Chapter 2472: The Fruit at the Mountain Top
"Still haven't chosen," Xu Huo said slowly. "But I think the players running errands for those shops in town have probably changed batches many times by now. Even if we go back, we won't get anything."
"Luckily, the Wan family is holding a banquet in three days. Quite a few people will come from other cities then, so we might find suitable targets there."
Bubble Bean and the other person thought that made sense, but they had some differences on how to select targets.
Bubble Bean believed that to get a high rating and clear the instance, choosing a target required some effort. Since they didn't know the specific evaluation criteria of the instance, he suggested the selection range should be ordinary people who looked relatively weak and in need of help.
Although Ling Ling had previously said this instance might be easy to clear, she had just inquired at different shops and gathered some information from a few players. Successful cases of helping ordinary people clear the instance were very rare, let alone the fact that this was an easily imitated method. Different angles, different targets, various escort methods, different destinations—in short, it was about transporting the Cat Whisker Fruit from one place to another. Even if someone succeeded by accident, they probably couldn't explain exactly what caused them to clear it.
Therefore, her idea was to take a different path and start with some famous people, especially local players. They might not need to investigate what stories these people carried; just by participating, they might inexplicably get drawn into certain events.
Xu Huo thought both of their points had merit and had no other opinions. He then suggested they act according to circumstances during the banquet and grab whoever was most convenient at the time.
But the banquet was three days away, and they couldn't just wait around doing nothing. So they agreed on a meeting place and time, then separated again.
Xu Huo and the Painting Woman went to Cat Whisker Fruit Mountain.
Cat Whisker Fruit Mountain was also a scenic spot, with quite a few tourists playing on the mountain. However, tourists weren't allowed to pick large quantities of Cat Whisker Fruits; taking one or two was fine.
But ordinary people generally wouldn't pick unprocessed Cat Whisker Fruits either. They really weren't that good-looking, and the fruit whiskers were numerous, making them troublesome to clean.
The Painting Woman was quick. As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, she picked two to play with. She pulled off all the whiskers, rolled them in her hands like walnuts, and then tossed them back and forth between her hands.
Along the way, there were also some vendors selling things like water and snacks.
When they passed a stall, he stopped to listen to the vendor talk about the past of Mao Guo Town. Originally, the town was actually called Cat Town. At that time, there was an old lady of unknown name who was especially kind-hearted. She built a facility herself to take in homeless stray cats. As she kept more and more cats, some people living nearby would specifically bring cats they no longer wanted. Over time, the town came to be called Cat Town.
The origin of the name Mao Guo Town was actually because of the unmutated Cat Whisker Fruit trees. The fruits from unmutated trees could barely be said to resemble a little cat's head, but because the kittens particularly loved playing with these fruits, the town was renamed. Then evolution began, the trees changed, and the fruits became larger and more realistic. People loved them, but cats no longer did.
"So you see, even though there are many Cat Whisker Fruits here, not a single cat goes up the mountain..." Before the vendor could finish, a group of cats chased after something and rushed past.
The crowd's eyes blurred, and then someone looked back at the vendor. "Looks like they still like Cat Whisker Fruits after all."
The vendor was stunned. "That's not right. Isn't it said that the whiskers of Cat Whisker Fruits release an odor cats dislike? Cats usually stay active in the town..."
The Painting Woman ran back with another string of cats following her, snatching a bag of snacks from the stall as she passed by.
"I want a photo with that big sister!" A half-grown child's eyes lit up as he chased after her, gradually becoming a spectacle on Cat Whisker Fruit Mountain.
Xu Huo had already reached the mountain top. The trees grew too densely, and since the mountain itself wasn't tall, the view from the top wasn't expansive. Looking out, there were still dense clusters of fruits, their grayish-brown tones lacking even the function of pleasing the eye.
Most tourists turned back halfway, and only a few who particularly liked it would reach the top. They came to pick specific Cat Whisker Fruits.
"What's different about the Cat Whisker Fruits here compared to other places?" Xu Huo helped pick a Cat Whisker Fruit from a branch and struck up a conversation with a female tourist who was struggling to reach one.
She thanked him, then peeled back the roots on the fruit shell. "Do you see this small crack on the root?"
Xu Huo nodded. "It seems like every Cat Whisker Fruit has one."
The female tourist nodded. "But only the best-grown fruits have more regular cracks. They naturally form different shapes. Even if you don't make them into other crafts, just looking at the pores on them is beautiful."
Most of the gaps on the crafts sold in town were repaired.
Xu Huo picked up a fruit and looked into the crack. "Is that the pit inside?"
"It's the pit," the female tourist said, noticing he was an outsider and explaining carefully. "This pit has a faint fragrance. Some people especially like this scent, saying it helps with sleep, so it's nice to keep in a room."
"Skilled people can even carve various interesting patterns on the pit through the cracks on the shell. That takes a lot of effort, but they sell for a high price too."
Xu Huo saw she was picking this type of Cat Whisker Fruit. "Do you carve patterns on the pits?"
"Using a machine is possible..." The female tourist said somewhat sheepishly, "But machine carving has no soul. I'm still learning. This time I came hoping to find a master to seriously study under."
As she spoke, she noticed an old lady carrying a large basket nearby. She proactively walked over to help steady her and picked up several Cat Whisker Fruits that had fallen on the ground. "Ma'am, are you making crafts? Some of these naturally fallen fruits have broken shells. How about I pick some for you?"
The old lady looked aged but was very spirited. She waved her hand, indicating she could manage on her own.
The female tourist didn't insist and turned back to picking her own.
Xu Huo noticed the old lady's hands were trembling slightly. Just as he stepped forward, she accidentally stepped on a fruit and fell.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" Xu Huo quickly approached, first checking her condition before helping her take off the basket. He added, "I saw you even picking up fruits with cracks on the ground. Why bother coming all the way to the mountain top? The fruits at the foot of the mountain are sufficient."
The old lady was silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "Good fruits have their use, broken fruits have their use. Heaven gives birth to all things, each with its purpose. These cracked fruits also have their place."
Xu Huo was quite surprised. He helped her up and carried the basket with one hand. "I'll hold your things for you. Do you still want to pick? I can help too."