Chapter 104 Exhibition 1: Preparing Materials (Details of the process were changed, but...)

So much has happened, and only a week and a half has passed.

You finished your homework and were thinking about going to class, so you went to audit a class with Xiao Zhou. Although nothing dangerous happened, even a fairly easy class like this still carried the risk of being selected by the teacher to speak occasionally.

After spending a class in suspense, you regretfully choose to continue being a slacker.

Sure enough, the most comfortable thing is not having to go to class.

Lying in bed scrolling through your phone, you're utterly bored.

The idea of ​​changing accommodations, which I had planned to do before, was abandoned after the puppet incident. Now that it's clear there's no completely "safe" place here, staying in the dormitory isn't so bad.

In particular, after being bombarded with your sweet talk, the dormitory supervisor will shout "Maya dara ga ya~ (my dear)" as soon as she sees you, and will even cook you beetroot soup.

You feel there's no safer place than here.

Let's leave it at that for now.

I took another bite of beetroot raw—haha, your acceptance of this stuff has gradually gone from initially disliking its earthy sweetness to becoming addicted to it. Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

A new dialog box popped up.

Aunt: "Are you free? There's a Flower Luo Trade Fair next week. I'll take you there to take a look. It'll be a good opportunity for you to practice. Your mother said before that you can't just laze around in the Kingdom of Los. You need to learn something from the adults."

Your eyelids twitched, and you sat up abruptly, your fingertips flying across the screen as you tried to recall when "Mom" had mentioned this to her—oh right, wasn't it when you first arrived short of money and dared not use the money earned from illegal resellers that your relatives in the family group chat pressured you into agreeing to "go with Auntie to learn foreign trade"?

Oh no, now that you have money, you've almost forgotten about this.

Moreover, you've never had any contact with the "family" in the instance before, and now you have to deal with them, a strange feeling arises from within.

But now the news has arrived.

You quickly replied: "Of course I'm free! When does it start? What do I need to prepare?"

My aunt replied within seconds: "You studied tourism management, right? There's a cultural section at this exhibition, and we need someone to collect some information. Just get some data related to the culture and tourism of the Kingdom of Los. Don't go overboard with the fluff, get something practical, like 'What do tourists from the Kingdom of Flower care about most when they come to the Kingdom of Los?' or 'What do people from the Kingdom of Flower think of them from the perspective of locals in Los.' The more obvious the cultural differences between the Kingdom of Flower and the Kingdom of Los, the better."

"As for the rest, the main thing is to broaden your horizons and introduce you to some impressive people. Be confident and outgoing!" Auntie was very decisive and didn't give you a chance to speak before deciding what you were to do and all the arrangements that followed.

After replying with a row of obedient and well-behaved emojis, your brain starts racing.

This whole thing is troublesome, but if I can learn some legal knowledge from my aunt, maybe I can really get rid of the hidden dangers of illegal online shopping agents.

Moreover, this is actually a very interesting angle.

Although your major is "Tourism Management", you know absolutely nothing about it. Even though you've done an assignment, you still have no idea what it means.

However, on the bright side, its loosely defined professionalism allows you to more easily fool your aunt.

If I don't do well, the worst that can happen is a scolding.

Of course, you are meticulous in your work, and even for tasks in dungeons, you still hope to do them well.

You quickly followed the exhibition introduction sent by your aunt, researched the information, and decided what you needed to prepare.

Since it involves cultural differences and travel preferences, we need to approach it from two directions:

First, data on the common preferences and behaviors of tourists from the Flower Country in Los Angeles, such as where they frequently go, what they like to buy, and what pitfalls they are prone to encountering; second, the real opinions of Los Angeles locals about tourists from the Flower Country, including stereotypes, potential discrimination, points of preference for cooperation, and points of reluctance to communicate.

This presents another challenge: you have to use the website of the country of Los Angeles to search for information, and unlike the United States or the United Kingdom, Los Angeles is not a popular study abroad destination where you can easily find information on the website, even if it's just about how to find local information. Moreover, the automatic translation feature is really a headache.

You stared blankly at the computer screen for a moment, thought for a moment, and then clicked on the school library's electronic system with your mouse.

Hey, this major that you and other slacker students think is easy actually has quite a lot of relevant literature from the university.

In particular, because this school has a large number of students from South Korea, it has archived a lot of "studies on the integration of Chinese and South Korean cultures" from tourism summits more than a decade ago, and there are so many of them that they are like cabbages.

As a good student in the real world, you briefly expressed your disdain for your own wasted life.

However, if you want to see it, you have to make a trip to the library.

You stared at the row of irregular PDF lock icons, sighed, and pulled back the curtains to look outside—the sky was overcast, the ground was slippery, and the snow weighed down the tree branches.

Wrapped in a thick coat, you saved a screenshot of the "Library Opening Hours and Self-Service Area Guide" that you had fully translated in the translation assistant to your phone. Backpack, notebook, power bank, hand cream, snow boots with special markings... Going out is really a hassle. You sighed as you packed your things, but your movements were still quick and efficient.

You put on your hat, and finally straightened your clothes in front of the mirror to make sure everything was in order.

You open the door, step out of the dormitory, and into the wind and snow.

The further I walked, the colder I felt inside.

After getting tired of seeing snow, you stay at home, looking at the bleak, dim light, and want to go out; but when you go out, the cold makes you want to huddle back inside.

Take out the Soul Knot and glance at it—hmm, it seems no one is watching you.

That being said, you've managed to turn this thing around, but you're still unsure how to use it properly, so you're just using it the old way.

For now, it seems there are no problems.

You put it in the pocket of the next layer of thermal underwear inside your coat, patted it, and only then did you feel at ease.

We arrived at the library quickly.

The lobby was muddy from the snow, and a thick rubber mat covered the floor, with a sign next to it asking people to change into slippers. Several librarians in uniform sat behind a counter behind a glass partition, registering people coming and going while leisurely scanning them to see if they met the rules.

You put your phone in your pocket and subconsciously touched your student ID in your bag. This wasn't your first time at the library, but you were still a little intimidated by the stern-faced librarians.

You walk to the small window on the left and hand over your student ID.

The administrator was a woman in her forties with her hair neatly tied up. She glanced at you, scanned your card, and pointed to the "personal belongings storage area" next to her.

You nodded, stuffed your backpack into a transparent plastic bag, leaving only your paper, pens, notebooks, and laptop, which you tucked under your arm, and changed into a pair of light gray rubber-soled slippers.

The library here has many rules: dirty shoes are not allowed, loud talking is not permitted, eating and drinking are prohibited, and even entering and exiting the stacks requires manual registration after swiping your student card.

But you know, the more rules a place has, the easier it is to follow them.

As you walk into the lobby, it's quiet both upstairs and downstairs. With final exams approaching, there are quite a few students here researching, doing homework, and reviewing, all quietly going about their own business. The air is dry from the heating and carries a faint, old smell of wooden bookshelves.

Pushing your cart, you gathered all the books you needed and found a corner to sit down.

Several hours have passed, and you are surrounded by piles of documents you have reviewed. On your computer screen is the summary of the Sino-Russian trade conference materials that you just completed.

You are examining the original text of a Los Angeles tax clause, with several auxiliary software programs on standby, trying to clarify its tax rate relationship with the local agency.

—Occasionally drifting into thought, you realize that being a stable corporate slave has a stronger soothing effect on your mind and body—haha. You give a bitter smile.

Just as you were about to finish summarizing the knowledge from these books, something suddenly jolted in your chest.

You were stunned for a few seconds before you realized it was a soul knot.

This is the first time you've felt the Soul Knot react as a predator to the Purifier after using it "in reverse."

It turns out that it wasn't actively seeking out, but rather passively sensing.

The liquidators are nearby.

Your heart raced for a split second, and you almost jumped out of your seat.

You immediately suppressed your almost overwhelming emotions, slowly shifted your gaze away from the screen, tried to remain still, and took the opportunity to look around while stretching.

They've arrived? Now?

Are you planning to take action?

You took a breath and exhaled very slowly and softly.

Your brain has already started working automatically, but this is the first time, and you can't help but feel like you're groping for the shortest escape route on a foggy map, while also trying to figure out the other person's logic.

But at the same time, another familiar face flashes through your mind.

Tamara.

Ever since you survived that farce she caused, she's been messaging you almost every day.

At first, you find her incredibly annoying. She cheerfully asks if you want to go grocery shopping or go dancing, and she even enthusiastically invites you to soak in hot water at a bathhouse by the forest in the suburbs—this person is really funny. Doesn't she think she's going too far?

But she remained as persistent as if nothing had happened, which was chilling.

You really do admire her vigorous—or should you say vitality?

However, as you know, she was able to help you at the beginning of this world, and she also gave positive feedback in the puppet incident. So you and she can really be considered "acquaintances" in a certain sense.

So you stopped being so resistant to her and just gave her a few indifferent replies.

When you chat with her, you have to be on guard, but she seems to have already assumed you're "a much better person than her, but an honest one." This defensiveness from you doesn't hurt her at all; instead, she laughs and calls it a "playful way of interacting." You're speechless. You...you just have to accept it.

Why don't you just ask her directly, "How exactly can we kill the liquidators?"

After repeatedly editing, she said to you in a serious tone: "Want to hunt down the purifiers? There are plenty of ways—don't let them set a trap, set one for them instead."

Knowing you were skeptical of her words, she simply called: "The liquidators are just dogs of the instance; they have certain permissions but are not omniscient or omnipotent. They also need to scout out the area first, familiarize themselves with the original rules of the scene, before they can tamper with them. If you want to kill them, you have to let them enter a new space that they absolutely haven't had time to scout out."

You didn't respond at that time, you just gave a cool "hmm".

You're pretending to be indifferent, but deep down you know she's not playing any tricks.

Leaving aside your own experience, just consider Tamara herself. When she suspected you were a liquidator, she directly lured you to some random place and waited to see you swallowed up by the scene. This also proves that in her understanding, liquidators cannot directly tamper with the rules of the unfamiliar scene they go to.

In short, at this moment, those words became exceptionally clear.

Are you going to make a move? You finally managed to "catch" the other side before the liquidators could do anything?

No, let's wait a bit longer.

You don't want to encounter this kind of opportunity often, but since it's here, you should make good use of it. At the very least, you should figure out the current usage mechanism of the Soul Knot before you proceed.

Under the cover of books and computers, you secretly place your hand on the knot inside your clothes.

It was still trembling, like a heartbeat, occasionally skipping a beat—no, it was an irregular tremor, as if being manipulated by something unseen.

fiddle.

In this sense, unlike the direct visual effect of the Soul Knot itself, it now acts more like a warning signal to you.

But is the strength of the signal controllable? Is there any logic to it? If we cannot understand its patterns, then its function will forever remain at the level of vague early warning.

You decide to give it a try.

You're sitting in a corner of the library, far from anyone else in sight, practically invisible.

You slowly stand up from the table, casually close the book, and secure the bookmark. The vibrations of the Soul Knot continue, seemingly changing with your movements, leading you to deduce that the Purifier is still nearby, still observing you—oh well, first, you confirm one thing:

Does distance affect the amplitude of the Soul Knot?

You walk around the circular bookshelves, head towards the central staircase of the library, and slowly descend to the next floor.

You stop on the steps and quietly observe the Soul Knot's reaction.

The vibration became a little stronger.

You squinted and continued down to the next floor. Passing a row of lockers and then through an old newspaper reading area, you made your way to the side door on the basement level.

Suddenly, the Soul Knot throbbed violently with a sharp pain, as if struck by some kind of high-voltage current, and you abruptly stopped in your tracks.

That's incredible. It means she's nearby—she might even have already come down to this floor.

You walked back calmly to the old magazine reading area on the second floor. The Soul Knot immediately quieted down, turning into a faint, wispy wisp.

You now understand: the closer the distance, the stronger the vibration.

You pretend to have a stomachache and quicken your pace to start running.

At first, the vibration of the Soul Knot suddenly weakened, but soon it started moving violently again.

It's not quite the same as before.

Could we assume that the person secretly observing you also ran a few steps after you, causing her state to change? Perhaps her heart rate increased and her thoughts raced, thus altering her soul connection?

You begin the second round of experiments.

Based on the feedback from the soul knot, you led the other person around a few times, while thinking of other verification methods.

Based on the Soul Knot's indication of a distant reaction from the other party, you continue climbing the stairs until you reach the top self-service printing room. Standing in front of a printer, you open your backpack and pretend to start printing the outline of the materials you've prepared today.

The paper in the printer gradually covered the large, bold characters of the Losian language, while Soul Knot had not yet sent any other messages.

This means she hasn't come into your life yet.

Then you get up and go back into the bathroom, where you talk to yourself using flower language and whispered words.

"My stomach hurts so much, did I eat something bad? It's so cold, it's too much trouble to go out. Sigh, I have to finish looking up the information today, I'm not going home until I'm done."

You can feel the connection from the soul knot, which means the other person is getting closer.

To go all out, you play a series of apologetic voices on your phone while "painfully" repeating yourself.

One minute.

Five minutes.

The Soul Knot briefly stopped reacting, hovering at a position that was neither too close nor too far.

You then got up and returned to your seat. You sat there pretending to learn for a while, but suddenly your soul skipped a beat.

Another jump.

It became increasingly dense, like a buzzing sound.

You gave a quiet smile.

The Soul Knot did not exhibit the amplitude variation that occurred from far to near as before, indicating that there is another cause for this amplitude fluctuation.

What else could it be?

She must have discovered it, which is why she decided to take action.

Yes, you printed a fake notice and posted it on the wall before going to the restroom. Combined with your constant refrain that you would be staying here for a long time today, the other party probably decided to take action right now.

After all, the library is a familiar place for you, and it's probably a very familiar place for her too.

Today's events happened suddenly, which was not the best time for the liquidators to act. However, it is not uncommon for liquidators to take advantage of situations where they are placed in a simple and mechanical setting and set traps.

Now you can be fairly certain that the Soul Knot is not a simple "sensor," but also an "echo," responding to the Purifier's intentions, distance, and the degree of interference with the scenario you set up.

The closer she gets to the trap you've set, the more her soul knot boils and boils, like a living thing. The more she mistakenly believes she has everything under control, the sooner her soul knot warns you that she's already entered the game.

You feel your adrenaline surge.

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Author's note: Hehe