Chapter 1414: The Engagement Warm-Up
"If you want to make better items, you need a better artificer," Xu Huo said.
"Of course," the boss said, happy to have a customer at the door and willing to chat a bit more. "Custom-made items depend on the success rate. There are also cases where you hand over materials to an artificer and end up losing them entirely—that depends on luck."
Xu Huo nodded. After walking out, he was stopped by two young girls. "Sir, would you like to buy a flower patch?"
What they called a flower patch was actually a palm-sized brooch made from small petals glued together. It was more convenient than traditional brooches—you could just stick it directly onto your clothes. The center of the brooch contained small electronic components, and miniature petals were used to create a variety of patterns. The popular design today was a pair of lovers leaning against each other. Xu Huo had already seen many people wearing such brooches.
"This can stay fresh for ten days."
"If you meet a girl you like, you can take off the patch and it will revert into a platinum flower symbolizing love, blessing you with romance!"
Many young women were buying these, but since they had already stuck one on his clothes, he had no choice but to pay.
"Recently, the Platinum Eye's love fortune has been booming. Sir, you're sure to find love here!" the two girls said sweetly.
Xu Huo smiled and thanked them, then took a flyer from their hands. "The Magic Eye Fortune-Telling Hut is very accurate! The Magic Eye Goddess predicted last year that our Platinum Eye's little princess would bloom with the flower of love this year, and it turned out exactly right. It's on Two-Fifths Avenue, not far from here!"
Xu Huo was planning to go to Two-Fifths Avenue anyway. After leaving One-Fifth Avenue, he found an automatic aircraft and got on, using the onboard message collection terminal to check the Platinum Eye's artificer ranking list.
The public ranking was based on the industry qualification certificates artificers obtained in the Platinum Eye. The Platinum Eye did not recognize artificer certificates from other districts, so any artificer wanting to operate publicly had to retake the exams here. This was considered a list with high credibility, and it also published the artificers' areas of expertise and representative items they had made.
The artificers on this list were guaranteed in terms of quality and reputation. There was no risk of them taking a customer's materials and running off or secretly swapping them for inferior goods—if such a thing happened, the Platinum Eye would permanently revoke the artificer's license. The name "Platinum Eye" itself was a seal of credibility. Anyone holding a Platinum Eye certificate could work in officially backed institutions at many wormhole points without needing additional certification, providing a very relaxed living environment for artificers.
Xu Huo scrolled down and saw another list recommended by other netizens.
Alongside the list backed by government credibility, there was naturally an unofficial list. Those on this list generally lacked proper certificates. The reasons for lacking certificates varied, but they had built a certain reputation through the items they made. They were the preferred choice for players looking to save money and time. Of course, some of these artificers specialized in making "abnormal" items, which were quite popular.
The unofficial list carried higher risks. Buying some finished items directly was fine, but handing over materials for custom orders was unnecessary.
After roughly reviewing this information, he flipped through the Platinum Eye's recent hot news.
The news about a robbery of weapons worth hundreds of millions a few months ago was already outdated. No one was discussing it now. What was flooding the screens was the engagement of the Platinum Eye's little princess.
The only one who could be called the Platinum Eye's little princess was the mayor's daughter. It was said that her fiancé was a member of a family from another district that also mastered high-precision machinery crafting. He was not only handsome and dashing but also young and promising, and in the near future, he would inherit his family's mines—truly the ideal lover in the hearts of countless young women.
The engagement banquet would be held three months later, and the mayor was even building an unprecedented new starship for the occasion, showing how satisfied he was with the marriage.
The residents of the Platinum Eye were equally satisfied. The message collection terminal was filled with blessings for the little princess and anticipation for the upcoming engagement banquet. It was no exaggeration to call it a city-wide event. Many people were spontaneously preparing celebratory activities, and the warm-up had already started months in advance. The most obvious sign was the love-themed marketing everywhere on the streets.
The flower patch Xu Huo had bought came from this.
Two-Fifths Avenue was bustling with activity, even more lively than One-Fifth Avenue. The air was filled with the scents of food and flowers. The streets were lined with steaming hot free samples and all kinds of strange little toys. Robots in various themed costumes moved back and forth, livening up the atmosphere and occasionally performing small shows to attract customers.
Holographic projection costume suits were very convenient. Both adults and children could buy one to wear, experiencing the joy of transforming into various fairy tale characters without any sense of restriction. Children, especially, ran around in groups through the streets.
The shoes and accessories worn by children in the Platinum Eye were all modified. Besides basic positioning and alarm functions, some also had danger defense and cushioning. Whether a child was mischievously falling, accidentally bumping into a pedestrian or a robot, these personal items could protect them immediately.
Moreover, whether it was robots serving businesses or street surveillance cameras, they all prioritized monitoring children's movements. It was basically impossible for a child to be stolen or snatched—this was also why parents let their children play freely.
"Slap!" A child bumped into Xu Huo's leg, looked up at him with a toothless smile, slapped a red bubble sticker on the back of his hand, and ran off.
For the next three minutes, the sticker on Xu Huo's left hand kept spontaneously producing bubbles. The long-lasting bubbles floating around him attracted many children to come and pop them. Soon, a considerable number of kids had gathered around him, some hugging his legs, some climbing up his arms, and the bold ones jumping onto his back.
Helpless, he had to buy candy from a robot, line the children up, and hand it out one by one before they finally dispersed.
The children who got the candy ran off, and the dozen or so robots that had unknowingly gathered around him during that time also scattered, returning to their posts.
However, after this incident, the people nearby realized he was an easygoing person, and the number of people coming to pitch him things noticeably increased.
"Sir, would you like a fortune reading? The Magic Eye Goddess's fortune-telling is very accurate—ninety-nine percent accuracy!" A person in a costume suit jumped in front of him.
Xu Huo smiled. "Isn't there still one percent that might be wrong? What happens if it's wrong?"
"If it's wrong..." The costume suit was real. The chubby, round hand reached into its belly and grabbed a large handful of melon seeds, walnuts, and other snacks, stuffing them into his hand. "Then I'll treat you to some melon seeds!"
[I've been sick with COVID and haven't rested much. Taking a couple of days off at the start of the month~^_^ Resuming updates today.]
(Chapter End)