The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Expensive Natural Food

The female interviewer didn’t mean any offense when she said this. The marketplace of the interstellar era, although like the 21st century where Ji You was from in that they both sell products, the difference is still very huge. First off, jobs that are essential in shopping venues such as stocking, cash register operation, security, maintenance... such positions have all been delegated to robots and do not require human intervention.

Furthermore, slightly more complex tasks that require human labor, like specialized customer service and after-sales service for certain products—if one’s physical strength and spiritual power don’t meet the standards, they wouldn’t be able to pilot a Floating Car when providing point-to-point after-sales service to the customers. And if they can’t reach a D-level in spiritual power, how can they possibly offer home visits for after-sales service? Besides, many products require a D-level or higher in spiritual power to operate.

Also, the job of a warehouse clerk is not as simple as Ji You had imagined. Aside from storing goods, they must also perform maintenance, such as regular servicing and maintenance for Mechas... For these tasks, a certain level of physical strength is required.

Therefore—

It’s understandable that the shopping venue rejected Ji You.

Moreover, the other party’s suggestion for Ji You to find a manual labor job on the Star Network can be said to be very sincere. This manual labor job on the Star Network is specifically designed and introduced by the Alliance Government for citizens who lack Physical Strength and spiritual power. It has no requirements for spiritual power or physical strength, nor does it involve any technological skills. One only needs to invest time to earn credit points, though—the credit points earned are very low indeed.

Ji You consistently works 10 hours of manual labor every day, only making 20-22 credit points a day. Without taking any days off, she would only earn 660 credit points a month, while a warehouse clerk’s basic monthly salary at the shopping venue is 1500 credits, plus commission and bonuses, with weekends off and annual leave... How can manual labor on the Star Network compare with a formal job?

That’s why Ji You wracked her brain to find herself a formal job.

However—

Sigh~

With a heart full of disappointment and while maintaining her politeness, she said, ”Thank you for your advice. If—your store ever requires someone like me, please make sure to contact me.”

Leaving the interview hall filled with immense disappointment and dejection, she couldn’t stop fretting inside. If she had known it would be a failure, she wouldn’t have come to the interview—incurring a 4 credit points expense for the round trip on public transport.

Sigh~

Yet, she also understood that even if she anticipated failure, she would still have come to try. After all, without trying, how could she know it was indeed a failure? Often, it’s not until you hit a wall and bleed from the knocks that you learn whether you can actually succeed.

In her past life, in order to read more and learn more, she had already tasted the bitterness and failure. But as it turned out, as long as she didn’t give up, she had succeeded in the end, right?

So, as long as she maintained her firm belief and didn’t give up, she would surely survive in this interstellar era!

Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, Ji You clenched her fists and reminded herself to never give up.

...

Presently, garbage planet number 101 is divided into 10 regions, for the entire planet is covered with protective barriers built by the Alliance Government. These barriers effectively block out Star Beasts, cosmic radiation, pollution, and the extreme weather conditions. Since the environment outside is too harsh for humans to live in long term, all human inhabitants reside within the protected areas. However, these protected areas also vary in quality. Regions 5 and 6, right at the center, are undoubtedly the safest with the best environment and the most bustling commerce.

Next are regions 3, 4, 7, 8; they are relatively less safe and have worse environmental conditions.

Following them are regions 1, 2, 9, 10—as these are the most remote and fringes of the planet, they often suffer from assaults by Star Beasts, storms, and sand... The protective barriers are thinnest here. Hence, regions 1-2 and 9-10, these edge areas, are the most barren parts of the planet and anyone with somewhat better familial financial conditions would certainly think about moving and would not want to stay there for long.

The Ji Family are natives of garbage planet 101. Before her parents passed away, they had already saved a sum of money. Mr. Ji had plans to move with his wife and daughter to region 6 to live. Unfortunately, disaster struck and shattered this warm family to pieces. After Mr. Ji and Ji’s mother passed away, Uncle Ji used the excuse of taking care of Ji You to sweep away all of her family’s fortune, and afterward, it was Uncle Ji who moved with his wife and children to region 6.

In any era, wealth is always the biggest test of human nature.

Standing in the spacious, bright, and clean shopping venue, faced with the myriad, strange, and dazzling array of products, Ji You couldn’t help feeling moved. A longing flashed through her eyes—if she had money, she would buy this place...

Ah!

But there are no ifs; she should quickly head back home.

However, before leaving Zone 6, Ji You went to the section of the mall dedicated to selling nutrient solutions, spending 20 credit points to buy 10 low-level nutrient solutions. The commercial area in Zone 6 was the most prosperous, offering nutrient solutions with the freshest expiration dates, unlike those bought at Mrs. Smith’s store in Zone 10, which always had a shelf life of only half a year — Ji You was quite suspicious about the suppliers Mrs. Smith’s family used.

Now that she was in Zone 6 after much difficulty, Ji You naturally wanted to stock up on some rations for herself. After buying the lowest level nutrient solutions, Ji You glanced at the middle and high-level ones on the shelf, then quickly averted her gaze.

Can’t afford them~

Can’t afford them~

Can’t afford them~

Better not to covet.

Ji You didn’t dare linger in the mall, as the dazzling array of goods nearly blinded her, all of them tugging at her heartstrings. Yet virtually each one was something she couldn’t afford.

As Ji You lifted her foot to leave, suddenly, she saw several opulently dressed people heading hurriedly toward another window separated from the nutrient solutions and synthetic food by just a wall, as if they were rushing to snap up something.

Driven by curiosity, Ji You followed.

Upon entering, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes, feeling as if she’d been struck to the core. It turned out to be a place selling natural food. The entire setup and display here were just like the fruit and vegetable stores from the 21st century, with rows of shelves filled with fresh peppers, eggplants, lettuce, potatoes, corn, tomatoes...

In addition to vegetables, there were shiny, moist apples, bananas exuding a rich fragrance, plump grapes, and bright orange oranges...

The variety was vast, far beyond Ji You’s imagination. The moment she stepped onto this land, saliva involuntarily began to secrete.

So—

So—

So long since she last ate, just the sight of them was enough to make her mouth water uncontrollably.

But—

As soon as she glimpsed the prices attached, Ji You’s eyes bulged and she felt like bursting into tears.

Too expensive!

These fresh, delicious natural foods were simply too costly, outrageously expensive, even maddening. What made Ji You even more distressed was that many of the fruits and vegetables here were sold per item, like apples, bananas, grapes, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. Even within the same type, they would vary in price based on origin, size, color, plumpness, and the concentration of the nutrients they contained.

For example, among the 6 apples placed on the same shelf, they all had different origins and prices. The largest one among them displayed:

Origin: Barnes Star - Beikena Mountain Range.

Weight: 239g.

Nutrient content: Calories 136 (kcal), Dietary fiber 2.2, Vitamins...

Radiation level: 0.039% (To clarify, in the interstellar era, natural foods are defined by having a radiation level below 1%. Foods exceeding 1% radiation cannot be directly consumed.)

Price: 810 credit points each.