Chapter 2263: Rebel Supporters and the Truth About Puppets

Having followed Jiamu around for so long, Xia Duo had learned at least a little of the local language; although he couldn't translate accurately, he shouldn't have much trouble completing a transaction just by gesturing.

Yet, upon hearing this, Jiamu's reaction was surprisingly intense, "Mage Asuosi, this is my fault. There is a problem with this shop; let's go to another. I guarantee it won't delay your important business."

Although Xia Duo was somewhat puzzled by this, he followed the host's lead and wasn't prepared to insist, but before he could even speak, the old man who had just appeared from nowhere interjected in broken Elvish:

"You despicable tax-collector, you say there is a problem with my shop? Tell me clearly what the problem is!"

Once these words were out, let alone Jiamu, the person involved, even Xia Duo was somewhat stunned. He hadn't expected that in this completely inconspicuous corner, there would actually be someone who could speak Elvish!

As for Jiamu, his expression was one of shock followed by embarrassment. Speaking ill of someone to their face and then being caught on the spot—however, facing this situation, Jiamu had to put on a brave front no matter what. He said coldly to the old man:

"You support the rebels; do I even need to say it? The Inspector Guards will be here to find you in a moment. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my breath here; I'd run!"

"I think you're the one who should run! Rebels this, rebels that—who are the rebels? The Shulexi Guard has long since joined Governor Kaier's command. You say they are rebels; are you trying to slander Governor Kaier?"

Upon hearing this, Jiamu's face changed drastically. He stopped speaking Elvish and instead muttered a string of words in the Rushum Language.

But this did not stop the old man; instead, he became even more aggressive, "You despicable tax-collector, slandering Governor Kaier isn't enough, and now you're targeting Prince Aben? You wait, when the Inspector Guards arrive, you'll see!"

Seeing this, it wasn't hard for Xia Duo to guess what Jiamu had said in that foreign language; he likely used the name of a certain prince to pressure the other party, but the other party wasn't buying it.

How melodramatic!

"Mage Asuosi, I am indeed acting under the orders of Prince Aben to host you, but a small accident occurred. This is entirely my dereliction of duty. When the Inspector Guards arrive later, I will explain it clearly to them; it will not delay your important business."

"Mm."

Xia Duo nodded and said nothing more. Since it had already involved such matters, there was no point in pretending it hadn't happened; he would see how Jiamu handled it next.

And that Prince Aben—a completely unfamiliar name. Xia Duo wasn't sure what the other party's goal was, but judging by the change in Jiamu's attitude after leaving and returning, there must be something he wanted.

Thinking this, Xia Duo turned his gaze back to the old man who had just appeared, but the moment the man heard Jiamu was truly going to wait for the Inspector Guards, a flash of panic crossed his face.

Before Jiamu could even make a move, the old man slammed the shop door shut from the outside and vanished in a flash.

Seeing this, Jiamu was so angry he laughed, "What a crafty old man, he really is a rebel!"

Afterward, Jiamu explained to Xia Duo that the territory of Governor Kaier, mentioned by the old man, was just to the east of Yinnupulasi. Rebels were frequent there, and the Shulexi Guard was the most active group among them.

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They had mastered a large number of war implements, causing great trouble for Governor Kaier and causing the rebellion in the east to continue for many years without being quelled.

He hadn't expected to accidentally run into a rebel supporter within the city of Yinnupulasi today!

Xia Duo noticed that Jiamu didn't show much respect when mentioning Governor Kaier. This was unusual; it seemed that the governor was not of the Emperor's faction and was not on the same side as Jiamu.

As for Prince Aben, according to Jiamu, he was not actually the son of the current Emperor, but a descendant of unknown generations. The title of Prince was not to highlight his status, but to recognize his achievements.

That Prince Aben had made outstanding contributions in the field of Psionic Creation materials and was currently leading the Secret Device Research Institute of Yinnupulasi.

"Then Prince Aben said to let you host me—"

"His Highness the Prince received the Gemstone samples previously sent by Commander Meituo and Lord Faerman, and he hopes to obtain more of that kind of Gemstone from you."

Although he had exposed Prince Aben's commission due to an accident, Jiamu had no intention of hiding anything. In fact, he hadn't been very willing to do this kind of work anyway; now that the matter was out in the open, it saved him from being caught in the middle and taking flak from both sides.

If he could prove that the old man was indeed a rebel supporter, he could apply to his superiors to go elsewhere. Whoever wanted to do this kind of job, which seemed to have many perks, could come and do it!

"Prince Aben wants Arcane Crystal?"

Xia Duo felt a surge of joy, but the next moment he frowned, "That's not easy! I don't know how much the Prince wants. If it's a small amount, that's fine, but if he wants a lot, even emptying the two mines I own might not satisfy the Prince's needs!"

"This—"

Although Jiamu was reluctant to work for Prince Aben, he wasn't stupid enough to reveal the Prince's requirements. He immediately replied, "I don't know how many Energy Gems His Highness the Prince wants, but I imagine he won't make things difficult for Mage Asuosi."

"Mm."

Following this, Xia Duo and his party waited for a while in the underground mall. Only when the Inspector Guards mentioned by Jiamu arrived did they leave the underground, and eventually the mall itself.

Once on the pedestrian street outside, Xia Duo asked about places that sold puppets and combat secret devices. Only then did Jiamu reveal the truth: combat secret devices could indeed be purchased through various means, but puppets—

"Actually, the initial puppet trade stemmed from an accident. This type of humanoid secret device is not actually popular in our country. If Mage Asuosi wants one, you would need to have it custom-made, or squeeze it out of the orders from Keman."

"Is that so?"

"That is so!"

Xia Duo never expected that Yimaska, known as the "Puppet Kingdom," did not actually produce many puppets; they were merely a pure export commodity born of an accident.

What could he say to that!

"Do you know that in Xilu, Yimaska has the reputation of being the 【Puppet Kingdom】?" Xia Duo asked curiously.

"I don't know, but puppets are indeed a commodity we trade quite a bit with Yimaska. Does Mage Asuosi need to customize a puppet? Many chambers of commerce in Yinnupulasi can undertake such orders."

Xia Duo did not answer immediately, but asked Niya. Niya was also somewhat hesitant and asked Xia Duo in return, "In your hometown, are there also many creations similar to puppets?"

"In my hometown?"

Xia Duo fell into deep thought. On Earth, there were indeed many things similar to puppets, but the vast majority existed for entertainment. It wasn't that humanoid robots didn't exist, but the fact was that the humanoid form did not maximize efficiency.

Perhaps one could have a mechanical arm, but anyone with a sound mind wouldn't design a mechanical arm to look like a human arm, except in the field of entertainment.

From this perspective, it wasn't hard to understand why puppets, as humanoid secret devices, were unpopular in Yimaska. There were too many functionally replaceable secret devices; there was no need to specifically make them humanoid.

On the contrary, in Xilu, because the threshold for using Magic Items was very high and the process of civilianization was almost zero, puppets—special secret devices that integrated many functions—were most suitable for the wealthy elite.

When the level of civilianization of Magic Items became high in the future, puppets would likely still only exist as entertainment products. Currently, it was just because the era's development was relatively backward that some advanced entertainment products could also be used for production and combat.

Thinking this way, there was really no need to specifically customize a puppet; one could just buy whatever was needed for the required function. Yimaska had an extremely developed variety of secret devices, and there was no threshold for use. If one were to insist on customizing a puppet, they would actually be treated like a fool.