Chapter 1429: Applause for Him
"There aren't as many players coming to Gem City as I thought." Li Kun said another sentence.
"Maybe it's because the clearance difficulty here is higher, so they went to Moon City instead," Xu Huo looked at him. "What are your plans next?"
"On the way, Duan Cheng and I tested the public facilities on the streets, and we tried the tavern as well, but we haven't found any items yet," Li Kun said. "Actually, clearing the instance is secondary. The main thing is where to look for possible items."
According to known examples of naturally spawned items in the game, they are usually obtained in extremely inconspicuous places, such as one tool among a pile, a daily-use item still in service, or even something in a garbage heap—although who would be bored enough to rummage through trash? But this means the item itself might look very ordinary, without any special features, so judging it at a glance is unlikely.
This makes the scope too large. Who can say for sure that none of the gems paving the streets contain one?
Checking the entire city in a short time is impossible, especially when entering any house at will could be deemed a crime.
"Are you planning to go to the King's Castle?" Xu Huo asked.
This was currently the most "efficient" method—both to search for items in the castle and possibly investigate the gem theft.
"We have to wait until late at night to move," Li Kun paused and asked, "How long are you two staying here?"
"I plan to gather information around the performance ground," Xu Huo said. "There might be clues. We'll meet up outside the King's Castle at night."
Li Kun had no objections, nodded, and left.
Not long after, Yan Jiayu returned, bringing back accurate information: no matter how outsiders disguised themselves, the residents of Gem City could always identify them.
"Everyone in the city knows each other. Even if you imitate someone's appearance and modify your features, the residents will still recognize you as an outsider who looks like them."
"However, disguising as a specific resident is possible, but then someone nearby will immediately start talking to you. Even though our accents are no different from the locals', they can instantly tell. On the road, I saw a player who slipped up. In the end, he claimed he just looked like that resident to get out of it."
She paused, "And the people of Gem City have another kind of exclusivity. That player pretending to be a resident hinted that he was there to find relatives, but not a single resident believed him."
"Everyone in the city knows each other's backgrounds. Pretending to be their relative is absolutely impossible," Xu Huo said.
Yan Jiayu nodded. "At times like this, the residents of Gem City aren't as easygoing as we saw this afternoon."
She rubbed her chin as she spoke. "Both adults and children are very firm in their self-awareness. It really is a fairy tale world."
That topic ended there. Xu Huo mentioned Li Kun's visit, and Yan Jiayu said without surprise, "If catching the thief were that easy, it wouldn't be a C-rank instance."
"Are we really going on stage to perform tonight?" She was very interested in this.
Since they had set their identities, they had to act accordingly. Xu Huo nodded. "I'll do magic tricks."
"I can perform with Da Mao!" Yan Jiayu grew excited, pulling out a bunch of small toys and props to choose from. "How many acts should we prepare? I can do twenty in one go!"
"No need for that many," Xu Huo smiled. "Today isn't the official performance. Just show a little skill. Tomorrow night is the real show. Tomorrow during the day, we still need to buy the necessary items."
Yan Jiayu blinked, understanding, and then asked, "Did you find any items in the performance ground? Did Li Kun and the others find any?"
"I didn't. Li Kun and them are unclear," Xu Huo said.
Yan Jiayu picked up a bread from the table. "They're not being honest. Even if they found an item, they probably wouldn't share it with us."
"If they don't share with us, we won't share with them either."
In fact, before entering the instance, everyone knew the score. Without a forced contract, who would find a good item and split it equally? It was just an excuse to form an alliance, since they still had to clear the instance together.
"We'll see if they keep their word then," Xu Huo agreed.
Yan Jiayu took a bite of the bread, then squinted in enjoyment. "It's really good. You should try some too."
Xu Huo picked up a fruit so red it seemed to drip juice and bit into it. The sweet, fragrant flesh burst in his mouth instantly—top-notch texture.
Yan Jiayu tried one as well, spitting out the pit. "I wonder if we can grow it outside."
"Try it and see." The two of them worked hard to finish all the fruits in the basket, splitting the pits evenly, half each.
This scene was seen by a Gem City resident who came to call them for dinner. The old lady's smile was full of kind radiance. "You must be hungry. Dinner will be ready soon."
As she spoke, clattering sounds came from the open-air audience seats of the performance ground. The Gem City residents first set up tables, chairs, and utensils, then brought out fragrant, rich dishes, filling several tables pushed together into a long table.
The adults called Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu over. They didn't stand on ceremony, letting themselves be led to seats at the table to share the delicious food and wine.
The drinks on the table were all fruit wines, hard to get drunk on, so almost everyone at the table came to clink glasses with Xu Huo, repeatedly expressing their welcome.
After eating and drinking their fill, they brought out their own specialty acts—singing, dancing, and the children even performed a play they had learned at school, though still a bit childish.
The atmosphere was lively. Xu Huo, taking advantage of the mood, performed two small "magic tricks"—one was telekinesis, the other a flying person act.
The courtyard erupted in thunderous applause. He immediately announced that a formal performance could be arranged for tomorrow night, but since they lacked tools, they would need to buy supplies during the day before starting at night.
The people of Gem City chattered excitedly, expressing their enthusiasm and offering to take them shopping.
"We don't need too many things, just a lot of small odds and ends. Everyone just needs to tell us where to buy them," Xu Huo said with a gentle smile. "And please help us spread the word."
This hit the sweet spot for the Gem City residents. Both adults and children said they could help, and they even offered to set up the performance ground themselves, telling Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu to just focus on shopping. They then handed over a hand-drawn rough map, roughly marking the location of the market.
Since most businesses in Gem City were individually operated and many shops were scattered, under Xu Huo's persistent questioning, the circled areas gradually increased.
Once the serious business was done, Yan Jiayu used a bubble machine hidden in her sleeve to "conjure up" a courtyard full of colorful bubbles, putting a fitting end to the welcome party that night.
The noise lasted a long time before finally dying down. Late into the night, after the nearby residents had turned off their lights and gone to sleep, Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu left the performance ground.
(Chapter End)