If he didn't leave here now, Dulin would face the attack of several thugs holding weapons. Although he came from the countryside and looked a bit straightforward, he was definitely not a fool.

Watching crazy Wisen rushing over with a knife, Dulin turned around and ran away. He didn't think his flesh arms and legs could withstand the sharp iron weapon.

One person ran in front, several people chased behind. After chasing for almost two streets, the people behind were panting and running intermittently. They watched as Dulin continued to run quickly and disappeared at the street corner, making it difficult for them to breathe. They were gang members, not athletes; they might be good at fighting or killing but really bad at running.

"Um...what's that kid's name?" Crazy Wisen leaned against the roadside lamp post like an exhausted dog panting heavily with his tongue out. His chest was burning painfully partly because rapid breathing made the mucous membrane in his trachea dry and tense while another part was due to being angry.

His follower beside him bent over with hands on knees also said intermittently: "It seems...his name is...Dulin?"

After stopping running for a long distance, Wisen felt better. He slashed his knife on the lamppost which sparked off some sparks,"Let our men find him!"

Dulin who had run far away finally stopped gasping for breath but feeling uncomfortable not because he might face retaliation from gangs nor because of running difficulties but because he lost an opportunity that could lead him to success.

He punched on the wall by roadside cursing these damn gang members who were really hateful.

At same time there was still one question in his mind - what exactly is Anlefei?

Since coming to this city nothing went smoothly except earning one dollar on first day; no one wanted to hire him nor did any money-making opportunities arise. He had to stay in the bridge hole every day enDuling the unpleasant smell. The food he ate was also the cheapest whole wheat bread which was harder than bricks and could only leave a few white spots when hit by stones. The water he drank was pumped from underground by roadside pumps, and for half a month, he hadn't even eaten a hot meal.

Finally finding an opportunity that could fulfill his life's wish but it was destroyed by these people.

Feeling somewhat depressed, he returned to the bridge hole after circling around two streets needing to think quietly about his future path. But when he approached the bridge hole, he froze because there were many wild dogs and rats near it so after cleaning up the bridge hole, Dulin made a simple door with an abandoned piece of wood blocking off the entrance before leaving so that those mice or wild dogs wouldn't sneak in and destroy his backpack or clothes.

But now... the door panel has already cracked and was thrown aside. He ran into the bridge tunnel, and instantly became disheartened.

Everything was gone, including that damn cigarette box. He had hidden the cigarette box behind a loose brick, but now that brick was under his feet and the small metal box was nowhere to be found.

For almost a month, nothing had gone according to plan. He sat slumped against the wall of the bridge tunnel with a defeated look on his face, hands covering his face.

Why?

Is this God's torture for me?

He first entertained thoughts of returning to the countryside and living an ordinary life forever. But soon after, these thoughts were engulfed by a raging fire. Slowly releasing his hands from his face, he clenched them tightly into fists as his eyes twitched several times.

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No, I can't just go back like this! This isn't God's torture for me; it's His test! If I charge forward, there will be a bright path ahead of me. If I fall here today, I'll always be seen as an unpopular country bumpkin! God has given me precious wealth; how could I let myself sink into depravity? Nothing can stop me - they're just some difficulties! Come on then - let's fight until one of us dies!

He touched the four five-cent coins in his pocket, turned and left the bridge. His thoughts were no longer about how to quickly become a respectable person in high society, but rather how to survive in this city and find a path towards his ideals.

"Are you sure?" An elderly man with graying hair and a gold-rimmed reading glasses lowered his head and looked up at him. The old man was dressed very elegantly, with a tasteful suit and white shirt that exuded an air of nobility. In response to the old man's inquiry, Dulin nodded vigorously.

This was the recruitment office for steam locomotives at the train station. Steam locomotives were similar to trains in Dulin's dreams, both requiring rails but having different power sources. Trains used boilers burning coal or other fuels to generate steam that propelled heavy cars forward while steam locomotives used something called "Yaojing" as their power source. By simply placing Yaojing into the mechanical feeder along with some catalysts, it could continuously release unimaginable amounts of heat and gas.

At this point, adding some water will create steam. This includes cars on the road and large machinery on construction sites - almost any machine that uses raw materials made from Yaojing.

To Dulin, Taniel City may seem like a bustling metropolis, but to the entire empire it is just a small border town with little to offer besides food and animal skins.

Oh, and alcohol.

Despite being a small border town, "Taniel Station" is an important part of the entire empire's rail transportation system. Steam locomotives pass through here every day unloading or loading large amounts of goods before leaving again.

Both loading and unloading require manual labor. It is said that in some of the most prosperous cities in the empire, machines have replaced human labor for certain jobs which has led to more than one protest.

Of course, in such rural areas as this one, manual labor is obviously cheaper.

Manual laborers are always at the bottom rung of work. Who would want to spend so much time and energy earning meager wages when they have skills?

So when Dulin came to apply for a job as a porter, station manager Krien needed confirmation several times over.

"You can call me Krien," he said while taking out a contract from his drawer and placing it on his desk. "Before you start working here you need to sign an agreement stating that you will work at least six months at this station. If you leave for any reason within those six months then you must pay fifty yuan penalty."

He continued: "Your monthly salary will be 1.5 yuan plus two cents bonus per standard item transported by yourself."

"In addition," he added while turning around the agreement document with his index finger pointing towards its top edge: "We'll provide accommodation for you along with two meals each day without additional cost."

"If there are no objections then please sign here," Krien said after signing the agreement himself with Dulin Kasuma's name. He then took out a red ink pad and said: "Although it may sound strange, I think you should learn how to read newspapers and write your own name while you're still young."

Dulin hesitated for a moment before admitting: "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to write my name."

Krien raised his eyebrows without any hint of ridicule on his face. He nodded slightly and replied: "Don't worry child, many people who work here can't even write their own names."

He turned the contract back around again and asked Dulin to leave an imprint of his hand in red ink.

"Although this might sound...," he paused for a moment before continuing: "...I believe that learning can improve one's character and knowledge. There is a place where older people are taught at very low prices. Of course, whether or not you can learn anything from such cheap places depends entirely on yourself."

Just as he was about to end the conversation, Krien suddenly remembered something else.

"Oh yes! After signing the agreement, you will be considered an employee of this station. In a few days' time there may be union representatives coming to see you - my advice is not to take them too seriously."

He smiled while putting away the signed document into his drawer before clasping both hands together on top of his desk.

"Alright then, you may go now. Before 5am tomorrow morning please report to our warehouse at Taniel Station where someone will tell you what needs doing."