Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!

Chapter 2475: The Cat’s Guidance

Although Ling Ling didn’t understand, she expressed respect. She had a conflict with the players in the town and was worried that there might be more incidents later, so she needed to gather more information quickly.The lost Cat Whisker Fruit in the home of the official with the surname Mi was of unknown authenticity, and it was not suitable for them to intervene. This was not an opportunity to clear the level.

"I’m leaving now."

After breakfast, Xu Huo walked along the streets of the small town, looking for the traces of the Girl in the painting.

Along the way, he encountered the female traveler he had met at the top of Cat Whisker Fruit Mountain before. She greeted him warmly and invited him to see the artisan-crafted fruit kernel carvings. She carried gifts and her own works, intending to apprentice today with determination.

As it wasn’t far, Xu Huo accompanied her.

The two came to a shop called "Small Object Carving." The female traveler pushed open the door and saw a person and a cat crouching by a shelf, picking up Cat Whisker Fruits that were scattered on the floor.

They were all finished products, and from their guilty expressions and actions, it was evident that they had knocked the items over and were trying to cover up the problem before anyone noticed.

When their eyes met the female traveler’s gaze, the Girl in the painting immediately pretended nothing was wrong, stood up, pretended to clean by the shelf, and showed a standard welcoming smile.

Thinking she was a store staff, the female traveler asked, "I’m looking for Teacher Gui, is she here?"

A small door at the back of the store opened, and an elderly lady slowly walked out. Upon seeing her, the female traveler exclaimed in surprise, "Ma’am, it’s you. We met yesterday!"

The old lady glanced at her and Xu Huo, who had come in behind her, "Feel free to look around if you want anything."

"I’m not here to buy anything," the female traveler quickly said. "I heard from the townspeople that your nuclear carvings are the best. I’m here to apprentice with you and learn the craft."

She placed a micro terminal on the table saying, "If you agree, these will be my tuition fees."

The old lady’s eyes didn’t land on the terminal; instead, she looked at Xu Huo, "What do you want to buy?"

Xu Huo glanced at the rows of Cat Whisker Fruits on the shelves, picking up one at random. The outer whiskers had been decorated, and with the colors, it resembled a cute little cat. Since the fruit kernel was to be carved, the gaps in the shell weren’t filled. If you looked closely, you could see patterns through the gaps.

"What is this pattern?" he asked after a while.

The female traveler took it and looked at it, "This isn’t a pattern, it’s a niche script that was popular for a while. Later, hardly anyone used it. However, things that aren’t easily understood are often considered good; some people use this script for decoration."

"I don’t quite understand what it says," she turned to the old lady, "Ma’am, what does this mean?"

"I don’t know." The old lady sat down on a nearby chair, then added, "Are you buying anything?"

Xu Huo casually picked one and paid, then glanced at the Girl in the painting nearby, "What are you all doing here?" Including the cat.

The Girl in the painting beamed, "We’re having fun!"

Xu Huo’s gaze fell to the floor.

Quickly, the Girl in the painting picked up the Cat Whisker Fruits, wiped them, and put them back on the shelf.

Seeing several that were broken, Xu Huo also paid for them.

The old lady didn’t mind at all, waved her hand, and prepared to go back in to busy herself.

The female traveler took a couple of steps forward, again expressing her intention, and earnestly asked the old lady to teach her for a few days, conveying her love for the craft.

"I’m busy recently, come back in a few days." The old lady seemed not too interested in making that money and didn’t even turn her head.

The female traveler took a couple more steps, but the old lady unhesitatingly shut her out. Just then, a spherical robot struggled out from the corner, flew over to them cheerfully and said, "Do any guests want to purchase something? Would you like me to introduce any items to you?"

It was obvious that it had been pushed under a pile of miscellaneous items by the Girl in the painting. The female traveler’s attempt to apprentice failed, so she planned to stay nearby and visit daily, hoping her persistence would one day pay off.

"Didn’t the old lady say she’s busy for a few days, suggesting you come back later?" Xu Huo said, "Maybe you should come back in a few days."

The female traveler laughed and said, "That’s just an excuse to refuse. If I come back in a few days, she might have other matters. Remarkable people have their own temperaments, and aren’t easily swayed. I must put some effort in."

"Good luck," Xu Huo wished her well and left with the Girl in the painting and the cat.

After turning the corner, he asked the Girl in the painting, "Did you all come here early in the morning just to make trouble?"

Her fingers moved swiftly on the communicator, "This cat said it knows where the Cat Whisker Fruit is, preparing for a trip."

Xu Huo looked at them in surprise, "Really?"

The Girl in the painting lifted the cow-spotted cat, holding its backside up to make it explain.

The cow-spotted cat looked at Xu Huo, and after a moment of eye contact, it meowed and then struggled vigorously, but the Girl in the painting didn’t let go easily. After a few seconds, it had to give up, staring wide-eyed at Xu Huo.

"Is the old lady going on a trip?" Xu Huo wasn’t really trying to find answers from a cat, but when he entered the store earlier, he noticed there were indeed many Cat Whisker Fruits already made on the shelves, but many more were being rushed in the old lady’s workroom. Those instances of the Cat Whisker Fruits weren’t colored, just the carving of the fruit kernels was being done.

The female traveler had come to learn famed craftsmanship, particularly the art of handmade carving. The majority of Cat Whisker Fruits that the old lady was rushing through were machine-carved, although she was also working on them herself, with several dozens of semi-finished pieces piling up.

She was in such a hurry to complete the work, surely not just to sell them in the shop.

Xu Huo rubbed his chin, scratched the cow-spotted cat’s head, and gave it a box of nutrient formulated for cats.

The cow-spotted cat, with its tail held high, drank the nutrient, which was primarily aimed at promoting more robust and beautiful fur — of course, the fact that it was happy to drink it was also good.

After finishing, with a cheerful "Meow~", the cow-spotted cat rubbed against Xu Huo before quickly running off towards the "Small Object Carving" shop.

Xu Huo wasn’t planning on waiting for it, but after taking just a few steps, he heard the sound of a robotic chase coming from the street. Then, the cow-spotted cat came running towards them, clutching an unpainted Cat Whisker Fruit in its mouth.

It dropped the Cat Whisker Fruit in front of Xu Huo and his companion, then turned around, and with a flying leap, knocked the pursuing robot to the ground, gleefully jumping onto the rooftops to quickly escape the scene.

Although the spherical robot wasn’t very agile and couldn’t catch the cat, it still came over to retrieve the Cat Whisker Fruit.

"Here." Xu Huo handed the Cat Whisker Fruit over, and the robot thanked him before leaving.

Standing at the street corner, they could see the old lady far away, watching them as she closed the door and went back inside the shop.