The sunlight was a bit dazzling.
Theresa was smoothing out her clothes, which were wrinkled from sleeping, while Xing Chen was staring at the Originium cluster he had brought back from his “dream.”
He had studied materials and mechanics as an undergraduate and was now researching geology. Although he considered himself well-informed, he still couldn't identify what kind of substance this cluster was.
Should he ask a senior from a national key laboratory to test it with instruments? What if it turned out not to be an Earth substance at all? He couldn't exactly say he picked it up casually during a field trip over winter break.
“Xing Chen, are you still looking at this cluster?” Theresa walked over to Xing Chen. To her, the black crystal in his hand was more common than a feather beast; the former was everywhere in the wasteland, while the latter, you’d be lucky to hunt one down sometime. “This kind of Originium isn’t worth much.”
“That’s true for you, but not for us.” Xing Chen had originally planned to get some Originium to see if he could glean any clues about Pre-civilization energy technology from it, but it seemed he had been overthinking it. “I work in mining; I’ll be relying on this to make a living in the future.”
“Are you very short on money now, Xing Chen?”
“Not short, but certainly not as well-off as before you came,” he said, opening his phone and looking at his four-digit bank balance. A few thousand yuan to support two people for half a year. “If we spend carefully, it should be enough. My family and my advisor will also contribute some.”
When Xing Chen said this, Theresa felt quite embarrassed. Although Sarkaz generally had a bad impression on others, most Sarkaz knew not to freeload.
In fact, looking across the entire land of Terra, it seemed that even between spouses, taking things from each other without reciprocation was rare. One reason was their genuine gender equality—how dare you assume the combat strength of a female Zarark; another was that their economy was truly struggling. International trade was a mess, and the market size provided by a single Mobile City was actually very limited. One less person working really meant one less income.
“How about I help you share some of the burden?”
“That’s… possible…”
“That’s great! Don’t let my title as Demon King fool you; I can do a lot.”
“Like what?”
“I’m very strong.” “Construction sites don’t hire female workers.”
“I can design clothes.” “Who’s your master?”
“I… I can be a tailor.” “Everything’s automated now.”
“…” “What else can you do?”
Looking at the somewhat dejected Theresa, Xing Chen felt a bit regretful. Should his attitude have been gentler just now? But in reality, finding work in the city he was in was indeed difficult.
And all of this was without even considering identity issues; after all, even his university professor needed an ID card to sell him to a sweatshop.
Theresa sat down by the computer, a little disheartened, ready to continue learning about this world through the internet. Xing Chen watched her, his gaze involuntarily falling on the computer.
Perhaps he could let her earn some money online, but there were far more ill-intentioned scammers on the internet than on Terra’s Mobile City local area network, and their tricks were more sophisticated. Could Theresa discern them?
“Actually, don’t rush to find a job. I’m not short on money; if the two of us spend carefully, it will definitely be enough.”
“Mm.” Theresa replied weakly. Labor was not just an obligation, but also a right, and now she was being deprived of that qualification.
“Sigh,” Xing Chen sighed, “You keep looking. I’m going out to buy food.”
A few minutes later, Xing Chen returned with the food.
As soon as he reached the door, he heard strange noises coming from the bedroom. He quietly placed the food on the table and silently crept to the bedroom doorframe. He saw Theresa looking intently at the computer screen, her fingers constantly tapping on the keyboard.
Oh no, has she gotten into an argument with someone? Xing Chen worried.
Just as he was about to go in and stop her, Theresa turned her head. It seemed she had already noticed Xing Chen’s presence. “Xing Chen, do you know how to program?”
???
Walking closer, Xing Chen saw that Theresa was watching a video to learn programming techniques. Looking at the sticky notes beside the computer, she seemed to want to earn money by doing freelance programming to support their lives.
“Can you understand it?”
“It’s not bad. To me, it has similarities with weaving. And I’ve also explored the interior of the ‘Continuum of Civilization’; what they teach here is much simpler than the internal structure of the Crown.”
Xing Chen truly didn’t understand how weaving and programming were related. But Theresa had indeed managed to decompress Originium before, which showed she had a real talent in certain areas.
“I can help you find someone who knows it to teach you,” Xing Chen’s programming knowledge was limited to frontline production. He didn’t know much about C++ or similar languages.
“Ah~~~ I thought you would know too,” For some reason, Xing Chen saw a hint of disappointment on her face. “Never mind, I’ll learn it myself. Speaking of which, your country is quite nice; such important technology is put online for free for others to learn.”
“Of course. This is a country of the people; knowledge should rightfully belong to the people.”
“But isn’t that a bit unfair to those who created this knowledge?”
Xing Chen couldn't answer this question, or rather, he could answer but couldn't bring himself to say it. In the end, he chose to rephrase the question and throw it back to Theresa, “If something doesn't benefit you, but benefits others, would you do it?”
Theresa nodded, but then shook her head. Xing Chen didn't quite understand what she meant.
However, now that she had decided to earn money through programming, Xing Chen still needed to get her the appropriate equipment. He needed his own computer for studying and research, so he couldn't let Theresa occupy it all the time.
“Xianyu or Zhuanzhuan… Hiss, they’re all so expensive…” Xing Chen quickly browsed through. A used smartphone paired with a laptop capable of running common programming software would still cost a four-digit sum.
He found it difficult to make a decision, so Xing Chen decided to ask an expert for help. Thus, he knocked on his neighbor Brother Wang’s door.
“Xing Chen, aren’t you with your girlfriend?”
“Actually, I am, but she wants to learn programming, and that’s not my strong suit… Never mind that, Brother Wang, do you have any old phones or laptops you’re not using?”
“I do… Oh, I get it, you rascal,” Brother Wang gave a mischievous smile, went back inside to rummage around, and came out with a cardboard box, handing it to Xing Chen. “Here, take it.”
“How much, Brother Wang?”
“Oh, with our relationship, for an old thing from two or three years ago, just treat me to a meal, that’s all.”