Chapter 1452: The King Who Dies Quickly
The maps held by the residents of Gem City were mostly drawn by themselves, as the authorities had not released a unified map. The one Xu Huo had was a reproduction based on the map from the King's castle.
The merchant took out a quill pen and re-marked the river's course, then drew a circle beside the river. "This is where the mine is located, but it's deep in the forest, with ferocious beasts roaming nearby. If I hadn't once passed by and seen someone transporting ore out, I wouldn't have known there was a mine there."
"However, those ores are either black or gray, not shiny at all, and they don't look valuable. They're probably used to make cheap trinkets."
Black or gray... The black gemstone the Queen used to embed in the puppet's chest was actually a raw material for items.
There were many types of raw materials for items, with ores making up the vast majority. Among ores, Subclass Stones were relatively rare and precious. The black gemstone could be directly embedded into items for use, indicating it was a very suitable ore for crafting items. If that entire mine contained the same ore, it was indeed a mountain of gold and silver right before one's eyes.
"Has no one gone into the mine to take a look?" Xu Huo asked.
"I've talked to the people transporting the ore. The ones guarding the mine are very fierce. They can't even get into the mine shafts; they can only haul things outside." The merchant shook his head. "Besides, it's not some high-quality gemstone. There's no need to force this business."
In the afternoon, Xu Huo arrived at Moon City.
Moon City looked much more normal. The city's buildings were mainly constructed from stone and wood, with only some decorative patterns using gemstones. Paired with the uniquely styled architecture, it had a touch of finishing brilliance.
The city was built along the mountain, with the fertile soil of the entire river valley belonging to Moon City. The King's castle was located at the end of the valley against the mountain, stretching from the foot of the mountain all the way to the mid-slope, majestic and spectacular, obscuring most of the mountain.
The residents of Moon City were very simple and honest. Compared to the people of Gem City, they seemed more like real living people. Whenever an outsider came, the merchants and shop owners along the way would enthusiastically pull them in to spend money.
Xu Huo encountered quite a few players, but most of them were just idly wandering around the city.
After walking for a while, he learned that recently, the number of outsiders coming to Moon City to see the Most Beautiful Gem had increased. So the King had decided to publicly display the Most Beautiful Gem at noon tomorrow. Many players were waiting for this opportunity.
It was worth mentioning that many residents of Moon City had seen the Most Beautiful Gem. It was said to be white, and when viewed in sunlight, it could reflect different colors from different angles. Because of their different positions, no two people would see exactly the same gem.
Well, on this point, the people of Gem City were honest. The people of Gem City, like their King, only spoke in circles.
As for its size, it was roughly the size of a human head.
With a general standard in mind, Xu Huo went to the vicinity of the King's castle to inquire. He heard from residents coming and going that thieves had been entering the castle these past few days. Some had been driven out of the city, while others were probably still inside.
The people of Moon City, like those of Gem City, could identify criminals with the naked eye. However, Moon City's judgment on theft was different: only those who successfully stole an item could be convicted.
In other words, if a player just wandered around the King's castle without taking anything, it wouldn't constitute a crime. After escaping, they could still hide within the city.
This was probably why there seemed to be more players in Moon City than in Gem City.
After having lunch nearby, Xu Huo took his documents to the castle gate.
The guards at the gate saw the documents and immediately called for relevant personnel to verify them. Only after confirming he was an official dispatched by Gem City did they let him into the castle. However, that staff member's attitude towards him was not very good. He led him into a small waiting room and, with a straight face, told him that the King was busy now and it was unclear when he would see him. If the King still had no time by closing time, he could come back tomorrow.
At the same time, he called for guards to block the waiting room door, forbidding him from moving around.
This was no big deal. Xu Huo released his Spiritual Realm and moved out from within the wall, following that staff member.
The man met up with two other colleagues and then spoke of Xu Huo with great disgust. However, it wasn't directed at him personally, but at the King of Gem City.
"That thief has sent someone to ask for the Most Beautiful Gem again! He clearly stole the gem from the third-generation King, yet he has the audacity to send people repeatedly!"
"We should just kick him out directly to spare the King the annoyance," a colleague said.
"But it's still diplomatic relations between countries. We can't completely ignore Gem City," the man said. "When the King rests, I'll relay the matter. The King might not see him. He'll leave on his own when he gets no results."
The three gradually walked away. Xu Huo noticed traces of funeral affairs left in certain parts of the castle. He turned a corner and entered the main building of the castle.
The place was quite large. Before he could find any useful clues, he overheard maids discussing the previous King—the ninth-generation King—who had reigned for an even shorter time than his predecessor. He was killed after only seven days, and the murderer had still not been caught.
"The guards say it was an outsider. Maybe it was someone hired by Gem City to steal the Most Beautiful Gem," a maid said. "Those people are so despicable!"
"The people of Gem City are the despicable ones! They want to keep the Most Beautiful Gem forever, but it clearly belongs to Moon City!"
At this, the maids began chattering and cursing the King of Gem City.
Xu Huo listened for a while. Almost everyone working in the castle shared a common belief: the Most Beautiful Gem originally belonged to Moon City. It only became Gem City's property after their King stole it. Moon City's refusal to return it was perfectly justified.
The second clearance mission certainly wouldn't be as straightforward as "snatch the gem and return it to Gem City." With the two cities telling different stories, this mission clearly had hidden circumstances.
However, to his surprise, someone soon came to tell him that the King wanted to see him.
"Check his belongings," a guard led several people in to frisk him. They had already checked once when he entered, and of course, they found no dangerous items this time either. But the guard still warned Xu Huo, "Keep your distance from the King. Stop when we tell you to stop. Otherwise, we will issue a high-reward wanted notice nationwide, and everyone will come to capture you!"
A threat with very little deterrent effect.
Xu Huo followed them into a large hall, which was probably where the King usually held court. But now, three huge curtains were hung in the middle, immediately confining his movement space to a five-meter open area near the entrance. At the same time, ten guards pointed their swords at him, warning him not to move an inch, or it would be considered provocation.
Xu Huo looked through the curtains in front of him at the seat at the far end of the hall, which was almost invisible.
Sitting on it was a child of twelve or thirteen. The slightly oversized gem-encrusted crown was a bit heavy on his head, forcing the child to straighten his back with effort. After a moment, he spoke: "Have you come to kill me?"