Talent

Xiaoman handed the letter from home, which had been through a bumpy journey, to the daughter of the tavern owner. After she opened it and confirmed it, Xiaoman was about to leave.

Up to this point, the two cups of water with a little sugar that the proprietress's daughter had specially poured for her and Su Mei to treat them had not been touched.

"Stay for dinner." The young woman tried to keep the two messengers, who looked like children to her.

"No thanks." Xiaoman stood up and said to the young child who was peeking out of the bedroom door and curiously looking at the guests.

"Thank you for your kindness." She paused and added.

She understood very well how a family with limited financial resources had to budget carefully in their lives, so she did not want to add any more burden to the family.

Yuan Qian looked at the girl's silent and distant profile, smiled knowingly, then stood up and called the child over with a smile.

The child with a pair of soft rabbit ears hanging behind his head hesitated for a moment, but felt that since they were guests invited into the house by their mother, and this fox brother was so gentle, he should not be a bad person.

The child ran over to look at Su Mei, and was praised from head to toe by the handsome fox brother. He was so shy that he hid behind his mother's apron.

After making the host family very happy, he took the opportunity to say goodbye, successfully declined the invitation to stay as a guest, and smoothly completed this mission of sending gifts and left the family with Xiaoman.

“You’re amazing.”

Xiaoman, who had watched the whole process, felt that she could never deal with others as easily and calmly as he did, so she sincerely expressed her admiration for Sumei.

"It's okay. Just find something that isn't a lie and say it. If you can make everyone happy, things will be easier to handle, but the most important premise is not to sacrifice your own interests in order to do so... But Xiaoman, just be yourself and it's fine. There is no way of life that can win everyone's favor."

The young man looked at Xiaoman and gave her a genuine smile.

Not only that, he took out another snack, peeled it and handed it to Xiaoman. This time it was dried meat of an unknown creature. It was dark red in color, with a slightly greasy sheen on the surface. It exuded a salty and fresh meaty aroma as soon as it was opened.

"Since you still had some in your pocket, why didn't you give it to that kid just now? You were clearly praising her the whole time." Xiaoman took the dried meat and said.

"Because people only give food to those they really like. The delicious food is only for you, not for them. How does it taste?"

Su Mei said something as a matter of course that was somewhat inconsistent with her gentle appearance. Her bright golden eyes narrowed slightly, with a sly yet gentle smile, really like a fox.

It really does give a person a special sense of accomplishment to secretly feed delicious food to their children. Yuan Qian completely understands the behavior of those elders who secretly feed their children with a boiled egg and a handful of sugar at any time without knowing it.

"…It's delicious. But it's a waste of money, so don't buy it anymore." Xiaoman couldn't help but say.

"Yes. Since this is your first time in Bronze City, I want to treat Xiaoman and Xiaoman's mother to some snacks here. I won't waste money next time."

Yuan Qian thought to herself, if she would consider saving some money for him, that meant she had already started to treat him as a friend, right? Or at least one of her own. Otherwise, it would be none of her business if an outsider spent his money on wine and women.

"Thank you." Xiaoman said.

They walked towards the direction of the hotel they had inquired about when they left, and as Yuan Qian had expected, they passed by the first crime scene of the kidnapping case.

The middle-aged man "Uncle Philer" even happened to be standing outside the door, and his timing was perfect enough to make those who knew about it secretly criticize him.

The door of the empty house was opened, and two men in work clothes went in and out, checking the situation.

Some neighbors who happened to be free gathered nearby, and Philer was complaining to them with helplessness on his face.

He sighed and said, "Those two kids are really something. They just sneaked away without even knowing it. I could have helped them a little bit..."

The instigator completely shirked his responsibility and acted sincerely as a friend of the brothers' deceased parents. But the brothers had probably been sent away by then, and without other evidence, it would be difficult for anyone to suspect him.

Only Yuan Qian saw what he did from the comics and could directly target him.

Seeing that these people wanted to chat for a while, Yuan Qian withdrew his gaze and walked with Xiaoman into the hotel that "happened" to be nearby.

Xiao Man said directly to the innkeeper: "How much is a room?"

She had been selling off her extra prey along the way, so she was actually not poor. When she heard the boss quote the price quickly, she thought it was within an acceptable range, so she paid for it without hesitation.

Xiaoman pushed two silver coins onto the counter and said, "Stay for three days. Request an extra set of bedding."

Yuan Qian, who was lagging behind, felt that he had received too much trust, and quickly reminded Xiao Man: "Why don't we stay in two rooms?"

"That's not necessary," Xiao Man said. "It's safer to stay together. Isn't it always like this?"

Her upright eyes showed that Su Mei was the one who made the strange suggestion. Yuan Qian said earnestly: "Although I won't do anything... but others may have bad intentions. It's better for each of us to live in a room in the future."

Xiaoman turned around and picked up the room key. He carefully counted the change from the boss and said calmly, "I only trust you. I won't live with anyone else."

The innkeeper was unaware of the previous paragraph about snacks and the corresponding conversation. He looked at the delicate-looking white-haired boy, pinched his brows in distress and said nothing more. He only confirmed in his heart that the dusty girl was the leader of the two, and smiled as he got up to get the bedding.

Yuan Qian was still thinking about the clues of the kidnapping case, so he gave up the argument and followed Xiaoman upstairs.

The boss quickly brought the bedding. He thanked him and turned around to see Xiaoman, who had put down his luggage, standing next to the old wooden window.

The window was slightly opened, and the girl leaned against the wall, glancing downward.

In the dim hotel room, her demeanor seemed particularly calm and steady, like a wrought iron spear placed on an armory, so reliable.

Yuan Qian closed the door and walked over quietly, looking out through the gap and found that Xiaoman was observing that Philer.

——The existence of the disabled is rare, short-lived, and completely rejected by the spirits of nature.

——But in contrast, they also have a certain "talent" that is unique to them.

Xiaoman's talent has already been revealed in the comics: she can instinctively distinguish the truth from falsehood in what others say.

Although it may be due to the protagonist's special physique or the fact that he is still a minor, the effect of this talent is just an ineffective instinct, and it cannot specifically determine which part is fake, and the more deliberately he tries to distinguish, the more vague his perception becomes.

So in addition to helping her avoid some traps in the early stages of the journey, the greatest role played by this talent is that it has made Xiaoman less likely to blindly trust others.

But there are not many people in the world who tell the truth all the time, regardless of whether it is good or bad, and the credibility of this talent is not high. For example, if a businessman sees Xiaoman and thinks of his beloved little daughter, so he tells her that the selling price is slightly lower than the price he sells it to others, then the talent will also tell her that this is false.

Over time, Xiaoman has learned to use it only as a reference and ignore its choice.

Yuan Qian, who had this information, said when he appeared as Su Mei. Most of the things he said were not false due to his deliberate adjustments. Instead, this talent helped him gain trust and become her companion. Even if there were one or two problems, Xiao Man was used to their inaccuracy and would not immediately start to doubt anyone.

But it was different when Xiaoman's talent judged what Feller said as a lie. Whether the part about "two children who knew him left secretly" or "even he didn't know" was a lie, it meant a big problem behind it.

Only after watching Philer drag these neighbors to play enough scenes and turn around to walk towards the tavern did Xiaoman close the window.

"You also think there's something wrong with him, right?" Yuan Qian asked Xiaoman, touching the relatively clean and soft bedding.

"Yes." Xiaoman nodded. "He is lying."

"Then he must be lying. It just so happens that... I have heard some things. Maybe I can go and ask him."

Su Mei stood up and said this. Her expression was still gentle, but her attitude seemed unusual as she gently reminded Xiao Man:

"If I don't come back tonight, don't open the door to anyone who comes, and don't admit to having any relationship with me."

"It will be the same in the future," he said.

To be able to quietly transport two residents from the guarded and night patrolled Bronze City without leaving a trace, and to properly disguise the kidnapped people as if they were just being moved to another place, there must be someone else behind this Philer. Judging from the proficiency of him and his accomplices in committing crimes, this must have been more than one kidnapping that happened at their hands.

Since the kidnapped brothers were drawn into the comic as the prologue to the appearance of the entire Forged City dungeon, the whereabouts of the victims should be very interesting. And the background he conceived for the life experience of the character "Su Mei" may depend on these people to complete it.

Now is the time to act. When he said this, he was silently inviting Xiaoman, the protagonist who had no self-awareness in this world, to embark on an adventure.

Anyway, it is safer to take the initiative to participate in the situation beside a companion with golden blood than to be dragged into danger in other ways. This is the judgment made by Yuan Qian after seeing the kidnapper performing on Xiaoman's route and sincerely considering the possible development of the "author".

"I'll go with you." Xiaoman said.

The young fox was stunned as if he had not expected her to say that. The firmness in his expression turned into resistance, and he responded as Su Mei should:

"No. You shouldn't be involved in this—"

Xiaoman said calmly, "Just think of it as me wanting to learn more, isn't that okay? I'm not a cub being protected by anyone."

She looked at Su Mei, who was silent for a long time because of her clear attitude of "I can't just wait in the hotel if you go there". Then he raised his head, smiled apologetically, and took the initiative to extend his hand to her:

"You are right, Xiaoman. Let's go together."

"Yes. Let's go together." Xiaoman rarely repeated it, holding the boy's still slender and beautiful wrist.