Chapter 34 Not Short of People, But Need People
"Are you short of people here?" Borei seemed overly proactive, leaving Bai Mu somewhat bewildered. He saw that the Bureau of Processing had quite a few people on its side.
"It's not that we're short of people, but that we need people in many places."
"Then aren't we still short of people?"
"How can you say we're short of people when it comes to Dreamwalkers? You're different from ordinary people." Borei indicated that the Bureau of Processing truly didn't lack Dreamwalkers.
The main reason was that after a Dreamwalker intervened in a different dream, they could leave by finding a place where they wouldn't be observed. Such a place was easy to find; even in a vast wilderness, as long as there were no intelligent beings in the surrounding environment, it was considered unobservable.
If there were too many animals around, and they were being forcefully observed, they could simply dig a hole and bury themselves. A skilled Dreamwalker could escape the different dream before suffocating.
However, Dreamwalkers who escaped a different dream rarely returned to the one they intervened in; they basically only had one chance to enter.
It wasn't that they couldn't re-enter, but rather that the time interval between re-entries was too long—long enough that it wasn't worth re-entering. This behavior didn't prevent Dreamwalkers from intervening in the next different dream.
Therefore, the Bureau's Dreamwalker manpower is not actually insufficient.
When contacting alternate dreams, Dreamwalkers mainly 'scout ahead'. Relying on their initiative, they intervene in the alternate dream, quickly understand the situation, and then leave with as much information and resources as possible.
After reporting, the Bureau will arrange for regular personnel to handle or explore the alternate dream.
Matt, Eller, and other newcomers are the Bureau's main personnel. They are not Dreamwalkers, but they have experience in contacting alternate dreams and are physically fit.
Sending them into alternate dreams to explore yields similar results to Dreamwalkers, except that Dreamwalkers are more likely to avoid being eroded by Dream Erosion when bringing out items.
If more items need to be brought out, a group of Dreamwalkers can be sent in to retrieve them after the alternate dream has been explored sufficiently. They can
leave immediately after retrieving the items, without wasting much of the Dreamwalkers' time.
Dreamwalkers are used for mine detection, transportation, and adventure; unless absolutely necessary, regular personnel should handle these tasks.
Those powerful figures are reluctant to part with Dreamwalkers, so while the Bureau doesn't lack Dreamwalkers, it still needs more.
Even with Bai Mu, this wild Dreamwalker, Bo Lei isn't sure how long he can maintain his wild status. He might not be taken in by the Bureau, but he could be acquired by another large company.
As long as someone is a Dreamwalker, even if illiterate, they are still shining gold.
But Bo Lei thinks Bai Mu should be able to maintain his wild Dreamwalker status for a while longer; he's clearly referring to the fact that being a wild Dreamwalker is a habit.
He's been contacting alternate dreams alone, trying to obtain items and knowledge from them. Not only is he solitary, but he must also be relatively new to the profession, or perhaps a Dreamwalker himself.
"Then let's meet tomorrow afternoon."
After resolving one matter, Bai Mu returned to his residence. He took out the vial of enhanced virus; although it was generated from mist, Bai Mu still didn't think it was very reliable.
He could keep the items for now and have them appraised by the processing bureau before considering their use. He didn't mind if he didn't get a chance to use them; as long as he encountered new alternate dreams, he'd have plenty of opportunities to become stronger. Using viruses for enhancement was always the worst option.
"I'll buy a small refrigerator to store these things... but does this world even have refrigerators?"
This world was still years removed from the modern era he knew, but the alternate dreams had brought too many special things. The processing bureau could even access information through storage disks, which meant they had already mastered computers.
"How could I have been so stupid back then?" Bai Mu tapped his head. What kind of conscience did he have? An entire city had become zombies, and he casually acquired a laptop or two... charging would be a problem too. The next morning, Bai Mu went to the Dream Experience Store. Having already dealt with the Bureau of Processing, he felt more confident returning.
"Hello," the store manager, Lily, greeted him warmly as a 'regular customer.' "What would you like to buy this time?"
"I need something that can maintain a consistently low temperature. Okay, I'll take a refrigerator," Bai Mu said, somewhat awkwardly, clearly stating his purpose.
When interacting with Borei, he needed to appear like a local, not completely ignorant, but also not pretending to know just because he saw something.
Even when Borei mentioned yesterday that the storage drive wasn't encrypted, Bai Mu didn't show any curiosity.
He knew they had computers; why would he tell them he had one before his transmigration?
"We have replica refrigerators here, with the same cooling effect, but a stable power supply is needed to use them properly," Lily said with a smile.
This store overlooked Rota Avenue and primarily catered to the wealthy residents. If they knew something and asked, the store would provide it; otherwise, they would only deal with the regular merchandise.
She didn't need to specifically inform the wealthy; their circles were well-connected. If a rich person came here and didn't know about the corresponding 'dream items,' either they were a newly arrived nouveau riche or they hadn't integrated into the circle.
Bai Mu wasn't exactly wealthy, yet he could bring in unregulated dream items. Where those items came from wasn't important; what mattered was that they were unregulated.
She needed a new source of goods.
"Then I'll wait a bit longer." Having something was enough; Bai Mu was thinking that if he could get the money today, he could soon have his own house, and then a stable power supply wouldn't be a problem.
"Okay, you can come to me anytime if you need anything. Don't forget me if you have any unregulated goods either. If you're not satisfied with the price, we can discuss it 'privately.'"
That "privately" tone was quite interesting.
With money in his pocket, Bai Mu didn't go home but went back to the real estate agency. Upon seeing him, the middle-aged agent spat out his water.
"Why are you here again?"
"I want to look at apartments."
The agent knowingly pulled out an agreement: "You can't handle this? It's clearly stated in the agreement that rent will be deducted if you cancel the purchase."
"No, it's not that. I want to see if there are any suitable apartments. I might buy one later."
The agent fell silent. He carefully observed Bai Mu, and after confirming that Bai Mu wasn't playing a trick on him, he straightened his collar: "I was rude earlier. Which apartments do you want to look at? Rota Avenue?"
"Are there any?"
The middle-aged agent smiled at Bai Mu: "Of course not! What do you think that place is?"
Elsewhere, apartments are waiting for buyers, but near Rota Avenue, people are waiting for apartments. Even if there are apartments available, Bai Mu won't be there. The agency has many VIP clients.
The deep impressions Bai Mu left on him were nothing compared to VIP clients. Even at Oak Apartments, where the strange dream incident happened, the owner had no intention of selling the apartment!
(End of Chapter)