Chương 17: The Wall

The taxi traveled from the well-developed streets of Inner Sector B to the pristine city center of Sector A. There was an immense difference between the two, similar to how Inner and Outer Sector B differed. The moment the taxi crossed the heavy checkpoint, the air in Sector A felt completely different. The towering buildings were built using pristine white marble, entirely devoid of the grime that coated Arthur's everyday life. Geoffrey pressed his head against the taxi window as he watched the buildings.

It was his first time traveling to Sector A. He was extremely excited about seeing different things, his eyes shining brightly. The wealth of Sector A was suffocating. It was as if it was built solely to display the disparity between each sector. When Arthur looked at his own old coat, he firmly believed this to be the case. The taxi stopped before a towering building built wholly out of glass: the Industrial Regulations Head Office.

"Let us go." Following which, the duo stepped out of the vehicle. After entering the hall, they discovered it was similar to the Awakening Head Office; the hall was chaotic, yet highly organized. However, the majority of the people here wore tailored suits instead of armor. There were dozens of queues, as well as glowing, translucent holographic signboards. Very quickly, Arthur found the details listed on the board. [New Business Registration - Floor 3] Arthur and Geoffrey took an elevator up to the third floor.

The moment they exited, they clearly saw the difference. There were no chaotic operations present; instead, there was only a single receptionist. Without delay, Arthur approached the reception desk, where a young man with slicked-back hair and a sharp suit was casually scrolling through a digital pad.

"Excuse me," Arthur politely called out to the young man.

"I am here to apply for an Industrial License," Arthur announced his purpose while the young man was still busy scrolling. However, Arthur did not say anything else after that. He simply stood there, waiting for the young man to finish whatever scrolling he was doing. After a minute had passed, the young man finally looked up. His gaze shifted from Arthur to Geoffrey without any change in expression.

"Industrial License?" the young man lazily repeated.

"Yes."

"You must be from the Outer Sector, I presume?" the young man's tone slightly changed.

"Yes." The clerk let out a long sigh as he stretched his body. Tapping his fingers on the desk, he said, "Outer Sector applications require a preliminary background check before we even issue the standard forms." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"You need the Blue Verification Form 104-B. Go to Counter 12 down the East Hall on the ground floor." After finishing his piece, the young man started scrolling on his pad.

"Thank you," Arthur thanked him. Following which, he walked out of the third-floor reception and headed back to the ground floor. Meanwhile, Geoffrey followed behind him. After searching for a while, he found Counter 12, where a middle-aged woman sat working on something.

"Blue Verification Form 104-B?" she asked with a hint of surprise after hearing Arthur's purpose.

"That is the wrong form. Blue forms are meant for Established Mercantile Guilds. You seem to be an independent citizen. You need a Yellow Authorization Chit. You will get that at the Zoning Department on the seventh floor," she explained. Following which, she went back to her work. Arthur exited the counter and walked towards the elevator. However, he started to feel that something was not right at the bottom of his heart.

Yet, he did not bother about it; he simply needed to find the right way to apply for the license. Once they reached the seventh floor, it took them crossing through three different sections before they arrived at the Zoning Department.

"Yellow Authorization Chit?" a middle-aged man on the seventh floor scoffed, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"To obtain a Yellow Chit, you need a pre-approval stamp from the Initial Processing Desk," the middle-aged man said.

"Where is the Initial Processing Desk?" Arthur asked, slightly upset. Did these people truly not know of matters that occurred regularly? Why were they acting as if it was the first time someone had asked for an Industrial License?

"The third floor," the man replied. Arthur suddenly froze after hearing where he needed to go. Had he not gone to the third floor in the first place? Filled with confusion, they returned to the third floor. Currently, the same slick-haired young man sat at the reception desk. This time, Arthur did not utter a single word; he simply stood quietly in front of the desk. One minute passed… three minutes… five minutes. The slick-haired young man did not even lift his head after detecting a presence before him.

Standing by his side, Geoffrey was slightly confused as he looked towards Arthur. However, Arthur said nothing, only giving a firm nod to hint for him to wait. These people were undoubtedly toying with him; they were carrying out such actions intentionally, rather than providing a direct answer regarding an approval or a denial.

"What do you want? Did you come here just to stand in silence?" the young man finally spoke.

"Pre-Approval Stamp," Arthur coldly said, speaking nothing but the name of the form.

"A Pre-Approval Stamp requires a deposit of 100, 000 Credits. Go to the East Hall on the ground floor, pay the deposit, and bring the receipt back here," the young man announced, revealing yet another new procedure. Arthur stood completely unmoving, his eyes locked directly onto the young man. Seeing that the person before him did not leave, the young man lifted his head to look at Arthur. Suddenly, he became shocked by Arthur's scrutinizing gaze.

"What do you want? Do I need to call for security?" the young man blabbered after meeting that piercing gaze. By his side, Geoffrey swiftly tugged at Arthur's hand, clearly feeling his brother's rage. Realizing he was about to carry out a crazy action that would place his family under heavy scrutiny, Arthur swiftly exited the floor. Without saying another word, he directly walked away. He did not go to the East Hall. Instead, he directly exited the Industrial Regulations building itself.

Only after leaving the building did the anger in his heart finally calm down. Suddenly, he recalled the saleswoman's warning regarding how some people never obtained their licenses in their entire lifetimes. Now, he finally understood how such a situation was possible. These people behaved completely differently towards people from the Outer Sector. Moreover, Arthur doubted he would receive the license, even if he were to pay the 100, 000 Credits.

Within a short period of time, all of his preparations and plans had crumbled into nothingness. He had even rented a shop. Arthur stood on the street for a long time, thinking about the things that had happened up to this point. Currently, he was caught in a stalemate, and his mind could not provide any new path to move forward. Since he had fully invested his entire future into opening his own company, it was impossible for him to know what to do now.

Meanwhile, Geoffrey stood silently by his side, completely unaware of what had happened inside.