Chapter 1 "I'm from Songhai," Zhang Yuanqing replied. "It's in the information."

The landlady, Mrs. Xu, nodded and pointed to the sofa. "Have a seat first."

With that, she turned to the little boy and smacked him on the head, yelling, "All you do all day is watch cartoons, just like your sister. You're both useless. Go get some tea!" She grabbed the remote control from the tea table and turned off the TV.

The little boy seemed used to being hit. He slid off the sofa, ran to the water dispenser, poured two glasses of water for Zhang Yuanqing and Annie, and then scurried into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

The pressure is immense, whether as a guest or... Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of water.

Mrs. Xu smoothed her nightgown and sat down opposite them, scrutinizing them like an HR representative from a Fortune 500 company. "To be honest, when I saw you with a foreign woman, I didn't want to rent the place to you. It's not that I'm discriminating, but differences in lifestyle and culture often mean trouble. I'd rather rent to someone from my hometown."

Zhang Yuanqing sensed her emotions. When the landlady said, "It's not that I'm discriminating," her emotions clearly indicated discrimination and resistance.

This is the legendary, "I hate two kinds of people: racists and..." Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "To be honest, this is my first time in the Free Federation. Seeing black chocolate and white chocolate everywhere makes me uncomfortable. Only here do I feel relaxed, like I've come home."

As soon as he said this, he sensed that the landlady's irritable mood had eased, and she felt a great sense of agreement.

The landlady's attitude improved as expected. "How about this? I'll ask a question (please_search_for_book_names_plus_three_excellent_novels_to_read_quickly on _Bi_ing_), and then decide whether to rent the place or not."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Go ahead."

Zhang Yuanqing completely understood the landlady's caution. Annie had enlightened him on some of the "local customs" of Yue County on the way here.

Yue County's laws heavily protect tenants, who are considered a vulnerable group, so there are many people who freeload or try to steal property.

In situations like the landlady's, the main concern is people who freeload, for example, paying for one month's rent and then refusing to leave. It's very difficult for the landlord to evict them.

Therefore, landlords will strictly screen potential tenants, only renting to high-quality tenants, preferably those with good income, stable jobs, and Free Federation citizenship, because these tenants are subject to credit scores.

Foreigners don't have these restrictions and can simply stay until their visas expire and then leave the Free Federation.

The landlady asked, "You're not very old. Are you here to study?"

"No, I've already graduated from university. I'm here in New Yue County with my girlfriend on vacation, and I'm also looking for a job. We won't be staying long, six months at the shortest, a year at the longest." Zhang Yuanqing looked at the blonde beauty beside him.

"This is my girlfriend, Annie. She's a foreign language teacher at our university. She's lived in the country for many years, and she's from Fengcheng. She doesn't really have any friends in New Yue County, and we don't have the habit of throwing parties. You don't have to worry about unsavory people coming to the house all the time."

If he were to describe Annie as an assistant, her status would be a bit of an exaggeration. He didn't want the landlady asking too many questions. Making up lies was also a very troublesome thing.

The landlady nodded noncommittally. "What university did you go to?"

"Songhai University!" Zhang Yuanqing said.

"Songhai University..." The landlady immediately smiled, very satisfied with the tenant's education.

She then asked, "What does your family do?"

Zhang Yuanqing said, "Three generations of my family have been in the security system."

The landlady nodded repeatedly, confirming that he met the conditions for a high-quality tenant. "I have no problem now. You can stay here. But there are a few rules I need to mention in advance. First, no noise after 10 p.m. My daughter is taking the college entrance exam next year. Second, no parties in the house. You can invite friends over, but they must leave before 10 p.m. Third, the furniture and appliances in the house are complete. If you want to add any furniture, especially large equipment that needs to be installed, you must apply to me, and I must agree before you can do it. If any of the appliances break down, you can tell me, and I'll take care of it."

Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "No problem!"

The landlady took out a standard contract. After both parties signed it, Zhang Yuanqing paid half a year's rent and three months' deposit in one go.

It's worth mentioning that in New Yue County, the law stipulates that rent must be paid monthly, and the deposit can only be a maximum of one month's rent.

Zhang Yuanqing's top priority now was to settle down and reassure the landlady, so he chose to "take a loss."

After receiving the money, the landlady led them to the rooms. The layout here consisted of a living room, a dining room with good lighting near the balcony, a master bedroom, a guest room, a study, and two bathrooms with separate wet and dry areas.

The kitchen was open-plan, next to the living room.

The furniture and appliances were complete. It was cozy and comfortable for two people to live in, and the soundproofing was very good.

"You can prepare your own daily necessities. There are clean sheets, quilts, and pillowcases in the bedroom closet. You can use them, or you can buy new ones yourself. Anyway, just come to me if you have any problems." The landlady handed the keys to Annie and turned to leave.

Zhang Yuanqing walked through the dining room to the balcony, bathed in the sunlight, and looked out over this unfamiliar city.

Annie began to make the bed and arrange toiletries, then sat on the sofa in the living room, making a shopping list.

The boss's daily necessities included pajamas, clean sheets, pillowcases, a razor, toothpaste, skin care products, condoms, and so on.

After she finished the list, she said, "Cult Master, I'd like to take a shower first, then go shopping. This afternoon, we'll go to the Bounty Hunter Guild to register."

"You arrange it," Zhang Yuanqing said.

He entered the master bedroom, opened the window, lay down on the bed, and then opened the chat software, changing his name to "Tongtian Jiaozhu".

[Tongtian Jiaozhu: I've arrived in New Yue County. Everything is going smoothly.]

[Sun Miaomiao: Oh, changed your name?]

[Xiahou Aotian: I just saw Guan Ya leading a team on a mission today. Why didn't you two go together?]

[Red Rooster Bro: Taking your girlfriend abroad, how can you enjoy foreign girls? Ahahaha.]

Red Rooster Bro offended three girls in the group with one sentence.

Guan Ya originally wanted to come along, following her husband wherever he goes, but Zhang Yuanqing refused. On the one hand, Fu Qingyang was forming an investigation department and a judicial department, which needed high-quality talent to assist.

Guan Ya, as a Level 5 Saint, was considered elite talent.

Also, this trip was not for sightseeing, but to accomplish something, and having a girlfriend by his side would be a burden and a psychological drag.

For the same reason, Xiao Yuan, Xie Lingxi, and the Queen were not brought along.

[Tongtian Jiaozhu: Sun Miaomiao, nonsense. If I didn't change my name, would I call myself Yuanshi Tianzun abroad?]

[Xiao Yuan: Be careful, don't provoke overseas official organizations. You don't have a backer now.]

After chatting for a while, he exited the gang group and clicked on the "Three-Eyed Demon Child" cartoon avatar.

[Tongtian Jiaozhu: Demon Eye Heavenly King, I'm going to cleanse the foreign world (doge)]

Demon Eye replied with a series of question marks, and then said: [Going abroad to avoid the limelight is also good. If I have time, I'll get a disguise prop and go abroad to play too.]

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhang Yuanqing also reported his itinerary, residential address, and the mission of his sugar daddy to Fu Qingyang.

Fu Qingyang replied succinctly: [Be careful.]

With Yuanshi's current status, it would be difficult for anyone below the level of Ruler to threaten him, and Rulers were rare, high-ranking existences among Lingjing Xingzhe.

As long as Yuanshi didn't court death by attacking the Sea God Church headquarters, the Heavenly Punishment branch, or breaking into a gathering place of evil organizations, he would basically be safe.

In the morning, Annie and Zhang Yuanqing left the rental house.

Annie was wearing a short trench coat, dark jeans, and low-heeled shoes, using sunglasses and a mask to cover her exquisite face, her golden curly hair tied into a neat ponytail. Unlike Zhang Yuanqing's imagination of "chaotic bars" and "dark underground castles," the address of the Bounty Hunter Guild's New Yue County branch was located on the 48th floor of a building called "Muerte" in the Queens District.

The walls here were covered with marble, the floor was shiny and reflective, there were bright lights and a beautiful, brown-haired, brown-eyed receptionist, and security personnel in suits and ties.

It resembled a highly private, high-end club.

Annie walked to the front desk in her black low-heeled shoes, saying, "We're here to register as bounty hunter members. We don't have a member referral."

The tall receptionist immediately stood up and smiled. "Please, follow me!"

The two followed the receptionist in a loli dress to a delicately decorated reception room. After the receptionist served them two cups of coffee, she said, "Please wait a moment. I'll go get the client manager."

She bowed with a smile and then exited the reception room.

In less than three minutes, a middle-aged man in a suit and tie, with slicked-back hair and a thin face, knocked on the glass door.

He introduced himself in a gentle voice: "My name is Hal Joseph, and I'm responsible for member registration and communication. Are you two registering together, or just the lady, or the gentleman?"

Annie said, "This is my boss. He wants to become a bounty hunter, Mr. Joseph. We have things to do this afternoon, so let's hurry."

Joseph nodded, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "First, I need to verify your identities."

He took a grip strength tester out of his pocket. "Sir, if you're a Strength-type class, please use this to test. If you're a Mental-type, or have special abilities, you can demonstrate them on the spot."

Zhang Yuanqing thought about it. Using his skills would reveal his class, so he chose to do the grip strength test.

He immediately picked up the tester on the table, held it in his palm, and exerted force gently.

The value on the special grip strength tester instantly soared to [Value], which was already beyond human limits.

Joseph smiled. "Please wait a moment. I'll go prepare the forms."

He got up and left, returning half a minute later with the corresponding application materials.

Joseph handed the form to Zhang Yuanqing. "You can fill in the Lingjing, class, and level however you like. The guild doesn't care about that. Our registration fee is 20,000 Free Federation dollars per year. If you have a member referral, you can get a 50% discount. If you don't have the money, you can choose to do three Bronze-level tasks for the guild for free to offset the membership fee. Then there's the commission issue. The guild will take a commission from every task completed by a member. Bronze hunters will be charged 30%, Silver hunters 20%, and Gold hunters 10%."

After listening to Annie's translation, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Do you have to pay taxes?"

"Of course!" Joseph shrugged. "On the soil of the Free Federation, whether you're a drug lord, arms dealer, gangster, or an evil class, you have to pay taxes, or the Federal Tax Bureau will let you know what justice is."

Annie translated in a low voice, and then said, "Heavenly Punishment has a department that liaisons with the Federal Tax Bureau, specifically responsible for the tax issues of Lingjing Xingzhe." This fits my understanding, Zhang Yuanqing muttered silently.

"You don't have to worry about taxes. We'll pay them for you before we issue the commission," Joseph said. "The guild has a special app. You can download it. After the registration is complete, I'll give you your exclusive code. After you log in, you can accept tasks on your phone."

"No need for you to do anything extra. I'm quite interested in fighting wits with your Federal Tax Bureau!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded as he slandered.

Joseph continued, "Also, let me tell you about the Golden Hunter's points system. Bronze hunters need [Number] points to upgrade to Silver, and Silver hunters need [Number] points to upgrade to Gold. This has nothing to do with level. Whether you're a Transcendent or a Saint, even a Ruler, you must accumulate points properly."

"Bronze tasks are divided into three stages. Tasks within 10 points are low-level tasks, tasks within 20 points are mid-level tasks, and tasks within 30 points are high-level tasks. A Bronze task has a maximum of 30 points. You can learn about the points system for Silver and Gold tasks on the app."

"Also, newly registered members cannot actively accept tasks. We'll push tasks to you within three days. You must complete the trial task to truly become a Bronze Hunter. As for the method of commission payment, we have a bank that we cooperate with specifically. The commission will be remitted to your bank card on time. You don't need real-name authentication to withdraw money with the bank card issued by the guild. You only need to enter your password."

"If you don't want to use a bank card, you can also come to the guild to collect cash, but you need to make an appointment."

"You're talking too fast. I didn't understand much. Can you speak slower?" Annie leaned close to his ear and translated in a low voice.

"The forms can be filled out casually, no real-name registration is required, and the bank card is also issued by the guild, so the confidentiality is indeed very high. Evil classes can also register, but in this way, the power of life and death is entirely in the hands of the guild. The guild can completely freeze the bank card." Zhang Yuanqing pretended to listen seriously.

"Tsk tsk, there must be gains and losses, right?"

Zhang Yuanqing said, "Annie, pay the membership fee."

At noon, the two finished registering, had lunch at a high-end restaurant, and Annie took him to the supermarket to buy the items on the list.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, they took a taxi back to Chinatown. Zhang Yuanqing had just finished showering and changing his clothes, took out the new phone that Annie had bought, and opened the interface of the Hunter Guild. It was all in English. Although Zhang Yuanqing's spoken English was not good, as a high-achieving student at Songhai University, he had no problem with reading comprehension.

The Hunter Guild's app was very simple, with three rankings: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

The tasks for the top ten were pretty much ridiculously difficult. The prices were also ridiculously high: [Number] Free Federation dollars.

Note: The validity period of the tasks on the list is three months. If they are not completed within three months, the tasks will be automatically canceled.

"Tsk tsk, killing a demigod would be enough to live a life of luxury, but people who can kill demigods don't seem to need to worry about running out of money. These tasks are completely invalid tasks."

At this moment, the doorbell rang.