The strongest intermediary in all realms

Zhou Ming was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

He groggily lifted his head from the chair, feeling a stiff neck. When he twisted it, it made a crisp cracking sound. He had slept like this all night, and his back and waist ached.

The sky outside was already bright, and the sunlight shining through the cleaned window was almost blinding—he had casually wiped the dust off the window before leaving yesterday, and he hadn't expected it to have such a significant effect.

"Coming, coming," he said, rubbing his neck as he went to open the door.

Standing outside the door was the same man from last night. Compared to yesterday, he had clearly washed up and his hair was more neatly combed, but the dark circles under his eyes were even deeper, indicating that he had stayed up all night.

When he saw Zhou Ming open the door, his lips moved twice, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Zhou Ming stepped aside: "Come in and sit down."

The man followed him into the office, his gaze immediately locking onto the celadon bottle on the desk. He stopped in his tracks, then rushed forward, his hands trembling as he picked up the bottle, uncorked it, and a bitter, fragrant aroma wafted out.

He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

"This...is this the Love Flower?"

"Three dried flower stamens." Zhou Ming leaned against the table, arms crossed. "The Valley Master gave them to me personally. He said that drying them for a full month would preserve their medicinal properties. Go back and find a reliable doctor to prepare a prescription; it should be usable."

The man's eyes were visibly red. He didn't say thank you, but carefully tucked the porcelain bottle into his coat, placing it close to his skin, and then took a thick envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"This is... what I scraped together, not much." His voice was a little hoarse. "You took a risk coming here, I can't let you work for nothing."

Zhou Ming glanced at the envelope; it was about ten thousand yuan thick. For a father who had spent all his savings to treat his daughter's illness, this was probably all he had to offer.

He pushed the envelope back: "I said the first order would be free."

"No." The man shook his head, stubbornly insistent. "I've inquired; the 'ticket' for crossing the passage on the black market starts at 30,000, and there's no guarantee of a safe return. You went through safely and came back safely last night, bringing the medicine; I can't owe you that favor."

Zhou Ming gave a helpless laugh. He thought for a moment, opened the drawer, pulled out a few thin bills from the envelope, about a thousand yuan, and pushed the rest back over.

"I'll charge a service fee of one thousand, that's the gist of it. Take the rest back and buy some supplements for Xiaoyue." He paused, then added, "If the effects of the medicine are confirmed later, please mention in your 'patient support group' that the Odd Jobs Shop can source otherworldly medicinal herbs. Consider it a finishing charge."

The man paused for several seconds, then nodded heavily.

"Definitely." He put the remaining money back in his pocket, stood up, and extended his right hand to Zhou Ming. "My name is Chen Jianguo. I repair electrical appliances at the Chengnan Electromechanical Market. If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word."

Zhou Ming shook hands with him. Chen Jianguo's hands were rough and dry, with thick calluses on his palms—an ordinary person who made a living honestly with his skills.

After seeing Chen Jianguo off, Zhou Ming closed the door and returned to his desk. Xiao Qi floated out of the system space, her twin ponytails swaying, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Oh, the great philanthropist is back?"

"Stop being so sarcastic." Zhou Ming picked up the thin wad of bills and patted it in his hand. "A thousand yuan, enough to pay for this month's water, electricity, and instant noodles."

Xiao Qi snorted, but despite her sarcastic remarks, her actions betrayed her, bringing up the system panel. The screen unfolded, displaying a line of golden text:

The quest "Purchasing Love Flowers in the Valley of Heartbreak in the Divine Realm" has been completed.

[Customer Review: ★★★★★ (“I can never repay this life-saving kindness”)]

Credit rating upgrade: E→D

[First-time task reward: System function unlocked - Customer information retrieval]

Account Balance: 0 Universal Points (Commissions are not included due to promotional activities)

"Customer information retrieval?" Zhou Ming became interested.

Xiaoqi snapped her fingers, and the screen switched to an interface similar to a search engine, with an input box in the middle.

"Now you can enter the name or characteristics of any known customer, and the system will search for related information within your business coverage area," Xiaoqi explained. "For example, if you want to know if Chen Jianguo is reliable, you can find out with a simple search. This will make background checks much easier before taking on big deals in the future."

Zhou Ming nodded and casually typed "Chen Jianguo" into the search box. A few seconds later, a simplified profile popped up on the panel:

Name: Chen Jianguo

Age: 34

[Occupation: Self-employed appliance repairman]

[Related Information: Divorced from wife (wife left after daughter fell ill), raising daughter alone for three years, sold property to raise funds for treatment, currently renting in an old residential area in the south of the city]

Credit Score: B (Reliable and trustworthy, but facing financial difficulties)

Zhou Ming stared at the screen in silence for a while.

"So, Xiaoyue is his only family in this world."

"Hmm." Xiao Qi, unusually quiet, spoke in a softer voice. "So, I didn't stop you from taking this order yesterday."

Zhou Ming turned off the control panel, stood up, and stretched. His joints cracked.

"Alright, that's enough with the sentimentality." He walked over to the tattered cardboard box left behind by "Yongsheng Trading Company," rummaged through it, found half a stack of unprinted blank A4 paper, and then spent a long time finding a pen that was almost out of ink.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Qi floated over and asked.

"Do GG." Zhou Ming scribbled on the table, the handwriting messy but legible—

"Yorozuya Real Estate Agency: We handle cross-industry business. No matter what world you're in or what problems you encounter, as long as your needs are reasonable, we can help you connect with resources and open up channels. Safe, reliable, and honest. First consultation is free during our opening period. Address: 3rd Floor, No. 87 Wutong Road, Yuecheng District. Contact Person: Mr. Zhou."

A smaller line was added below: "PS: Lighters for elixirs, cola for talismans, real cases available."

He stuck the paper on the windowpane, so that it faced the street from the outside.

"That's it?" Xiao Qi looked at him like he was an idiot. "You expect a passing time traveler to look up and see the handwritten 'GG' on your window?"

"This is called offline expansion." Zhou Ming dusted off his hands. "Once we have our first batch of Universal Points, I'll create a pinned post on the 'Transmigrator Forum.' For now..."

Before he could finish speaking, a voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Excuse me, is this... Yorozuya Real Estate Agency?"

Zhou Ming and Xiao Qi turned their heads at the same time.

The door wasn't closed completely, leaving a crack. At that moment, someone pushed the crack open from the outside, revealing the face of a young girl. She looked to be in her early twenties, with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a blue vest printed with "Transmigration Management Bureau - Intern," and holding a flyer in her hand—the one Zhou Ming had just posted, which she had peeled off.

The girl's expression was somewhere between curiosity and suspicion.

"I saw a 'GG' sign on the window, saying they can handle cross-industry business?" She peeked in, looked around, her gaze sweeping across the dilapidated office before finally settling on Zhou Ming. "Are you the boss?"

Zhou Ming looked her up and down for three seconds and noticed a badge embroidered on the left chest of her blue vest—a shield with a portal in the center—the official symbol of the Transcendent Administration.

But the girl's demeanor didn't seem like that of someone enforcing the law; she seemed more like... someone who was lost.

"I'm the boss," Zhou Ming forced a professional smile. "What do you need?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"My name is Lin Xiaowan, and I'm an intern at the Yuecheng District office of the Administration Bureau." She lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard, "Um... I have a personal question I'd like to ask."

"Please speak."

Lin Xiaowan took a photo out of her pocket and placed it on the table. The photo showed an ancient-style longsword with a dark green scabbard engraved with intricate patterns.

"My family's 'Green Wave Sword' is said to have been left behind by a master during the Republic of China era, and it holds some kind of secret," Lin Xiaowan said, rubbing her fingers together. "But after my grandfather passed away, no one in my family could use this sword to achieve any special effects. I checked the information at the Bureau and found that the runes on this sword look very much like something from a 'fantasy world,' not a product of Earth. I want to know which world this sword comes from, and what its secret is."

She looked up, her eyes gleaming with urgency: "The Bureau's official procedures require multiple layers of approval, and I can't wait that long. I've heard there are private intermediaries who can bypass the process and directly connect me to information from another world... Can you help me?"

Zhou Ming and Xiao Qi exchanged a glance.

Xiao Qi silently typed a line on the system panel: [Client identity is sensitive (Intern at the Bureau), but the requirements are clear. Preliminary scan: The runes on the sword do contain residual energy from a Xianxia (fantasy/martial arts) dimension, but it's very weak, possibly connecting to a higher-level world.]

Zhou Ming pondered for a moment, then nodded to Lin Xiaowan.

"I can help. But for clients with official backgrounds, I have one condition."

"What?"

"Do me a favor, look up a name in the Administration's internal system." Zhou Ming remembered that before he transmigrated last night, Xiao Qi had mentioned being "caught by eyes in the shadows"—although he wasn't sure what it was, he wanted to find out beforehand. "The name is 'All-Heavens Purger.' Search the internal retrieval system to see if there are any related records. You don't need in-depth information, just the word itself will do."

Lin Xiaowan tilted her head, seemingly weighing the pros and cons, and finally gritted her teeth: "Deal. But about the sword... how will you investigate?"

Zhou Ming smiled and put the photo into his pocket.

"Just wait."

He turned to look out the window. The sunlight shone directly on the handwritten "GG" sticker on the window, making the handwriting appear even brighter.

The second order has arrived.