On the azure sky, white clouds are as white as catkins, and the sky is as clear as water.
Under the shining of two warm suns, one large and one small, the vast Baibu Mountains, which are covered with snow all year round, are shrouded in clouds and mist. The bright sunshine and the dense fog intersect with each other, making the sky and the earth hazy.
Occasionally, a few eagle monsters with flapping wings roared past, making a harsh low sound of "clucking".
Under the endless white mountain peaks are vast stretches of emerald green wilderness.
The breeze blows, butterflies flutter, and flowers and plants sway.
The green plains covered with colorful wildflowers form a sharp contrast with the towering white mountain tops, making the whole scene quite epic.
Right where snow-capped peaks meet green plains.
There is a small town standing there, which is the destination of Lei Xiao and others this time: Magnet Town.
A hundred years ago, this town located at the foot of the mountain was lucky enough to discover several rare mineral veins one after another, attracting a large number of gold prospectors from the surrounding areas.
As a result, this little-known town was once bustling with people and very prosperous.
However, after successive frenzied mining efforts by gold prospectors, these veins of minerals dried up one after another.
This town, like a mine riddled with holes, became lifeless and suddenly returned to its former inconspicuous appearance.
Naturally, no one cares about a mining town without mineral veins.
Until a few years ago, a new mineral vein was discovered again.
This time, the current Lord of Magnet City seized the opportunity and jointly developed it with the former Lord of Kongqing City.
Strictly control the number of foreign gold prospectors, and firmly control the mining of mineral veins in their own hands.
At this point, the town seemed to be prospering again.
Within the towering city walls, the outer area of Magnet Town.
There are low and dilapidated houses one after another, and a large number of old wooden buildings are scattered here and there, looking very messy.
As a gust of cold wind blew past, the crumbling wooden doors and windows immediately made a "squeaking" sound one after another, as if they might be blown away by the wind at any time.
Because it is located under the snow-capped mountains, the environment here is extremely humid.
From time to time, the melted snow water flowing down from the mountains mixed with the residents' domestic sewage, forming criss-crossing stinking ditches, constantly emitting a pungent and unpleasant smell.
In a narrow alley, a little girl in ragged clothes was hiding beside a rotten and blackened wooden wall, moving forward tiptoe.
She was very skinny, holding an old insect catching net in her hand, and her sharp eyes, which were dull due to malnutrition, were staring at a blue stone pigeon that had just fallen in front of her.
Looking at the first-order monster with almost no lethality, the thin little girl couldn't help but reveal a look of longing on her face.
You know, she hasn't had a full meal in a long time, let alone meat.
Immediately, the little girl saw the right moment, bent down slightly, and was about to pounce.
A stone suddenly fell into the smelly ditch next to the girl.
In an instant, the turbid water splashed not only on the astonished little girl.
Moreover, even her longed-for prey, the blue stone pigeon, had already been frightened and flew away.
"Hahaha!"
Not far away, looking at the girl's miserable appearance, several little boys, also in tattered clothes, started to laugh while holding their stomachs.
Immediately afterwards, the leading little boy took a step forward, pointed a wooden stick at the little girl and said: "Foreigners, go back to your Kongqing Town. You are not welcome in our Magnet Town!"
"That's right, it's because of your arrival that our already scarce food has become even more scarce!"
Another little boy with a sallow face also echoed: "You are the moths here!"
"It's obviously your city lord who won't let us leave, do you think we'd care enough to stay here?" Directly opposite, a little girl covered in water was not willing to be outdone. She held an insect net with one hand and put her other hand on her hips and retorted.
.
"Nonsense! Our city lord, it's too late to hate you! How come you are still here?
You know, with the protection of the Lord of the City, we can live here safely!"
The little boy at the head picked up a stone again and was about to throw it away, then said: "Unlike you strangers, I'm afraid your city lord has abandoned you, right? You are really a poor man without a city lord."
"...You're talking nonsense! Our City Lord of Kongqing Town is the most powerful City Lord and will definitely come to take us home!" After hearing this, after being a little confused, the little girl's dirty little face showed
, suddenly showed a determined look.
"Hahaha, this is the funniest joke I've heard this year!"
The little boy at the head began to laugh at the little girl again, and said sarcastically: "Recognize the reality, your city lord has already abandoned you, poor bastards!"
After finishing speaking, the other little boys also made faces and echoed: "Poor bastard, you have no mayor, you are a homeless bastard!"
And they all started throwing small stones at the little girl again.
"You succeeded in irritating me!"
After dodging a few small stones, the thin and frail little girl threw away the insect net, and a weak wave of magical energy began to appear on her body.
Immediately, several dirty water balls condensed above the dirty puddle beside her, and then under her command, they rushed towards the group of little boys.
On the other side, after being attacked by several sewage balls, several little boys who were all wet saw that the situation was not good, so they laughed and ran away.
"Our Lord, the City Lord of Kongqing Town, will definitely take us home! He will definitely!"
After glaring at several people fiercely, the little girl picked up the insect net again. Her thin and frail figure looked particularly lonely in the long alley.
After she was alone again, she saw a trace of hesitation in her firm eyes, and murmured to herself: "But the Lord of the City must be very busy, right? Will he really come to take us home?"
Thinking of this, the little girl's stomach began to growl. After using her homemade sewage bomb technique, she felt even hungrier now.
"When was the last time I ate delicious bread? It must have been on my birthday the year before last, right? However, I have forgotten what it tasted like. It must be sweet..."
Just as she lowered her long eyelashes, swallowed her saliva, and carefully recalled the scene of eating thick bread.
At some point, five unfamiliar tall figures appeared in front of her.
"You...who are you?"
Feeling the strangeness in front of her, the short and thin little girl immediately took a step back, holding the insect net tightly with both hands, and leaned against the mottled wooden wall. Her little face was full of warning.
On the other side, I saw a young and pretty woman with big blinking eyes and a pointed witch hat. She bent down towards her and asked with a smile: "Little girl, may I know where the residents of Kongqing Town live here?"
District?"
There is no doubt that the visitor is Chao Yan.
And beside her were Lei Xiao, Huzhang, A Ling and A Bing.
As for Lin, Fang Hai and others, after entering Magnet Town, they had already split up under Lei Xiao's order.
"Yes, I am a resident of Kongqing Town!"
Looking up at Chao Yan, who had a single ponytail in front of her, the little girl was a little timid, but extremely firm and clear in her childish voice: "What are you going to do? My family is very poor! The people here in Kongqing Town are all very poor.
!”
"Don't worry, we don't have any ill intentions." Lei Xiao stepped forward, lowered his body slightly, smiled patiently and said, "We are also from Kongqing Town."
After finishing speaking, Lei Xiao's mind moved, and a cyan carved headband embroidered with Kongqing Town's characteristic pattern appeared on the palm of his hand.
"It's exactly the same pattern as my mother's hairband!" Seeing this, the little girl's wary face became slightly calmer, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she blurted out.
On the other side, looking at the sallow-faced and skinny little girl in front of him, Lei Xiao could not help but frown.
Whether it was the pungent smell of the stinky ditch in front of him or the crumbling wooden simple houses around him, the environment here was obviously much worse than he imagined.
You know, this is the first time Lei Xiao has seen such a thin and malnourished local indigenous child in this other world for so long.
What's more, these are the residents of Kongqing Town who are now under his rule.
"Of course I have to personally intervene in this matter, so let's do some investigation in the area first.
In addition, judging from the size of such a large slum, it seems that many local residents of Magnet Town also live here.
By the way, we have to hurry up and find the family members who have returned from Maid Star. This is the top priority of this trip."
Thinking of this, Lei Xiao cheered up, and while listening to the faint sound of ore digging, he asked the little girl in front of him: "Is all the adults here going to the mines?"
"Yes." On the other side, the little girl nodded and said as if she was used to it: "They usually go home to rest for a night in about a week, and then start another week of work."
"I have to say, it's really a nest of snakes and rats. The methods of this Magnet City Lord are simply worse than those of the former Kong Qing City Lord."
Hearing this, Lei Xiao curled his lips slightly, and then thought to himself: "Of course, these people are all my residents now, so naturally it is not the Lord of Magnet City's turn to have the final say."
Just when Lei Xiao thought of this, he suddenly heard the little girl in front of him making a series of gurgling sounds in her stomach.
On the other side, the little girl's thin face immediately turned red, and she quickly explained: "It's not me, I'm not hungry..."
"Chaoyan, please start your food-changing performance." Shaking his head helplessly, Lei Xiao stretched out his hand to Chaoyan.
"I understand, Lord." Looking at the thin little girl in front of him, Chaoyan did not hesitate. He took out a whole piece of buttered toast covered with honey and handed it to Lei Xiao's hand respectfully.
"This...is this bread?"
After seeing the honey butter toast clearly in Lei Xiao's hand, a look of disbelief suddenly appeared on the little girl's thin face.
Looking at the delicious food so close in front of her that she had just remembered, the little girl with a longing face swallowed her saliva first.
Then he held back his saliva, shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, uncle... No, big brother, this food is too expensive. I have no money and can't afford it."
"This is my reward for answering your question."
Smiling slightly, Lei Xiao insisted on handing the bread to the other party's little hand. Lei Xiao then ordered Chaoyan to tie the carved headband just now into a beautiful single ponytail for the little girl.
On the other side, the little girl happily took the bread. She was about to take a big bite, but stopped midway.
He looked at Lei Xiao with dim eyes and said sheepishly: "Brother, I want to leave this for my father to eat, is that okay? He just broke his leg in the mine a few days ago and is currently recuperating at home.
."
Immediately, the little girl's eyes lit up and she said, "By the way, my father knows a lot of things. How about your big brother going home with me?"
"Okay, let's do this." After saying that, Lei Xiao took another large piece of exactly the same bread from Chaoyan's hand and promised to give this piece to the little girl.
Only then did the other party happily start chewing the food.
At this time, the little girl's little face was covered with mud, and only two rows of snow-white teeth were shining brightly, which made people feel dumbfounded.
Next, on the way to the little girl's home, Lei Xiao learned.
This little girl's name is Xing Gui. She only has two parents in her family, and she also has an older sister who is said to be far away in the royal capital.
However, Xing Gui was not yet born when this sister left home, so she never met her.
I was surprised when I heard this.
Lei Xiao finally confirmed it after repeated confirmations.
It turns out that this little girl named Xing Hui is the biological sister of the maid Xing Hui!
At this time, I looked at the thin little girl in front of me who quickly devoured a large piece of bread.
Lei Xiao couldn't help but sigh, took another glass of juice from Chaoyan, and handed it to him.
"Thank you, big brother. This feels like a birthday! When Xinggui grows up, I will definitely treat big brother to such delicious food!"
Taking the juice gratefully, Xinggui solemnly bowed to Lei Xiao, and finally a long-lost and bright smile of satisfaction appeared on his thin little face.
Immediately, Xing Gui held the half-drunk juice in his hands, and his small face showed a solemn look that was completely inconsistent with his age.
She raised her head and asked Lei Xiao: "By the way, big brother, since you are also from Kongqing Town, do you know our city lord?"
"Lord City Lord?" Hearing this, Lei Xiao raised his eyebrows slightly and responded softly: "What do you want from the City Lord?"
"To be honest, big brother, people here are bullying us, saying that we are moths in Magnet Town, and that I am a homeless poor person. Therefore, I want to ask the Lord of the City to take us home."
On the other side, I saw Xinggui twitching his little nose full of mud, and said: "My father and mother, and the village chief grandpa also said that it is impossible for the city lord to come to save us, because the city lord is too
I was so busy that I forgot about us all.
However, I believe that he will definitely remember it and he will definitely come to take us home!"
"Lord..." Upon hearing this, Chaoyan and others looked at Lei Xiao with some emotion.
Nodding slightly, Lei Xiao smiled lightly and said: "Don't worry, he has already told me that the residents of Kongqing Town will not be managed by others, and he will come to take you back."
"Really? That's great! I knew the city lord would definitely remember us!" Hearing this, Xinggui jumped up with joy and said excitedly: "After I go back, I must tell everyone this good news.
!”
In this way, amid Xinggui's singing and laughing, he passed through several dark alleys filled with smelly ditches.
Finally, we stopped in front of a dilapidated cabin.
"Brother, this is my residence." Nodding to Lei Xiao, Xing Gui jumped up and opened the creaking door.
"Father, I brought some residents from our Kongqing Town here! They are so kind, and they even invited Xinggui to eat!" A crisp voice sounded, and Xinggui shouted.
Immediately, another middle-aged male voice came from the wooden house: "Xinggui, lower your voice, the village chief grandpa and several other grandpas are here."
Walking into the room and stepping on the squeaky rotten floor, Lei Xiao noticed.
This wooden house can be said to have only four walls and is very dilapidated, with almost no complete furniture.
Only in the corner of the house were two low wooden beds, one large and one small.
At the same time, a strong musty smell entered Lei Xiao's nasal cavity.
Frowning slightly, Lei Xiao's eyes wandered and made further discoveries.
A middle-aged man with a pale face was sitting on the big bed, and beside him, there were several thin old men with sallow faces sitting around.
From their breath, it was obvious that these people were just ordinary farmers suffering from malnutrition.
"I'm sorry, my friend, because I'm injured and can't get up to greet you." Immediately, the middle-aged man nodded slightly to Lei Xiao and said politely.
At this time, since all of us were wearing illusion cloaks and just took off their hoods, they were still dressed like ordinary people.
"This young man, you said you are from Kongqing Town?"
After looking up and down at the plainly dressed Lei Xiao, the white-haired old man headed by him immediately said: "For the sake of my fellow countrymen, I will tell you frankly, please leave here as soon as possible.
Once discovered by those guys, I’m afraid I won’t be able to leave even if I want to!”
"Oh? What do you mean by that?" After hearing this, Lei Xiao, who looked calm, smiled slightly and asked.
"Of course it's because of the mine guard team in Magnet Town!" On the other side, the white-haired old man in charge sighed heavily.
Then he shook his head and said: "Those are a group of guys who kill without blinking an eye. If they hadn't reset the card again, we would have fled back to Kongqing Town. How could we still work for them in this place."
Hearing this, Lei Xiao couldn't help but look thoughtful.
As he entered the city, he did notice.
The garrison of Magnet Town has extremely strict inspections and requires a pass to enter and exit.
Therefore, our group naturally climbed over the wall and came in.
"Old sir, wasn't this mine developed by Kongqing Town and Cashi Town together? Why did you end up under the control of Cishite Town? Isn't there a manager from Kongqing Town here?" Thinking of this, Lei Xiao couldn't help but reveal his emotions.
He asked with a hint of doubt.
"Hey, young man, you don't know something." On the other side, the white-haired old man who was leading the group slowly shook his head, showing a look of helplessness.