### Chapter 51: Can You Fish with a Straight Hook?
Xu Xiaofeng greeted Grandpa Ryan again.
However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Grandpa Ryan was giving her a rather strange look.
In the end, feeling quite awkward, she made a run for it to her rented place in the Imperial Capital.
No worries, it’s a minor issue. I’ll just throw some money around; I’m benefitting society!
She sat there thinking and realized there really wasn’t much to do today.
There wasn’t a single player in the Imperial Capital right now, and she couldn’t exactly stream live by herself.
So, she called out.
“Uncle Steven, how about we head to the Chamber of Commerce again?”
“As you wish, Miss.”
Steven was someone she picked up from the tavern, and at this rate, he seemed to be becoming her butler.
But Xu Xiaofeng was a bit puzzled.
There’s nothing to manage at my house; what do I need a butler for?
Surely he can’t be here to manage me… can he?
They arrived at the Qingfeng Chamber of Commerce.
As soon as the receptionist saw her, she rushed over: “Miss Wind, you’ve come at just the right time; the president has summoned you.”
They quickly made their way to the room she had visited a few times before.
“President Harry, is everything going smoothly?”
Xu Xiaofeng initially wanted to ask for more details, but after some thought, decided to ask just enough to get a general sense.
Yeah, asking too much might just put me in an awkward spot again.
What if President Harry starts reporting all about the residents of the Imperial Capital to me?
This isn’t a friendly gathering; it’s a business meeting. There’s no way I can bluff my way through.
“Everything is going well.”
Harry was quite slick, handling matters gracefully.
“However, we’ve hit a small snag and might need to report it to you.”
“Go ahead.”
“It seems some people claimed they encountered bandits on their way back, got their fruits stolen, and ended up with some injuries.”
“Bandits? Are there still bandits around the Imperial Capital? Shouldn’t this be handled by the guards or the knights?”
Harry sighed: “Yes, it’s already been reported. But… how should I put this.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “Those people sustained only minor injuries and lost little aside from their harvested goods; their ‘injuries’ were mostly from tripping. In the end, the higher-ups didn’t take it seriously at all.”
So, basically no one was seriously hurt. And as for the stuff they lost? All that was on the ground and couldn’t be viewed as personal property. There was no way to claim damages.
Such a trivial matter wasn’t worth the guards’ attention.
Who knows if they just went out empty-handed and tripped over their own feet? If everything were treated as a serious issue, the guards in this bustling Imperial Capital would be overwhelmed.
“Didn’t they hire any adventurers?”
“They did, but the bandit group was quite large, and the adventurers bolted once they saw the situation.”
“How can you be sure of the information’s authenticity?”
“Those people are my long-term employees; their words hold some credibility.”
If the situation is real, it might be a bit troublesome.
Firstly, the presence of bandit groups within the Imperial Capital is pretty unlikely, which means someone’s up to no good.
Perhaps others are taking advantage of the chaos and temporarily messing things up, or maybe other chambers are deliberately causing trouble.
Of course, there are other possibilities, but whatever the case, it’s all bad for her grand business.
If things get messy, it’ll impact the fruit picking, and if no one is picking fruits, it’s a loss of shiny gold coins!
“Where exactly did they encounter this so-called ‘bandit group’?”
“Miss Wind, what are you planning to do?”
“I… I’ll arrange for someone to investigate.”
Hearing this, Harry sighed in relief. He was genuinely worried that this young lady would rush there personally.
But his worries were spot on!
Xu Xiaofeng soon got a rough location and quickly left the chamber.
“Steven, you go back first; I’ll go find someone.”
Find someone? Who in the Imperial Capital do you know?
Steven’s heart sank.
Initially, he thought she’d ask him for help. But judging by her demeanor, she wasn’t really planning to go after all, right?!
His insides were churning, but outwardly, Steven simply replied gently and turned to leave.
However, he sped back to the tavern, relayed the news, and then rushed toward the nearest city gate.
In the end, he arrived at the city gate ahead of Xu Xiaofeng and quietly followed her from behind.
Xu Xiaofeng had no idea she had a tail. If she did, she would’ve screamed for help, then curled up in bed crying.
Mommy! There’s a stalker! And it’s not just one!
Wait, mature adults don’t cry! Adults know how to wield the law or expose them!
Family, who understands…
After about twenty minutes of rushing, Xu Xiaofeng reached the designated location.
Her stamina had improved a lot since before, and even without using space magic, she covered almost double the distance.
Looking around at the trees, shrubs, and mountains, her head started to ache.
Now, how is she supposed to find this so-called bandit group…?
She was quite an independent person; she solved many problems on her own. If she really couldn’t, only then would she ask for help.
Whether it was her parents and family in reality or close friends, or even the uncles, aunts, and townsfolk from the game.
Used to being alone, her first instinct often wasn’t to think of others.
So…
Let’s go fishing!
Since she couldn’t find them, let them come searching for her instead.
This was prime bait, and it’s not like anyone could resist, right?
Xu Xiaofeng looked around, picked a conspicuous yet safe spot, and sat on a big rock, trying to get into the mood.
Two minutes later, she burst into tears.
Wiping her tears, she cried out, “Waaah, is anyone there? Where is this? I can’t get back.”
“Waaah, mommy and daddy, where are you…?”
Her voice echoed out, amplified by her magical influence, traveling far and wide.
But this area had been thoroughly searched by residents and adventurers many, many times. There were no Sunfruits left. Hardly anyone would come here anymore.
Hiding from a distance, Steven watched the Miss’s bizarre performance and couldn’t help but facepalm.
“Oh dear, Miss. How in the world do you expect to lure anyone out like this? Especially in this desolate mountain hillside; even if you scream your lungs out, no one is going to respond.”
This was the equivalent of fishing with a straight hook placed in a puddle by the roadside.
You’d be lucky to catch anything!
“Shouted my lungs out!!”
Then came a mysterious voice in response.
And then…
“Little girl, why are you here all alone? Where’s your family?”
Several burly men emerged slowly from the mountain behind.
What the heck! It actually worked?!
Steven scoffed internally, but his vigilance was through the roof. He stared hard at those men.
On the other side, a slight grin tugged at Xu Xiaofeng’s lips.
She was just giving it a shot; you never know, right?
If this doesn’t work out, she’ll just switch places, and if that doesn’t work… well, whatever.
She had nothing better to do anyway.
And look at that, she hit the jackpot!
