The walls of the Inner City are still as majestic as ever.
Although on this wall, now full of grease stains and dirt, one could often spot the traces of repairs with wooden boards and iron sheets, the cast shadows still instilled an innate sense of awe in all those queueing up at the city gate.
Darkness had just faded and dawn was breaking, but a long queue had already formed at the city gate of South City, consisting of workers 'fortunate' enough to have secured jobs in some of the dirtier and more tiring positions within the Inner City.
Due to the disparity in identities and the high cost of living in the Inner City, the majority of these workers enter in the early morning and return at night.
Although the gate itself was wide, the part designated for the passage of these workers was less than half of its width. A much wider road lay adjacent, offering direct access to the Inner City, yet they still had to queue and wind their way around the walls and buildings inside.
They had to be checked to ensure they weren't carrying any weapons or prohibited items, and they also had to make sure they weren't excessively dirty. Only after passing these tedious procedures could they officially enter the Inner City.
Among the crowd, women cradling infants were not uncommon, and pregnant women were also in line, slowly moving forward with the queue.
"Lan, you were supposed to be able to rest for another two days, but there's really no help for it, alas..."
An old man with snow-white hair and a face etched with the ravages of time, standing in front of Tao Lan, spoke with a tone tinged with a sigh.
"I know, Xiao Mei is also having a hard time, it's her first child, right?"
Tao Lan's somewhat delicate face was a bit pale, and she looked a little weak, but when she looked down at the scrawny monkey-like baby in the cloth pocket at her chest, a glimmer of maternal radiance still flickered across her face.
This job was hard to come by, and she and her family could not afford the loss of it.
"Later, I'll allocate you to block number eight, the work there is a bit lighter. After we finish, we'll come help you," said the little old man, likely their foreman, who had made some adjustments.
The company had certain favorable policies for pregnant women and nursing mothers, whether a bit of extra on their Yuan Force points or in the job allocation.
But, that was all relative!
"Alright, thank you, Uncle San."
Tao Lan's face brightened with a smile. The foreman was her father-in-law's cousin, who usually looked after her to some extent.
But the fact remained that the work had to be done. Facing a premature birth, there was really no way around it.
As long as she didn't step back, there were plenty of people scrambling to take her place.
The job was secure and stable, and the salary was even higher than what her parents earned, making it a rare and desirable position.
Especially for a woman with ordinary talents like herself and no other particular skills.
"Lan, how long do you think it will take for us to get a work card like your brother-in-law's? Then we could enter directly from the side into the Inner City."
A young man behind her, enviously watching the few people occasionally passing quickly through the wide adjacent path, said.
Tao Yu's presence had caused a little commotion in the line.
There was even a spreading trend.
This prompted the guards at the city gate to come over and scold them.
"What's going on, what's the noise for, keep it down."
It was only with the guards' scolding that the noise was suppressed.
Perhaps having heard their conversation, the guard who looked at Tao Yu nodded and did not tell him to move away from the queue.
At that moment, Tao Yu also took out his partnership certificate.
"Can I enter the city with this?"
The guard glanced at the certificate, then at the watch on Tao Yu's wrist, and his expression softened considerably.
"You can. Do you have any identity chips in your watch? Just scan it later, you don't need to carry this certificate with you all the time."
"I do, thank you."
This guard, who was usually very cold and serious towards the people in line, was kinder to Tao Yu.
"Later, you can download an Inner City notice at the entrance, which spells out some general precautions. Junior partners can directly enter the city, but if there's no ongoing task, you need to leave the city at night."
"Alright."
Tao Yu nodded at the guard, then turned to Tao Lan and asked,
"Sis, where is your work area? I'll come over and help you after I'm done."
"I'm not that fragile. This is already the fourth one," Tao Lan rolled her eyes at Tao Yu, but hesitated before saying,
"I'm in Street Block Eight. You can come and see me if you're free, but you don't need to help. You should spend your time improving yourself, doing work like this is beneath you."
"Yeah, young man, don't waste your talent. A Grade talent, that's truly remarkable,"
The white-haired third uncle also felt a bit sentimental, a look of melancholy and envy in his eyes.
If only he had an ordinary combat talent, not even a Grade A, maybe he could have mixed in as a city fortress guard or something.
Alas... his talents were wasted, and his children had only average talents. Now it was up to the grandchildren to see if any of them could possess a better talent.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't be around to see it...