The bespectacled man had another concern he hadn't voiced: since General Ethan publicly broke with the Illuminati, the African region had been abandoned by Corey. Their position in Zi City had become extremely awkward. Now isolated and powerless, they simply wanted to secure some money so they could return home and live their lives. Seeing no room for negotiation, Alena stood up and said, "We'll discuss this and get back to you as soon as possible."
On their way back, she asked De Silva, "Brother, is what they said true?"
"About what?"
"About people disappearing."
"Judging by their expressions, they didn't seem to be lying."
"Why would this be happening? If we move in, will we face the same problem?"
"Nothing like that ever happened when I lived in Zi City." The two returned to the island and reported the negotiation results to Simon.
"How many shillings do we have now?" he asked. Alena didn't know, so she called her mother to ask. "Just over 80 million shillings," Nicola answered. All three shook their heads—they were nowhere near the required amount. At that moment, De Silva remembered the letter Ronnie had written to Amandine, which mentioned that if the city-state faced financial problems, they could mine gold from three specific locations, one of which was only about 300 kilometers away. He was debating whether to share this information when Alena spoke up, "Brother, what about the gold mines Mr. Ronnie left behind?" With no choice left, De Silva revealed the information. Simon was overjoyed, "You're truly the city-state's savior!"
The Courage Alliance immediately dispatched over 500 people to mine the gold. A month later, they delivered three billion shillings to the Illuminati. After twelve years, Zi City finally welcomed back the knights of the city-state. Many members of the Courage Alliance and the resistance wept with joy, embracing each other and crying. That evening, a grand celebration was held in Dream Square. Simon stood in the center and proclaimed, "Knights, our victory did not come easily—it was purchased with the lives of countless martyrs. Tonight, let us raise our glasses in prayer for them, wishing their souls eternal peace." When over two thousand people raised their glasses simultaneously, the scene was magnificent. De Silva drained his glass in one gulp, his face streaked with tears. Seeing this, Alena asked, "Brother, why are you crying? Are you too happy?"
"Basali is gone. She left me forever." Alena comforted him, "Brother, don't be sad. You still have me, mother, Afastin, and all your family." The celebration continued until dawn the next day, with many people simply falling asleep right there in the square.
Ares left the little girl's house and continued his journey. One day, he arrived at a town where he encountered a dim-witted giant over two meters tall walking toward him. He couldn't help but stop and stare. The giant noticed and became angry, "Who are you? Why are you staring at me? Do you have a death wish?" Ares decided to play a joke on him, "I am a divine being. Kneel before me!"
Upon hearing this, the giant immediately prostrated himself, shouting, "Buddha! I've finally found you! Please bless me with a beautiful woman." Ares corrected him, "I'm a divine being, not Buddha." The giant completely ignored this distinction and continued mumbling, "Please, Buddha, grant me a woman." Ares gave up and asked, "What's your name?"
"I am Beyondbear, your devoted servant." This man was Uwa's son Beyondbear, who had returned from Thailand a year ago. Now twenty-eight, he remained unmarried and without a girlfriend. He had come out today both to find food and to look for a woman. Many Buddhist statues in Thai temples resembled the mask Ares wore on his face, so when Ares claimed to be a divine being, Beyondbear immediately believed him. Seeing that the giant's size could make him useful as a bodyguard, Ares said, "I can grant you a woman, but you must follow me for three years."
"Thank you, Buddha!" Beyondbear joyfully kowtowed—a practice he had learned from Thai temples. "Stand up and follow me," Ares commanded. This strange pair continued on their way until they passed a bakery. "Beyondbear, quickly grab me those cakes from inside."
"Yes, my master." When Beyondbear came out with the cakes, a man followed him, saying, "Sir, you haven't paid yet."
"These are for Buddha to eat. How dare you ask for money?" Beyondbear growled angrily. "Who is Buddha?" the man asked.
Ares stepped forward, "I am Buddha." The man stared at the small figure wearing a mask and speaking in a strange voice, assuming it was a remote-controlled robot. He looked up and shouted, "Who's playing this prank? Come out now, or I'll smash this machine!"
Ares angrily commanded, "Dumbhead, bite him!" In a flash, a black shadow leaped forward as the little dog pounced and bit the man's shin hard. The man screamed in pain, exclaiming in terror, "So the dog is remote-controlled too!" Ares and Beyondbear took advantage of the confusion to escape with the cakes. Ares only ate a few bites before deciding they weren't tasty and gave the rest to Beyondbear.
After walking for about seven or eight minutes, they saw a dozen people standing in line. Ares approached and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, what are you all queuing for?"
"The city-state is recruiting people. We're all here to apply," the woman replied. This was the first time Ares had heard of the city-state. "What is it exactly?" he asked.
The woman explained, "The first city-state was established in 2373 by Dr. Norforth in Zi City. In recent years, due to the Illuminati's destruction, the population has dropped from over 300,000 to just over 90,000. A few months ago, Mr. Simon recaptured Zi City, and the African region city-state reopened to the public. Today, Yin City is recruiting."
"Can I join?" Ares asked. The woman smiled, "You're too young. You must be accompanied by an adult to join." Ares pointed to Beyondbear beside him, "What about him?"
"Yes, he would qualify." Intrigued by the woman's description, Ares immediately joined the queue. When he received the application form, it required information such as name, gender, age, education, current nationality, languages spoken, marital status, work history, desired occupation, and contact information. Looking at the "desired occupation" section, he thought, "I'm too young to work, but what could Beyondbear do?" He continued reading the list:
1. Research Personnel (3122/5000 positions)
Ages 16-52, must provide relevant professional qualifications and educational certificates.
2. Primary, Secondary, and University Teachers (241/600 positions)
3. Medical Personnel (445/600 positions)
4. External Knights (262/300 positions)
Primarily responsible for providing funding for the city, promoting the New World and the city-state's research achievements externally. Composed of stock traders, legal professionals, entrepreneurs, intelligence personnel, and various related professionals.
5. City Guards (42/60 positions)
Maintain order within the city and organize external warfare.
6. Prime Minister's Office (46/60 positions)
Handle communications between cities, process job applications and inspections, manage finances, resolve disputes, and organize festivals.
7. Goods and Food Managers (55/60 positions)
Categorize food for self-service areas, manage distribution logistics, and procure goods and food.
8. Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Design, Production, and Maintenance (236/300 positions)
Design and produce various machines, maintain and service elevators, computers, and other electrical equipment.
9. Intimacy Providers (213/300 positions)
10. Waste Disposal Workers (26/30 positions)
11. Station Managers (21/30 positions)
12. Farming and Breeding Personnel (79/90 positions)
Provide daily food for the city-state to achieve self-sufficiency.
13. Reserve Emergency Personnel (216/300 positions)
Handle emergencies. Provide temporary assistance when certain occupations are understaffed; manage pets.
14. Chefs (75/90 positions)
15. Cleaning Personnel (48/60 positions)
16. Holy Virgin Team (12/12 fixed positions)
For the New World's annual events and ceremonies, requires 1 Holy Virgin, 6 assistants, and 6 guards (all female).
17. New City Planning Office (16/18 positions)
18. Three Wolves House Guardians (88/100 positions)
Responsible for the daily care of minors aged 3-16 and handling emergencies.
"It seems City Guard would be the most suitable job for Beyondbear," he muttered to himself.