Chapter 2350: That Guy
"Why are you asking him?" the Painting Woman stepped forward. "I'm the one who helped you!"
The woman let out a laugh. "Alright then, I could even offer myself to you in return. Would you be willing?"
"I don't want that. Being your beast of burden is fine," the Painting Woman insisted stubbornly. "If you really don't want to do that, just pay me in cash."
The woman stared at her. "They say kindness shouldn't expect repayment. You're being a bit too realistic here."
"Didn't you say it yourself?" The Painting Woman extended her hand, her entire being screaming two words: "Give money."
The woman naturally couldn't go back on her word. She handed over all the money she had on her. "This card holds all my savings."
"All my savings," she emphasized. "I didn't keep a single cent in my game panel. Aside from commonly used items, I didn't leave any idle things behind. I converted everything into money, and it's all here."
The Painting Woman's eyes sparkled as she took it. After checking the balance, the smile on her face vanished. She stared at the other woman with a "you're this poor" expression, seemingly shocked and even carrying a hint of pity.
Veins bulged on the woman's forehead. "Whether you believe it or not, that really is all my money."
The Painting Woman tried to return the card, but the woman quickly waved her hand. "It's only right..."
After two rounds of pushing and refusing, Xu Huo translated from the side. "What she means is she still wants you to be her beast of burden."
The woman gritted her teeth. "If you really force me, I'll have no choice but to go into the game."
The Painting Woman didn't care about that at all. She had already raised her communicator. Xu Huo pressed down on her shoulder and asked the woman, "Are you a local? Then you must know this district's situation very well?"
The woman looked at him, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief. "I can tell you some information that isn't available on Under Dimension."
"I'm looking for a place that's said to appear in this district." Xu Huo drew a simple fish pattern in the air. "Do you know this place?"
A slight change flickered in the woman's eyes. "Why are you looking for that place?"
So she did know.
"Someone gave me an invitation. I plan to go in and take a look," Xu Huo said.
"Didn't you check any information before coming? The Fish Feast isn't a good place," the woman said. "Only two kinds of people go in: those risking their lives and those who are desperate outlaws."
"Aside from those forced to enter and those specifically seeking thrills, ordinary players gain nothing from going in and lose a lot."
"Under Dimension seems to say it's a good place to get rich?" Xu Huo deliberately sized her up. "Haven't you thought about giving it a try? Better than fishing with your looks here."
The woman let out a cold laugh, not answering the question. Instead, she said, "If you really want to go, I can give you a name. This person knows where the Fish Feast's entrance usually opens."
She gave a code name. "The Fish Feast's entrance isn't fixed, but this person definitely knows where it will appear next time. However, she's not easy to deal with."
That was all she had to say. With a hint of caution, the woman slowly backed out of the alley.
Her card was still in the Painting Woman's hand. The Painting Woman handed it to Xu Huo. "She's really poor."
Xu Huo took it and looked at it. There were only twenty thousand White Notes on it.
"Indeed, quite poor. Judging by her attitude, I thought she'd have at least two million." He handed the card back to the Painting Woman.
"No wonder she was stealing things," the Painting Woman said. "If I were this poor, I'd go steal things too."
"Stealing doesn't get you much money. It's better to rob the district government. The district government definitely has money."
"Let's go." Xu Huo ignored her "get-rich plan" and went to find the intermediary the female player had mentioned, the one called "Attract Wealth and Treasure."
This intermediary was quite famous. They stood around in her usual haunts for a while and soon heard people mention her. They picked someone who seemed easy to talk to, asked around politely, and Xu Huo learned the basic information about this intermediary.
The other party was also a player, said to have a strong background, operating on both sides of the law. The so-called intermediary's main job was to connect people, broker deals, find channels, and smooth things over, all of which were included. She took a commission from it.
However, not much was known about the Fish Feast among players. They only said that "Attract Wealth and Treasure" had some special money-making channels. People who were truly at their wit's end could give it a try. It was generally only open to players, though occasionally she would find ordinary people, but they had to be good-looking and young.
Xu Huo had the Painting Woman disguise herself as a C-level player, and also modified her appearance to be more outstanding. Then they went directly to find "Attract Wealth and Treasure."
The intermediary lived in a leisure building. There were places for tea and entertainment downstairs. When Xu Huo mentioned the intermediary to the front desk, the other party wasn't very willing to deal with him. But when he mentioned the Fish Feast, the front desk's eyes slid over the Painting Woman's face, and then she said, "Wait."
A minute later, someone came down to take them upstairs.
In the top-floor office, the intermediary was sitting at her desk, tending to her hands. When she saw the Painting Woman, she smiled with satisfaction. "After seeing so many ugly things today, I finally see something that doesn't hurt my eyes. Little sister, come sit over here... That guy, just sit over on the side."
Xu Huo was directed to a sofa in the corner, while the Painting Woman sat opposite the intermediary.
"Little sister wants to go play at the Fish Feast?" the intermediary cut straight to the point.
The Painting Woman pointed to her throat to indicate she couldn't speak, then gestured that Xu Huo could speak for her.
Xu Huo was called over. The intermediary couldn't even be bothered to lift her eyelids to look at him. She said coldly, "The Fish Feast isn't a place you can just go to. Do you have an invitation?"
"I have one, she doesn't," Xu Huo said. "I heard you have a channel here. I want her to go in with me."
The intermediary glanced at the Painting Woman. "Do you even know what kind of place the Fish Feast is before wanting to go? What's your relationship?"
"I picked her up. She's been mute since she was very young," Xu Huo fabricated an excuse on the spot. "I found a medicine that can cure her throat, but I'm short on money."
The intermediary smiled, not sure if she believed him. She directly latched onto the last two words. "Short on money, huh? Even a mortgage loan would be better than the Fish Feast. And you're not locals."
"A friend recommended us to come here. They said you have a channel and don't need an invitation to get in." Xu Huo's face was expressionless. "If it's not possible, I'll find someone else."
As he spoke, he pulled the Painting Woman up to leave. The intermediary called them back. "I can let you in, but since one of you has an invitation and the other doesn't, you definitely can't go through the same entrance."
"You have two choices. Either neither of you uses an invitation, or you buy another invitation."
Xu Huo hesitated for a moment. "What's the difference?"
"Not much difference. The invitation isn't expensive either." The intermediary smiled as she spoke. "The expensive one, you can't afford anyway."
"How much would it cost?" Xu Huo asked again.
The intermediary quoted a price, and his expression turned slightly ugly.
"If you don't have the money, I can help you out," the intermediary said. "Mortgage a high-level item. When you come out, you can use money to redeem it."
Xu Huo seemed reluctant to part with even a single item. Instead, he asked, "Can I get in without an invitation? Is there any risk?"