Chapter 43: Went out shopping, but unfortunately only got to the beginning. ...
When East turned his head, he met many pairs of teary, beady eyes and wondered if he was hallucinating.
"Baby, how can you be so good to me?" Yunmu's voice was choked with genuine emotion.
The other little fire people nodded in agreement, completely agreeing with Yun Mu's words.
Ister was at a loss, and subconsciously curved his eyes. "But, your combat strength has increased. Isn't that beneficial to me? Besides, the one who actually provided the formula is Cai Cai Little Fireman Warrior."
"Isn't this equipment that can only be obtained by spending real money?" Matsukami Yuki asked.
East had never considered the possibility of spending money in-game purchases. After all, he couldn't spend the money anyway, and the existence of the players was already the greatest help to him. Whether or not to open a pay-to-win system was a somewhat irrelevant issue, so he hadn't had a chance to discuss it with the system.
East chose to remain silent. As I said before, he's an NPC anyway, so it's normal for him to block out certain topics.
“Your Majesty, you probably can’t hear our discussion about the game,” Meimei said hesitantly. Her hesitation stemmed from her uncertainty; this game was too special, as if it were a real world. She didn’t know about the other players, but for the ten of them, it was an unspoken secret. As long as nothing unexpected happened and the facade of reality wasn’t broken, they could treat it simply as a game. Her good fortune had always told her that whether it was a real world or just a game, she would be safe.
"Never mind, this is my little one's heartfelt wish," Yun Mu looked at Ister with a determined gaze, "Little one, don't worry, I will become stronger, very, very strong, and then no one will dare to bully you anymore."
Easter replied with a smile, "I look forward to that day."
“Baby, you’re so gentle,” Cai Cai said. “Your preferential treatment will make us take it for granted.” It was obvious to everyone that East treated outsiders differently from them, the players. Who wouldn’t like preferential treatment? Even if he knew perfectly well that someone else received more, lovers and friends were inherently different.
"Alright, shall we go for a walk together?" East felt they couldn't continue chatting. If they did, either the players would be completely disoriented by his charm, or the players would be completely disoriented by his charm—they'd all bewitched!
“Sure, I haven’t gone shopping with the King’s son yet.” Yun Mu readily agreed, and almost none of the players present refused.
A large group of people went out, but since they were going out to shop, East and his companions did not choose to take a carriage and instead walked together toward the market.
East wore a white hooded cloak, trying to conceal his identity, and the little fire people surrounding him would glance at him every now and then.
Most of East's face was covered by his hood, but the little firemen were much shorter than him, allowing him to just notice their movements. Helplessly, he asked, "What's wrong?"
“Beautiful, like a mysterious magician from legends,” said Matsushita Yuki.
"Mmm, very standard wizard attire," Yun Mu agreed.
Easter felt like an adult taking a group of kids on a picnic. As a high school teacher, he had never had this experience. In high school, let alone picnics, he would have preferred to take up all of the kids' physical education classes. Thinking about this, Easter realized that he seemed to be gradually forgetting his life on Blue Star. Although he had lived on Blue Star for a longer time, compared to the thrilling time on the continent of Luomanjier, life on Blue Star was too dull and rigid. He seemed to be slowly growing to like life on the continent of Luomanjier. He had clearly been so resistant to it before, but the more he gained, the more he was bound to, and the harder it was to give it up.
"Do you like it?" Easter asked in a very good mood.
“Your Majesty, you are too lenient with us. We will really take advantage of you,” Meimei said very seriously.
“It doesn’t matter, you were all my summoned creatures anyway.” Ister didn’t care.
"Sigh~ My little one is too gentle, he's easily bullied." Yunmu sighed, looking worried and extremely distressed.
His adorable appearance made everyone laugh.
Cai Cai glanced at Ister subconsciously; he was still keeping a secret for the king that only he among the players knew.
East patted Cai Cai's head, "Does being gentle always mean being bullied?" He withdrew his hand, lowered his eyes and said gently, "Besides, gentleness depends on who it's directed at."
"You're so handsome, little rascal," Yun Mu praised, as if she were some clueless person who was completely out of sync with her.
"Very cool, um... what's that saying again? Showing off without even realizing it." Matsushita Yuki's words were surprising, leaving everyone who heard them silent.
"Sister Xue, where did you learn these words?" Yun Mu couldn't help but ask.
Under intense scrutiny, Matsukami Yuki replied with remarkable composure, "I read it in a book."
"Are you reading a serious book?" It would be better to ask a roasted sweet potato.
“Of course,” Matsukami Yuki seemed puzzled as to why Ruo Bao Digua would raise such a question, “it’s based on many famous psychology books.”
"How come these sentences appear in psychology books?" Facing Yunmu's eyes, which were eager for the truth, Song Shangxue explained: "The terminology used in case studies. If you're really curious, I'll share a reading list with you when we get back."
"No, no, no, is the game not appealing anymore, or is it because you have too much free time? Let me see..." Yun Mu waved her hand in refusal, her inappropriate curiosity gone forever.
East watched with a smile. He was quite curious about Matsushita Yuki's book list, but unfortunately, he couldn't ask.
In this cheerful and lively atmosphere, the group went out onto the street.
It's probably market day today, and the streets are bustling with people. Shops are wide open, and vendors fill the streets, selling all sorts of things: ordinary meat, eggs, and poultry; ornaments and toys; dustpans and brooms... but there are also unusual items: pearls and jade; all kinds of weapons; and even people...
East's gaze lingered briefly on the corner where slaves were being sold. He then took out several small cloth bags from his pocket and placed them in the players' hands. "These contain copper and silver coins. You can buy whatever you like. If you run out of money, come back to me."
The little fire figures held the small cloth bags that had been distributed to them, looking dazed.
"What kind of little angel is this?!" Yun Mu jumped up like a little fire spirit, her eyes sparkling as she darted around like a lively puppy.
Easter took a step back in surprise.
“Don’t mind her, she’s a bit childish,” Mei Mei said, forcing a smile. “But she’s right, Your Majesty, you’re so kind.”
East remained silent, as there was really no need to add a second sentence.
"You guys~" he said, his words filled with indulgence and pampering, tinged with a slight sigh.
“You should use that tone to coax your future partner, not to talk to us clueless summoners,” Matsukami Yuki said. “We’re from different worlds. What if you really manage to seduce someone and they fall for you? You’ll have nowhere to cry then!”
Istra pulled his hood up, covering himself up even more. "Let's go."
"Pfft~" These were the players who couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Don't be afraid, little king. Who would be tempted by the child they raised?" Cai Cai comforted him.
"It's getting late, the market will close soon if we don't go explore." Easter couldn't help but doubt himself. Was it his problem, or the problem of these little players? How did they end up tempting people?
"Your Majesty, are you shy?" Meimei asked with a smile.
East pulled his hood up again and adjusted the ties of his cloak. "Let's go," he said, ignoring Meimei's unlucky words.
The group of little fire people all had bright and cheerful smiles on their faces. When you go out to play, you should be happy, right? Why are only the players happy?
Easter's expression softened unconsciously; his little players were quite endearing.
Their arrival had already attracted a lot of attention. Almost ten days had passed since the coronation, and the locations of the Royal City of Esther and the Port of Manhattan were not far apart. News about King Esther's summoned creature had already spread far and wide. Now that they saw such an obvious symbol, how could they not take a few more glances? But they only dared to look secretly, and some even seemed apprehensive.
Since returning to the capital, East hadn't really gone out for a stroll. He had expected to attract attention, but he hadn't anticipated that the attention he would receive would be almost as much as on the day of his coronation. He hesitated, wondering if he should just give up.
"Baby, this is so pretty, come here." Yun Mu pulled Ister's wrist to a small stall that sold jewelry such as necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, etc. The materials used were not very good, but the workmanship was quite exquisite.
East didn't have time to think any further. Following Yun Mu's pointing finger, he saw a forehead ornament, probably the most expensive and exquisite one on the stall. It was a bright gold color, with olive-leaf-like leaves as the main body. A teardrop-shaped crystal hung from the junction of two olive leaves. There were several thin gold chains at the ears, with small crystals hanging at the ends. Objectively speaking, it was very beautiful.
"Is this what you want?" East asked Yunmu, turning his head to her.
"Yes, I want it. It will look really good on the baby," Yunmu said.
East was slightly taken aback. He was still thinking about how the players should wear the accessories, but he didn't expect that they wanted him to wear them.
"I want to see it, baby, I'll buy it for you, okay?" Yunmu looked up at Ister with pleading eyes.
“It is indeed beautiful,” Meimei said, standing on tiptoe after taking a look. “Your Majesty, may we grant this little wish?”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t agree,” Easter said. “If you want to buy it, then buy it. It’s just for the players to see, not for him to wear it out and show off. It’s no big deal.”
Easter turned to ask about the price, paid, and just as he took the wooden box containing the head ornament, he heard a loud shout, "What are you doing?" Looking in the direction of the voice, Easter was stunned.
Not only Ist, but also the players around Ist were stunned.
A lithe figure in a black cloak nimbly darted through the crowd, like a fish entering the water.
If he were alone, the other players and Ister would only praise his skill. But since he had a chubby little fireman tucked under his arm, well... it's hard to describe.
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and chase after them!?" This shout snapped the players back to their senses.
The little fire people quickly set off to chase after them.
"Oh, okay, we have to chase after them." Yunmu had only taken one step when she was stopped by Esther. She looked up blankly, "Little one, what's wrong?"
East handed the box to Yunmu, saying, "Something's strange."
The market inspectors were drawn by the commotion and rushed forward when they saw East.
"Don't disturb the merchants who are doing their business," East said. He didn't intend to interfere further and withdrew from the bustling crowd; they'd only just begun their stroll.
"What's strange about it?" Matsukami Yuki asked.
Five little firemen were left behind, including Yunmu who was stopped by Ister, Meimei who ran back after seeing this action, and Songshangxue, Caicai, and Rubukao Digua who did not make any move at all.
Looking at the still bustling streets, which had been somewhat affected, East seemed to understand something. Thieves, swindlers, kidnappers... the people on the street had long been used to it. Even though the kidnapped person was suspected to be the king's summoned creature, they still seemed numb and indifferent, which was somewhat frightening.
Easter paused for a moment before replying, "He's too daring; it's not something an ordinary person would do."
"That bastard, he ruined my good mood." Yun Mu cursed angrily, but didn't pay much attention to the unfortunate player. After all, players have many ways to escape after being caught, whether it's teleporting or logging off.
Furthermore, for that player, this might not be a misfortune at all, but rather a great blessing. From the players' perspective, this is the unfolding of a serendipitous quest, so how could it feel unfortunate?
"Don't be angry," Easter said, patting Yunmu's little bird soothingly. "He can't escape."
[Ding! Unexpected adventure quest]
Number of participants allowed to accept the task: limited to ten.
Mission objective: On a bustling street in broad daylight, an unknown figure in black robes has abducted a young fire-man warrior. What secrets are hidden behind this?
Task 1: Find the unknown figure in black robes.
Task Two: Find out his identity and investigate the reasons behind his actions.
Task 3: Bring him alive to the king.
Task completion reward: Experience points are allocated based on the degree of task completion.
In an area already explored by the system, and having had close contact with the players, the system wanted to track down someone. It wouldn't be too easy, since the players had already misunderstood it as the start of a mission. So let the misunderstanding continue. And according to the system's analysis, the identity of the man in black robes was indeed somewhat special.
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