Zhou Tianming stared at Wei Jun with a deadpan expression.
After a long staring contest, Wei Jun's mouth fell open. "You actually want to become a Junk Dealer?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nobody treats junk dealing as a main profession—it's always a side gig..." Wei Jun suddenly had an epiphany. "Oh—you want to be one of those old-school Junk Dealers, right?"
"Old-school? There are categories for Junk Dealers now? Like beggar clans?"
Wei Jun gave him a look of exasperation and reached out to pat Zhou Tianming's head. "You must've heard those rumors about Junk Dealers before getting this idea."
Zhou Tianming sidestepped the gesture, eyeing Wei Jun's hand. "Old man, keep your hands to yourself when we're talking."
Wei Jun's lips twitched as he withdrew his hand to rub his nose instead. "Old-school Junk Dealers refer to the legendary ones—those who maintain neutrality, possess Permits, and remain immune to attacks from other nations."
Zhou Tianming looked puzzled. "Aren't all Junk Dealers like that?"
Rolling his eyes, Wei Jun retorted, "You think it's that simple? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to obtain both a Permit and immunity from attacks?"
"Maintaining neutrality isn't just lip service—it requires decades of accumulated reputation. Only then will nations issue Passcodes to Junk Dealers."
"Most Junk Dealers nowadays are part-timers. They salvage unidentified wreckage they stumble upon in space for extra cash. Even pure scrap can be melted down for materials. If they find nothing, they console themselves by saying they're contributing to cosmic cleanliness."
Hearing this, Zhou Tianming realized he'd oversimplified things. Ordinary Junk Dealers were essentially glorified garbage collectors—they could operate without recognition as long as they had a spaceship.
But what he wanted was to become an old-school Junk Dealer with free passage and immunity from attacks. The problem was, judging by Wei Jun's explanation, achieving that status seemed incredibly difficult.
As Zhou Tianming pondered this, Wei Jun raised another question. "You mentioned wanting to buy a spaceship—do you have a Spaceship Purchase License?"
"Huh?" Zhou Tianming tilted his head in confusion. "Why would I need a license to buy a spaceship?"
Wei Jun smacked his forehead. "You really came here knowing absolutely nothing? Kid looks smart but acts so clueless."
Zhou Tianming felt a pang of frustration—this was his oversight. The original story never mentioned these details, and he hadn't considered them either. Now he'd made a complete fool of himself.
"Just like how you need permits to buy weapons, strategic assets like spaceships naturally require licenses too—much stricter ones at that. It's not something money alone can buy."
With Wei Jun leading the way, Zhou Tianming's sharp mind immediately grasped the reasoning behind this.
Owning a spaceship meant having both offensive and defensive capabilities in space—just as he wanted to buy one, so did others.
Sighing, Zhou Tianming said helplessly, "This is to restrict pirates, isn't it?"
"Exactly." Wei Jun nodded, his face showing approval. "If buying and selling were unrestricted, space would be in complete chaos. Even so, it's impossible to fully control. Now you understand why there's such a big difference between current junk dealers and the established ones, right?"
"Got it."
The so-called junk dealers nowadays were just a front—who knew if they were pirates or involved in other shady dealings?
Zhou Tianming glanced at the crowd around them, all seemingly friendly, but who knew what they'd be like if they met in space?
This was tricky—really tricky. Zhou Tianming had no choice but to ask Wei Jun for advice: "How do you get a Spaceship Purchase License?"
"Not giving up, huh?"
Zhou Tianming's tone was firm. "Not giving up."
"Hahaha, I like that attitude in a kid!" Wei Jun laughed heartily. "Come on, let's find a place to sit, and I'll explain it properly."
The two left the used spaceship market, and Wei Jun led Zhou Tianming to a metal building covered in rust patches.
Inside, it turned out to be a restaurant. The moment they entered, the aroma of greasy, savory dishes filled the air, accompanied by the sizzle of oil in a wok.
"Authentic East Asian cuisine. If you're craving home-style food, this is the place. The owner can cook dishes from all over—just ask if it's not on the menu."
Zhou Tianming nodded, his mouth watering from the smell. He swallowed hard and forced his attention back. "Let's talk about the Spaceship Purchase License."
Wei Jun shook his head in amusement, loudly ordering a few side dishes and a bottle of liquor. "What do you want to eat? My treat."
Zhou Tianming ordered a bowl of boiled fish. "I'll pay."
"Haha, forgot you're a rich kid. Fine."
Soon, the two ate while chatting.
Wei Jun took a swig of liquor from his bowl. "There are two types of purchase licenses—one issued by the Atlantic Federation, the other by East Asia."
Hearing this, Zhou Tianming immediately dismissed the East Asian option. "Tell me about the Atlantic one. East Asia's requirements must be too high."
"Youngsters these days, always in such a hurry. The East Asian license is harder to get, but the benefits are greater."
"I'd still rather hear about the Atlantic one first."
"The Atlantic one just requires money—"
Zhou Tianming straightened up, his expression serious. "On second thought, maybe hearing about East Asia's requirements wouldn't hurt."
Wei Jun chuckled, picking up some side dishes with his chopsticks. "Truth is, if you have the right connections, you can buy a spaceship without a license. Otherwise, where do you think pirates get their ships? But if you want to follow the path of the established junk dealers, you have to go the official route."
"The reason East Asia's license has high requirements is because other nations recognize it. With East Asia backing it, that reputation alone is worth the price."
Zhou Tianming nodded in agreement. At its core, it was a matter of credibility—similar to how established junk dealers had national passes and immunity from attacks.
"So, what do I need to do?"
"First is the political review—they'll investigate whether your family has any serious criminal records, politically incorrect tendencies, or mental illnesses..."
Wei Jun rattled off a long list of requirements.
Zhou Tianming felt slightly dizzy listening to it all.
I just want to buy a ship, not apply for a government job.
"Difficult, huh?"
He nodded. "Anything simpler?"
"Make a significant contribution to the nation."
Abandoned that idea.
"Maybe we should just talk about the Atlantic Federation's options."
"There's not much to say about the Atlantic Federation. They'll sell to anyone who pays, but they also have tiers. If you buy the low-tier ones, many types of ships won't even be available."
"East Asia, the Atlantic Federation—the Three Council Nations also include Eurasia, right? Can't they issue permits?"
"Eurasia is just the Atlantic Federation's lapdog. They'd love to issue permits, but no one recognizes them."
Wei Jun's tone was full of disdain.
Afterward, Zhou Tianming carefully asked many basic questions, gaining a deeper understanding of Junk Dealers—but also feeling even more overwhelmed.
Becoming a Junk Dealer wasn't urgent for Zhou Tianming. Even if he couldn't join the established factions, working part-time in the newer groups was fine. What mattered were the two key privileges of Junk Dealers—useful if discovered, irrelevant if not.
But not being able to get a ship was a major problem. After the recent incident, he felt the outside world was too dangerous and wanted a mobile fortress to call home.
After parting ways with Wei Jun, he kept thinking about this all the way back.
Time—5:47 PM.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw the food laid out on the table and Zhou Hanxiang sitting quietly by it, smiling.
Oh no.
Zhou Tianming immediately put on a cutesy voice: "Mommy~ I'm home."
"Did you have fun chatting with Uncle Wei? So engrossed you forgot to even contact me or come home."
He froze, breaking into a cold sweat. "You already knew?"
"When I got back and didn't see you, I knew you'd run off again. Took me forever to find out you were with Wei Jun—"
"Mom!" Zhou Tianming suddenly cut her off, his expression serious and earnest. "I realized I was thinking too simplistically before. Thanks to Uncle Wei, we uncovered a lot of issues. We should discuss our plans moving forward."
"Sure, but before that..."
"Mom, I'm still a child!"
"Then you should behave like one and listen obediently."
Zhou Hanxiang grabbed his ear and dragged him into the room.
"AHHH!!!"
A scream echoed out.