21 Chapter 19 Living with a 7th Rank Mecha – Part 1

Jiang Chen spent the last of his 620 contribution points, bought some equipment and props, and left Xuntian City directly.

If you don't have money, you can only wander around.

As for the remaining areas, I'll explore them when I have the money.

When he passed through the Teleportation Array and returned to Shuilan City from the space fortress, it had just turned two o'clock in the afternoon.

He had experienced too much that day: a narrow escape from death, time travel, trials, Xuntian City…

Even though Jiang Chen was as tough as iron, he still felt a hint of fatigue and had little desire to wander around.

After leaving the Alliance District, he took a taxi straight back to his rented accommodation.

As he took out the keys, his movements suddenly stopped.

Bai Ying showed a puzzled look.

"My Lord, is there a problem?"

"..."

You are the biggest problem!

In Xuntian City, Jiang Chen was distracted by all sorts of buildings, Mechas, and equipment.

For a while, he even forgot that he had a bodyguard following him.

Now that he was at his doorstep, the problem dawned on him.

"Bai Ying, are you going to live with me?"

"Of course, in order to protect my Lord in the mortal world, I naturally need to be by your side every step of the way."

"Please rest assured, my Lord, I have downloaded 4,396 common recipes, household management from beginner to expert, personal cultivation as a nanny, and daily care for young masters…"

"I can take care of your daily life without causing you any trouble."

Jiang Chen was somewhat at a loss for words.

You, a 7th Rank Mecha with the power to destroy cities and countries, are talking about the personal cultivation of a domestic helper. Are you that accomplished? Does Senior Ruan know?

Moreover, Bai Ying's simulated appearance was that of a lively little girl.

Have a little girl clean and cook at home all day long?

Switch to a different simulated form, a young woman? A young man? A middle-aged or older person?

None seemed quite right.

Bai Ying seemed to notice Jiang Chen's thoughts and spoke up.

"My Lord, if you find it bothersome, I can disappear from your sight and monitor your life signs within a certain range to provide the necessary protection..."

"Oh?"

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up.

He was more accustomed to living alone, which was why he rented a place outside of school.

If Bai Ying could just disappear, that would be perfect.

Jiang Chen was about to agree when something occurred to him, and he asked.

"By the way, Bai Ying, how much did the alliance give for your protection services?"

"Five hundred thousand."

Five hundred thousand contribution points?

Jiang Chen was surprised.

Although this was an amount he couldn't reach for the time being, it seemed too cheap compared to the status of a 7th Rank mecha pilot.

"Per day."

"..."

Do Mechas also get breathless when talking?

Jiang Chen suddenly felt a sting.

Five hundred thousand contribution points a day!

Doesn't that mean protecting me for two hundred days will earn a hundred million contribution points?

How many high-level materials and modules could that buy!

And although contribution points can't be bought with national currencies, the trading center in Xuntian City did offer a service that allows the exchange into various national currencies.

The exchange rate with Xia dollars is roughly 1:100.

Doing the math, two days of Bai Ying's protection could directly earn a hundred million Xia dollars?

Even though Jiang Chen knew that the alliance definitely wouldn't allow mass currency exchanges and that it was just to facilitate everyday expenses for mecha pilots,

so that the heavy hitters wouldn't have to eat pickled cabbage sandwiches while wearing their Mechas in the abyss.

Moreover, all the shops in Xuntian City only accept contribution points for transactions, and except for low-rank workers who don't have much, few would trade their precious contribution points for currency.

But this did not hinder Jiang Chen from understanding the true value of contribution points.

Is this the income level of a 7th Rank mecha pilot, nearing the pinnacle of the Mecha Era?

"Sir, you needn't worry too much."

"Under the 'New Talent Protection Act,' before you become a 4th Rank mecha pilot, the alliance will bear 90 percent of your employment costs."

"You only need to pay fifty thousand contribution points each day."

"Moreover, this expense will remain on credit before you become a 4th Rank mecha pilot and won't affect your enhancement or advancement."

"..."

Credit or not, doesn't it still need to be repaid?

Fifty thousand a day is no small sum either.

An Origin of Life trait is only valued at thirty thousand contribution points.

To hire a big shot to protect oneself is simply burning money!

Jiang Chen suddenly felt that perhaps living alone wasn't that pleasant after all.

Having an extra nanny at home sounds pretty good.

"Bai Ying, I prefer spicy food, so make more Hunan cuisine."

"...Understood, sir."

...

Jiang Chen wasn't slovenly, but he certainly couldn't be called diligent.

The room wasn't littered with trash, and the items were reasonably well-kept, yet it was inevitable to have a buildup of dust in the corners.

At this moment, Jiang Chen was sitting on the couch, watching Bai Ying clean the room spotlessly, feeling a twisted sense of pleasure rising within.

Yes, that's it!

Let a 7th Rank mecha act as a nanny, pouring my money into the grind!

Jiang Chen sipped the tea personally brewed by a 7th Rank mecha, worth at least a couple of tens of Xia dollars over a cheap teabag, and felt that his life had vastly improved in style.

When he set down the teacup, hesitated for a moment, took out his phone, and made a video call.

After a few busy tones, the image connected, and a middle-aged man with a significantly receding hairline appeared on the phone screen.

"Xiao Chen, what's the matter with calling all of a sudden..."

Seeing the familiar balding hair, the boulder hanging in Jiang Chen's heart finally dropped.

The world had changed, adding mecha pilots and abyss settings, naturally leading to a chain reaction that could alter many things beyond recognition.

Although his board game buddies hadn't changed much.

But Jiang Chen couldn't be certain whether his family situation had changed or not.

Now he could finally be at ease.

After confirming his father's hairline, Jiang Chen inquired about his mother's situation.

Knowing that everything at home was safe, he relayed the whole series of events to his parents—being attacked by abyssal monsters, awakening an Abyss Rune, and receiving an SSS-class evaluation—without holding back, as there was no need for any.

After all, there were only nine SSS-class rookies in total, and with the presence of a significant figure like "Symbol of the Alliance" setting the bar, Jiang Chen simply couldn't keep a low profile.

It was better to let his family know the full story, making it more convenient than hiding it from them.

Indeed, that was the case.

Upon hearing Jiang Chen's story, Father Jiang fully understood his intentions.

He said he would cooperate with the alliance's work along with Mother Jiang to ensure their own safety, promising not to become a burden to him.

He told Jiang Chen not to worry too much about home and always prioritize the abyss above all, reminding him to not become careless because of his top evaluation in the basic trials, and to remember that safety comes first and living is everything...

The call lasted a whole hour.

After hanging up, Jiang Chen still had a smile on his face.

Having communicated with his family, he was truly able to enter the right mindset to focus all his attention on his career as a mecha pilot.

As for his identity as a sophomore college student…

He had already donned a mecha and sliced through dozens of streets in a changed apocalyptic world—should he still go back to pass a foreign language proficiency test?

A five-point contribution external translator can satisfy all his language needs.

Therefore, he had already asked Bai Ying to handle the paperwork to drop out of school, effectively expelling the institution from a distance.

At the moment, Bai Ying was still preparing lunch.

With nothing weighing him down, Jiang Chen took out his personal terminal and opened the alliance forum interface.

He wanted to see what the alliance's mecha pilots were discussing.

Unexpectedly, the first highlighted sticky post on the interface caught his eye.