### Chapter Twenty-Five: Liu Banxian
“What? Compensation? Wasn’t it that person from the Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical who caused all this trouble before? Why should I pay for it?”
Luxianbei looked at the Black Peony, who suddenly appeared in the room, rubbing her fingers together like a debt collector, and tightened her grip on her small bag with suspicion.
“I’m just following the rules.” The Black Peony replied with a helpless smile, “I heard Xiuyao said you meticulously studied the ‘Dream Come True Tourist Safety Manual,’ right?”
“Then you should know there is a clause stating that if a traveler’s personal belongings trigger an accidental safety incident, we reserve the right to claim compensation within a reasonable range, correct?”
Luxianbei, “…”
She indeed remembered that such a clause existed.
It was precisely because of this clause that she dared to detonate alchemical bombs at the station of Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical, creating an explosion to confuse the attackers’ senses.
Now, using the loophole in the rules, the side effect of “knowing the law and breaking it” had come to light.
Seeing Luxianbei’s eyebrow furrow into a Chinese knot, the Black Peony shook her head with a wry smile.
“I’m doing this for your own good. If you pay the compensation here, we can classify the incident as an accidental safety issue caused by personal belongings, and the other two won’t be able to make things difficult for you anymore, right?”
“As for the Jade Palace Immortal, I will strongly condemn his actions in exploiting the loophole and will urge that individual from the entertainment city to put pressure on him along with me.”
Apart from condemnation and pressure, there wasn’t much else they could do, after all, they were still allies on the surface; they couldn’t just rush into the depths of Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical and beat up the Jade Palace Immortal, could they?
“The reasoning is sound…” Luxianbei said with a serious expression, “But how much do I need to pay?”
She vaguely remembered that she exploded around eleven or twelve alchemical bombs in succession, directly creating three large craters on the station’s platform, even breaking the underground rune steel framework.
“Not much, not much, just a token amount will do.” The Black Peony waved her hand with a smile.
Not much? That’s good… Luxianbei thought, just about to breathe a sigh of relief, when she saw the Black Peony extend five slender, onion-white fingers toward her.
“Five hundred chips will be sufficient.”
Luxianbei, “???”
I only have a little over seven hundred chips left; you want five hundred all at once? That’s not ‘not much’!
Biesuzhen, did you see this?
You’re worth less than three clumps of dirt on the Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical’s platform!
As Luxianbei grumbled internally, the Black Peony teased, “If you really can’t bear it, I have another way.”
“What?”
“Do you have any special talents? With your looks, plus the title of Urban Legend King, if you dress up a bit, a single performance here could earn you three or five hundred chips.”
The Black Peony raised her eyebrows at Luxianbei.
“Talents…” Luxianbei thought seriously for a moment, “I could try telling a comic dialogue, but there probably isn’t anyone interested in that kind of talent here, right?”
“Who says?” The Black Peony shrugged, “People here often call for the mimetic mud monster to transform into Guo Degang and have it tell comic dialogues while…”
“Stop! That’s enough!” Luxianbei interrupted, “I was just saying it offhand; I wasn’t planning on really earning money that way.”
Mainly, this method of making money is too fast. I’m afraid if I start, I won’t be able to control myself.
Once I start just with comic dialogues, I might soon end up doing benefit performances, and ultimately, it will evolve into aid and socializing. Luxianbei thought.
So…
【Pay 500 chips; gain +100 reputation in the inn’s custom store.】
Moments later.
Luxianbei followed the Black Peony to her office area, obediently paid the fine, and was just about to leave when she noticed the array of books on the bookshelf behind the Black Peony and suddenly became curious, casually asking, “Big sister, can I borrow two books from you? To pass the time on the way.”
“Of course, feel free to choose.” The Black Peony replied, “I don’t know what kind of books you like. I have the original manuscript of the missing parts of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ by Cao Xueqin, do you want to take a look?”
“I remember the last person who borrowed from me was quite interested in that part.”
“Let’s forget about that?” Luxianbei said in a daze.
Good grief!
Such a valuable item, if I took it out to show Professor Ma, he might end up in the ICU. Luxianbei thought.
She had only casually suggested it, thinking after paying such a large fine, I should at least get a ‘souvenir’ to offset my losses, hoping the Black Peony would agree; if not, she would…
Then she would have to act cute and plead with her!
Now, seeing how readily the Black Peony agreed, she felt a bit embarrassed for being too greedy.
“Just… just give me a book about doomsday legends.”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing that, the Black Peony narrowed her eyes and a meaningful smile appeared on her face.
————
Three hours later.
At three eighteen in the morning.
Fifteen minutes before the giant train arrives at the Lan Zhua Inn’s custom store station, Luxianbei and Ahua took the tickets that the Black Peony had helped book and arrived at the platform ahead of time.
Sitting on a bench in the waiting hall, Ahua looked at Luxianbei in confusion and asked, “Did they just let us go like that? Do you think there’s something fishy about it?”
Luxianbei put down the book in her hands, rolled her eyes at Ahua, and replied expressionlessly, “In life, don’t be so suspicious. You are like this, and your young lady is the same. Can’t you be a bit sunnier?”
“Sometimes, the owner of a custom store isn’t necessarily a bad person, and a burly man with a face full of flesh isn’t necessarily very strong; those cold-faced spectators wearing sunglasses might really just be watching.”
After saying this, Luxianbei picked up her book again and began to read earnestly.
“…”
The first two were understandable, but the last one are you implying something?
Ahua thought to herself and noticed the book in Luxianbei’s hand, frowning.
It was as thin as a magazine, but the cover was made of some kind of tanned leather, the pages somewhat old and yellowed, making a “swish swish” sound when turned, as if it could tear apart at any moment.
“When did you become so diligent? You still want to seize the opportunity to read at a time like this.” Ahua said, puzzled.
“I’ve always loved learning, okay?” Luxianbei replied earnestly, “Knowledge is power, learning makes me happy!”
“…” Ahua opened her mouth, hesitating to say anything.
She was about to tell Luxianbei who was acting as leisurely as a cafe cat at the station of Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical.
But then she recalled that when Jiang Li chatted, it was revealed in snippets that Luxianbei indeed showed great enthusiasm and efficiency when studying ‘The Book of Siye’, so she thought perhaps this person only had intermittent laziness.
Ahua quietly observed Luxianbei for a moment, moved closer, and curiously asked, “What book are you reading?”
“‘One Hundred Legendary Short Stories’, I borrowed it from the owner before we set off to pass the time on the train.” Luxianbei casually replied.
“What? I thought you were really studying!” Ahua said, unimpressed, and sat back down in her spot.
Luxianbei, “…”
This book indeed contains short legendary stories, and the content is very simple and easy to understand, similar to children’s educational materials; it was indeed something Luxianbei whimsically asked the Black Peony for to pass the time.
Having paid such a hefty fine, with Luxianbei’s thick skin, it was indeed embarrassing to ask for a book just to k*ll time.
However.
The Black Peony didn’t just give it to her for nothing.
When Luxianbei proposed wanting to borrow a book about doomsday legends to pass time, the Black Peony had a meaningful smile and then handed her this book.
All the short stories in the book are indeed tales of doomsday, and while the descriptions are superficial, every person or urban legend described has a detailed record.
From a certain perspective, this could already serve as a pictorial record of some old-world destroyers.
Having obtained a pathway to become a master trainer for illuminating all illustrations of old-world destroyers (×).
Once Luxianbei discovered this, she began to take the book seriously, flipping to the title page to see the author, only to find the author’s name had been crudely crossed out.
“…Manu made offerings to the gods with butter, milk, whey, and curds, and a woman appeared from the offerings, claiming to be Manu’s daughter, and later procreated with Manu?”
Luxianbei frowned after reading about the legendary story of the “Great Flood” from the Hindu country.
Is this a ghostly father?
I thought only those gods in Greek mythology liked to do such things.
While she was thinking, a whistle that sounded like someone lowering their voice to imitate a steam whistle rang out, followed by thunderous footsteps coming from afar.
At three thirty-three in the morning.
The massive giant train appeared in sight, rolling into the station and stopping at the platform’s edge.
Following that, the announcement from the station broadcast came from a man wearing a top hat.
“Dear passengers, this train is about to stop at the Lan Zhua Inn’s custom store, with a stop time of thirty minutes. Passengers heading to Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical and Dream Come True Entertainment City should hurry aboard in an orderly manner with their tickets…”
“Wang Buliu, let’s go!”
Upon hearing the announcement, Ahua gently patted Luxianbei’s shoulder and took the lead towards the train.
After this long detour, having nearly lost half her life, she was eager to find Jiang Li.
With Ahua’s reminder, Luxianbei closed her book, stowed it properly, and followed Ahua onto the giant train.
————
At five fifty-five in the morning.
The giant train once again stopped at Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical.
Luxianbei did not get off, instead sitting in the carriage, gazing towards the place she had once fought.
She saw that the station, even more dilapidated than the previous day, had every person’s face wearing a “happy” expression due to the residual toxic gas.
The station, full of cracks, along with those cheerful disheveled vagrants, formed a bizarre yet striking picture.
In the distance, a man in a red work outfit stood in the center of the platform, his face covered with what looked like bloodstains from whipping, and beneath his lowered hat brim, a pair of resentful eyes searched around for something.
Although Luxianbei didn’t know that man, she could clearly feel that he was searching for her.
It was clear the Jade Palace Immortal still hadn’t given up on the chance to k*ll her if she dared to get off at Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical.
“…”
In the silence, she emotionlessly pulled up the hood of her tactical jacket, leaned against the train window, and pretended to doze off while waiting for the train to depart again.
Then, at eight seventeen in the morning, the giant train arrived at its destination—the Dream Come True Entertainment City.
————
As the giant train traveled through the bloody tunnel between Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical and Dream Come True Entertainment City, hundreds of robust thighs once again landed firmly.
A warm wind suddenly blew.
In an instant, the entire carriage felt like it had switched from winter to early spring.
Noticing the change in temperature, Luxianbei curiously glanced out the window and found a golden plain bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.
On that vast, undulating prairie, large mechanical wrecks and buildings that had only their metal frames left occasionally flashed by, rusty, as if giant skeletons were casually discarded in this vast wasteland.
Luxianbei stared at those metal remnants, feeling as if she were visiting historical ruins, unsure how long they had been abandoned.
Modern mechanical development from the mid-eighteenth century to the twentieth century spanned only two or three hundred years.
Yet those metal remains felt much older than that.
Five hundred years, a thousand years, or even longer.
But…
How could anyone have known modern mechanical craftsmanship and architectural technology back then?
As Luxianbei pondered this, she wanted to examine those metal remnants more closely, just then the light before her suddenly dimmed.
It felt as if she had suddenly crossed from the warm spring prairie to a city during the rainy season, as a torrential rain began to fall outside.
A huge shadow appeared at the horizon’s end, a vast architectural complex shrouded in rain, seemingly even larger than both the Lan Zhua Inn and Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical combined.
Soon, the train entered that architectural complex, arriving at the station of Dream Come True Entertainment City.
Unlike the previous two noisy arrivals, the giant train quietly rolled into the Dream Come True Entertainment City station, as if it had turned into a toy train.
Even the man in the broadcast wearing a top hat kept his introduction strangely brief.
“Dear passengers, we have arrived at the final destination of this journey, wishing you all a dream come true.”
The massive dome, like a shell, overshadowed the station above, supported by intricate iron frameworks and gray granite pillars adorned with exquisite carvings.
In this large, dimly colored station, Luxianbei did not see anything unusual like in the Lan Zhua Inn or Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical.
As the train doors opened, passengers poured out, mixing with those waiting to greet them, like family reunions and lovers meeting, sharing pleasantries and embracing.
Standing on this platform, if it weren’t for the high density of spirit energy fluctuations coming from the crowd, Luxianbei might have thought she was in a large station built in the Victorian era, not someone’s urban legend territory.
Ahua stepped forward and stopped beside Luxianbei, saying, “It looks quite normal, right?”
Luxianbei tilted her head towards Ahua and whispered, “But that’s just appearances, isn’t it?”
“In such a ghostly place, the things that seem the most normal are often the most dangerous. I still understand that logic.”
“…” Ahua opened her mouth, hesitated, and after a couple of seconds, said, “I’m going to the bulletin board over there to ask the staff about the situation. Do you want to come with me or wait in the waiting hall?”
After pausing, she added, “This place isn’t like Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmaceutical; we can’t post notices casually.”
Luxianbei tilted her head and thought for a moment, “I’ll wait for you in the waiting hall. I’ll also look around the station.”
She found this place quite interesting, and it appeared to be much safer than the previous two stations.
Ahua nodded, reminding her before leaving, “If you come across gambling stalls on the roadside, definitely don’t participate. Although those stalls aren’t prohibited, they don’t have the entertainment city’s guarantees; they will cheat you without a doubt.”
“Got it. Don’t you know me?” Luxianbei scoffed.
If there wasn’t a hundred and twenty percent winning rate, how could I participate?
Upon hearing this, Ahua nodded at Luxianbei and turned towards a corner of the station.
After Ahua left, Luxianbei walked alone towards the waiting hall, strolling and pausing to observe.
Upon closer inspection, she realized these buildings that appeared to be built in the Victorian era exuded an aura that was just as ancient as those metal remains on the prairie.
It felt as though she were visiting an ancient civilization museum, a heavy sense of time washing over her.
Just as Luxianbei was immersed in this wonderful experience, a chaotic and hurried sound of footsteps rang in her ears, and she saw several burly men in floral shirts rush past her, seemingly chasing after someone.
Before long, cries of pursuit and screams echoed from a distance.
“CNM old scammer, return the money!”
“If you can’t produce the money today, watch me chop off your hand!”
The burly men shouted furiously.
“Hey, stop hitting! Stop hitting!”
“I lost the money I won from you last night at the entertainment city!” a slightly aged voice cried out in pain.
Luxianbei, “…”
The Dream Come True journey prohibits any spirit energy-related conflicts at the stations, but physical assaults are not included; theoretically, no one would care even if you took a kitchen kn*fe and slashed someone to bits.
Luxianbei initially didn’t want to meddle in this kind of private grudge sparking a one-sided brawl, but…
“Really can’t produce the money?” The burly man asked in a deep voice.
“Can’t produce it…” The old man weakly replied.
“Then I’ll have to chop off your hand; that will relieve my resentment!” The burly man threatened sharply.
The old man exclaimed in panic, “No, no! I have a house in the Flower City of Z Country…”
“Shut up! What’s a house worth? Don’t you know how many chips you’ve scammed from us?”
“My house is not an ordinary house; it’s a large mansion in the ancient town. You can check immediately in Mudan Street! The housing prices are really high now.”
Mudan Street? Luxianbei was taken aback, finally unable to hold back her curiosity. She turned towards the direction of the voice and then saw a familiar face.
Huh? How is Liu Banxian here?
Didn’t the old man say he probably starved to d*ath in winter because he couldn’t make money reading fortunes?
So he ended up here and got lost in gambling?
Luxianbei thought as she walked forward, lightly calling out to the burly men who were about to assault Liu Banxian, “Wait a minute!”
The burly man turned his head to look at Luxianbei with a hostile expression, “What? You want to back him up?”
“Not at all!” Luxianbei shook her head, expressionless, “I just wanted to say I can prove that a large mansion on Mudan Street in Flower City is very valuable, valuable enough that he might be bluffing you. So you should hold back your hands; otherwise, he might not really give it to you.”
Liu Banxian, “???”
