The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 8

Jiang Momo froze. Unwilling to accept it, she inserted the card again.

[Insufficient funds. Unable to purchase.]

She stared at the ground for a moment, then changed her order, “One vegetable bun, please.”

[Please enter your password.]

[Payment successful,] the mechanical voice rang and a steaming hot bun, about the size of a palm, was handed out.

“Two meat buns,” E Mingjun said, reaching out.

[Payment successful.]

The meat buns looked noticeably larger than the vegetable ones and the folds were evenly shaped.

Jiang Momo sniffed the air, her eyes fixed longingly on the buns, her expression oddly pitiful.

E Mingjun looked at Jiang Momo’s slightly teary eyes and couldn’t help but feel she resembled a stray dog on the street.

As soon as the thought surfaced, he immediately shook his head to get rid of such a disrespectful idea.

“Here.” E Mingjun handed her the buns.

Jiang Momo was stunned and didn’t dare to take it.

“For me? Why?” She looked up.

“Weren’t you about to starve?” E Mingjun shoved the buns into her hands and walked off.

Jiang Momo held the buns and followed him. “I’ll pay you back.”

“You don’t even have a personal light brain. How are you going to do that?” E Mingjun stopped walking.

“Can you wait here for a while? Just ten minutes.” Jiang Momo stuffed the buns into her mouth, chewed quickly, and swallowed. She finished all three buns in just a few bites.

Her bold way of eating left E Mingjun a bit stunned. “Is it really that good?”

What kind of hardship had the person been living through, to be so excited about cheap buns?

“They’re good. These two meat buns taste different.”

In truth, Jiang Momo hadn’t tasted anything clearly. She was starving and on the verge of passing out.

“The fillings are randomized,” E Mingjun said.

Most cheap products on the Capital Star were randomized and people had no say in what they got.

Jiang Momo nodded. “If you’re not busy, can you wait ten minutes? Or tell me where you’ll be and I’ll find you after ten minutes.”

“Come to the Mecha Maintenance Center on the 322nd floor,” E Mingjun mentioned casually.

He didn’t actually care about the money. He could easily earn 2,000 star coins from just one tutoring session. What he wanted more than anything was to not cross paths with her again.

But since she insisted on repaying him, he didn’t refuse. He himself was the kind of person who hated owing favors.

He understood her thinking.

“Okay.” Jiang Momo, seeing their deal was set, quickly ran through the narrow street ahead toward the lift.

The architectural style on the Capital Star’s surface was completely different from the floating islands. Light rail airships zipped constantly between high-rises and the buildings were mostly constructed from modern alloy materials. Many had massive LED screens playing endless streams of product advertisements and celebrity endorsements. Beautiful and colorful faces, static or moving, were all smiled brightly, sharply contrasting with the indifferent expressions of people on the streets.

As she sprinted, Jiang Momo happened to look up. The densely packed skyscrapers towering into the sky blocked out the sunlight entirely. They stood so close together, that it seemed like they were closing in and about to collapse on her.

People hurried in all directions. Even Jiang Momo running full speed in the middle of it all didn’t seem out of place.

She squeezed into the lift with the crowd. The small space, barely a dozen square meters, was packed so tightly that there wasn’t even room to turn around.

After a short while, she was carried out again by the flow of people.

As the pressure around her suddenly eased, she looked up and glanced around.

She was in a spacious showroom, filled with display stands arranged in neat rows. Each one featured different mecha parts and various materials.

The lighting was glaringly bright, bouncing off the spotless white floor. Robots moved around constantly, cleaning. Not a speck of dust was in sight.

It was the Capital Star’s largest mecha parts trading center, even the lift there was custom-made and only accessed that level.

At that moment, Dong Shan, a salesperson near the displays, noticed Jiang Momo. He recognized the clothes she wore. They were from a well-known luxury brand on the Capital Star. Although she wore them a bit awkwardly, the outfit still cost at least six figures.

He put on a professional smile and walked over. “Hello, what can I help you with? Looking for materials or parts? For manufacturing or repairs?”

Jiang Momo took a lump of black ore out of her bag, cradling it like a treasure.

“I heard you buy materials here. I want to sell this. How much can I get for it?”

Dong Shan’s smile didn’t change. “May I test it?”

“Of course.” Jiang Momo handed him the ore.

Dong Shan carefully took it with his gloved right hand and placed it into a small materials testing device. The machine beeped twice.

[No match found in the system database. No reference price available.]

Jiang Momo blinked.

What does ‘no reference price’ mean? Is it worthless?

That can’t be right. She was sure it was valuable. That was why she brought it.

“That’s strange. This is the latest testing equipment. It should have data on all known materials,” Dong Shan muttered.

The machine was developed by their own boss and it held the most comprehensive database of materials in the Federation. He had never encountered something it couldn’t identify.

“Are you still willing to buy it?” Jiang Momo asked again.

If not, she had other things too.

“Yes, of course.” Dong Shan weighed the item in his hand. It wasn’t very heavy, only about 50 grams. “How about 5,000 star coins?”

If the machine couldn’t recognize it, there was a chance it was something rare. If it turned out to be valuable, then he’d have scored a deal.

“Five thousand?!” Jiang Momo didn’t fully understand how far credits went, so she roughly calculated based on what she knew and mumbled, “That’s like a thousand meat buns.

“Deal!” she said, looking up.

Dong Shan hesitated.

She agreed so quickly. Did he offer too much?

However, their trading center had a rule that the minimum transaction price was 5,000. Anything valued below that wouldn’t be accepted.

“I’ll transfer the money to you,” Dong Shan said, raising his wrist.

Jiang Momo handed over her bank card.

Rich people really don’t mind the hassle.

Dong Shan sighed inwardly as he took the card and tapped it against his light brain, transferring the money.

“Take care.” Dong Shan handed the card back with both hands. But when he looked up again, the girl was gone.

He scratched the back of his head in confusion. Holding the ore in his right hand, he turned around to put it in the storage box for later appraisal and nearly jumped in fright.

“Boss.” Dong Shan quickly lowered his head once he recognized the person.

That day was Ling Yelin’s scheduled inspection of the family business. After reading the financial report on the airship, he looked outside to rest his eyes and just happened to see Jiang Momo staring longingly at a bun shop by the roadside.

How strange. Someone in this day and age couldn’t even afford a five-star-coin meat bun?

The ship passed quickly and he didn’t give it much thought.

Then halfway through his inspection, he saw Jiang Momo again, leaving the entrance of the trading center, and the top salesman holding a piece of familiar black ore.

“She sold this to us?” Ling Yelin calmly took a disposable glove from the display cabinet and gently accepted the black ore, inspecting it. “This was a large transaction. Why didn’t I receive a payment report? What method did you use to pay her?”

How could someone who could casually produce a material of this level not afford food?

Ling Yelin grew curious.

Dong Shan felt a bad premonition surge in his chest at the boss’s question. “Is… is it valuable?”

Ling Yelin frowned. “How much did you pay for it?”

“Not much,” Dong Shan said weakly, holding up one hand.

“Five million?” Ling Yelin raised a brow. “That’s too low. We’re a big company. We can’t exploit customers just because they don’t know the value of what they have.”

Dong Shan was almost in tears. “F-Fi…”

“Fifty million? That’s a normal price. Then why didn’t—”

“…Five thousand star coins,” Dong Shan interrupted quickly, wishing he could bury his head in the ground.

Ling Yelin: …

“You really are something else. No wonder you’re the top salesman,” Ling Yelin said coldly. “This is a rare top-tier material used in S-grade mecha neural pathways. The Federation only produces 5 grams a year. Each gram is worth millions.”

“I’m sorry, boss. I didn’t recognize it.” Dong Shan bowed at a ninety-degree angle, dejected. “I’ll resign tomorrow.”

“No need to quit. But if she comes back again, treat her with the highest VIP service. Handle it yourself.” Ling Yelin gave the instructions and placed the ore into a nearby isolation box. “I’m going to return this to her.”

“Safe travels, boss!”

***

Jiang Momo jogged to the agreed meeting spot but looked around and couldn’t find anyone.

Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she leaned against the wall, a little disappointed.

“I wasn’t late, was I? Why didn’t he wait?” she mumbled.

As she muttered, a cold bottle of water appeared in front of her.

“Have some water,” E Mingjun said, a small smile tugging at his lips as he looked at her panting and out of breath.

Watching her run off just now, he knew she’d be thirsty when she returned, so he stopped by a store to buy water.

“Thanks!” Jiang Momo accepted it happily, opened the cap, and took a few gulps before handing him her bank card. “I’ve got money now! How much was the water? I’ll transfer it to you too. The password is six sixes.”

E Mingjun accepted the card with an amused expression. “You trust me that much? Giving me both the card and password?”

“You’re not a bad guy,” Jiang Momo said, taking another couple of gulps.

“That’s not necessarily true.” E Mingjun’s smile faded, his eyes dropped slightly, and his expression turned a bit grim.

Jiang Momo didn’t care. She was in a great mood and slapped his shoulder enthusiastically. “I’ve got good instincts. Trust me.”

The way she said it was a little strange.

But it left E Mingjun stunned. He had always been disliked since childhood. People instinctively distanced themselves from him. Even those who got close for various reasons eventually walked away in disgust. It was as if he’d been born with some invisible sin. It was the first time someone had spoken to him with such confident affirmation.

“I believe you,” E Mingjun said quietly, then transferred 20 star coins from her account. “The bottle was 10 star coins.”

Jiang Momo nearly crushed the bottle. “This water is that expensive?!”

“That’s how prices are on the Capital Star. I’ve never gotten used to it either.” E Mingjun returned the card to her, his attitude noticeably more relaxed. “Save up a bit more and buy a light brain. It’ll make things easier.”

“So you’re not from the Capital Star either?” Jiang Momo tucked the card into her bag and asked curiously.

“I’m from the Chaos Star System next to the Central Star System,” E Mingjun spoke as he watched her reaction closely.

He never told anyone where he was from, fearing they’d show fear or rejection.

As the name suggested, the Chaos Star System was practically abandoned by the Federation. Local warlords ruled the region, there was no law or order, and it was filled with ruthless outlaws. It was the birthplace of interstellar pirates and just hearing the name made most citizens steer clear.

After watching her face for a while and seeing no sign of rejection, E Mingjun relaxed and decided to ask about Jiang Momo’s background. “You’re from the Border Star System?”

Jiang Momo nodded. “…I think so.”