After several twists and turns, An Moxue finally arrived at a small border town. According to the intelligence she had received, a large truckload of antiques would be transported here from Lan Kingdom. She couldn't touch the stronghold in Puda State for the time being, but she planned to intercept the truckload of antiques and create the illusion of a double-cross, letting them fight like dogs.

Now, she is a curious and dashing young man who has run away from home, full of curiosity about anything new.

Now, she's in a pub in this small town, a glass of draft beer in front of her. An older man next to her is laughing at her, saying, "Young man, can't you drink that? A real man should drink this." As he speaks, he raises his glass of strong liquor and then takes a big gulp.

After drinking it, he said defiantly, "See? Like this!"

An Moxue didn't indulge him, saying, "Uncle, you're getting old, drinking strong liquor is too much for you. I'm young, I can drink anything."

"Young man, are you looking for a beating?" The uncle made a move to reach out, but was stopped by the tavern proprietress.

"Andre, if you keep acting crazy while drunk, go home! You're not welcome here." The uncle glared at An Moxue, cursed her as a "pretty boy," and walked away.

"Beautiful sister, thank you for getting me out of that pretentious situation." Mo Xue sweetly addressed the charming proprietress, expressing her gratitude.

The proprietress didn't take An Moxue's words of thanks to her, but she was very pleased with how An Moxue addressed her. Her face was full of smiles as she waved her hand and said, "Little girl, finish this beer and go home quickly! Don't drink too much."

An Moxue readily picked up on her words, saying, "Pretty sister, I'm just here to have some fun. I'm not into alcohol. I heard there are many things here that you can't find elsewhere, that's why I came. Is that true?"

The proprietress couldn't refuse such a eloquent young man, so she followed up by asking, "For example?"

An Moxue leaned closer to her and whispered, "Pretty sister, I heard that you can go to the other country from here, is that true?"

"Kids shouldn't be so curious about everything," the proprietress advised, wiping her wine glass.

"Pretty sister, what do you think about me sneaking over to the other side to take a look? Didn't you say that everything they eat, wear, and use is distributed there? And that the people there are so poor, their clothes are all patched up."

The landlady glared at her, saying with exasperation, "What are you curious about? Do you think crossing the border is easy? People die there, okay? How old are you? Why don't you just live a good life? Besides, the other side is so poor, why would you go there? To starve and freeze?"

"Pretty sister, does that mean it's really possible to cross over? Didn't you say it's just a matter of paying? I've brought enough money, and I just want to go to the other side and see what it's like over there."

"Who told you that? You come find him, I'll beat him to death. What grudge could they possibly have against a little kid like you? How can you be so naive, believing everything they say?" She looked at An Moxue with the eyes of someone looking at an ignorant child.

An Moxue was just like a stubborn teenager, refusing to turn back until she hit a wall. "Impossible. I heard that a truckload of goods came from the other side in the last two days. If they can come, why can't I?"

The proprietress could tell that the boy had probably overheard his family's conversation and gained a vague understanding before coming here. This showed that his family was not simple people.

But this is no joke; it could really kill someone, especially such a handsome and articulate young man. The proprietress couldn't bear to see her in danger, so she earnestly and softly advised her, "Little brother, this is all done secretly, even with prior arrangements with border officers, who share the profits. What do you have over there? Are you out of your mind?"

"Pretty sister, but I clearly heard from my family that..."

"Stop. Don't tell me something this dangerous, I don't want to know. And don't tell anyone else either, lest you bring about your own death. Got it?"

An Moxue seemed to have just been awakened by her words, and was so frightened that she couldn't come to her senses. She asked in a panic, "Sister, does everyone here know about this?"

She looked at An Moxue and asked, "What do you think?"

"Okay! Thank you for the tip, sister. I won't ask anymore, and I won't say anything more. But could you tell me about some nice, secluded spots around here? I'd like to check them out and buy some trinkets."

"Don't even think about crossing the border again, you hear me? If the soldiers over there find you, you'll be shot, not deported."

"Hey pretty lady, I heard about all the fun places around here before I arrived, but when I got here I found out it wasn't like that at all. I couldn't find any, so I thought I'd come to the tavern to drink and drown my sorrows, but I ended up getting laughed at by a drunken old man."

The proprietress rolled her eyes at her again and laughed at her for being foolish. "These are all shady establishments. Do you think this is a legitimate business? How naive. You can't find them without an introduction."

An Moxue approached with a grin and said, "Hey pretty sister, could you introduce me to someone? I'll pay you, I won't use you for free."

The proprietress thought to herself, "Although this young man is a bit naive, he's not short of money when it comes to getting things done. I like him, and he can still guide me."

The proprietress laid down three rules first: "Okay, let's get this straight, no trouble allowed!"

"Absolutely not, I'm just going to broaden my horizons and buy some rare items."

Seeing that An Moxue was earnest and didn't seem like the kind of person who would break her promise, the proprietress took out two business cards from behind the counter and handed them to her, saying, "Take these two business cards! One is in the east of the city, and the other is in the south. Just go after 2 PM. Actually, our town isn't very big, and we know a lot of people. Just be careful. Say that Linlina, who sells alcohol, recommended you, and you won't be cheated on the price."

"Thank you, beautiful Linlina. Your name is just like you, so lovely to hear and so beautiful to look at." An Moxue said sweet words while handing the proprietress a wad of cash.

The proprietress took the money, her attitude even better, and she jokingly scolded, "You sycophant, how did your mother give birth to you? You're so good with words!"

An Moxue thought she might be able to try and get some information out of her, since she had caught the eye of the proprietress!

An Moxue looked at her with eager eyes, as if it would be unforgivable for her to know but not tell her. "Sister Linlina, is there anything else interesting here?"

"No," she answered quickly, which made An Moxue know that there must be something, but she wouldn't tell her.

"Okay! Thank you for telling me so much, sister."

She glanced at her watch. "That's enough for today!"

No longer wasting time in the pub, he downed his beer in one gulp and said goodbye to the proprietress.

After leaving, they drove directly out of the city and headed towards the border.

......