Chapter 165: Angel's Fangs
Tao Chengxin rolled her eyes, then looked at Tang Yuan across from her and asked, "Did you really run into that Yang Sheng at the Fresh Sausage Shop? Was there anything off about him?"
"Anything off?" Tang Yuan was taken aback. "I didn't notice anything."
Tao Chengxin pursed her lips. "You were meeting for the first time too, and you trust him that much?"
"It's not really trust. I can protect myself." Tang Yuan scratched his head and said, "Besides, whether we trust each other or not, players have to stick together to complete the mission."
"Makes sense." Sun Jirou's expression turned slightly cold. "Actually, clearing low-level instances isn't that hard, but players not only distrust each other, they also try every trick to trip each other up, which is why the death rate is so high."
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush." Tao Chengxin said irritably, "You're well-off, you don't understand us players who started from scratch. One wrong move and it's not just our assets, but our lives on the line. Not everyone can bring bodyguards into an instance like you."
Sun Jirou looked a bit embarrassed, pursed her lips, and said nothing more.
The three of them waited in silence, while Xu Huo had bought some things and called over a waiter to tell a story.
Everyone in Fairy Tale City was very enthusiastic about telling stories, and telling stories to guests was also a service, so whenever a visitor requested it, the waiters would put down their work.
The waiter was now telling a fictional story about a king and a knight. The gist of it was that the king lost his mind, forced the loyal knight to flee to a foreign land, and even invited wolves into the house by using enemy soldiers to hunt the knight down. Finally, after enduring countless hardships, the knight fought his way back, drove the enemy forces out of the kingdom, and awakened the befuddled king.
"This knight is way too stupid," Tao Chengxin said. "If it were me, I'd just become king myself."
"Knight's honor. If the knight became king, he would violate his own code of conduct." Sun Jirou held a different view.
"Didn't it end well? The king and the knight made peace," Tang Yuan said.
"What kind of good ending is that?" Xu Huo said flatly. "Both sides suffered heavy losses. There's no way they could ever truly reconcile."
"This gentleman is right," the waiter said with a smile. "But stories need a perfect ending so the listeners don't feel too bad."
Xu Huo turned to look at the bustling street outside, then suddenly stood up and said, "Let's go find the female tour guide first."
Tao Chengxin and the other two didn't understand why he had suddenly changed his mind, but it was clear Xu Huo wouldn't listen to them, and they also wanted to know what he was planning to do, so they followed along.
Arriving at the small courtyard they had visited in the morning, Xu Huo knocked on the door. A middle-aged man opened it. "Who are you looking for?"
"How did the person change... and the sunflowers are gone!" Tao Chengxin peered inside. The courtyard that had been full of sunflowers was now a lawn, and the house's exterior looked different too.
The group stepped back from the courtyard, and Tao Chengxin said incredulously, "We were tricked!"
"Is your trait really reliable?" Sun Jirou sneered.
Tao Chengxin was starting to doubt herself too. Tang Yuan asked, "The person you were looking for is gone?"
"I'm afraid we were fooled from the start." Sun Jirou looked at Xu Huo. "What's the plan now? Go find the other storyteller?"
"But why would she lie to us?" Tao Chengxin couldn't understand. "She didn't need to do that."
What was the point of going through all that trouble to deceive them?
"I heard from Sun Jirou that they asked you to help find something, right?" Tang Yuan said.
"It seems to be a jade token, but I'm not sure what it's for." Sun Jirou paused. "Maybe the other storyteller knows."
"No time to waste. Let's head to the Fresh Sausage Shop first."
The four of them hurried over to the Fresh Sausage Shop.
On their end, Yang Sheng was about to inform them that the old lady refused to leave the shop, when he suddenly saw them running over. He couldn't help but snort. "So you came after all."
Xu Huo said nothing and walked into the Fresh Sausage Shop with the others.
The layout of the sausage shop was similar to the Block Muffin Shop—small on the outside, large on the inside. They passed through a narrow passage where sausages were being dried to reach the courtyard inside.
A white-haired old lady in a wheelchair was poking holes into freshly stuffed sausages.
Wang Qiao and Gao Baimei were indeed there too. The two of them shot Xu Huo a smug look. Although they had gotten the lead by following him, they were the ones who had found the person first.
"You're here to hear a story too, I suppose." The old lady invited them to sit down and then told the same story she had told before. When she got to the exciting parts, she kept wiping away tears.
Xu Huo listened calmly until she finished, then handed her the drawing paper the girl in the white dress had given him. "Ma'am, do you know what this is?"
"This..." The old lady scanned their faces. "Where did you get this picture? Haven't they given up yet?"
"Grandma, what exactly is this? Is it an item?" Tao Chengxin pressed.
"It's not an item." The old lady shook her head. "This is the access card for the Government Hall Research Institute. Only those who have contributed to Fairy Tale City can get one. With this access card, you can go to any department of the research institute to collect potions."
"Isn't the identity marker for this kind of high-level access card unique?" Xu Huo asked. "Someone else shouldn't be able to use it, right? Why are those cannibal players looking for the access card?"
"The identity linked to the access card is unique, but there's no biometric facial recognition." The old lady said. "In the game, there are items that can change one's appearance. Height, looks, even blood type checks are mostly useless, so management is strict, and not many people get access cards."
"They're probably looking for the access card to steal potions."
A look of hatred appeared in her eyes. "What kind of heinous things do they want to do with those potions again!"
Sun Jirou and the others exchanged glances. Tang Yuan asked, "Grandma, there's another thing we need to find for our instance mission. Have you ever lost any teeth?"
The old lady bared her gums, revealing two bare ridges. "You kids, you don't think the teeth the instance is looking for are my dentures, do you?"
"The teeth are an item, fully named Angel's Fangs. It's a very powerful special item. Because of this item, the people from Government Hall can't get in, and the residents of the tourist city have become hostages."
"Now that item is in their hands. There's no way you can get it." She shook her head. "Listen to me, leave Fairy Tale City as soon as possible."
"I think this is an opportunity," Tang Yuan said. "Since the other side is using a special item to cover their tracks, we'll never find them by searching actively. But if she wants the access card, if we bring it to her, she'll definitely show up."
"And then what?" Tao Chengxin chimed in. "We all sacrifice ourselves to hand her the key to Pandora's Box?"
"Of course, we're not the ones who will take back the item." Tang Yuan looked at the old lady. "Doesn't Government Hall have players in the tourist city? We can ask them for help."