Calvin dragged the sack, leading Kyle deeper into the central city area of Sakaar City.
The various alien beings on the streets gave them a passing glance, seemingly accustomed to such sights, quickly becoming engrossed in their own night revelries.
As they approached the inner city area near the central building, the peculiar buildings grew even more opulent. The number of Grandmaster's guardian spaceships increased significantly, almost incessantly sweeping the area below with their lights, giving an odd sense of security and intimidation.
"Calvin, is your home in the inner city area? It seems you're doing quite well on this planet," Kyle remarked in astonishment as he surveyed their surroundings.
"Not really," Calvin replied.
His expression grew somewhat awkward upon hearing the question and he sighed before speaking, "You have no idea how exorbitant the housing prices are in the inner city area. The cheapest single-person room starts at over a Million Sakar Units, with a term of just twenty years. Even a standard hotel room costs around ten thousand Sakar Units per week."
"Sakar Units?" Kyle raised an eyebrow, slightly confused. Calvin seemed to catch on to his confusion and explained, "That high-pressure laser gun you have in your backpack, it could be exchanged for around ten thousand Sakar Units."
Hearing this exchange rate, Kyle performed a quick calculation, feeling a slight tremor in his heart.
A high-tech laser gun, capable of only exchanging for ten thousand Sakar Units— a sum barely sufficient to cover a week's rent for a standard hotel room in the inner city area! That was indeed a steep price!
"Those who can establish themselves in the inner city area are likely elite aliens from other planets," Kyle pondered silently.
"The reason high-pressure laser guns aren't expensive is that they require energy for recharging after use. Energy and food are considered luxury items on this planet," Calvin explained.
He sighed again and said, "My dream now is to work hard collecting trash and save money, so I can buy a single-person room in the inner city area of Planet Sakaar. It's just that it's really difficult."
Calvin's dream was shared by most lifeforms that had fallen into the lost state on this planet.
Kyle shook his head inwardly. He had no intention of staying on Planet Sakaar for long; his goal was to quickly establish a foothold here and investigate whether higher-dimensional beings existed.
After all, he only had about six months left in his life, so there was no time to waste.
"Alright, we're finally here," Calvin gasped for breath as he stopped in front of a circular building entrance on the main road.
Kyle looked up at the building. It seemed as though it had been constructed by modifying about half of a medium-sized warship. It appeared luxurious and extremely high-tech. Two stone beings armed with laser guns stood guard on either side of the entrance.
"This is a bank owned by Grandmaster. Inside, you can exchange any valuable items for Planet Sakaar currency," Calvin explained. He hoisted the nearly overwhelming sack and walked in after displaying his scavenger identification card. The guards made way for them.
Kyle followed Calvin inside. The ground floor hall was spacious and contained several partitioned reception rooms.
"Mr. Kyle, you'll need money for your daily life on Planet Sakaar. I suggest you exchange some Sakar currency with those laser guns," Calvin offered his advice. Amid the curious gazes of many alien beings, Calvin carried the dirty sack and headed toward one of the reception rooms.
"It's true, you need money everywhere," Kyle shrugged. After a brief moment of contemplation, he stepped into another room.
"Scavenger Number 266. Welcome to the Sakaar Exchange. I'm the attendant, Enri. Pleased to assist you," Enri, the humanoid alien attendant behind the energy protection screen said. Her uniformed skin was pink, and she bore a strong resemblance to a human.
"I want to exchange for Planet Sakaar currency," Kyle said straightforwardly. He reached into his backpack and took out two laser guns. Enri's expression changed slightly, but she relaxed when Kyle placed the guns on the counter.
"You must be a new scavenger. Weapons with attack capabilities like these need to be assessed at a specific window. However, we happen to have some free time tonight, so I'll make an exception and help you exchange them," Enri said as she pressed a button.
The two laser guns dropped into the window. She picked up a device and began a professional examination and identification. She completed the analysis quickly.
"High-pressure laser rifle, 80% intact, one energy slot remaining, exchangeable for 10,000 Units."
"The other one of the same model, 85% intact, two energy slots remaining, exchangeable for 12,000 Units."
Enri summarized, "Together, the two items can be exchanged for twenty-two thousand Sakar Units. Would you like to proceed with the transaction?"
"Yes," Kyle nodded in confirmation, feeling a slight headache as he did so.
Twenty-two thousand wasn't even enough to cover a month's stay in the inner city area of this planet. Was he also going to end up like Calvin, scavenging or resorting to violence just to make ends meet?
"Would you prefer cash or a card? If you haven't got a card, you can spend a thousand to get a new transaction card," Enri said as she took the two laser guns and didn't forget to make a sales pitch.
"Then… I'll get a card," Kyle deeply furrowed his brow. The expenses on Planet Sakaar were so high, and this situation couldn't continue.
"I'll process it for you right away." Enri stood up, but she was quickly stopped by Kyle's wave of his hand. "Hold on."
Kyle seemed to remember something. He reached into his military backpack and pretended to fumble, but he was actually accessing his Card Space, transforming an item into a physical form and taking it out.
The item he took out was a circular steel buckle that held an inner pale blue energy block. The faint blue-white light radiated from it, filling the entire reception room.
"What's this…" Enri widened her eyes in astonishment, her pupils reflecting the glow of the energy block.
Kyle handed the energy object over. "This is a product made on my home planet, a type of energy substance called 'Kryon.' Please test it and determine its value in Planet Sakaar currency."
Enri cautiously held the Kryon and used her equipment to conduct a test. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she asked, "I'm sorry, but the relevant information about this energy item isn't in our database. Please wait for a moment."
After saying that, Enri took the Kryon and hurriedly went to the back.
Kyle waited for about five minutes before Enri returned, accompanied by a bloated alien with a head larger than normal and wearing glasses.
"Hello, sir. This is our chief appraiser and the overall manager of the Sakaar Exchange," Enri changed both her tone and address, showing much more respect than she did before.
The alien chief appraiser held the Kryon in both hands and looked at Kyle with a touch of excitement. "Sir, may I ask where your home planet is?"
"It's a low-level civilization planet, not worth mentioning," Kyle said calmly, unwilling to reveal Earth's information.
"You must be joking. This is a new type of artificially synthesized element. It's used as a highly pure energy crystal, and such a small piece can power an interstellar warship's operations. It transcends the definition of energy, it's like a work of art in technology. Unless a civilization has the cutting-edge technological level and a tremendous stroke of luck, they wouldn't be able to create it," The alien manager affectionately touched and caressed the Kryon, excitedly saying, "This is an exceptional achievement."
"I don't understand the technical details. I just want to ask one thing: What's its value?" Kyle asked coldly.
The alien manager pondered for a moment and then raised one finger. "If you're willing to sell, I can offer you Ten Million."
(End of this chapter)
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