The circular plaza was packed with people, and open-air stalls filled the entire space. Only the VIPs were escorted up the black staircase that covered the central city, which served as both the viewing platform for the judges and the only nighttime attraction in the central city.
The fragrance that filled the city had gradually dissipated without anyone noticing. Cheng Shuang, who was mixed in with the crowd, glanced at the maintainers who were walking towards the highest point of the exhibition platform. They were all dumbfounded, their expressions calm and numb. They seemed more like exhibits than judges. They stood in front of the city lord, forming a circle and facing the circular square.
The city's fragrance is a means of deceiving the eye; the luxurious mask is what keeps the maintainers obedient.
The little girl increasingly felt that in this land of death, every step required extra caution.
At the center of the viewing platform, at its highest point, sat the city lord on a square throne. In contrast to the glossy black staircase, the throne's material was extremely ordinary, possessing an inexplicable rustic quality. Its primary color was yellowish-green, with gold and green patterns only adorning the armrests and other areas. Even so, with his cold, hard face and noble bearing, the city lord remained one of the most dazzling figures in the crowd.
The reason he is only one of them is that the VIP beside the city lord is even more exquisite and handsome than him. His cool and aloof demeanor is filled with the unique youthful vitality of a young man, like a vibrant little poplar tree, enough to attract most of the attention.
The first thing that comes to everyone's mind when they see this is, "Youth is wonderful."
The city lord's appearance didn't show signs of age, but the somber feeling of age was impossible to erase. Perhaps that's why he particularly liked the appearance of young people.
These words were spoken by Cheng Wuchun, who was standing on Cheng Shuang's side.
The homeless man dressed in boy's leather clothes turned his head, looked quietly at Cheng Shuang, and asked, "Where are your paintings?"
The VIPs' attendants held up the paintings, presenting them like treasures to the VIPs and asking for their opinions. Even the most hot-tempered VIPs showed gentle smiles at this moment, as if they had become close brothers with their attendants.
Yu Xin was also on the stage, but there was only one man in front of her. She and the man were talking intimately with their eyes lowered, which made her stand out less among the smiling VIPs.
In Cheng Shuang's view, the smiles of all the VIPs were almost identical, as if they were programmed by a computer without any deviation, except for a few people she knew.
The little girl, forced to sit between the Cheng brothers, remained calm, prompting Cheng Wudong on the other side to tilt his head and question her, "Why aren't you taking off your mask? What are you afraid of?"
Before she could say anything, Cheng Wuchun gave a cold laugh. "Look at them, how happy they are. There's no such thing as getting something for nothing. They've enjoyed themselves for so long, they should pay for what they've spent, right?"
"Ha!" The little girl stood with her arms crossed, deliberately nudging Cheng Wuchun with her elbows. Cheng Wuchun was alright, but Cheng Wudong was hit on the head. He clutched his head and glared angrily at Cheng Shuang.
The tense atmosphere instantly dissipated, only to freeze again because of one sentence she uttered.
"What, if you want to know where Tian Saburo is, why not just say so?"
"Where is he?" Cheng Wuchun stared at her intently, his gaze like that of a predatory beast.
Cheng Shuang laughed, "But is this kind of question even relevant?"
"You...you played us brothers?" Cheng Wudong yelled, breathing heavily through his nose, glaring at Cheng Shuang as if he wanted to bite off a piece of her flesh.
Instead of retreating, the little girl advanced, her smile vanishing completely. Her peach-blossom eyes narrowed, and her fierce yet endearing expression made Cheng Wudong take a step back in bewilderment. Not just bewildered, but utterly helpless.
Seeing his performance, Cheng Shuang felt relieved. She had guessed correctly. At such an important moment, the city lord would never allow his people to fight amongst themselves and ruin things. The Cheng brothers could only interrogate her verbally and dared not do anything unnecessary.
As for why they found themselves so easily.
The little girl was also helpless, since she was the only short person among the guides. Even if she changed back into the Hanfu-style dress she had brought, her childlike appearance was still rare in the central city, so there was not much difference.
She wasn't in the mood to deal with them. Seeing Cheng Wuchun's indifferent expression, while Cheng Wudong looked a little sad, she simply shook them off, turned around and squeezed into the crowd in front of her. Taking advantage of bending down, she took out a ten-inch portrait from her spatial storage. The portrait was of Feng Jiakang with a bright smile.
As she reached the steps, she could feel many pairs of eyes scrutinizing her, but she couldn't back down.
Cheng Shuang glanced at the paintings brought by the other attendants. Sure enough, most of them were portraits of VIPs. Putting aside the other miscellaneous paintings, the people in the paintings were indeed lifelike, possessing both artistic beauty and realistic human characteristics.
She walked up to Feng Jiakang and presented the painting. Feng Jiakang took it in a daze, the smile on his lips remaining unchanged.
Liu Juan, standing behind Du Jun, widened her eyes and frowned almost imperceptibly at her. She clearly didn't understand why Cheng Shuang had gone on stage. Including in April, she had been standing to Feng Jiakang's right, her smile barely holding on.
Du Lushui, to Feng Jiakang's left, was carefully watching Cheng Shuang's every move. Being shrewd has its advantages; he didn't believe the young girl would foolishly choose to walk right into a trap without any reason.
Because in the plan, her main task was to obtain the 'Eye of Penetration', and then to protect herself and blend into the crowd of wanderers to act according to circumstances.
Her arrival at the exhibition booth must have been a strategic move to seize the opportunity.
Du Lushui's consideration was correct. He glanced at the painting the little girl handed him and keenly noticed a yellowish-green object underneath it.
The color looks familiar?
He thought it over carefully, and when he understood, he almost impulsively turned to look at the city lord in the center.
This color is exactly the same as the city lord's earthy throne.
They had previously speculated that the circular plaza was a large teleportation array, but now all the maintainers were gathered on the empty observation deck. Although the city lord was also there, it didn't mean they were safe. He had been worried before, and now he was even more anxious and uneasy, yet he couldn't find the reason.
Perhaps... the throne is the key!
The city lord suddenly spoke, coughing lightly, and the entire place fell silent.
"Welcome, distinguished guests, to Qingyou City. On behalf of all the people of the city, I welcome you to join our city and become a part of Qingyou City." His appearance was that of a young man in his prime, but his voice was like a stone being polished on sandpaper, old and hoarse.
"Qingyou City has existed for hundreds of years. Through the vicissitudes of life, many people have left us. Remember, we cannot stop death, but we can welcome new life!"
The applause was deafening.
Cheng Shuang looked up at the silent Du Jun. His cold eyes were slightly lowered, and their eyes met briefly before quickly looking away.
Feng Jiakang continued to grin foolishly, his head bowed in fascination with the painting she had presented him.
The city lord's unpleasant brainwashing rhetoric still echoed in his ears. He paused, a strange smile appearing on his expressionless, cold face. "...Now, the ceremony officially begins!"
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