Chapter 1460: A Gift from the Instance
Although he hadn’t had any indirect contact afterward, he would occasionally hear some news about the Box Carrier, after all, he wasn’t as low-key as other Super Players.
He hadn’t expected to encounter his puppets again in this fairy tale instance.
The Box Carrier liked to use various materials to make puppets, including corpses and living people. A large number of puppets required a large amount of material, so his puppet makers would search for suitable materials in instances. That being the case, Xu Huo was actually less worried about Da Liang, because for such time-consuming and long-term work, the Box Carrier couldn’t possibly keep constant watch. The most likely scenario was that he cast a wide net, and even if there was feedback, he might not notice it in time.
But regardless, it was definitely right to hurry.
Additionally, he needed to return to Gem City once more.
He cleaned up the traces inside and outside. For safety’s sake, he took away some remaining metal parts that were hard to destroy.
When he returned to the mine tunnel, he didn’t expect that Excavator 114, which had cleared the collapsed passage next to it, had pushed out a half-human-high large stone wrapped in a prop pouch from under the rubble. The pouch’s drawstring had already been pulled open by 114, revealing the white stone surface and refracting colorful light.
Xu Huo stepped forward and pulled off the prop, and in an instant, rainbow-like flowing light burst forth, flooding the entire mine tunnel, dazzling and brilliant, even surpassing the city built of gems.
“So this is the Most Beautiful Gem.” Yan Jiayu walked over, reached out to touch it, and said, “Can’t be put into the personal panel, so it’s probably not a good quality ore.”
Ores like Subclass Stone could be given as rewards to players and stored in the personal panel, while other ordinary ores could only be placed in the personal luggage compartment. Although this white gem looked beautiful, it probably wasn’t particularly precious.
“Probably hidden by Duan Cheng.”
Xu Huo nodded. “Let’s take it together. These puppets might belong to the Box Carrier. We need to leave.”
On the way back to Gem City, the two discussed their division of labor. Yan Jiayu would take the Most Beautiful Gem to Moon City, while Xu Huo would go to Gem City to clean up the remaining traces. After finishing, they would each leave the instance and meet up at Platinum Eye.
By dawn, Xu Huo finally arrived at Gem City. The city gates were already open. The player who had taken the white gem earlier and the players who should have chased from Moon City were nowhere to be seen, but the city had increased its patrol guards.
The residents on the streets were also discussing the thieves who had frequently broken into the castle and homes recently. Some unlucky ones had been caught and hanged, but most had escaped, even injuring many guards.
The castle was under lockdown, but that didn’t affect Xu Huo’s entry and exit. He went straight to the king’s study, found the codex, and flipped to the page with the handwriting. He originally planned to tear out that page, but after a pause, he closed the book and prepared to take the whole thing.
When he looked up, the maid Xiao Si stood opposite him. “You can’t take the codex.”
“Sorry, but I have to take this book.” Xu Huo stored the codex in his luggage compartment and said, “Gem City might soon cease to exist. Let the king and queen find another place to live.”
Xiao Si ignored him and demanded again that he return the codex, saying sternly, “This is theft!”
Xu Huo paused, not leaving immediately, but said, “I’ll exchange this codex for something belonging to King Chris. Will the queen agree?”
As he spoke, he placed a bookmark with King Chris’s handwriting on the table, then teleported outside the castle. At the same time, he used his trait “Finished Script” to check for any omissions. After confirming nothing was left behind, he left the instance.
[Congratulations, Player Passerby A, for clearing this instance “The King’s Gem.” Since the player successfully retrieved the “Most Beautiful Gem” only after the clearance assessment, it will not be considered in the final rating. Your final rating is A.]
[Based on your performance in the instance, you will receive the following rewards.]
[Obtained an extended trait: Important Notice. When using this trait, over 90% of people will believe that Passerby A is about to announce a major event, resulting in a half-minute of stillness. Note: If what is finally announced is not an important event, it may provoke a group beating from the listeners. Please use with caution.]
[One B-grade prop, three C-grade props.]
[Special prop gifted from the instance: A Request Not Easily Refused. This is a fairy tale from a fairy tale world. The protagonist is a boy who lost his parents. After experiencing the pain of losing his family at a young age, adults always show him extra affection, making it hard for them to refuse his small requests. Note: For different players, “small requests” have different standards. Please use according to the situation.]
[Special prop gifted from the queen: Customized Laws. As everyone knows, laws serving the public often hide inconspicuous clauses tailored for special groups. Those who draft these clauses are often the beneficiaries. Thus, a default rule has emerged in the game: those with absolute ownership can set non-mandatory special rules within a certain range. However, clauses recognized and finalized through “Customized Laws” can become the default mandatory rules within the current scope.]
[Increased luggage compartment space by five cubic meters.]
[Five tickets.]
[Various potions totaling 36 doses.]
[450,000 White Notes.]
[One robot repair 20% discount card. (Usable on the bounty platform and any game district)]
[One B-grade robot making self-study manual.]
The traits and props from the clearance rewards were nothing special. Compared to the clearance rewards, the two special props from the fairy tale instance were very eye-catching, but Xu Huo didn’t have time to examine them now, because as soon as he arrived at the station, the next train arrived. He boarded without stopping, and the carriage was once again a mess.
It seemed to have just experienced a bloody fight. Apart from the slightly protected walls, everything in the carriage—single rooms, rest supplies, even the automatic ordering system—looked as if it had been plowed over. It was hard to find a single intact item.
No one was left in this carriage, so Xu Huo had to go to another.
He chose the carriage ahead.
As he passed, someone happened to open the door and come out. The two met face to face. Xu Huo nodded to him, and the other responded politely.
This carriage was very calm, filled with the scent of food and fresh flowers. Five female players sat around a table playing cards. They seemed to know each other, reminding one another to keep their voices down so as not to disturb others.
There were also seven male players, counting the one who had gone out and Xu Huo who had just entered, totaling nine. Among them, three seemed to know the female players. Although they were at the edge of the carriage, they subtly assumed a protective stance around the five in the middle.
Three million words!
(Chapter End)