I see." Xing Ye seemed to have suddenly realized something after hearing what Old Nick said. "Did Master Benedict make a puppet for his son?"
"I'm not sure about that." Old Nick shook his head. "In his later years, Master Benedict locked himself in his workshop and wouldn't let me touch his puppets. I don't know if he made any new puppets during that time."
Xing Ye said, "Okay, I understand everything. Finally, I have one more question. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Huh? You want to help me? Our debt has been paid off." Old Nick asked puzzled.
Xing Ye: "Although the debt has been paid, I am very grateful for your care for me over the years, and I hope to help you. And you know I want to change to a new puppet body. If I can find Master Benedict, I will have hope. So I also want to achieve my goal by assisting you. After all, you are very familiar with the master, maybe you can persuade him to help me."
Old Nick believed what he said. There were no selfless puppets in Puppet City these days. He felt at ease knowing that Xing Ye had a purpose.
Xing Ye added, "But let's make it clear first. We were able to escape this time because we had the protection of the private soldiers sent by the city lord. Otherwise, with our strength, we would definitely die if we encountered the new robots."
"Didn't you have direct contact with Master Benedict? Then who modified her body?" Old Nick asked, pointing at Cao Qian.
Cao Qian: "No one has modified me. I was just born strong and fast."
Old Nick: "…"
Who would believe that!
Seeing that Old Nick didn't believe her, Cao Qian asked him to check her body. In order to study Master Benedict's skills, Old Nick carefully examined Cao Qian, but found nothing. It was exactly the same as when he helped Cao Qian weld the iron sheet a few days ago.
Old Nick, who had found nothing, said in confusion, "I do have something here. You can try it. It might work on the robots. Once you enter the mine, you can try to use it to interfere with the robots' signals. It might stop them from attacking."
He handed a remote control to Xing Ye, who accepted it and asked, "What should we do if we find Master Benedict?"
Old Nick paused as if he was out of oil, and after a long moment he said, "Just say... no matter what the master wants to do, I will fully support him."
Xing Ye grinned, revealing a jaw-dropping smile.
"Okay, let's prepare today, oil up and replenish our life energy, and set off tomorrow morning." Xing Ye said, "Uncle Nick, can you help us check if we have enough life energy?"
Old Nick still needed Xing Ye and the others, so of course he wouldn't refuse. He filled Xing Ye, Cao Qian, and Guan Ling with energy. When Old Nick wanted to recharge the mirror, the mirror waved its hand to indicate that it had just been recharged.
Only then did Old Nick notice the mirror leaning against the wall like a backdrop. He paused for a moment before saying, "I've never seen a puppet like you in the city. It's made entirely of metal. Even the tin men in Puppet City have some wooden parts."
"He is a friend I met outside the city. He rarely moved around in the city before, so you haven't seen him." Xing Ye stood in front of the mirror, using his one-meter body to protect the two-meter mirror.
"Really?" Old Nick also smiled, his expression was much more lively than Xing Ye's.
After laughing, Old Nick suddenly said, "By the way, your ore was obtained from an illegal mine, so it's not convenient to use in the city. I need this kind of high-purity ore for energy replenishment. I just need to be careful not to be seen by the guests. How about this? I'll trade your ore for ordinary ore, so you can go pay off your debts and buy engine oil."
"Okay, thanks Uncle Nick."
Xing Ye handed the sack to Old Nick. After a while, Old Nick counted out a thousand pieces of raw ore for him and gave him a small cart and a box to facilitate his transportation of the raw ore.
Xing Ye escaped poverty and became rich overnight.
After bidding farewell to Old Nick, Xing Ye first put a portion of the raw ore into Guan Ling's stomach, and locked the rest in his own small warehouse.
"You'll be the one paying for everything we do when we go to pay off our debts and buy things," Xing Ye said. "Just act like you've been cheated by me. That way, no one will doubt the source of my ore, which would arouse suspicion."
Guan Ling is Old Nick's son, so of course he is not short of money, so it is very suitable for him to be the scapegoat.
Xing Ye first went to the engine oil shop to pay back the money, and then applied the best engine oil to himself and the mirror. Cao Qian also took the opportunity to enjoy it.
Then he went to wind up the spring and buy clothes and shoes. After a morning, Xing Ye and the mirror became clean.
Especially the mirror, the mirror surface was polished to a sparkling shine. The oil shop owner also knew a little bit about adding parts, and helped adjust the joints and neck of the mirror to make it more flexible.
The mirror chose a long cloak for himself to cover his huge belly, making him look mysterious and cool. He is a handsome mirror again!
After cleaning themselves up, they split into groups of two at Xing Ye's instruction to look for the QR code.
The two players who defied fate were very self-aware and knew that it was impossible for them to find it, so they kept the groups in a straight line and a reverse line, Guanling Cao Qian in one group and Jingzi Xing Ye in another.
One afternoon was enough time for the four of them to search the entire city.
Xing Ye is responsible for the south of the city, Guan Ling and Cao Qian are responsible for the north of the city.
The City Lord's Mansion was just south of the city, and Xing Ye wanted to get some information. Although they were not related by blood, the City Lord's son had disappeared without a trace, and the City Lord didn't know what to do.
Now all the information points to the city lord being a bad puppet, but Xing Ye does not want to jump to conclusions. He needs to see the city lord with his own eyes before he can make a judgment.
In front of the City Lord's Mansion is the largest square in Puppet City, where young people often hold parties at night, and the annual harvest festival is also held here.
There is a fountain in the center of the square, which constantly sprays water out, which is very beautiful.
It is said that this is the fountain square built by the city lord and his puppets after Master Benedict left.
Even without Benedict, the residents of Puppet City, because they have humanity and the ability to learn, gradually become creative.
The organization that regularly replenishes raw ore for residents, the fountain square, limited mining at the mine, and strict control at the city gate. From these aspects, leaving aside factors such as personality and character, from a management perspective alone, this is a qualified city lord.
When the Creator had already abandoned Puppet City, he led the residents of Puppet City to work hard to make it a better place.
"It turns out that we can't just look at the surface of things. This world is not black and white. Good and bad are relative." Xing Ye stood in front of the fountain and said to the mirror.
Mirror looked carefully at the bottom of the fountain and said to Xing Ye, "Look!"
Xing Ye lowered his head and saw that the nozzles at the bottom of the fountain were connected together and it turned out to be the shape of a QR code!
The water from the fountain blocked Xing Ye's view of the QR code, so he couldn't see the whole picture and couldn't remember it. He could only scan it with his wristband and put it away. After scanning, the shape of the fountain changed and the QR code disappeared.
The image on the bracelet can only be seen by Xing Ye. When Xing Ye clicked on the bracelet, the full picture of the QR code appeared in the void, with an introduction written on it: This is a fountain built by the city lord and the residents. It is a symbol of the puppet man's maturity and separation from his creator.
The introduction of QR codes is always so confusing and I don't see any use for them at all.
But based on Xing Ye's experience, a QR code hidden so deeply must have very special capabilities.
The first floor of the City Lord's Mansion is open to the public. Posted in the lobby are the laws of Puppet City, allowing puppets to file complaints based on the legal provisions, but they must surrender the original ore. Due to the high cost of filing a complaint, the puppets generally resolve minor matters privately, and only seek the sheriff's help for major matters.
While this may not seem like a good thing for the people, it's a positive development in an era of underdeveloped productivity and insufficient manpower. It reduces the workload of government officials, allows residents to learn how to mediate among themselves, and prevents unreasonable incidents. The real victims won't care about the litigation fees for two pieces of raw ore, and it won't delay important matters.
After reading the legal provisions of Puppet City, Xing Ye felt that although they were not perfect, they were already very thoughtful. He also posted them in a place where all puppets could see them to popularize legal knowledge for them.
No wonder nothing major has ever happened in this puppet city full of lies. It's all thanks to the city lord's series of policies.
Although he did not meet the city lord himself, Xing Ye had collected enough information and he knew how to carry out the activities.
The remaining questions are where the other two players are, and who is the puppet who truly knows how to lie? Why is his wish granted? Is he related to Benedict? Is he a puppet created by the master for his son?
Xing Ye wanted to leave the fountain and go somewhere else to look for the QR code, but he saw Randy and Linda together across the fountain.
These two people?
Linda is a Buddhist player who just wants to live a peaceful life. How could she be involved with Randy?
Xing Ye thought of the fate of the city lord's son and Linda's peaceful attitude, so he walked towards them.
"Randy, I haven't seen you for a few days. Do you have any new clues you want to share?" Xing Ye walked up to them and said directly.
A large mirror covered with a cape supports him.
Seeing that Xing Ye Randy's face was not very good, he still remembered those players who were only thinking about taking advantage of others. They were unwilling to pay and were not willing to take risks. It was really disgusting.
If he could use QR codes and initial skills freely, he would have turned these annoying guys into points long ago.
Linda saw Xing Ye and remembered the threats from that day, and she felt a little scared. But she also didn't like Randy very much, so she took a few steps back, avoiding the two people who were arguing with each other.
Seeing that she had no intention of being bewitched by Randy, Xing Ye felt a little relieved.
He wasn't a good person, but if the person whose time was stolen by the pocket watch was truly dead, Xing Ye wouldn't sit idly by and watch it happen under his nose. Fortunately, Linda was on her guard and wouldn't fall into the trap, so Xing Ye decided not to get involved.
Seeing Linda leave, Randy felt a little annoyed. He said to Xing Ye, "I don't have any new news. How about you?"
"No." Xing Ye lied with his eyes open. "But the raw ore is very useful. Look, I changed my clothes and put on some oil. My body is more flexible. It's a pity that Puppet City has weapons control, otherwise I could buy some weapons. It's great to have money."
The last sentence was the truth. Xing Ye had almost experienced all the poverty in his life in the past few days.
"Really?" Randy looked at the mirror strangely and said to Xing Ye, "Would you like to have a chat about your mirror?"
He threatened Xing Ye with the mirror, but Xing Ye naturally could not be coerced by him. He said calmly: "If you have anything to say, just say it here. The fountain is very loud and outsiders can't hear us."
"Really?" Randy said, looking into the mirror. "You said before that he was a player with a destiny, but there are eight players in this world, five with destiny, and six with the mirror. That's weird. Why is there an extra player?"
Randy has already found the other two players who followed his fate, but they still haven't met each other. They don't know if they are friends or enemies, or if they have any hostility.
Xing Ye stood in front of the mirror, thinking that if a fight broke out, he only had a QR code he had just found, and its abilities were unknown. The reading bar of the Redrawing Pen skill was too long, so he would not be able to gain the upper hand.
It is not easy to resolve by force.
As if sensing Xing Ye's hostility, Randy said, "Don't be so nervous. I mean no harm. I just accidentally guessed the identity of the Bronze Mirror Man. He's a prop transformed by a player who obeyed his fate, right?"
Xing Ye neither admitted nor denied it, but just stared at Randy.
Randy continued, "You don't seem to know that the items transformed by players with good fortune are usable and extremely powerful. In the advanced world, many players with bad fortune possess items that help them. Of course, only those players with bad fortune know this. We definitely won't tell the poor players with good fortune. The higher their luck, the worse off they will be in the future. The system charges interest for the convenience it provides."
"He is a player, not a prop." Xing Ye said calmly, but anger was already burning in his heart.
"Whatever you say, if you want to know how to use the Fate-Saving Item, you can come and ask me, and I'll tell you," Randy said. "By the way, if that Linda keeps completing tasks like this, she'll soon become a tool."
After leaving a thorn in Xing Ye's heart, Randy turned and left.
When Jingzi heard such shocking news, she was stunned and stood blankly behind Xing Ye.
Seeing the look in the mirror, Xing Ye knew they couldn't continue looking for the QR code, so he took his hand and pulled him back to the small warehouse.
At this time, Cao Qian and Guan Ling had not returned yet. Xing Ye closed the doors and windows and went into the room with a mirror to rest.
After Jingzi was alone with Xing Ye, he burst into tears. He had no tears, but he could howl dryly.
The voice is still so milky, and sounds very sad.
Xing Ye didn't know how to comfort people, and he wasn't as big as the mirror to hug it with his arms. He could only use his short hands to hug one of the mirror's arms and wait quietly for him to cry enough.
"Wow, when I was in the advanced world, I was very fast at clearing levels and had very good luck. Those who lost to me in the Fate-Defying Camp were not angry at all, but were smiling all the time. It turns out they were just watching me. They knew that I would become a prop, and they all bullied me, woooo..." The little mirror was so angry that it banged its head against the wall, making a "bang bang" sound.
"I don't think of you that way." Xing Ye comforted dryly.
"I know, wuwuwu..." the mirror cried, "You are a good person. You even helped me visit my parents."
"It's just a small favor." Xing Ye patted the mirror's hand.
"I'm lucky to have met you," the mirror said, wiping away its nonexistent tears, feeling a bit sad yet also a bit relieved. "If I were to turn into that pocket watch and kill people uncontrollably, I'd rather never regain my human form."
Although this is just a guess at the moment, out of trust in Xing Ye, Jingzi feels that it is pretty close.
Xing Ye looked at the mirror that was crying without tears and suddenly said, "My player number is x8205."
"Huh? Why are you saying this? You can't let anyone know your number casually. What if the other party has special props and can query your personal information through the number? They can know how many QR codes you have, what your initial skills are, how many points you have, how many worlds you have experienced, and even your name in the real world and where you live. They can know everything." The mirror suddenly forgot to cry and reminded.
Xing Ye was worried about getting a system warning for asking something he shouldn't, so he could only guide the mirror to speak for itself. Seeing that the mirror didn't understand, he added, "The first letter is x."
"Oh, those are the camp letters. X stands for a player who goes against fate, and S stands for a player who follows fate. I'm S6666, a particularly lucky number." said the mirror.
s... Xing Ye still remembers that on the day he entered the game, the Black and White Cube told him that he entered the QR code world by scanning the personal information of player Xing Shuo with the number s7903. Xing Shuo's number starts with s.
He is a player who follows fate.
Randy said that players who follow their fate will eventually become props, no matter whether they actively fight their way to the final level or live passively like Linda.
Many players in the advanced world who defy fate know this, but they don't say it and keep laughing at the players who obey fate.
The little puppet involuntarily clenched his fists.
"Don't worry, you will never be a prop, but my companion." Xing Ye promised.
Jingzi was in a much better mood. He was not actually sad for himself, but for the pocket watch that became a prop, and for many other players who followed his fate.
They just chose the faction that seemed easier when they entered the game, so is that wrong? Why should they be treated like this?
Mirror didn't understand why the game did this, and he didn't know where these people would end up.
Is there really someone who has completed the game completely? If so, what will he gain?
Xing Ye knew that no matter how many promises he made, they would be nothing but empty words. He could only whisper, "Don't give up hope."
If possible, he really wanted to ask the Black and White Cube, what is the point of organizing such a game that plays tricks on people?
It wasn't until dark that Cao Qian and Guan Ling returned. As soon as Guan Ling entered the room, he excitedly said, "Boss, I found two QR codes. I'm awesome, right?"
Xing Ye looked at Guan Ling, nodded slightly, took the piece of paper and a parchment scroll he handed over, and memorized the QR code in his mind.
"Guan Ling, why did you choose the obedient camp?" Xing Ye suddenly asked.
"As for me, I just like gambling, don't I?" Guan Ling scratched his head embarrassedly, "I just want to have better luck and get a good prize."
"Really?" Xing Ye said lightly.
Such a simple reason.
Is it wrong for people who are unhappy with their lives to want to be luckier and happier?
Cao Qian waited for a while, and seeing that Xing Ye didn't ask her why she chose the "defying fate" camp, she took the initiative to say, "I just don't like the word 'fate'. Ever since I was a child, I've had small ears, and my relatives have always said that I'm unlucky and have a bad fate. No matter what happens in my life, they always repeat this. So when making a choice, I instinctively rejected the option of good fortune and deliberately went against fate."
Xing Ye actually didn't want to ask her about her mental journey, but since Cao Qian asked, he just said "hmm" in response.