While the demon train is meeting the little reporters, over there.
Xu Aiyuan, the mistress of Rose Stream, has greeted her guests as well.
In front of the stone hall, the crowd gathered around, gazing at this former villager who had been chosen by the Lost Illusion Company. A few delicate female figures stood in the background. Meanwhile, the young girl Yingying was led by an older sister, walking towards them on the hard dirt road paved with stone chips. She was folding a small flower in her hand, her curious eyes fixed on the figure of a big brother draped in a cloak vaguely visible through the gaps in the crowd.
Time wore on, moment by moment.
Occasional bursts of laughter rose from the gathered people in conversation. Suddenly, from behind the stone hall, a group of four town men—one in front and three behind—ran up. They had been inside the wooden hall installing a stage for a speech.
“What’s wrong? “
“Something’s come up. Sorry, excuse us, coming through. “
These men pushed into the crowd. They glanced at Lin Site, of average height, who was looking over with curiosity, then came to Xu Aiyuan’s side. One of them spoke to her:
“Miss Aiyuan, just now when we started prying up the wooden floorboards, about to replace them, we discovered traces of digging in the soil beneath. There was a slab of stone lying upside down. “
“Hmm? A stone slab? “
Another man, who had his long sleeves rolled up, added, “But it’s a bit broken. “
Xu Aiyuan, who had been standing, froze, her brow furrowing in surprise upon hearing these words.
“As far as I remember, when it was repaired back then, there was nothing underneath, was there? ” some nearby whispered, low in voice.
“How did it get there? “
Amidst these anxious murmurs, Xu Aiyuan wiped away her concern and looked towards the back with a calming gaze.
“Let’s go take a look first. “
Following the floating, dark little figure’s glow, a crowd of people buzzed with discussion as they trailed Xu Aiyuan towards the wooden meeting hall in the back.
Before long, the sturdy stone slab that had been discovered, buried beneath the soil and mud, was revealed before everyone’s eyes.
“Lin Site, do you have any idea what this is about? ” Xu Aiyuan stood up, asking the man beside her—who only came up to her cheek—with some confusion.
Lin Site let out two soft breaths from his nose, pondered for a moment, then stepped forward to take a closer look beside the scattered floor.
“The material of this stone… doesn’t seem to be from around here? “
“It isn’t? “
The crowd murmured, “Could someone have secretly buried it here? It’s not some troublemaker’s doing, is it? “
The reporter, appearing as a little boy, floated downward slightly. He hesitated, reaching behind his waist to pull out a yellow ledger that was thick for his small frame, but wasn’t sure whether to start using it. Finally, he furrowed his brows, hooked it back at his waist, and became hazy, nearly merging with the glow.
“Let’s keep digging, ” Lin Site said. “While… while I’m still here, ” he added, standing up straight but suddenly turning a bit shy as his voice dropped slightly. “How about we dig up this entire area to see if anything else is hidden? If there’s a problem, we can deal with it directly. “
Xu Aiyuan thought for a moment, then smiled at him with a soft “mm-hmm. ” Turning around, she addressed the nearby workers hoisting hoes and shovels:
“So, I’ll have to trouble everyone. Let’s see if we can turn this place over today. “
“Miss Ai’yuan, rest assured! ” A man with modest but solid muscle curled his fist and roared, “Leave this task to us! “
Because the newly discovered cracked stone slab left everyone wondering how it came to be underground, and since it concerned the safety of Rose Creek, many people quickly arrived with tools. They began discussing and hefting their mattocks around inside the temple, ready to excavate.
……
When Yang Zicang returned to the inn, a man was busy cutting and baring black cables, peeling them open and twisting the hairlike threads of metal inside together like little strands of hemp rope. The entire floor of the second level lay covered in these fine, scruffy bits.
“President, you’re back. “
“Mn. Where’s Motav? ” Yang Zicang asked, glancing at him as he descended from the fourth floor.
The man snickered, “Oh, he’s right outside the hotel. “
Yang Zicang clumped heavily down the stairs and took a look over at the Visualizer, which had been placed quietly on its side on the counter along the wall. A snake of a cable crept along the hotel’s carpet as it stretched out of the entrance.
Yang Zicang stepped to the doorway and turned his head, glimpsing a back in the distance.
On the edge of the planter outside, Motav propped a long, thin wooden pole with one hand, craning his neck up to gaze at the signal-receiving antenna ringed with wire and mounded at the rod’s peak.
“The last time we were here, this wasn’t even here. ” Yang Zicang let out a light chuckle before shrinking back inside.
Once back in the hotel, he approached the front counter.
“Manager Mus, I believe the question of who rightfully owns Room 302, as per my agreement with President Wager, has long since been settled. Am I right? “
“I would think so. However, I can see your relationship with him does seem to be thawing. “
How could there be any real thawing? Yang Zicang murmured inwardly, keeping a smile on his face as he placed an elbow on the counter.
“Thank you, Manager. Hmm, has Mr. Wager not returned yet? “
He turned his head, glancing left and right, then caught a glimpse of his own silhouette reflected on the dim, smooth screen.
The manager shook his head.
“Not yet. But if you start the bidding, and the inhabitant of Room 302 loses in the review, then according to the agreement, all the rooms rented by President Wager, and the unified management rights for check-ins, will be yours to distribute, sir. “
“So, bidding it is. ” Yang Zicang feigned ignorance politely by asking something he already knew.
“This bidding is already very clear indeed. In the long race, you are, of course, the final victor. Still, the ritual of filling out the bid form and knocking on the room’s door must be observed. “
“Hmm, well, alright then. ” Yang Zicang nodded, thinking of Mr. Brown Lion who was still locked in room 407 and dazed. He said to Mus, “Then, sir, give me a Fee & Travel Voucher. I’ll go back to my room and write up a review. “
“Very well. ” Manager Mus handed Yang Zicang a stack of grass-yellow Fee & Travel Voucher papers, along with a pen. Taking them, Yang Zicang turned and headed upstairs.
……
Waldestadt.
Inside the ornate reception room of the Wide-Eaved Building.
President Frederick Bergman, with two curved mustaches on his lips, stared deeply at the visitor sitting across from him.
“Vice President of the World Ark, I wonder… what exactly do you mean by being so eager to see me? “
Wager, whose brows almost met in the middle, spoke:
“Honorable Mr. President, you know that I hold a key to the Divine Hotel. Now I wish to use it to exchange for a chance to enter the Next Era Land. “
“What did you say! “
President Frederick Bergman narrowed his eyes sternly; he was dressed in a luxurious coat of deep red and dark green fabric, with a tassel resembling slender wheat ears hanging around the golden epaulets on his shoulders. _”
“You damned fool! ” His mustache twitched as he glanced at a few people peering in from outside, frowning.
……
“It’s already nine ten; the new batch of bids should be coming in, right? “
The people inside the airship looked at the documents in their hands—bidding prices compiled from auction submissions.
The offers transmitted one after another from the cities below the suspended airship made everyone here feel almost suffocated from the tension.
“So much money; I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to squander it all in a lifetime, even if I truly lived in this world. “
“How long is the ‘lifetime’ you’re talking about? “
“Ah, haha. But with bids so high, I’m afraid many locals simply don’t have the resources to put down at once. “
Haili Fenny, who was preparing to record a new show segment, sensed a flicker of excitement among the others. Turning her face, her own mood uncertain, she gazed through the cabin window at the figure they were discussing.
She let out a light sigh.
Suddenly, a figure rose from a chair beside the signal receiver and dashed over. In hand, the person carried two hand-written sheets.
“Folks, we’ve got a new proposal. It’s from Chairman Yang. “
The voice made Fenny, who had just stood up, and Hei Yang—wearing a fresh outfit beside her, also facing the camera—turn to look.
“What? A new recording plan? “
A man in a black shirt leafed through the pages in his hand, then his face showed surprise.
“There’s actually a plan like this! “
“What is it? ” The crowd gathered to look, and gradually, light hisses of amazement filled the air.
“Anyway, our association will only let them use it after the doomsday response. For now, they save a huge sum, and for us, it’s a great new opportunity. “
Hearing this, Haili Fenny grew curious.
“Hey, what are you guys talking about? ” Black Swan asked from her spot.
Zhao Xuemei, with a graceful step, walked over from the table and took the paper handed to her.
“It’s a new plan by President Buchen, but he’s noted that the auction winners can only be told after the final results. However, the auction needs to be completed within an hour. “
“Wow! ” Zhao Xuemei exclaimed as she read. “We’re going to hand over the usage rights to this system of ours? ” She turned to Hei Yang and said, “Sister, we’ve got our work cut out for us. “
“Huh? ” Hei Yang also moved closer.
“Although the transfer will be delayed, it doesn’t hinder the broadcast rights held by the auctioneers, and besides, there’s no rule that they can’t air the programs recorded by the auctioneers in the days following the safety guarantee. “
People discussed this among themselves. The paper moved from hand to hand, and everyone nodded eagerly from time to time.
“Hehe, setting aside that vocalization plan, just look at the final auctioneers unexpectedly getting a third of the returns. At once, that should help the brothers in several dozen regions below the airship give birth to quite a few radiances! The chairman’s move here is just too brilliant! “
Upon hearing the gradually rising praise of Yang Zicang inside the airship, and upon seeing the content of this plan, Fenny, whose heart had been somewhat downcast, also felt her spirits lift in turn, patting her palms together in a hollow clap.
……
Continuous, silk-like faint afterimages appeared on the sea surface beside Lucius due to his high speed.
Suddenly, his muscles and clothes became imbued with fine, thunderous sparks. In an instant, his entire body vanished with a swoosh from where he stood, only to reappear a thousand meters away. Immediately after, he took off again from the sea surface, carrying a violet brilliance, and quickly disappeared into the air, leaving behind faint electric currents on some patches of seawater that quickly dissipated.
He suddenly came to a stop on a stretch of seawater.
Several people with their heads poking out from the water turned to look at the man in formal attire standing still as if hovering on the sea.
“Huh? “
These people looked at the newcomer with fear and trembling.
“Gentlemen, which one of you is the ferryman? “
“You—what do you want to do?! “
Lucius smiled. “Please, Mr. Ferryman, help me invest once more and let me see the future of the Mist Sea. Is that alright? “
“Huh? ” Beneath the water, a figure holding his breath surfaced like a dead fish, turning around in resignation, breaking through the water to exhale. His eyes dull, he looked up at the newcomer. “Well… I’ll try my best. “
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