CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: STEPPING STONE

After leaving the maintenance plant, Chen Ming arrived at the central area of the Space Station.

Opposite the massive dock is a small city located on the Space Station.

The entire city is illuminated by a large number of light tubes installed at the top of the Space Station.

Chen Ming could see a dozen-story high-rise building located at the center of the city from the edge of the core area.

That is the Space Station Administration.

Buildings of varying importance spread outwards in rings starting from the Administration.

The area where Chen Ming now stood, close to the space arm, was mostly composed of shops and residences.

Judging by the everyday attire of people passing by, Chen Ming could also confirm that many had settled here.

Although Chen Ming was curious about how people who settled here made a living and what they did daily, now was not the time to explore this curiosity.

Chen Ming took a look around.

The streets visible to the naked eye, including the main roads, were lined with shops selling daily necessities and food, not the places he needed.

So Chen Ming opened the map previously sent by the administration when he connected to the network and located his position on it.

He could see many marked locations around him on the map.

However, after a quick scan, Chen Ming found that the marks on the map were mostly restaurants and supermarkets.

Just as he saw with his own eyes, they had a very mundane air and no place to handle the goods he snatched from pirates.

It was as if the city at the center of the Space Station was just a city for people to live in.

Chen Ming couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed, as he knew almost nothing about the Space Station beyond the basics, making many things very troublesome to accomplish with just a map.

Just like now.

After some thought, Chen Ming felt he might as well check out the other space arms.

After all, the dock and maintenance plant were at space arm 1, so the other 29 space arms should also have some more specialized places.

Chen Ming swiped his finger on the terminal,

trying to open the map of space arm 2 closest to him.

But just then,

Chen Ming suddenly realized something very troublesome.

It seemed like not only could he not use the money in his salary card, but the card itself couldn’t be accessed.

In other words, even if he successfully sold the goods, he wouldn’t be able to receive the money he deserved from others.

He really needed to find a job first and have the payroll person solve this issue for him.

After all, this Space Station is a Pirate Space Station. Transactions between pirates couldn’t really be done straightforwardly with an Imperial Savings Card, could they?

Otherwise, exposing identity information directly would be a huge problem.

The one who can pay salaries should also be able to solve the problem with the salary card.

Even if he couldn’t get the job, talking to a local was better than fumbling around blindly.

Many of the gray areas in the Pirate Space Station can’t be blatantly displayed.

Knowing nothing, brazenly asking questions was clearly the quickest method.

As for who to ask, Chen Ming already had an answer in his mind.

A moment of thought about where people on the Space Station encountered the most contacts and connections made it clear.

So Chen Ming put away the terminal and turned back towards the maintenance plant.

He found two Maintenance Masters in staff uniforms smoking by the structural pillar of the maintenance plant.

Those working in a maintenance factory founded by the Space Station’s funding forces definitely couldn’t be completely ignorant of gray area matters.

The older, middle-aged Maintenance Master instinctively glanced around upon noticing Chen Ming walking towards them.

He found that only the two Maintenance Masters remained nearby; the rest of the colleagues had disappeared somewhere.

He couldn’t help but click his tongue and asked Chen Ming, who was already standing in front of them, "Need maintenance for a ship? Or need an introduction?"

"Maybe both. Shall we chat?"

"Hmm?"

The middle-aged Maintenance Master sized up Chen Ming, suddenly chuckled, and turned his head to continue chatting with the younger maintenance employee beside him.

Completely ignoring Chen Ming’s existence.

He seemed to have already discerned that Chen Ming wasn’t a customer.

But just in the next moment, his peripheral vision seemed to catch a flicker of something.

The middle-aged maintenance worker turned his head back to see Chen Ming with an open hand, and a small clump of gold rested in its center.

This small piece of gold wasn’t very pure; Chen Ming had dug it out before while cleaning the residual slag in a smelting furnace.

It was probably because the smelting equipment had been running too long, causing insufficient heat in some areas, resulting in an imperfectly smelted by-product.

Since Chen Ming had already left the asteroid belt and had crossed through the Dark Graveyard without mining, there was no point in firing up the furnace for this small, impure piece of gold.

So Chen Ming just carried it with him casually.

Originally, it was intended as a stepping stone for making money, but since he couldn’t even get through the door now, he might as well use it here.

Chen Ming closed his hand, squeezing the small piece of gold slightly out of shape, and held it out to the middle-aged Maintenance Master, saying: "Care to chat?"

The middle-aged Maintenance Master seemed to flash a gleam in his eyes and immediately responded with an enthusiastic smile: "Of course, no problem, what do you want to chat about?"

Chen Ming wasted no words, directly asking: "Got any money-making channels?"

The middle-aged Maintenance Master laughed, looking at the gold in Chen Ming’s hand, and said: "Isn’t this in itself a money-making channel."

"That’s not what I meant."

"But these money-making channels are skills on which others rely to make a living, why ask us? Without skills, you could only work as a porter here."

"What if I have skills?"

"If you had skills, you wouldn’t be asking here."

Chen Ming shook his head, decided not to put on airs, and straightforwardly said: "I’m new here, not familiar with anything."

The younger Maintenance Master next to him suddenly chimed in: "Like a rookie."

Then a palm landed on the back of his head.

"Less nonsense."

The middle-aged Maintenance Master shook his hand, his expression unchanged upon hearing Chen Ming’s words, still wearing that welcoming smile.

After all, Chen Ming’s behavior was incredibly obvious.

As an old timer, he had definitely seen many people like Chen Ming visiting the Pirate Space Station for the first time.

The middle-aged Maintenance Master sized up Chen Ming, suddenly laughed twice, and said: "Hey, you’ve got some spunk, follow me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead in heading towards the core area of the Space Station.

Chen Ming had no objections and quickly followed him.

The younger Maintenance Master nearby didn’t intend to continue his duty and followed along.

The middle-aged Maintenance Master didn’t look back but raised a finger to point underfoot, saying: "Money-making channels, to be honest, once you’re here, you should know that money-making channels are everywhere."

"The key is, the money has to have a way to flow into your pockets."

Chen Ming lit up, this was exactly what he needed.

"Be specific."

"Do you have a receiving card for payments?"

"No."

"See, now that’s the problem. Even if you can make money, can you take it?"

Chen Ming stayed silent.

The Maintenance Master suddenly turned to smile at him.

Though his face still wore that same welcoming smile, for some reason, Chen Ming detected a hint of craftiness.

The middle-aged Maintenance Master suddenly turned his head back and continued leading Chen Ming towards space arm 2.