"I knew Horry was a big mouth..." Xiao He snorted irritably.
"Wait for me in the capital for two days, and I will come to take you back."
Aren't you busy anymore?
"Taking a break for a day or two shouldn't be a problem."
Xiao He frowned slightly. Although Wang Xuefeng's voice was softer than usual, she could still hear the fatigue and weakness in it.
"No need, you don't need to work so hard. Just rest when you have free time. Let Angelina take me back."
"That won't do either!"
Hearing the sudden stubbornness in the tone of the voice on the other end of the phone, Xiao He could only sigh inwardly.
"Okay, let me know when you arrive, I'll be waiting for you."
"Alright!"
"Okay, then you rest, I'm hanging up."
Ding... Ding...
A strange bell sound rang out at the same time as her last words.
After Xiao He ended the call, he subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound.
It was a strange music box.
There is a bell in each of the eight directions, arranged in a circle from smallest to largest, with a little girl doll in a ballet dress in the very center.
When the music box started spinning, the sounds from the various bells in turn inexplicably formed a strange melody.
The little girl doll was also extremely eerie, with an exquisite dress that was half pure white and half dark.
Even her expression was half angelic and half demonic.
Xiao He recalled that Dai Lele liked things that were "half and half" and could create a sharp contrast or conflict.
"How about this one? The Angels shop looks pretty good." She thought to herself and quickly walked towards the shop.
The shop has only one small door, next to which is a large window, both of which are covered by glass, but this does not prevent sound from coming out.
The music box is placed on the windowsill, right in the center.
If it were Dai Lele, she'd prefer to rummage through the dusty corners rather than having something prominently displayed...
Welcome!
An octogenarian magician sat motionless at the far end of the room and said, "These are just ordinary toys, take a look around."
"Okay," Xiao He replied, closing the door behind him.
A figure in the distance saw her enter the shop, hesitated for a moment, and then quietly followed.
"How much is this dancing girl?" Xiao He asked directly as soon as he entered the room, without looking at anything else.
The old magician, still expressionless, replied to her question: "This is not for sale."
"Not for sale?" Xiao He asked in surprise.
“You can trade other toys for it,” the old magician said again.
"Trade for toys?" Xiao He was even more astonished, as she didn't have any toys on her.
There was only one rag doll.
Two years ago, on a street in Feilong South City, Wang Xuefeng shot balloons one by one, solving puzzles and finding the correct order, popping the entire board to get the plush toy...
The old magician maintained a stiff expression throughout, clearly displaying a laid-back attitude towards selling goods.
His expression only changed slightly when he saw Xiao He subconsciously summon a doll and hug it to his arms.
"You can trade that doll you have." He didn't care whether she wanted to trade or not, and just said it directly.
“Sorry… I won’t change this…” Xiao He gently shook his head.
"oh?"
The old magician perked up, slowly took out a pair of glasses from a box beside him, and then put them on with great care.
With these glasses, he could see clearly what Xiao He was holding in his arms.
After a while, he realized it was just an ordinary rag doll.
"Hehe...I just like this kind of thing..."
"In the eyes of an outsider... worthless..."
"In the eyes of certain people...a priceless treasure..."
"I just love things like this... things that can't be measured in material terms..."
The old magician's voice was somewhat hoarse, and he spoke intermittently, as if he were struggling.
Xiao He frowned slightly and suddenly asked, "Are all the things here yours?"
"Yes." The old magician nodded slowly.
Knowing that Xiao He was very puzzled, he began to explain.
"Everything I have here was obtained through trading..."
"Everyone can trade their own toys for other people's toys..."
"If you get tired of it, you can take it back to me and exchange it for something else..."
"Keep changing them? But everything here is exquisite and brand new," Xiao He raised his concerns.
The old magician chuckled dryly: "Yes, because I'll be making some minor modifications..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao He felt an even greater sense of unease.
She could sense what the old magician meant; the so-called "modification" was definitely not an ordinary modification.
Looking around, the small shop was filled with all kinds of toys, so many that they were piled up together.
These toys, though all different, have one thing in common: they seem to have a soul.
They are like living things.
However, Xiao He herself was a member of the lineage of the God of Life, and no one knew better than her whether she was a true life form.
The answer is clear at this point: no.
It is indeed particularly strange that some things that have no real life can give people the feeling of being "alive".
Xiao He was highly skilled and daring, and he wasn't afraid at all. He even went so far as to get close to the music box girl and stare at her for a few moments.
Seemingly sensing her gaze, the girl gradually began to dance, as if performing especially for her.
"How amazing... Is this what it looks like after your modifications?" Xiao He asked, turning around.
The old magician's lips twitched into a half-smile, neither confirming nor denying.
Seeing his expression, Xiao He's interest was immediately piqued. A moment later, she took out a transparent bead and tentatively asked, "Can I trade this for it?"
The old magician's smile gradually faded. He stared at the bead for a long time, then shook his head expressionlessly.
"Why?" Xiao He asked in surprise.
"Because it has no emotions." Perhaps out of consideration for her sincerity, the old magician gave her the simplest explanation.
"Emotions?" Xiao He was taken aback.
“Yes, all the toys here need to be imbued with emotion by their owners.” Finally, he added, “I don’t accept things without emotion.”
“That’s interesting…” Xiao He raised an eyebrow.
"So? You really don't plan to change that doll in your hand?" the old magician asked tentatively.
Xiao He shook his head and said decisively, "This really won't do."
"Hahahaha..." The old magician started laughing for no apparent reason.
"I don't understand. If, as you say, these are the most treasured possessions of others, why would they be willing to exchange them with you?" Xiao He asked bluntly.
The old magician's laughter gradually subsided, and his gaze towards Xiao He was full of profound meaning.
"Because they let go of it, or... they became disgusted with it."
"You mean, these are all things that have been abandoned?" Xiao He suddenly understood and looked at the dancing little girl again, finally explaining why she felt so conflicted.
The beautiful side is the past, the cruel side is the future...
"This is no toy at all!" Xiao He exclaimed in shock.
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