Chapter 1455: The King's Gem City
After lifting their guard against Xu Huo, the people of Moon City returned to the warmth of the fairy tale world. Not only did they dig out all the relics of the third-generation king, but they also found several older maids who recounted every detail of the king's life in the castle. They even brought in the daughter of the king's former fiancée. Yes—after abandoning his throne and fiancée to search for gems, the king soon broke off the engagement. The fiancée married someone else and gave birth to a daughter, who now relayed the brief time the third-generation king spent with her mother.
The rapid succession of kings in Moon City made this story feel like it spanned a long history, but in reality, it was only two generations. The daughter of the third-generation king's former fiancée was now in the prime of her life.
Xu Huo first looked at the portrait of the third-generation king, then asked the maids about his daily habits. He concluded that the king was a man of noble bearing, very particular about his lifestyle. Even when ill, he insisted on bathing and changing his bed linens every night.
From this alone, he didn't match the descriptions of thieves from other countries—after all, people in fairy tale worlds weren't fools.
“…He once said he wanted to build a castle out of gems to live in. My mother was very happy when she heard that…”
“Build a castle out of gems?” Xu Huo looked up from the books left by the third-generation king, interrupting the fiancée's daughter.
Ms. Fina was a woman of great poise. She kept her hands elegantly folded on her knees and showed no irritation at being interrupted. She replied calmly, “Yes. My mother once thought it was a promise the king made to her. After he disappeared for a long time, she sent letters through various people, hoping he would return to Moon City. But the third-generation king was more obsessed with gems. He searched for them only for his own pleasure, not for anyone else.”
“Disappointed, my mother married someone else and died of illness soon after.”
Ms. Fina's calmness carried a hint of hatred toward the third-generation king. After speaking, she set down a sketchbook. “This is a painting my mother made of the third-generation king.”
Standing a few meters from the desk, she bowed her head slightly toward Xu Huo. “If the current king dies, the next king will be my child. Traveler from afar, I hope you can save my child.”
Her upbringing prevented her from kneeling to beg, but her voice and eyes held not only resilience and determination but also hope.
Without waiting for a reply, Ms. Fina silently withdrew from the room. Xu Huo flipped through the sketchbook. In the fiancée's paintings, the third-generation king appeared even more handsome. A few sketches showed the fiancée's imagination of a castle built from gems.
Different people, same dream. The Gem City King and the third-generation king shared the same wish—one succeeded, the other died halfway.
There wasn't much written material. Xu Huo finished reading it quickly and was about to leave the study when the young king, who had gone out for some air, rushed back in. The guards hurriedly closed the door and aimed their spears and swords at the entrance.
“More outsiders have come in. They're searching everywhere for the most beautiful gem.”
Without knowing what the most beautiful gem looked like, some players chose to wait for the next day's exhibition. Others couldn't wait and wanted to snatch the gem early to avoid a bloody fight tomorrow. In fact, after Xu Huo entered, several players had already come and gone from the castle, likely leaving empty-handed.
“Have you considered amending the law?” Xu Huo suggested. “Isn't trespassing in the castle a crime?”
“Because there are many fruit trees in the castle, and sometimes commoners come in to pick fruit…” The young king shrank fearfully behind the guards, trembling at every sound from outside. After a few times, he suddenly straightened his back, turned to open a mechanism on the bookshelf, pried up a floor tile, and pulled out a box, shoving it into Xu Huo's hands. “Take this stone!”
Xu Huo opened the box. Inside was indeed a milky-white gem, smaller than a human head. The dazzling light it emitted haloed into the surrounding air, and when held up, it could even obscure his hands.
This stone was beautiful enough to belong in a fairy tale.
At that moment, the study door burst open with a bang. Two players rushed in one after another. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the glowing gem. One threw a shimmering sphere that plunged the entire room into blinding light, while the other used a prop to swap a book for the white gem in Xu Huo's hand.
With the item in hand, they planned to leave. But the one who turned first suddenly slammed into a defense barrier. Seeing Xu Huo so close, his face changed, and he quickly activated several defense props. Full barriers and point defenses layered over each other, seemingly impenetrable. Yet in the next second, these barriers and props were all sliced open by a slender black blade, along with one of the player's hands.
The intoxicating light faded as the gem fell, but it was soon caught by another hand.
Xu Huo caught the white gem before straightening up and kicking the man in front of him away. Using “Dead End” to intercept the other player, he stored the white gem in his luggage compartment and then used “Hell Cage” to hang the man up.
The one with the severed hand, sensing danger, turned and fled. The one left behind had just broken free of the chains when a black metal bead pierced his head.
One injured, one dead. Xu Huo judged the situation was under control and prepared to leave.
“Are you just going like that?” the young king asked hurriedly. “Won't the other outsiders believe you?”
“Didn't someone escape?” Xu Huo replied. “He'll spread the news. At least for the next few days, you don't have to worry about safety.”
That was only a temporary solution. The young king looked at him with hope. “Can you tell the others that the most beautiful gem isn't in Moon City?”
Xu Huo smiled. “Do you think they'll believe that?”
As long as this clearance mission existed, Moon City would always be a target for players.
The young king's face visibly fell. He sincerely thanked Xu Huo and then said, “I'll have the guards escort you out of the city.”
“Just to the castle gate is fine,” Xu Huo said. “After all, I came on behalf of Gem City.”
The young king didn't understand why but followed his instructions.
Before Xu Huo could even leave the castle's main building, players who had caught wind of the situation began arriving. Some used special props and instruments to seal off the castle's surroundings, preventing him from using space teleportation props to escape.
Scanning the players who had already shown themselves, Xu Huo turned back into the castle, rose through a skylight into the high sky, and once out of the prop interference range, used “Destination Arrival” to reach the outer Moon City. The next steps were simple—just continuously use “Destination Arrival” to reach Gem City in a very short time.
(Chapter End)