Lu Mingze used his small hat to collect water to wash his handkerchief, but there was too much dust on the statue and there was no bucket nearby, so he could only run back and forth, and soon he was sweating profusely.
The statue couldn't help but ask, "I want to hurt you, aren't you angry?"
"But you didn't harm me," Lu Mingze said naturally, "and I already promised you to clean the statue, so of course I have to follow through."
The statue said, "You are so stupid."
Lu Mingze wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, then stood on tiptoe to look the statue's empty eyes level, and said seriously, "I'm not stupid. Everything I do has a reason."
"Repaying evil with kindness, is that the truth?" asked the statue.
Lu Mingze shook his head: "You didn't really harm me, you were just thinking about it. I can't convict someone based on his thoughts. This is unscientific and unreasonable.
"I don't think 'wanting' is wrong. I 'want' to eat when I'm trying to lose weight, I 'want' to be lazy at work, I 'want' to skip classes when I'm studying, and I 'want' to develop a negative distance relationship with someone I like. These are all 'want'. People grow up in the constant battle between reason and desire, and gradually learn what is right and what is wrong.
"You 'want' to have my body, 'want' to exchange bodies. This is also 'wanting', not 'doing'. When you reminded me not to continue looking in the mirror, your rationality overcame your emotions, just like most people, isn't it?"
Lu Mingze hadn't said anything else. From childhood to adulthood, there were countless people who wanted to have a relationship with him. If he hated every one of them, it would be so tiring.
The statue said, "Then you don't have to work so hard to help me wipe my body. Just wipe it casually, right?"
Lu Mingze shook his head like a rattle: "How can that be possible? I helped you wipe your body for a purpose. I am very utilitarian!"
A man with an invisible angel halo on his head said he was very "utilitarian", which sounded ridiculous. The statue couldn't help but ask: "Then tell me what your purpose and utilitarianism are?"
Lu Mingze said, "I'm a prince, and the king has tasked me with rebuilding this city. You're the statue in the center of this city square. Many people must have admired you in the past, and you represent the city's spirit. Rebuilding a city can't be done by one person alone; it still requires the initiative of the people in the city. Otherwise, even if a group of people were parachuted in to contribute money and effort, the buildings would quickly fall into disrepair if the residents didn't maintain them afterwards. So I'm going to clean you up first, and make you sparkle. That's a good start, I guess."
The statue watched Lu Mingze wipe away all the dust and stains, and was picking at the rotten vegetable leaves stuck to it. Suddenly, it made a request: "Water won't clean it at all, and it will only rust. You should find a professional to clean it for me, and then have him apply a layer of gold on it. Every piece of gold is a symbol of my status."
Lu Mingze stopped panting, looked at the statue for a while and said, "You're asking for a lot, but even if all the gold in my body melted, I still can't do it..."
The statue said, "Someone can do it. Walk 500 meters south and you'll see an abandoned gold jewelry store. It's been smashed up and looks like it's been looted. But that's not the case. I know someone is hiding underground. He knows the location of the gold mine and has buried all his valuables underground."
Just as Lu Mingze was about to say something, he heard a voice narrating beside him: "Received mission one, find someone who can provide the statue with a golden coat, mission progress 0.16."
I can actually get a task. Lu Mingze patted the white bracelet and said, "You can talk."
After hearing Lu Mingze's words, the white bracelet fell silent again and did not speak at all.
Lu Mingze said, "From your description, he sounds like a miser. Would he be willing to give me the gold?"
The statue said, "It doesn't matter if you don't want to. Just give me your body and I will go and persuade him."
Lu Mingze: "…"
He always felt that the statue was a little strange. After carefully comparing the statue with his own face and body shape, he came to the conclusion that the statue might look very similar to him.
"The way you looked in the past...was that me?" Lu Mingze asked unconfidently.
He thought this was a reasonable guess. He was a prince, so it was normal for a statue of the future king to be placed in the city's central square. Besides, nobles should have territories, right? Perhaps this was his territory.
"When I took shape, you weren't even born yet." If the statue had eyes, it would have rolled its eyes. "I am the most perfect human being imagined by the people of this city. They admire beauty and place the most beautiful things in the city center, so that every time you pass by and see the statue's face, your mood will become beautiful."
Lu Mingze blinked and said naturally, "That's right, you must be exactly like me."
statue:"..."
What's with this feeling of wanting to strangle him but also feeling that it's justified for some reason?
"Although obtaining the gold will certainly be difficult, the mission is five times more difficult after all, so this is only natural." Lu Mingze asked, "But where is the south?"
statue:"..."
Lu Mingze stumbled down the base of the statue and looked at the sun in the sky to determine the direction. He found the south, but he did not walk due south, but southwest.
The statue said quickly, "You can't just go there. Find a map first. There's a map in the City Lord's Mansion, but it's guarded by some greedy guys. You might be in danger, so I didn't tell you."
The last sentence was actually an explanation to Lu Mingze. Lu Mingze was very sensitive to good intentions. He smiled happily and said, "Thank you for your reminder, but it doesn't matter. I'm stronger than you think!"
Lu Mingze still hasn't figured out how to use his various abilities, but he's not so bad that he can't even handle a small task of getting props.
According to Lu Mingze's previous experience in playing online games, he has so many abilities that even if he is going to die, he will face a death crisis in the final mission, and the rest of the time will not be too difficult.
As for the fact that a statue wanted to use a mirror to kill him, Lu Mingze did not regard it as a danger. After all, the statue did not hurt him.
Following the instructions of the statue, Lu Mingze walked into the City Lord's Mansion. Not long after he entered the ruins, the sun set.
"Oh no!" thought the statue. "Those greedy monsters become stronger at night. I wonder if the poor little prince will die."
The statue wanted to remind him, but it couldn't make any sound. Lu Mingze had already left the base, and the statue could only communicate with people who touched its body or the base.
Lu Mingze didn't know the statue's anxiety, but he felt it was a little dark.
The statue told him that the map was in the largest office on the fourth floor. The other maps were not detailed enough, but this map included all the buildings in the city before it became ruins. Even the location of the dim sum shop was marked. It was a very comprehensive map.
The stairs are made of wood and make a creaking sound when you step on them, as if they will break in the next second, which is very worrying.
"Don't I have any fire or lighting tools on me?" Lu Mingze searched his body but found nothing. He was a prince with only good looks, jewelry and gold.
Precious metals and jewelry cannot be eaten as food, even if there is a night pearl. Lu Mingze flipped through the jewelry on his body and sighed secretly.
He had been busy running around wiping the statue's body and was now very hungry, but he had no food.
The wooden staircase looked quite intimidating, but Lu Mingze was lucky. Every step he took perfectly avoided any rotten spots, and he made it up safely. The light was much brighter as he ascended. From the third floor, Lu Mingze watched the blazing sunset on the horizon. He heard someone next to him say, "Dusk is when light fades and darkness descends. It's when the monsters revel. Don't go upstairs again. It's very dangerous."
"Who's talking?" Lu Mingze looked around but saw no one. There was only a man in dusty armor standing in the corner of the stairs.
Lu Mingze instinctively knew that this was the person who was talking to him, so he walked up to the armor and greeted him: "Hello, were you the one who warned me that going upstairs would be dangerous?"
"You recognized me?" The armor head made a clattering sound. "I warned countless people, but no one noticed me. How did you find me?"
Since there are talking statues downstairs, it wouldn't be so strange if the armor talked.
Lu Mingze said, "You're the only one here. Even if I recognize you wrongly, no one will find out, so let's try. If you don't answer me, I'll go ask the window or the stairs, hehehe."
He smiled sheepishly, his armor stiffening for a moment before he said, "You are truly an honest man."
"There's no need to lie. It's not something shameful." Lu Mingze said.
"You said there are monsters up there. What are they? Do they look good?" Lu Mingze asked excitedly.
The armor clattered and said, "It's the evil spirits that grow in the darkness. They want to become the city lord and rule this city, so they keep lingering in the city lord's office and won't leave."
Lu Mingze asked, "What about the city lord? As a leader, he should take responsibility for the city's destruction, right? Where is he?"
"On the day the disaster struck, I saw the city lord leaving the city lord's mansion with some luggage. I watched him leave from the window until his back disappeared into the sunset. I never saw him again. After all, I am just a suit of armor and cannot leave this place."
Lu Mingze said, "In other words, you are the most dedicated person in the entire city."
The armor rattled all over his body, and he said awkwardly, "No, no, I can't move."
"But you've been here for so long, and you'd still warn someone like me if I stumbled into the City Lord's Mansion. Doesn't that have anything to do with whether I can move?" Lu Mingze said, "Thank you for the warning, but I have something important to do. I must enter the City Lord's Mansion and get the map."
"Judging from your attire, you must be a noble person, right?" asked the armor.
Lu Mingze nodded: "I am a prince, and the king asked me to rebuild this country."
The armor said, "Then you can wear me. I have accumulated some strength and can protect you."
"That's great, thank you!" Lu Mingze reached out and hugged the armor, getting covered in dust.
He tried to pick up the armor's weapon again, but it was too heavy to lift.
Lu Mingze: "...I'm sorry, I don't think I can bear your weight."
armor:"..."