Chapter 1443: A Wonderful Performance
As if confirming that someone was inside the wall, Xiao Si reached her hand toward the wall surface, but without damaging the wall, she couldn't insert her hand into it, let alone grab the person inside.
Finding this somewhat strange, she looked at her own hand, then one of them turned and walked toward the door.
Just at that moment, another force enveloped the ancient castle, and then a bright red light surged out from different places in the room, as if something was about to pass through the walls.
This made the two Xiao Sis, who were about to split up, retreat to the middle of the room. Watching the faintly flickering light on the wall, they furrowed their brows and assumed a combat stance. However, with a "pop" sound, a big red lantern with a round belly squeezed out from the wall, followed by a second, then a third.
Seven or eight lanterns in a row squeezed into the room one after another, then filed out through the doorway.
Realizing the big red lanterns were harmless, one Xiao Si walked over and opened the door, startled by the scene in the corridor.
The Queen loved quiet, so the corridor, which should have been empty, was now filled with laughter and joy. Children dressed in festive clothes were running ahead, setting off fireworks, followed by several brightly colored cloth lions. The cloth lions paired up in twos, frolicking past the door, followed by paper figures that looked like cutouts but could move, flying by as if performing some kind of show...
Golden and sparkling big and small fish swam through the air, occasionally leaping up and disappearing into the wall, only to re-emerge a few meters away, playfully blowing bubbles. Sometimes they bumped into bouncing little rabbits, making faint sounds as if they were talking to each other.
This was just a corner of the corridor. Xu Huo released his field of vision and found that the entire castle was under this kind of holographic projection-like illusion. In addition, there were various gods and immortals, some kind-faced, some imposing without anger. Among them, the God of Wealth, holding a large gold ingot, kept waving his hand, scattering countless small gold ingots into the air, letting them rain down all over the castle.
The air seemed to smell of gold.
The prop person Xiao Si was captivated by the spectacle. There were too many targets; she simply couldn't attend to them all.
So, taking advantage of her departure, Xu Huo entered the Queen's bedroom.
However, after checking, he only found one prop, a small cutter that looked like it was used for handicrafts.
There were no other traces of handicraft work in the room.
Releasing his vertical pupil, Xu Huo quickly found a locked room next to the dressing room. Entering it, he was surprised to find it filled with all kinds of puppets—men, women, old, and young—all made to the size of real people.
[The King's Subjects: E-grade prop...]
[The King's Subjects: E-grade prop...]
[The King's Subjects: E-grade prop. The King and Queen could not have children, so they regarded all the subjects in the country as their own children. But children always leave their parents when they grow up. The Queen, kind-hearted and with a motherly love for children, and also to please the King, chose to continuously create subjects, praying while creating that they might be regarded as real people.]
Xu Huo touched three puppets in a row, only to find that each one was a prop.
He paused, then turned to the table in the center of the room, which was covered with unfinished puppet parts. From these scattered pieces, it could be seen that the inside of the puppets was supported by metal shaped like human bones, while the outside was covered with cleaned animal skin. Next to them were two faces with features already sketched out, but like the finished products standing against the wall, they didn't look realistic, showing very rough craftsmanship.
In the middle of the puppet skeleton's ribs, there was a small snap buckle the size of a thumb. Xu Huo then found similar-sized gems in a drawer under the table. Dozens of black gems of similar size shimmered with the same light. He took one out, and sure enough, these gems were different from those used to build houses in Gem City. This should also be the key to making the puppets into props.
Judging from the prop description, the Queen seemed to have no other purpose in making puppets. She might not even be a real person, but a special existence naturally born with the instance, like Little Pink Hat. However, she had the simple ability to combine gems with puppets to create props.
Could the prop person Xiao Si have been created this way?
Sensing the person outside returning, Xu Huo put the gem down, closed the drawer again, then left the room and came to the King and Duke, leading them back into the room.
The King, who had just recovered from the visual spectacle, immediately said upon seeing the room, "This is the Queen's workshop. She usually doesn't like outsiders coming in..."
Before he could finish, the room door was opened by Xiao Si. She scanned the three slightly awkward people and said very distantly, "Your Majesty the King, please take the Duke and the Magician and leave."
The King's face, flushed with excitement, cooled down a bit, but he couldn't say anything. Under Xiao Si's gaze, he led the Duke and Xu Huo out.
At the door, Xu Huo suddenly said, "It looks like there's something dirty on your clothes."
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the lace on Xiao Si's shoulder:
[Mother's Reward: Special prop, a miracle born from thousands of puppets. Just as a mother loves her child, this puppet deeply loves the mother who created it. Its strong belief caused it to be born with the instance and forever accompany its mother.]
[Note: This is an unobtainable prop unless the mother abandons it.]
Xu Huo smiled as he met Xiao Si's composed face and said apologetically, "Sorry, I was mistaken."
Xiao Si kept a straight face and said nothing, but her attitude was already clear.
Xu Huo walked out of the room. The King and Duke were already immersed in the lively scene before them. They reached out to touch the goldfish swimming past, and after a string of golden light, they asked in shock, "Is this also something from that mysterious kingdom? Why has it descended upon the castle?"
Xu Huo smiled. "That world is not under my control."
Think whatever you want.
Seeing that the time was about right, Xu Huo led the two back to the banquet hall.
Yan Jiayu had used props to fill the gap left by his absence. Now, the people in the banquet hall were captivated by her wonderful performance. When their eyes casually swept forward, they realized the King had reappeared.
"Your Highness, what is space travel like?" a noblewoman asked curiously.
The King's excitement hadn't subsided. "I have never seen such a wonderful world... My Queen, you should go see it too."
"We should also give the Magician, who has traveled a long way, some time to rest. Why don't you tell me about it?"
"Alright, alright." The King held the Queen's hand, his tone light and infectious as he described the events in that mysterious kingdom he had encountered. The Queen listened with constant exclamations of wonder, then turned to look at Xu Huo: "Does such a magical trick really exist?"
Xu Huo bowed slightly. "If you believe it, it exists."
The Queen smiled, patted the King's hand, and said, "Since you have made the King happy, according to the agreement, you may ask for one treasure from the castle."
The new year is here immediately. Wishing everyone a lucky Year of the Rabbit and all the best! O(∩_∩)O
(This chapter ends)