Chapter 1457: A Modified Human
The Queen didn’t react much to Xu Huo’s deliberately provocative words. She stared at the portrait before her, as if completely lost in her own memories, murmuring softly, “He said he would build a castle with gems, use the most beautiful jewels to construct a palace, making this gem palace a treasure that would be passed down for a thousand years. That way, his name could be immortalized along with the castle… Unfortunately, before the gem castle could even begin construction, he died…”
“Chris…” The Queen caressed the face of the person in the painting. “If you were still alive, you would surely envy Gem City, wouldn’t you? Not just the castle, but my entire country is built from gems. Not only the royal family, but all my subjects can live in houses made of jewels, never worrying about food or clothing.”
Xu Huo didn’t interrupt again. He waited until she had finished speaking before asking, “The most beautiful gem that King Chris found should be in your hands. Where is it placed?”
The Queen’s gaze never left the portrait. She spoke softly, “I did once possess the most beautiful gem, but not long ago, after a puppet that looked like a living person came here, the most beautiful gem disappeared. It must have been given to him by the King. Xiao Si cannot leave the castle, so none of us know where the most beautiful gem was taken.”
“If you want to know the whereabouts of the most beautiful gem, you can ask the King. He is a cowardly man; he will surely tell you.”
Xu Huo remained unmoved. “The King may be a coward, but he is also a man full of lies.”
The Queen smiled after hearing this. “Not all men are as perfect as Chris. The King at least built Gem City for me. I accomplished what Chris could not.”
“Did the King build Gem City for you?” Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t it the puppets you created that built this city? You are the Queen of Gem City, but also their mother. I wonder if your maid has told you that the King is selling the puppets you made to that puppet man.”
The Queen was clearly aware of this. She showed little emotional fluctuation, instead saying, “That can’t be helped. If he didn’t agree, the puppet man would destroy Gem City. The King is only trying to protect it.”
Having said that, she leaned forward and rested against the painting, her expression as gentle as ever.
Xiao Si stepped forward. “The Queen needs to rest. If there’s anything else you want to know, you can ask me.”
The two left the workshop, and Xiao Si kept his word, truthfully answering several of Xu Huo’s questions.
First, regarding the black gems. The black gems were not brought by the puppet man but were discovered by the King and Queen by chance. The puppets the Queen originally made could move, but they weren’t very agile, far from being able to act like living people. At first, the black gems were mixed in with other ordinary gems and used as ornaments for the puppets. Only later did the agile puppets appear. Initially, the two didn’t connect the change in the puppets to the black gems, thinking it was just an improvement in the Queen’s craftsmanship.
In fact, the realization of the black gems’ marvelous uses only came about in the last few years, just before the construction of Gem City began.
Second, although the puppet man took away some puppets and left behind some trade items, what he truly valued were the black gems. He once warned the King that if even a single black gem went missing from Gem City, he would kill both the King and the Queen. That’s why the King has been so anxious and troubled lately. In reality, after Gem City was completed, the King no longer cared much about the black gems, because only the Queen could use them to create living puppets, and the city already had enough people.
Finally, the puppet man had already discovered the location of the mine that produced the black gems. That place was no longer under the King’s control, though they still regularly sent some black gems to Gem City.
If the most beautiful gem hadn’t been taken out of the instance, it was most likely still in the mine.
Xu Huo thanked him and prepared to leave, but Xiao Si suddenly asked, “You are an outsider. Can you answer one question for me?”
“Go ahead.” Xu Huo paused.
“Why would a man not like a woman?” Xiao Si asked earnestly.
“You mean why King Chris didn’t like the Queen?” Xu Huo cut straight to the point. “The Queen may be a wonderful person, but not everyone who meets her will like her. Some do, some don’t. King Chris might have just been among those who didn’t.”
Xiao Si seemed to half-understand but didn’t ask further. He simply sighed, “The Queen is so kind. Why did she have to encounter such a bad thing?”
A bad thing?
Shouldn’t that be said by King Chris? A man who abandoned even his fiancée, obsessed solely with gems, and lost his life because of it, was most likely not a philanderer or someone who would trifle with people’s affections. Whether there was a deeper connection with the Queen was hard to say, but the hundred or so people King Chris brought with him had indeed died. The gems he collected were probably not just the white ones. The most beautiful gem was stolen, then appeared in Gem City in the hands of the King and Queen. What about the rest of the gems?
Enough gems to build an entire city—unless the King of Gem City had dug up several gem mines, the timing of Gem City’s appearance and the sudden disappearance of those roving bandits was far too coincidental.
Of course, this was the hidden backstory of a fairy tale. In the end, it was just a story, and pursuing it held little meaning.
Xu Huo left Gem City and headed for the mine.
The mine was a bit far away, and a heavy rain started again on the way, so he had to stop and go. By midnight, he finally reached the mine.
The mine had only one entrance. In the forest outside, some puppets armed with weapons were patrolling. These puppets were different from the ones the Queen made. Although they were covered in clothes, the joints exposed during their movements showed that the materials used were of a completely different level of precision. Compared to these puppets, the Queen’s creations seemed like child’s play.
After searching around the entrance, Xu Huo spotted Yan Jiayu crouching not far away.
Moving silently to her side, he gently tapped her shoulder.
“You scared me.” Yan Jiayu turned around and quickly motioned for him to get down, whispering, “Those puppets have very strong sensory setups. Stay low, it’s harder to be detected.”
“Did Duan Cheng and Li Kun go in?” Xu Huo lay down beside her. The rain was still falling, pattering down on them, blending in with the sounds of the forest so as not to attract attention.
“Those two idiots really went in,” Yan Jiayu said. “Actually, the puppets had already spotted their tracks and deliberately left an opening for them. I didn’t think they’d actually dare to go in.”
“What’s inside?”
“A person who looks a lot like a puppet,” Yan Jiayu said. “I don’t think he’s a prop. He might be a modified human.”
(Chapter End)