If we could truly see things from long ago and far into the future with a camera, it would undoubtedly create many more opportunities to find autographs.
"Time is limited. Two hours have passed since 'dawn.' We'd better split up. Some of us can use our cameras to find clues, while the rest of us continue looking for autographs." Ke Xun glanced at the incense burner in the corner; two hours had passed since the lamps were lit.
Mai Peng, holding his camera, said, "I was hoping Mr. Mu could be there to guide us while we look for locations to take pictures."
Cao Youning added, "Finding autographs in this inn is like finding a needle in a haystack. I don't have any other skills, so maybe I should take pictures too."
Mu Yiran thought for a moment, "Sure. The friends who are good at photography can distribute the film later. Film is a precious resource now, and we should use it wisely."
The newcomers all nodded and took their cameras.
Ke Xun looked at Mu Yiran: "How about this, everyone gather back in the room in two hours at the latest. We'll buy lunch while we're at it; we need to eat before lights out."
Mu Yiran nodded: "It'll be hard for you to define a specific area when looking for autographs. Why don't you try to find out more first?"
"Okay!"
Du Lingyu looked at Ke Xun, hesitant to speak.
Ke Xun: "Xiao Du, you can tell Yiran about the illusions you saw later."
"Okay." Du Lingyu nodded.
Ke Xun continued: "Brother Qin can stay and continue studying that medical book; the information there might be useful to us."
Qin Ci had no objection to this suggestion. He walked to the magnifying projector, took off the movable magnifying glass, and prepared to use it to read the book later.
Ke Xun looked at the others: "Let's not delay, let's all go find autographs now."
So, Ke Xun, Wei Dong, Zhu Haowen, Fang Fei, Luo Yiran, and Xin Chun left the room together.
While they said they were looking for autographs, they didn't actually have a specific route.
"I always felt that the signature was hidden in the past and future, and had nothing to do with the present." Wei Dong scratched his head. "Even if we were to look for it, we wouldn't know where to start."
Zhu Haowen said expressionlessly, "Since we can't determine the time, let's first determine the location and the people.
"Regarding the location, besides our room, there are a few other important places: the square on the second floor where Xia Yu was murdered; the window by the hanging coffin on the top floor; the entrance and exit of this lantern pavilion.
"Regarding the people, for now we can only deduce them from our specific identities: people who trade with us; people who use or buy and sell camera-related goods; and the authority figure in this world: Lord Wu."
Speaking of Lord Wu, everyone couldn't help but look at Fang Fei.
"I had the same thought," Fang Fei stopped and stood by the stair railing. Her high ponytail and upright posture, illuminated by the candlelight, gave her an air of aloofness. "I initially wanted to try on that mask."
"Absolutely not!" Wei Dong blurted out. "Who knows what that mask does? What if you can't take it off once you put it on…"
Fang Fei smiled gently: "That's not so scary. I'm worried that if I wear the mask, I'll truly become a member of the witch and lose my original heart and true self."
"The way you put it makes it even more terrifying," Luo Jin added from the side.
"Haowen's words just now reminded me," Fang Fei said seriously, "I think I should use my identity to get to know some shamans. Maybe I can find out some information."
It was indeed a good idea, but Wei Dong still said, "You go by yourself? Or Ke'er can go with you?"
Fang Fei: "Among us, I'm the only one who is a shaman. It should be more appropriate for me to go by myself, but I haven't thought of a reason to visit." Ke Xun
had a sudden inspiration: "How about this, Fang Fei can go to the shaman of the Fluorite Travel to return the favor. After all, they lent us a precious piece of fluorite."
Fang Fei nodded: "That's a good suggestion. I'll go back and prepare. We have some relatively precious spices in our goods, which can be used as a return gift."
Everyone thought this was a good idea, so Fang Fei went back to her room to prepare the gift, while the others continued downstairs.
"Hey? Where's Brother Shao?" Luo Jin realized that someone was missing.
"He's studying the past, present, and future with the big boss and the others," Wei Dong said. "They're studying time, and we're studying geography. Where should we go first?"
"Let's buy food first." Xin Chun nodded in support of Luo Jin's suggestion.
"…You glutton, didn't we have breakfast?"
"Dry flatbread is hard to swallow…How about we eat at Gulouzi?" Luo Cheng suggested, and Xin Chun nodded in agreement.
"…" Ke Xun looked downstairs, "Let's go to the second-floor plaza first, to the place where Xia Yu was murdered in the photo. Maybe we can find some clues. If not, we'll look elsewhere."
"Okay, Gulouzi is on the second floor too." Luo Cheng, enduring everyone's gaze, let out two loud rumbling sounds as if in protest, "Hunger can sometimes make people clear-headed. I suddenly feel that the character issue that Brother Wen mentioned earlier is worth studying. We should all make use of our connections in the Lantern Brigade."
"What connections do you have here?" Wei Dong thought this guy had gone crazy from hunger, "Don't tell me your family's business has expanded here."
Luo Cheng's eyes, however, sparkled, mirroring Xin Chun's: "That fat uncle, didn't he ask us about Xin Chun? We even wanted to borrow a magnifying glass from them last night!"
"The fat uncle who has nothing to do with us?" Ke Xun asked.
"Yeah, this is the only connection I have here." Luo Jin's smile suddenly became full of power. "But Xin Chun shouldn't come along. I'm afraid that uncle has designs on her. I'll go alone."
"No way, are you sure you can handle this?" Wei Dong asked worriedly.
"I can't just say this to straight men." Luo Jin said seriously.
Ke Xun and Zhu Haowen: Gay guys don't like hearing this either…
Luo Jin: "Fang Fei, a girl, went to meet the sorcerer all by herself. I'm a grown man, and I can't even handle a fat mortal?" Zhu Haowen
: "Let Luo Jin go. He might really have the ability."
Ke Xun: "The fat uncle lives next door. If anything happens, just call someone in the house. Besides, there's nothing to do during the day. Luo Bo, be careful with your words. Don't say anything taboo."
"Don't worry, I won't say anything I shouldn't." Luo Jin was very happy to be entrusted with such an important task. After bidding a reluctant farewell to Xin Chun, he set off alone.
...
The incense in the room was the same one Mu Yiran lit before bed last night. Its total burning time was 20 hours, with the portion that burned last night lasting 8 hours. Two and a half hours had passed since dawn.
Following yesterday's pattern, the daylight hours here are 4 hours, leaving only an hour and a half until lights out.
Everyone had to get back to their lodgings before lights out, so everyone needed to complete their tasks as quickly as possible.
Each person had an hour and a half; two people would have three hours, four people would have six hours, and twelve people would have a full eighteen hours.
Luo Jin calculated it this way in his mind; many hands make light work, that's the principle.
In this hour, Boss Mu and the photography team went to several important locations to take pictures, exploring the secrets of time in this world; Fang Fei, as a sorceress, met with another sorceress; Qin Ci intently flipped through the medical book; Ke Xun and the others were "blindly searching" for autographs like sweeping a building…
What Luo Jin needed to do now was to knock on the door next door.
This was Luo Jin's hour and a half.
—"Knock knock knock."
The door opened quickly, and the one who opened it was the short, fat, balding, smiling uncle from last night. He was smiling now, his voice like a cormorant that had swallowed a giant fish.
"Didn't bring the dog today?" The fat uncle opened the door and invited Luo Jin in.
"Got out with someone else." Luo Jin calmed himself, and a smile quickly appeared on his face.
The layout of this room was similar to his own, only slightly smaller. There were several other people in the room; some were resting on the beds, and some seemed to be checking accounts.
The group seemed unimpressed by Luo Jin's arrival; some didn't even glance at him, while others merely nodded slightly.
"He's also from the Bright Brigade," the portly man introduced Luo Jin simply to his companions. "The dog we saw yesterday is his."
This prompted a few of his companions to look up at Luo Jin. One of them, who had been lying on the bed, sat up abruptly: "You're dog dealers?"
Luo Jin smiled: "We're spice dealers; the dogs are our own."
The man spoke to the portly man: "A spirit dog?"
"That's right, a spirit dog, very rare." The portly man couldn't hide his smile.
"Alright, you talk," several of the men resting on the beds actually got up, even the person who was keeping accounts stopped. "You talk, you talk, we're going out to buy some wine and dry rations."
Soon, everyone in the room had left, leaving only the portly man and Luo Jin.
The portly man probably tried to make his smile more genuine, but the more he smiled, the more lewd it became.
Luo Jin subconsciously moved a little further away from him: "My surname is Luo, what's your name?"
"Just call me Old Li. We sell dried fish and dried meat. Take some dried fish back with you later. It's the taste of home from our Bright Brigade, you can't find it in other brigades," the chubby uncle said enthusiastically.
"You're too kind. Actually, I came to borrow a magnifying glass. I wonder if you have any here?" Luo Jin said, reciting his prepared excuse.
The chubby uncle touched his double chin with his fleshy hand, looking slightly embarrassed: "We don't need that kind of stuff. The merchant caravan that sold these mirrors has already left, otherwise we could have bought them from them."
"Left?" Luo Jin was a little nervous, wondering if this kind of conversation was taboo: "Where did they go? Can we still catch up with them?"—Actually, he wanted to ask "when did they leave," but at this moment he could only try to ask the question tactfully.
"They've gone too far; even a spirit dog can't catch them," the chubby uncle said. "Why don't you try your luck at the toy store? They might have some."
Luo Tan thought for a moment and then said, "My dog is just a pet; I didn't realize it was a spirit dog."
The chubby uncle looked at Luo Tan and suddenly chuckled in a low voice, "Little brother, you're lying to me. How did you get here without a spirit dog?"
Luo Tan retorted, "You didn't bring your dog with you either, so how did you get here?"
The chubby uncle stared at Luo Tan with his beady eyes and realized that the other man didn't seem to be lying. "So you also rented a car. With such a good dog, why not waste it? Maybe you could even reach the Cold Night Inn!"
"What's so good about it?" Luo Tan tried his best to act like he had never seen anything like it.
"You've got some good stuff! I'll give you some later." The chubby uncle was very generous, then asked, "By the way, I heard something happened over there. Is the dog alright?"
Luo Tan rolled his eyes. "It happened after the lights went out. One of the sisters left."
"Oh." The chubby uncle tapped his fat fingers lightly on the table. "Try to think positively; it's a good thing."
"Huh?"
The chubby uncle lowered his voice. "Anyway, it's all about achieving a perfect ending, so it's a good thing."
"I don't understand." Luo Tan said frankly.
"It's said that if you die, you can see your other self." The chubby uncle's voice was a little unsteady. "I heard that from the old witch of the Lightbringer Brigade when I was a kid."
"Then... wouldn't your other self also be dead? Otherwise, how can you see them?"
"Yes, that's how you achieve perfection!" The chubby uncle spread his fat hands. "Alright, alright, let's not talk about these abstract things. How about we travel together? We'll rent a car and have your spirit dogs take us for a while! To the Cold Night Brigade!"
"This... I can't make that decision." Luo Tan hesitated; he really couldn't make that decision himself.
"I'll show you something good! Cold Night Travel has some good stuff!" the chubby uncle said, walking behind the screen in the room. "You should all try some!"