Chapter 1445: Night Operation
Under the three-way standoff, the players who had surrounded Xu Huo and the others eventually left.
Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu had basically obtained something, and everyone knew roughly what it was. Since they hadn't been labeled criminals, it meant they hadn't stolen anything in the castle. The items or things they had acquired were accounted for... The most important thing wasn't that, but whether they had already figured out the method to clear the instance.
However, judging from Xu Huo's earlier proposal to go to Moon City on behalf of the King to request the most beautiful gem, they seemed to have abandoned the first task and were preparing to complete the second. This indicated that although they had entered the castle, they hadn't found any clues related to the stolen gem; otherwise, they wouldn't have taken the opportunity during the performance to ask the King for permission.
"They haven't gone far," Yan Jiayu said, looking around. "Let's find a place to stay nearby."
Many people in Gem City had watched Xu Huo and the others perform, so finding lodging wasn't difficult. However, the houses of Gem City residents weren't very large, so the four of them had to split up.
The residents who hosted Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu were very friendly and invited the four of them to have a late-night meal. While helping to shell beans in the kitchen, they exchanged information about what had happened in the castle.
The pink feather quill Xu Huo had obtained was definitely an item. In terms of practical effect, it wasn't particularly useful, but it worked well in this instance. He didn't directly reveal the quill's function to the other two, instead saying he would explain once they found the method to clear the instance.
The headscarf Yan Jiayu had gotten wasn't an item, but the gems on it looked very valuable.
"Since you were in the castle, why didn't you ask for information about the stolen gem?" Li Kun asked. "If we had gotten a clue, we wouldn't need to go to Moon City at all. It probably won't be easy to clear the instance there either."
They didn't even know what the most beautiful gem looked like.
"Don't worry about that," Xu Huo said. "The King privately instructed his guards to tell me that the gem can be recognized at a glance."
Duan Cheng and Li Kun were quite speechless. That was it?
No matter how beautiful it was, it was still just a gem. Could it possibly grow flowers? The King of Gem City had limited experience staying in the instance, but players who traveled outside had seen plenty of good things! Even without seeing it firsthand, the information available on various message collection terminals and game platforms was abundant. This statement was completely useless!
Yan Jiayu didn't think so, however. "The King of Gem City owns a city full of gems and has definitely seen more strange and rare gems than we have. Since he says that, the most beautiful gem must have something extraordinary about it... Maybe it's especially large. If it's a gem the size of a person, then it really would be recognizable at a glance."
"But the instance says the gem was taken from the body of an evil dragon. I didn't see any information about the evil dragon in Gem City. What kind of creature is it?"
"It can't actually be a dragon, can it?" Li Kun successfully changed the subject. "It might be a species like a mutated lizard. Many districts have mutated animals called dragons, and they come in all sorts of strange shapes and sizes."
"But it definitely wouldn't be big enough to swallow a gem the size of a person."
Yan Jiayu chuckled but didn't respond.
"Are you planning to go to Moon City just like that?" Duan Cheng looked at Xu Huo. "Are you confident?"
"Even without confidence, we have to try," Xu Huo said. "The servants in the castle don't know the specific details of the gem theft. Only the King's guards and the King himself know the most. Since we can't use forceful means to extract information from them, we have to try another path."
"Did you gain anything outside today?"
Duan Cheng's face darkened. "There are plenty of rumors in the city about the stolen gem, but everyone's account differs. It's no different from what we heard at the King's castle."
Too much information was the same as no information.
The two sides looked at each other and sighed. Li Kun said, "I always thought that players were the strong ones no matter which district they went to. I didn't expect it to be so hard to clear an instance by following the rules."
Especially in such an uncooperative instance. The people here weren't normal and couldn't communicate normally. What was even more infuriating was that outsiders who lied or deceived could be labeled as "fraudsters," while the residents of Gem City could have different stories within the same family without any consequences. They all believed what they said was true. Even when confronted face-to-face, they could go back and forth harmoniously, either compromising with one side or eventually concluding that they had heard it from so-and-so and might have misheard... It gave a feeling of helplessness and frustration, like going in circles with a robot customer service representative.
"The city gates are already closed for the night. Let's set out again tomorrow," Duan Cheng called Li Kun, took their late-night snack, and went back next door.
"Gem City allows entry but not exit. Can people who leave through irregular means still come back?" Yan Jiayu asked.
"Hard to say," Xu Huo said, looking out the window. Although it wasn't recorded in the legal code, there was no guarantee that temporary regulations wouldn't have binding force.
"It's still early. Let's eat something and rest for a while."
They had the late-night meal with the hosts, washed up, and then went to their respective rooms to rest.
In the dead of night, Yan Jiayu quietly slipped out of her room. Just as she was about to call Xu Huo, she found him already standing in front of her. She didn't speak, just pointed outside and then at her own face.
Putting on a protective mask, Xu Huo pressed her shoulder and casually opened the door in front of him. With one step, the two of them were on a street several hundred meters away.
At this hour, there were very few people still active on the streets. Occasionally, they would see one or two players lurking outside houses, but due to Gem City's laws, they didn't even step into the yards.
This was even more true in the less prosperous areas on the outskirts of the city. Except for some shops that needed to take inventory, most people had turned off their lights and gone to sleep. Once the lights went out, even a city built of gems grew dim.
The place Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu were heading to was the street where the missing craftsman they had visited earlier was located.
Crouching at a street corner, Yan Jiayu popped a fruit candy into her mouth and looked around. "Which place are you watching?"
"The house at the six o'clock direction," Xu Huo said. "Someone is about to come out."
As soon as he finished speaking, the window of that house was pushed open from inside. A person furtively looked left and right, and only after confirming no one was around did they slowly climb out. Pulling their cloak tight, they quickly moved into the distance along the shadows cast by the buildings.
Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu stayed where they were, because the place that person was going to wasn't far—just an old woman's house one street over. She had been expecting the visitor and was sitting by the window waiting. Only after the person entered did she lower the window.
"I'll go in and take a look," Xu Huo said, covering the house with his spiritual realm.
Just then, Yan Jiayu suddenly turned her head to look to the left and lowered her voice. "Wait here. I'll go check it out."
(Chapter End)