Chapter 201: Transforming Community Experience (10)
The air fell silent for a moment.
The thin, dark-skinned clerk examined the invitation for a long time. When he looked up again, the disdain on his face had completely transformed into a smile:
"Oh! Friends who have come from afar, guests who are always seeing in person, students full of potential and vitality, welcome to the harmonious and friendly Block 1. How can I help you?"
The extent of this change in expression was completely different from his previous arrogant image.
Tang Xin Jue nodded and said, "Don't you need to fill out the form?"
"No, no, of course not."
The clerk smiled, his mouth wide open, and his jaw dropped to the ground with a thud, stretching his face to over a meter long. With a sharp snap of his upper and lower yellow teeth, he swallowed the entire thick stack of documents.
Really swallow back what you said.
“…”
They didn't want to argue with him, so they got straight to the point:
"We would like to know if there were any other tourists entering Community No. 1 before this?"
The clerk rolled his eyes and said, "Of course we have that. I wonder what you're asking about..."
"A female tourist, about 1.5 meters tall, with long black hair and wearing a green skirt, named Xiaowan."
Tang Xin Jue omitted any information about the group of "VIP tourists" and only mentioned one person, asking directly, "Where did she go? Did she leave any information?"
Unlike the tall, strong woman from Street 2, the dark, thin man from Street 1 didn't remain silent about the information. Instead, he spoke frankly and completely:
"You've asked the right person. Of all the offices in this entire university town, who has a better memory and business skills than me? That tourist went straight inside upon entering Street 1, clearly headed for Mr. Bu's Entertainment City. I was absolutely right!"
"Mr. Bu, the casino?"
This familiar brand name made Tang Xinjue's heart move.
The last time I heard this name was in a conversation with the children who had rescued Zhou Ao at the community gate. From their words, I could tell that "Mr. Bu" was the person who bought the "living toys."
What will the dolls made by the candidates be used for when they are sold to the other party?
The more we learn about this mysterious NPC, the more different it seems from his amiable image in the Dormitory Friendship League.
Will they know each other's full appearance in this copy?
The dark-skinned man smiled and said, "Mr. Bu is one of the most famous wealthy people in University Town. His group is not only second to none in the field of prop research, but the entertainment venue he founded is also the largest and most prosperous place for money in University Town!"
Tang Xin Jue said calmly, "Can the traffic volume of the transformation community support the most prosperous entertainment venue?"
Dark-skinned man: "..."
He spoke the truth bitterly: "The casino itself does not belong to the transformation community. It is just its projection connecting it to the entire university town."
——In other words, no matter where you are in the university town, you can enter the entertainment venue through projection.
Guo Guo grasped the key point and immediately asked, "Wait, since we can enter from anywhere, if we want to leave, can we also go anywhere through the casino?"
As she spoke, her heart began to hang in her throat: If that was the case, then the casino might be their exit from the dungeon!
The dark-skinned man didn't give a direct answer, but only said vaguely, "Well, we public servants aren't allowed to go into casinos and spend money, so I don't know. You'll have to go and try it yourself."
He added with a smile, "Oh, by the way, there's a discount on casino tickets today, and the line is quite long. If you rush over now, you might even run into the person you're looking for!"
A few people wanted to continue asking questions, but a fat man came out from the block, swaying from side to side, and rushed to the dark and thin man. He wiped his sweat and started to compliment him crazily before he even said anything:
"I haven't seen you for a few days. You, clerk, have become much more wise and powerful. I felt relieved the moment I saw you. Look..."
But the dark and thin man waved his hands repeatedly, with a righteous look on his face:
"Don't say such nice things. Our purpose as clerks is to serve the residents. Flattery is useless!"
Fatty: “…”
The dark, thin man appeared respectful, but his answers were actually quite smooth. When 606 asked about the dungeon exit, he began to evade the topic, seemingly saying everything, yet seemingly saying nothing at all, and even began to paraphrase 606.
The four of them knew that since the other party had revealed the whereabouts of the previous candidates, they would naturally share their information with others. Therefore, they could only briefly discuss it. In terms of credibility, it was a world apart from the tall and strong female clerk in Area 2.
They didn't want to waste any more time, so they asked a few more questions and left.
"Have a good trip!" The clerk bowed and nodded behind everyone to say goodbye, until their figures disappeared from the end of his sight, and his forced smile gradually turned grim.
Tang Xinjue's mental power stored this scene in his mind. He and his roommate looked at each other tacitly and continued to move forward.
They soon discovered that while the storefronts lining the street looked colorful, most of them lacked house numbers, and the writing they did see was mostly garbled. The closed doors prevented them from seeing what was inside, so they could only gauge the buildings' functions by the occasional residents who emerged.
But without exception, these stores all require payment before entry, otherwise they refuse to disclose any information.
In this case, a roadside stall that does not require an entrance fee becomes particularly valuable.
"Selling maps, the most comprehensive maps of the entire university town..."
They found this small map stall in a narrow gap between two buildings. The stall owner was an old woman, less than half a meter tall. From a distance, she looked like a woman with her head tilted on a small cart, her cloudy eyes rolling in her deep eye sockets, making her look particularly creepy.
"Little girl, which map do you want to buy?" The old lady's dry lips twisted into a smile. "I have all kinds of maps here. As long as you can afford it, you can know the whole university town like the back of your hand."
Guo Guo avoided the old lady's gaze and pointed to a palm-sized piece of withered paper. "Excuse me, what is this map?"
"This is the encyclopedia for the poor area. With it, no one can trick you into working in the illegal kilns. It only costs 150 kilograms."
Guo Guo: "...Do you think I look like someone who weighs 150 pounds?"
And most importantly, an old map that can't even be seen clearly with a magnifying glass and looks like it will turn to dust at any moment, actually weighs 150 kilograms?
They seemed to understand a little about the pitying looks of the three sisters they met when they came in.
"Little girl, don't judge the world by your own price standards." The old lady smiled and said, "Don't think this is a black market. When you see more, you will know that what I sell is the cheapest. I guarantee you won't get cheated or taken advantage of!"
Guo Guo was skeptical. He exchanged a glance with Tang Xinjue and carefully considered his words, "What if we want to see the route and buildings of Street 1? What's the cheapest price?"
The old woman stretched out a finger that looked like a burnt chicken claw, fiddled with the map pile, and pulled out a piece of yellow paper the size of a leaf:
"Even a crow with a broken leg flying into a wealthy area can get a rough idea of what's going on. This is enough for you. 20 pounds."
Tang Xin Jue closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and nodded: "That's it, use it on my account."
She reached out to take the map, but just as she was about to pull it away, the old lady's fingers pressed it down again.
Tang Xinjue raised his eyes and met those straight, cloudy eyes.
The old lady chuckled twice and said, "Little girl, I don't think you look rich. If you don't want to spend money, I have a way to teach you how to get these maps for free ."
The dry finger pointed at Tang Xin Jue, then turned to Guo Guo:
"Just... exchange it for your two eyes."
???!!!!!!
Guo Guo's eyes widened instantly as she clutched the pendant. Zheng Wanqing pulled her behind her, her silver arm poised to strike, pressing down on the edge of the cart.
"Can you say that again?"
The old lady showed no fear at all. She spoke slowly and hoarsely, "Little girl, how do you think the map was made?"
"I need unique eyes... the divine eyes that can see the boundless realm, the heavenly eyes that can see the past and the future, the ghostly eyes that can see the dark abyss... You are lucky to have two pairs of valuable eyes. In a critical moment, they can save your life."
The old fingers pushed out the map again:
"If you want to sell, feel free to come to me—don't sell it to those cunning merchants, they'll just take the money out of your pocket. Here, here's my contact information, just call me Granny Wang."
Turning over the back of the map, there was a row of messy symbols engraved on it.
The four people in 606 looked at each other in confusion. Guo Guo subconsciously asked, "Is this a cell phone number?"
But no matter how she looked at it, this "Grandma Wang" didn't look like someone who could use a smartphone skillfully?
The old lady finally rolled her cloudy eyes and snorted coldly, pulling out a brand new phone from the bottom of the stall. It was a sleek and luxurious phone, sparkling with the brilliance of money everywhere.
"You're a jerk with a cleaner pocket than your face, yet you're so worried. Grandma earns more money than you'll ever eat in your lifetime!"
“…”
With a map in hand, the experience of walking on the street suddenly increases exponentially.
"Beautiful lady, you're a student, right? Our store has the latest exam supplies, and they're 90% cheaper than in the mall. I guarantee you'll get a perfect score on every exam! Want to take a look?"
A noodle man with colorful hair stands at the door of the store to attract customers.
Tang Xin Jue glanced at the map: "Beauty salon? No, thank you."
…
Aside from the rather bizarre-looking residents and the occasional screams and splashes of blood emanating from the buildings, everything in the neighborhood was largely the same as the real world. The group quickly adapted to the environment, their pace quickening.
"arrive."
Tang Xinjue stopped first and pulled back Zheng Wanqing who was still rushing forward.
Zheng Wanqing looked bewildered. "We've arrived at the casino? Where is it?"
Looking around, all they could see were small bungalows. The streets were extremely quiet without any noise, which was completely different from the "entertainment venue" they knew.
Guo Guo also felt it: "There seems to be a door on the left. There are many people under the door. No, there is a breath of ghosts. The location of the door is..."
She slowly lowered her head, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
"You're not mistaken." Tang Xinjue walked decisively to the location, squatted down and knocked: "It's here."
The four of them lowered their heads together and looked at the round manhole cover.
Following Tang Xin Jue's movements, a line of golden characters the size of a fingernail appeared in the center of the gray manhole cover:
——Mr. Bu’s luxurious casino, come and enjoy it!
