Chapter 1444: Returning with a Full Load
This was the crucial part.
Xu Huo smiled and said, "I happened to enter a study earlier and saw a very beautiful pink feather pen on the desk."
"In my hometown, there's an old saying: the pen is the medium of knowledge. I hope to use that pen to bring knowledge back to my homeland."
The King and Queen looked at him with affection. The former readily agreed to his request, while the latter proactively offered to gift him some books from her collection and said, "It's not easy to leave home and make a living at such a young age. I sincerely wish that you and the citizens of Gem City will live in happiness forever."
Xu Huo bowed slightly and stepped aside. The Queen beckoned Yan Jiayu over, took her hand, and said, "This young lady's performance was also wonderful. I can't play favorites. You may also ask for one treasure."
Yan Jiayu thought about it with a troubled expression, "But I don't know what treasures are in the castle. What should I do?"
The Queen smiled kindly and reached out to touch her slightly dry hair. "I'll give you a headscarf. May you always maintain your beauty."
Xiao Si soon brought over an exquisite headscarf adorned with gems. The Queen personally picked it up and draped it over Yan Jiayu's head. "This looks much better."
Yan Jiayu touched the gems sewn at the corners, her eyes curving into crescent moons. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
But the performance wasn't over yet. The Duke stepped forward and said, "Didn't you say there were three magic tricks? You still have one left to perform."
Xu Huo bowed to the King. "The third trick is mind reading. I can read what has been weighing on Your Majesty's heart."
"Is that even a guess?" the Duke said. "Everyone in Gem City knows the reason for the King's illness."
Xu Huo smiled, looking confident. "I sense that what weighs most heavily on Your Majesty's heart is not the thief who has yet to be caught."
"Oh?" the King responded curiously. "Then tell me."
"What weighs most on your heart is actually a gem—the most beautiful gem in all of Gem City!"
After the answer was revealed, the people present weren't too surprised. The most beautiful gem had been borrowed for several months now, so it was only natural for the King to be concerned. However, everyone still thought the gem theft that had caused the King's illness was his primary concern.
"If I am wrong, please take it as a joke and laugh it off. But if I am correct, please grant me an official position. I can go to Moon City on behalf of Gem City and retrieve the most beautiful gem that was borrowed." Xu Huo's words carried weight.
This was indeed a "difficult" task. After all, the King had already sent many people to retrieve it without success. Sometimes Moon City would even block Gem City's people outside the city gates, acting as if they had no intention of returning it at all.
The King's expression turned slightly serious. "Can you really get the gem back?"
"Please trust me," Xu Huo assured him again.
"Very well," the King agreed after a moment's hesitation. "I will sign a letter granting you a temporary official position. When you take it to Moon City, even if you can't retrieve the gem, the people of Moon City won't make things difficult for you."
Xu Huo bowed again to express his thanks.
Tonight's performance ended perfectly here. Since it was still early, they packed up their things and prepared to leave the castle.
Taking advantage of the moment when the maids went to retrieve the performance props Yan Jiayu had placed, Xu Huo slipped from the lounge into the King's study. He flipped to the last few pages of the law code and used the pink "Codex Pen" to write on a blank sheet of paper:
"Allow temporary officials to enter the castle and the Rose Garden."
After the ink dried, he closed the codex and returned to the lounge.
The guards were very quick. By now, they had already packed up their tools. However, the books the Queen had gifted were quite numerous—she had genuinely wanted to give them, and the cart was piled with two full loads.
Aside from the ubiquitous storybooks and picture books, the rest were about planting, farming, handicrafts, and cooking. The range was broad, showing that the selection had been made with care.
Xu Huo asked the guards to convey his thanks to the Queen and King, and then he and Yan Jiayu left the castle with their abundant haul.
Outside the castle, many players were waiting like hunters. When they came out, most had moved into the open, with only a few still hiding in the shadows—although robbery was illegal, robbing a player meant they could just leave afterward.
Duan Cheng and Li Kun immediately joined Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu. The four of them were not a small group, but compared to the players gathering around, they truly were outnumbered. Many players had learned through props what had happened in the banquet hall and were not about to let this go easily.
Li and Duan looked alert, urging Xu Huo to leave quickly.
"Don't worry," Xu Huo said. "We're not far from the castle now, and the area is full of residents. If anyone tries to forcibly take what the King and Queen gifted us, the people of Gem City will unite against them."
The people of Gem City were troublesome. They might not be able to kill players, but they could distract them and buy Xu Huo and his group an opportunity.
"Only a third of the instance time has passed. Anyone who still wants to clear it won't turn into a criminal at this point." Xu Huo paused and added, "Except for fools."
Seeing that this method might come at a high cost, a player stepped forward and said, "Joy shared is joy doubled. You've brought out so much stuff. Hogging it all is a bit stingy. Why not share it with everyone? Those who see it should get a share!"
"How can you say something so shameless?" Yan Jiayu stared at him in shock.
The man snorted coldly. "Just say whether you'll share or not, so we can figure out what to do next."
His attitude was tough, implying that if they refused, everyone would swarm in. Xu Huo glanced around, then threw a black cloth over the cart. Receiving his hint, Yan Jiayu slapped the cart, and all the packed books vanished into her luggage compartment.
She clapped her hands and looked at the man who had spoken with a hint of smugness. "Try and take it if you dare!"
"Giving face and not taking it." More players gradually closed in. The atmosphere was tense, and a fight seemed inevitable. But no one expected Yan Jiayu to suddenly turn around and shout toward the castle, "Sister Xiao Si! Someone wants to steal the books the Queen gave us!"
The prop person Xiao Si instantly appeared on top of the castle wall.
Her appearance made all the players pause. News that the instance holder was a player had already spread, so a humanoid prop wasn't surprising. Humanoid props were generally high-level, and if they could laugh and eat like real people, they were undoubtedly super props... This one might not be a super prop, but its strength was certainly not weak.
"A player was hanged at the city gate this afternoon."
The people of Gem City, including the castle guards, were no match for players. So how had the thief been caught and smoothly executed inside the castle? And what was the strength of the suspected player inside the castle?—Now they had their proof.
Fireworks were going off everywhere! ^_^
(Chapter End)