# Chapter 2574: Say That Again and I'll Cover Your Mouth
The staff member's expression turned even uglier, and they called over two people to forcibly escort the old man to the break room.
"Wait! What are you doing!" The old man remained stubborn even as he was lifted up. "I didn't say anything wrong! Why are those clocks worth so much money? They can't even compare to antiques!"
"Old Mr. Xi, say that again and I'll have to cover your mouth," the staff member warned in a low voice.
The old man wasn't so easily intimidated. He spoke even louder, "You frauds, aren't you afraid of embarrassing District 001? Do you think covering my mouth will keep people from finding out? When this shame spreads outside, let's see who still wants to do business with you!"
His words were tough, but they couldn't change the fact that he was being dragged away. The old man had clearly come alone and had no help, but then he suddenly spotted Xu Huo standing in front of the Time Tower model and quickly shouted to him, "Young man, come help me! These people have no respect for the elderly!"
Xu Huo pretended not to hear and turned his head away.
"If you help, I'll make you a prop for free!" the old man added.
Xu Huo stepped forward with the Painting Woman. Seeing that the newcomer was a player, the staff member became more cautious. Before he could speak, Xu Huo said, "Can this exhibition only take compliments?"
"Of course not!" the staff member immediately denied, and at the same time signaled for the others to release the old man.
The old man quickly circled around to Xu Huo's side and pointed at the staff member, saying, "I'm definitely going to curse you out on the Message Collection Terminal! Just wait!"
The staff member glanced at Xu Huo, said nothing more, and left with his people.
As long as the old man didn't go upstairs to cause trouble, what did they care about what happened on the Message Collection Terminal?
"I now know why your shop has so few customers," Xu Huo said. Good grief, not only did he insult every customer who walked in, but he didn't even spare the locals. He truly achieved equality for all beings.
"What are you looking at!" the old man shouted at the onlookers before turning back to Xu Huo. "Don't worry, I'll definitely make that prop I promised you. What do you need?"
"Time-space type prop..." Xu Huo had just opened his mouth when the old man cut him off, "No, don't even think about it, no way!"
"Forget it. Come to my shop another day and pick anything you want. I'm leaving now..."
Xu Huo grabbed his shoulder. "Leaving just like that?"
The old man turned back. "What else is there to do?"
"I saw a player disguised as a staff member sneak away from the second floor just now," Xu Huo said. "It looked like he was carrying something when he came out. Might have been stolen."
In reality, he had only seen a certain staff member using lip language to chat with others.
"Stolen goods?" The old man was immediately skeptical. "Are those junk even worth stealing?"
Xu Huo smiled and nodded. "After all, so many people came today for what you call junk."
The old man looked gleeful. "Good, let them steal! Let's see what those people have left to sell for money!"
No sooner had he spoken than chaos erupted on the second floor. The players maintaining order immediately sealed off the venue, and Enforcement Team members quickly arrived to investigate the stolen items. The guests in the venue also had to cooperate with the investigation.
To be honest, if a player had committed the theft and the venue didn't restrict people from leaving, recovering the items was next to impossible. In the eyes of many players, sealing off the venue was completely unnecessary.
But regardless of whether the investigation would yield results, they had to put on a show. As a cooperative participant, Xu Huo followed the crowd to a nearby break room.
"We should have left earlier. If we had, none of this would have happened," the old man said. "Who knows how long these people are going to drag this out."
"Are the investigation procedures in District 001 very cumbersome?" Xu Huo asked.
"You bet. First, they question you with instruments, then props, and finally the players themselves. With this many people, three rounds. Just wait!" the old man said.
The investigation had already begun. Xu Huo indeed saw people being taken into separate rooms for questioning. He didn't know what props the Enforcement Team was using, but if they got to the Painting Woman, she would likely be exposed. Since that was the case, there was no point in sticking around to watch the excitement.
He took the Painting Woman and the old man and left the venue directly, finding the two sisters You Zhi and You Xin.
They had been waiting in the aircraft for Xu Huo to contact them, and they were startled when he suddenly appeared with someone. "Is something going on at the venue?"
It was You Zhi who asked.
"Something was stolen. Everyone has to be checked. A waste of time," Xu Huo explained briefly, then gave the name of the old man's shop.
Unexpectedly, the two sisters knew of him. "We've long heard that Old Mr. Xi had retired and stopped making clocks for people. We thought you had found a place to settle down in your old age. We didn't expect you were still running your shop. From now on, we'll definitely visit often!"
The old man kept a straight face and said nothing. The sisters didn't mind and piloted the aircraft away from the venue.
"Don't worry, it's just a theft case. Once you leave the venue, they won't pursue the investigation," You Xin proactively reassured Xu Huo.
When they arrived at the old man's shop, the staff member—also the only employee—came out to greet them. Seeing his troubled expression, he couldn't help but say, "I told you not to go. You go, you get angry, and then you offend people. Those people already have a grudge against us... Business is probably going to get even harder now."
The old man snorted. "Enough talk. Make tea for my guests."
The staff member glanced at Xu Huo and the others before leaving.
A robot brought out tables and chairs, and they entertained their guests in the not-so-spacious shop.
The old man still remembered what had happened earlier and insisted he would make Xu Huo a prop. He asked whether Xu Huo wanted it for defense or attack. If Xu Huo provided his own materials, the prop quality would be even better, and he wouldn't charge any labor fees.
Xu Huo showed hesitation, and the old man's face immediately changed. "You don't believe I can make good props?"
"Mr. Xu, Old Mr. Xi's craftsmanship is among the best in District 001," You Xin said, choosing her words carefully before continuing. "It's just that Old Mr. Xi doesn't care about fame or fortune, so very few people know about him."
"Let's talk about the prop later. Did you go to the venue today specifically to cause trouble?" Xu Huo asked. "Aren't you afraid of retaliation?"
"Would they dare? A bunch of cowards!" The old man's temper was fiercer than anyone's. "They're just coasting on their old reputation to make money. In another two years, they probably won't even be able to do that!"
"No, we have to settle this prop today. I don't like owing people favors!"
He said he was going to get his prop registration form to show Xu Huo and broaden his horizons. As soon as he left, the staff member secretly told them not to bring up the venue incident anymore. The reason the old man had a grudge against those clock makers at the venue was because of his late teacher. His teacher wasn't famous, but his craftsmanship was excellent—otherwise, Old Mr. Xi wouldn't be so skilled. It was to seek justice for his teacher that Old Mr. Xi had disappeared from the ranks of District 001's Artificers.