pot, which released an even richer aroma, causing the twins to nearly lose control of their drool.

Lan Li walked out. Since An Junlie was busy cooking, he would be responsible for inviting Old Man Ditar and the others over for a meal.

Lately, he had been feeling the urge to compete with An Junlie. If he could build a good relationship with Old Man Ditar and his crew, he would definitely be more impressive than An Junlie. Hmph.

Lan Li stepped outside and suddenly felt eyes on him. He spun around abruptly, catching the two twins just as they were about to bolt.

Lan Li grinned wickedly, approaching the twins like the Big Bad Wolf. He squatted down and leaned in conspiratorially. "It smells good in there, right?"

"Mmm-hmm!" the twins nodded in unison.

"Want some?" Lan Li continued to entice them.

"Yes!" Sensing something amiss, the twins exchanged glances, then slowly turned their heads toward the brightly grinning Lan Li. They suddenly understood, turned, and fled.

Lan Li, swift as lightning, grabbed the collar of each twin with his left and right hands, deliberately trying to frighten them. "What are your names?"

The twins looked at each other, refusing to speak even if their lives depended on it.

Lan Li drawled, "If you don't tell me, I’ll ask Old Man Ditar. Twins, he’ll definitely figure out it was you."

The twins immediately deflated, standing properly and introducing themselves. "I'm Aikes (Bent)."

Lan Li continued, "And what is Old Man Ditar to you?"

Aikes’s eyes flickered, and he tilted his small face up. "Are you going to tattle to the Old Man?"

Lan Li displayed a fox-like smile. "Ah? Tattle about what? Did you do anything wrong?"

The twins shook their heads simultaneously, wobbling like clapper bells. "Not at all."