They moved into the temporary housing provided by the city-state and waited for their November entry date. During this waiting period, Ares learned more about the city-state. When the day finally arrived, he and Beyondbear headed to the assembly point. By the time they got there, the place was already packed with people.
"Make way, everyone! My master has arrived!" Beyondbear shouted.
"Who's your master?" someone asked.
"You mortal have no right to know so much. Get lost!" Beyondbear yelled angrily. Ares had forbidden Beyondbear from revealing his identity as "Buddha" in public, fearing his cover would be blown. After receiving their temporary ID numbers, a small space immediately cleared around them thanks to Beyondbear's intimidating presence. Ares sat regally on his dog's back while curious onlookers observed him, with Beyondbear standing impressively by his side.
A girl in her twenties whispered to her companion, "How can this kid bring a dog in here? Does the city-state allow that?"
"They didn't say pets weren't allowed, did they?"
Ares overheard their conversation and responded, "This is my robot dog, not a pet."
Hearing the mechanical voice, the girl asked, "Are you a robot?"
"Haha, yes!" Just then, a bell rang, and the assembly point gates closed. A staff member from the city planning office appeared before the crowd with a megaphone and announced to the more than 900 newcomers, "It's now exactly nine o'clock. Those who haven't arrived have automatically forfeited their spots. Please line up according to your temporary ID numbers and proceed forward."
Ares and Beyondbear, with temporary IDs 0668 and 0669 respectively, got in line one behind the other and moved forward with the group. After walking for about ten minutes, they came upon a train with "Courage" written on its side. Once aboard, everyone sat according to their temporary IDs. Shortly after, the train departed, with the journey to Yin City taking about forty minutes.
Beyondbear asked, "Master, are we going to find women now?"
"Yes, the city-state has many beautiful women. You can take your time choosing." Ares knew the city-state had a profession called "Intimacy Providers" specifically for single men and women to connect emotionally.
"Buddha has answered my prayers!" Beyondbear stood up from his seat and bowed.
Everyone around them stared in bewilderment. Soon, the train announcement sounded: "Passengers, the train will enter the city-state in one minute. Please be ready and exit in order according to your ID numbers."
The more than 900 newcomers were divided into five groups of about 200 people each. As they exited the train, a female guide approached with a flag. Once all 200 people had gathered, she announced loudly, "Welcome to the city-state! My name is Candice, and I'll be your guide. Our first stop today will introduce you to the city-state's architectural layout. Please follow me."
Ares and Beyondbear were in this group. They followed Candice about 300 meters to a large hall. In the center floated a three-meter-high AR projection. Pointing at the image, Candice explained, "You just disembarked in the Southwest District. We're currently in the West District. All city-state buildings follow a nine-square grid structure, with the Central District at the center, dividing the city into nine districts total. The Central District has thirty-three floors: the first floor is the dining hall with 'Dream Sea' at its center, the top floor houses item distribution and kitchens, and floors two through thirty-two are for residence. The Northwest District contains administrative offices, research laboratories, and factories. The North District is for schools. The Northeast District has hospitals and community centers. The West District houses scientific research institutions. The East District is for self-service goods and entertainment. The Southwest District contains the train station, waste processing center, and power plant. The South District has agricultural fields. The Southeast District houses aquaculture and livestock. This is the main architectural structure of the city-state. If anyone has questions, please raise your hand."
A girl asked, "With so many people here, won't there be housing issues? I don't want to be crammed in a room with others—that's disgusting."
Candice smiled, "The young lady needn't worry. We have over 4,000 rooms categorized into four types: A, B, C, and D, which are single, double, multi-person, and luxury rooms. Each floor has forty-eight rooms, accommodating over 300 people." The girl followed up, "How big are the rooms?" Candice replied, "Single rooms are 40 square meters, doubles are 60, multi-person rooms are 100, and luxury rooms are 300 square meters."
For their second stop, the group entered a conference room. The newcomers sat down while Candice addressed them from the podium, "Upon joining the city-state, everyone receives an identity number. This number isn't permanent—when the city-state population reaches its limit, some residents will relocate to another city, and your number will change according to your residence. Now, please come up in order of your temporary IDs to receive your identity numbers."
Since Ares and Beyondbear had higher temporary ID numbers, they waited over three hours for their turn. When Ares approached the podium and his identity was verified, a staff member engraved his name on the back of a knight's badge. Moments later, he received a watch and the knight's badge from Candice. Back at his seat, Ares examined the back of his badge, which read: "Identity Number Y-04155, Knight Ares." Beyondbear, who went after him, asked, "Master, what are these things for?"
"These are what you need to find women. Keep them safe—don't let anyone steal them."
Hearing this, Beyondbear hurriedly tucked them away inside his underwear. Once everyone had received their identity numbers, Candice raised her left hand, revealing the watch on her wrist, and said, "This watch is essential in the city-state. It displays your honor value, confirms your identity, serves as your key to enter and exit the city-state, and delivers all city-state missions and notifications. It also functions for communication, navigation, positioning, video and audio recording, and answering various questions. In the city-state, we call it the 'Big Butler.' If you have any questions now, feel free to ask."
Ares was the first to raise his hand, "Excuse me, beautiful lady, why is my honor value zero?"
Candice announced, "All newcomers to the city-state start with zero honor. Honor value is extremely important—it indicates your level of contribution to the city-state. If a knight's honor value remains negative for an extended period, they'll be expelled from the city. More detailed information will be provided in your orientation training."
For their third stop, the group arrived at the East District. Candice explained, "This is the self-service goods area. All items are environmentally friendly products. City-state knights can choose freely, but only one type of each item is allowed. After selection, you must register. For exchanges or damages, you must return the original item and register. This also incurs honor value deductions: Ψ2 for exchanges, Ψ10 for damages, and Ψ10 for losses. Items past their usage period can be exchanged directly without honor deductions. Adult women receive twelve sets of clothing and may exchange six sets annually on June 4th, which is clothing exchange day. Adult men receive eight sets of clothing and may exchange four sets annually, also on June 4th."