Chapter 2264: Large Purchases, Secret Plots

————It will be a bit late~~

————

Having followed Jiamu around for so long, Xia Duo had learned a bit of the local language. Although he couldn't translate accurately, he figured there shouldn't be much of a problem completing transactions just by using gestures.

However, upon hearing this, Jiamu's reaction was surprisingly intense. "Mage Asuosi, this is my fault. There is something wrong with this shop. Let's go to another one; I guarantee it won't delay your important business."

Although Xia Duo was a bit puzzled by this, he followed the host's lead and wasn't prepared to insist. But before he could even speak, an old man who had appeared from nowhere interrupted in broken Elvish:

"You despicable tax-collector, you say my shop has a problem? 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, someone would actually be able to 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—but facing this situation, Jiamu had to hold his ground no matter what. He said coldly to the old man:

【Truth be told, I have been using a source-switching app to catch up on books recently. The source-switching is fast, and the read-aloud voices are numerous.. huanyuanapp works on both Android and Apple.】

"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 be running! You keep calling them rebels, 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 long string of words in the Rushum Language.

But this didn't 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? Just you wait, when the Inspector Guards arrive, you'll see what's coming to you!"

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

How dramatic!

"Mage Asuosi, I am indeed here 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 won't delay your important business."

"Mm."

Xia Duo nodded and said nothing more. Since he was already involved in this kind of matter, there was no point in pretending it hadn't happened. He would see how Jiamu handled it next.

And there was 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 when the man heard that Jiamu really intended to wait for the Inspector Guards, a flash of panic crossed his face.

Before Jiamu could even react, the old man slammed the shop door shut from the outside and then scurried away, vanishing without a trace.

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 east of Yinnupulasi. Rebels were frequent there, and the Shulexi Guard was the most active group among them.

They possessed a large number of war implements, causing great trouble for Governor Kaier and ensuring the rebellion in the east had continued for years without being quelled.

He hadn't expected to accidentally run into a rebel supporter inside 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 actually not the son of the current Emperor, but a grandson 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 in Yinnupulasi.

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

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

Although Prince Aben's commission was exposed due to a small accident, Jiamu had no intention of hiding anything. Come to think of it, he wasn't very willing to do this kind of thing anyway. This time, bringing it out into the open would save 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 somewhere else. Whoever wanted this kind of job, which seemed to have a lot of perks but was actually a headache, 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 to handle! 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 out the two mines at my home might not satisfy the Prince's needs!"

"This—"

Although Jiamu was not very willing 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."

Next, Xia Duo and his party waited for a while in this underground market. It wasn't until the Inspector Guards Jiamu mentioned arrived that they left the underground, and eventually left the market altogether.

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, but as for puppets—

"Actually, the initial puppet trade stemmed from an accident. This kind of humanoid secret device is not actually popular in our country. If Mage Asuosi wants them, they need to be custom-made, or squeezed out of orders from Keman."

"It's actually like that?"

"That's exactly how it is!"

Xia Duo never expected that Yimaska, known as the "Puppet Kingdom," didn't actually produce many puppets; they were merely a pure foreign trade 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 with Yimaska quite often. Does Mage Asuosi need to custom-order puppets? Many chambers of commerce in Yinnupulasi can undertake such orders."

Xia Duo didn't answer immediately, but asked Niya instead. Niya was also somewhat hesitant, and she countered with a question for Xia Duo: "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 there were no humanoid robots, but the fact was that the humanoid form did not maximize efficiency.

Perhaps one could have a mechanical arm, but anyone with a normal brain wouldn't make a mechanical arm look like a human arm, except in the field of entertainment.

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