Guan Ning paid the bill impatiently.
This attitude was too strange. Nan Rong was very worried that he might have misunderstood something, so she confirmed with him again:
"Let's be clear first, this uniform is just a regular low-grade version, with no special resistances or features. Are you really willing to pay 2,000 Kao'en for it?"
Guan Ning understood. Her question was a matter of course. Everyone knew that Grey Mist Spiders were military-grade materials, and private transactions were forbidden, which was why they were so rare.
"Yes, what I like is its low-key, inconspicuous nature," he said.
Nan Rong had her smart brain record their conversation.
"Send me your size, and I'll give it to you tomorrow."
"So quickly?" Guan Ning was overjoyed. "As for those accessories and things, they don't need to be rushed."
"It's nothing, it won't take much time," Nan Rong replied. Little did she know that Guan Ning interpreted this as having a double meaning.
It turned out that in Nan Rong's eyes, it was no big deal for a Component Master capable of crafting extraordinary items to work overnight.
This made her image in his eyes instantly much more elevated.
"Classmate Nan Rong." Two students who had been standing by and listening to their conversation quietly squeezed forward, introducing themselves:
"My name is Shui Zhong Jin." The fair-skinned boy was a bit shy.
"Haidun." The blond young man squinted his blue eyes, smiling very gently. "Haidun Blan, nice to meet you."
Nan Rong had an impression of these two names. In the recent mini-test, they, like her, had scored full marks.
She nodded, "Me too."
Guan Ning glanced up at her, somewhat surprised that Nan Rong had no reaction to the surname Blan.
The Blan family was a prominent family in Hexi Province, and even on Xiluo Star.
The previous generation had accumulated enough capital, and one of the clan elders had already been promoted to a Seventh-class Citizen.
And Haidun was the most outstanding among the younger generation, with superior perception and intelligence, destined to shine brightly on the path of a Gene Optimizer.
He chose to come to Xiluo Xinghua University, rather than other schools in the planet's capital, simply to boost the popularity of his own university.
Yes, the Blan family was the largest shareholder of Xiluo Xinghua University.
This was something many classmates were well aware of, and they flattered Haidun immensely.
But Nan Rong seemed to have never heard of it—this was not the behavior expected of a local.
Guan Ning's smile became three parts more amiable and sincere.
He never imagined that for someone at the bottom of the Ninth-class citizens, hearing about a few First-class Citizens of the Federation would be a lot, let alone having the time and energy to pay attention to these so-called local families.
"We are friends with Guan Ning," Haidun said with a smile. "We'll be friends with you too from now on. Could you get us the same things you sold him?"
Nan Rong didn't understand why these two were so keen on her counterfeit products.
But there was no reason to refuse money that had already come her way.
To be safe, she repeated what she had told Guan Ning to the two of them, received their agreement, recorded it, and then collected the money with peace of mind.
With these 6,000 Kao'en, Nan Rong's financial pressure eased considerably.
She immediately paid the penalty for the illegal pre-deposit and planned to choose a cheap club when she returned.
Haidun was very enthusiastic and actively offered to treat Nan Rong to dinner, but she refused.
It wasn't that she didn't want to take advantage of the offer, but she was worried that after swindling these three fools, they would regret it.
Although she had the video as proof, and she could refuse to return the money, it would be troublesome if she ate their food.
Nan Rong was well aware of the principle that one's mouth is short when eating others' food, and one's hands are short when taking others' things.
Haidun and the other two were very considerate and respected her decision, escorting her out of the classroom together.
After they left, two girls who had been standing in the back row of the classroom stood up. One of them, whose originally beautiful face was now extremely contorted and ugly.
"Xue Li, don't be angry," the other girl comforted her. "Haidun won't have any other intentions towards her, he's just at his own university and has to say hello... Haven't you also heard that Nan Rong isn't an ordinary person?"She's just a liar," Xue Li said indignantly.
"You and I have seen the world. When have you ever seen a young lady/noble daughter dressed like that? Even the soles of her shoes were peeling off!"
"But you and I have both had people investigate. If she were really a low-class nobody, her background would have been exposed long ago."
"I just don't believe it!" Xue Li gritted her teeth. "If her file can't be found, you can try other methods! Didn't your brother say he knows a very capable private investigator? Help me contact him, money is not a problem!"
Wendy wasn't in the dormitory, so Nan Rong's dinner was still a Basic Energy Bar. The notice said that deductions were only made for eating outside three times a week, so she had at least one more chance to eat outside the cafeteria.
She had to save every Kao'en she could to persevere in this black school.
Xiluo Xinghua University had hundreds of clubs, covering various aspects such as hobbies, cultural and public welfare, academic research, professional development, and joint expeditions.
Nan Rong first looked at several clubs related to Gene Optimization. She found that the club fees, like tuition, were outrageously high, and there were other additional conditions:
Leap Through the Purple Moon (Joint Expedition): Club fee 12,000 Kao'en per year. Admission requirements: First Order Extraordinary Ability / Second Order martial artist / Gene Optimization student of second year or above.
Pure Stock Solution (Academic Research): Club fee 8,000 Kao'en per year. Admission requirements: Must have passed the Plant Expert certification.
Tranquil Wilderness (Joint Expedition): Club fee 7,000 Kao'en per year. Admission requirements: First Order martial artist / Extraordinary Awakened / Gene Optimization student (Intelligence >= 30, Perception >= 25 in entrance test).
Crackling Fireplace (Professional Development): Club fee 6,000 Kao'en per year. Admission requirements: Gene Optimization student.
...
Money was tight, so Nan Rong directly skipped the detailed introductions of these clubs and reordered them by club fee, looking from low to high... and then she discovered something depressing.
All the clubs with fees between 1,000 and 3,500 Kao'en, regardless of their nature, were already full and no longer recruiting.
Seeing that the clubs below turned gray, and the club with a fee of 3,800 Kao'en, which was immediately adjacent, flashed red, indicating only one spot left.
Nan Rong quickly clicked to register and paid the club fee, and then she looked at the club name and description... she almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Starry Sky Monster's Toy House (Professional Development). Recruitment requirements: First Order Component Master / Component enthusiast with extraordinary Talent (Note: must pass the personal assessment of the club president; no refunds for those with poor talent).
The last nine large characters struck Nan Rong's heart like a heavy hammer.
What a joke, Component Master talent! Even if she had mistakenly registered for Mecha Society or Ancient Martial Arts Society, she would have been confident in passing the assessment. Only in designing and manufacturing extraordinary items as a Component Master was she truly clueless!