Chapter 239

Chapter 239

Lu Jing looked at Mu Xin.

Then he asked, “So it really is your quest? How do we trigger it?”

“Triggering it isn’t the problem!” Mu Xin wailed, her face crumpling. “Your Emperor’s New Clothes stays within the original story. The Emperor wears nothing, the boy exposes the truth, then you find the two swindlers. All of that belongs to the tale. But what is this supposed to be? Thumbelina never ran away from her wedding in the original story!”

“Wait…”

Mu Xin suddenly froze.

She reached out and touched her wings. “Does Thumbelina have wings?”

Lu Jing and Qin Weiyi paused.

Lu Jing scratched his head awkwardly. “I never read these fairy tales growing up. Honestly, this is my first time encountering any of this.”

Lu Jing was entirely lost. As for Qin Weiyi…

Qin Weiyi shook his head at Mu Xin.

It was impossible to tell whether he meant he did not know or that Thumbelina had no wings.

But Mu Xin did not need him to answer. She already had a theory.

If she remembered correctly, Thumbelina did not have wings. She was an ordinary girl whose only unusual feature was being the size of a thumb.

Then where had her wings come from?

What part of the story was she currently living through?

Mu Xin felt as though her head might explode. What bizarre role had this world given her?

She had originally thought Qin Weiyi and Lu Jing were miserable. Now she realized she was no better off.

Seeing her on the verge of collapse, Lu Jing paused and asked, “What do we do now? Keep searching for clues?”

Mu Xin immediately shook her head frantically.

Aside from that man, she had no idea whether anyone else at the ball was searching for her. She absolutely could not continue flying around as before. If she was caught again, she could not expect Lu Jing to rescue her every time.

And if they accidentally caused a commotion, the ball would have a legitimate excuse to expel all of them.

But if she stopped gathering information, Qin Weiyi could not speak and Lu Jing was useless, so what could they possibly accomplish?

“Find Jian Fan and Qin Nan,” Mu Xin decided immediately.

Qin Weiyi nodded in agreement.

He thought Jian Fan’s grouping had been deeply flawed.

Jian Fan had considered part of the problem but forgotten that Mu Xin also had a high Point total. Putting the three of them together had practically created a death squad. Jian Fan and Qin Nan, by contrast, both had relatively low totals and were far safer in this world.

Once the trio decided, they immediately began searching everywhere for Qin Nan and Jian Fan.

And Qin Nan and Jian Fan?

They were searching for Mu Xin’s group too.

They continued looking for clues along the way, of course.

They also overheard information about the host of the ball.

“Have you heard? The host of this ball is actually this kingdom’s Prince.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“My maid is in love with one of Your Highness’s attendants.” The lady smiled, then leaned toward her companions mysteriously. “I hear Your Highness is searching for someone.”

Qin Nan’s expression went numb.

Fairy tales were full of Princes and princesses from unnamed kingdoms, yet here they had only “the Prince.”

This kingdom’s Prince? The ballroom itself was packed with Princes. The woman who had tried to expel Qin Weiyi and Lu Jing was a Queen from another kingdom. Oh, right. Lu Jing was an Emperor too.
And the Prince searching for someone suggested several possibilities to Qin Nan.

For example, perhaps he was the Prince from The Little Mermaid and was searching for the neighboring princess–or, in this altered tale, perhaps the Sea Princess.

Or perhaps he was the Flower Prince of the Flower World they had just heard about. Wasn’t he also a Prince? Wasn’t he searching for Mu Xin? A Prince searching for someone fit perfectly.

Then there was Cinderella among their own group.

In Cinderella, she attended a ball and the Prince fell in love with her at first sight. But Cinderella fled before midnight, leaving the Prince with only one Glass Slipper. He then began searching everywhere for her.

That plot fit rather well too.

However…

Qin Nan’s thoughts wandered.

“After midnight, Cinderella’s magic is withdrawn and she returns to her old self. So why does the Glass Slipper the Prince finds remain glass? Why doesn’t it change back too?” Qin Nan asked.

Jian Fan: “…”

“That’s an excellent question,” Jian Fan said solemnly. “You should ask the author.”

Qin Nan: “…”

Jian Fan even patted Qin Nan’s shoulder. “Good luck.”

Qin Nan rolled his eyes.

How was he supposed to find the author? Travel back in time, or wait by the Bridge of Forgetfulness after death for the author’s reincarnation?

As they spoke, the ladies continued their conversation.

“Who is Your Highness searching for?” someone asked.

The lady shook her head. “I don’t know the details. Only that she’s a beautiful young woman. Apparently, Your Highness arranged this ball while waiting for her to appear. I can’t imagine what kind of woman could make him go to such lengths. Look–guests from every kingdom have been invited.”

“Is she his beloved?” someone asked.

The lady shook her head again. “Who knows? Just wait and see. If my information is correct, the Prince will appear midway through the ball.”

Qin Nan raised an eyebrow.

They did not know which story this Prince belonged to, but he was unquestionably important. They could only adapt once he appeared and revealed what events he would set in motion.

Besides…

Qin Nan glanced at Jian Fan.

Wasn’t Snow White also waiting to be rescued by a Prince?

“What?” Jian Fan asked when he noticed Qin Nan’s peculiar look.

Qin Nan immediately shook his head. “Nothing. Let’s hurry and find Mu Xin’s group.”

Jian Fan did not want to engage with Qin Nan’s occasional bizarre ideas.

If Qin Nan refused to explain, Jian Fan would pretend not to know.

Otherwise, he feared Qin Nan might anger him to death.

The two continued moving through the ball in search of Mu Xin and the others.

They did not find the trio. Instead, they spotted Yang Zhen first.

Yang Zhen was also circulating throughout the ball in search of clues.

She had survived so many worlds alone, so she naturally possessed real ability. Concealing her sharpness and using her current costume, she disguised herself as an innocent, delicate girl and blended effortlessly among the NPCs.

She chatted here and observed there, gathering a fair amount of information.

None of it appeared closely connected to solving the world yet, but it was still a respectable haul.

Yang Zhen was reasonably satisfied.

Then–

Someone suddenly stopped her and shoved a basket into her hands.

Yang Zhen: “???”