blogombal Chapter 796 Return to Port Omos (6)
Chapter 796 Return to Port Omos (6)
Ying and his group followed Elhaisen through the bustling docks and commercial roads of Omos Port, and finally stopped in a secluded corner.
Far from the bustling market, the sea breeze gently caressing the palm trees brought a rare sense of tranquility. They were finally able to continue their unfinished conversation.
【A place with few people: means there are people watching from behind.】
[They only said to find a place with few people, not a place with no people. Please pay attention to the question.]
[There is a precious treasure chest on the boat next to you.]
"Let's talk right here." Elhaisen slowly turned, his gaze settling calmly on Ying and her companions. His tone was calm and rational. "Since you know of the existence of divine canned knowledge and are even able to enlist the sage Caesar to use it for your benefit... then the information I possess is likely not much different from what you already know."
He paused for a moment, a thoughtful look between his brows. "If you're wondering about the specific time and location of that transaction... unfortunately, I currently have no idea."
Paimon puffed up his cheeks, crossed his arms, and floated in the air, shouting in dissatisfaction, "So you brought us to this remote place with few people, just to tell us that your information is of no help at all?"
Elhaisen shook his head slightly, his expression still calm and composed: "Of course not."
"While my clues are roughly the same as yours, I do know someone who is very likely to know the whereabouts of the God's canned knowledge."
Ying's eyes narrowed slightly, and she immediately asked, "Who is it?"
"Dolly, a traveling department store merchant who travels between countries." Elhaisen replied calmly.
"Duo, Dolly?" Iya murmured the name, his pupils trembling slightly, as if gently tapped by some long-lost memory.
Paimon was keenly aware of something strange and came forward curiously: "Eh? Little Iya, have you heard of this name?"
"I, I heard... I heard my eldest brother say..." Yiya spoke incoherently, his voice so soft that it was almost blown away by the sea breeze.
Before he finished speaking, his thoughts drifted back to those long-forgotten memories...
-
A few months ago, on a warm spring night, at Yiya’s birthday party, candlelight flickered and laughter filled the air.
"Wow~~" Young Yiya opened his eyes wide, with star-like light flashing in his eyes, staring closely at a crystal clear crystal ball held in the hands of his eldest brother with flaming red hair and tall figure.
Li Xiao just shook his wrist lightly, and snowflakes suddenly flew inside the ball. Silvery-white snow particles swirled and fell under the transparent dome, like a winter wonder that never melts.
Li Xiao smiled gently, squatted down, and looked at the little Yiya at eye level: "Little Yiya, do you look good?"
"Aaaaah!" (Beautiful!) Iya, who couldn't speak yet, clapped his hands vigorously, his face filled with pure joy.
"If you like it, I'll give it to you." Li Xiao carefully handed the crystal ball into his tender little hands.
Yiya was overjoyed and rocked back and forth excitedly, as if the whole world was condensed in this dreamy snow scene.
At this moment, Jun Bai, standing nearby, slowly approached. His white clothes were whiter than snow, his eyes red as stars. He gently picked up Yiya and turned to Li Xiao, his lips curled slightly. "Brother, where did you buy this?"
[Ah! Big brother, Bai brother! Long time no see!]
【It's been a long time, you two! 】
[Even though their storyline only appeared in the previous version, it feels like a century has passed.]
[When I think about not seeing Brother Bai take action in the Xumi chapter, I always feel so disappointed...]
[Actually, this is fine. Brother Bai keeps showing up, and I feel like I'm getting tired of seeing him. It'd be nice to give my eyes a break.]
[Friendly reminder: If you don't complete the 2.8 Summer Event, you won't have this memory.]
Li Xiao stood up, brushed off his clothes, and said with a smile:
"On the way back, I passed by Xumi City and bought it from a traveling merchant named Dolly. Yaomeng thought it was novel at the time, so I spent a few thousand Mora to buy it—"
"As you know, Liyue rarely sees snow, so such exquisite snow scenes are even rarer to see."
Hearing this, Jun Bai's fingertips inadvertently brushed across the silver hair on his forehead, and he said thoughtfully: "Dolly... Ningguang once mentioned this person. It is said that he is a businessman who is good at calculating and has superb means.
"The customer may not lose money, but she always makes a profit. Brother, don't let her trick you into believing it, do you?"
Li Xiao shrugged, unconcerned. "Who knows? It's only a few thousand Mora. I think this crystal ball is worth the price."
Jun Bai nodded, his smile growing deeper. "Indeed, love is priceless. But speaking of which, you give this gift to Yiya, and what about my sister-in-law..."
As he spoke, his gaze turned to a place not far away - there, a girl with black hair and red eyes was whispering to a white-haired sword spirit girl, their expressions calm.
Li Xiao's lips curled up cunningly. He flipped his palm, and another identical snow globe suddenly appeared in his palm: "Do you think I only bought this one?"
He sighed softly, his tone filled with a hint of doting: "Besides, Yaomeng just wants something new. She doesn't really like this thing... Maybe it has something to do with her natural fear of the cold."
……
[Two young lovers, please stop your empty feeding of dog food, there are underage children watching here! ]
[Just buying it for the novelty? Big brother, don't be too fond of it.]
The way the elder brother looks at his sister-in-law... I feel like I'm about to tear her apart. As expected of a married couple.
【Childhood sweethearts' love, so cool! 】
[She'll take anything she's interested in? Haji Xiao, you really are...]
[No...why would a tiger, a naturally pure yang body, be afraid of the cold? This creature is a hexagonal warrior who can drink tonifying deer blood and sleep in -30 degree weather!]
So the sister-in-law is actually pretending to be cold? But why is she doing this? It's so hard to guess. It can't be because she wants to get into the arms of her brother in such a cold weather, right?
The memory ends.
Ying and Paimeng suddenly realized.
It turned out that Li Xiao had bought something from Dolly and mentioned her name inadvertently, which is why Yiya was so familiar with the name "Dolly".
However, Iya's memory is truly amazing as he can remember even such a trivial matter clearly.
Elhaisen nodded slightly and said calmly, "Since you already understand the reason, I won't elaborate. In short, unlike those low-class vendors who only possess shoddy, canned knowledge, Dolly always manages to obtain truly rare and valuable goods."
He paused, then added with a penetrating gaze, "Of course, there are rumors—as long as the profit is tempting enough, there's nothing she wouldn't dare to buy."
(Player perspective dialogue options:)
(1. Will she sell the Heart of God?)
(2. Will she sell rough diamonds?)
Ying raised the corner of her mouth slightly, and asked with a hint of teasing: "Will she... sell the Heart of God?"
She had asked casually, half-jokingly, but she didn't expect Elhaisen to nod calmly, his tone as calm as if stating an established fact: "If she had a stable and reliable channel to obtain the Heart of God, I think she would indeed sell it."
"..."
Ying was suddenly speechless. She opened her mouth, but finally closed it silently, and fell into a subtle silence.
At this moment, she had a completely new understanding of Dolly, the mysterious businessman who had only appeared in the conversation. She was no longer just a name, but a dangerous person who walked on the edge of the rules, with courage and means.
Elhaisen continued, "Let's get back to the point. Because most of her goods are contraband, which is expressly prohibited by the Faithful Court, she always maintains a high level of vigilance against those associated with the Faithful Court."
"I'm afraid I've been blacklisted. Although I've contacted her informants, they've been evasive and evasive, not revealing any substantive information."
"But you are different. As long as you can successfully become her guest and gradually gain her trust, you will most likely discover the whereabouts of the 'Divine Canned Knowledge'."
Paimon scratched his head, confusion showing on his face: "But, isn't she always wary of people from the Ministry of Education? We have registered our identity information with the Ministry of Education!"
"Generally speaking, that's true," Elhaisen responded calmly, "but ordinary people might not be able to see through your disguise. I can detect it because I have access rights."
"As for Dolly...as a 'key individual' who's always on the list of those punished by the Disciplinary Officers of the Ordinary Court, I don't think she has the authority to view her detailed personal file."
Ying frowned slightly and asked, "But what if? What if she really realizes that we are students of the Order Academy, but can't see through this identity as a disguise?"
Elhaisen crossed his arms over his chest, his expression firm. "Even so, there will probably be no problem—because you represent the reformists."
"And the disciplinary officers are not under the jurisdiction of the reformists."
Ying and Paimon finally understood why, as students of the same "Order Academy", they could try to approach Dolly without being guarded, while Elhaisen could not move a single step.
Rather than saying that Dolly was wary of the entire Ordinance House, it would be more accurate to say that what she was really wary of were the disciplinary officers - one specialized in selling contraband, the other in detecting contraband. The two were born enemies.
Therefore, it is very likely that the royalists had already been blacklisted by Dolly; but this was not the case for the reformists.
After all, the only connection between the reformists and the disciplinary officials was that they were both in the huge institution of the Ordinariate.
Thinking of this, Ying couldn't help but feel emotional - Caesar's ability should not be underestimated.
In the desperate situation where the armed forces were completely controlled by the enemy, he was able to lead the reformists and the royalists to deal with each other and advance step by step.
"So tell me, what should we do next?" Paimon asked impatiently.
"I'll give you the address of her informant and the contact code," Elhaisen said calmly. "But I don't know if she has any other secret requests besides these public contact methods. You'll have to adapt to the situation as needed."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tapped the void terminal lightly, and a set of encrypted coordinates and a long and complex code were immediately transmitted to Ying's void terminal, like an admission ticket to the forbidden world, quietly opened.
Elhaisen nodded slightly, and in a low but clear voice, he continued to describe the next plan: "The real key lies in the moment when we meet Dolly."
"That girl has an almost instinctive sense of money, and her vision is extremely discerning. She only favors customers who truly know what they are looking for—mediocre people can't even enter her shop."
Then, his tone was calm but carried a weight that could not be ignored: "I will prepare a fund for you, enough to get the best goods from her."
"At that time, all you need to do is purchase the finest canned knowledge from her and earn her trust and appreciation. In exchange, please share with me a portion of the information regarding the 'Divine Canned Knowledge'."
His gaze was as deep as the abyss, as if piercing the mist of time, and he said softly, "To be honest... I also have a strong interest in the canned knowledge of the gods."
Ying understood what he meant - this was not just a simple subsidy, but a bargaining chip that Elhaisen made to gain entry, and it was his token of allegiance to enter this secret transaction.
She shook her head slightly, her tone gentle but unquestionable: "No need, we have plenty of funds."
After a pause, she added, "But we will definitely share the information with you. After all, if we can actually pry clues out of Dolly, it will all be thanks to the location and contact code you provided. We'll remember this favor."
Elhaisen nodded slightly, his expression remaining calm. "Alright. In that case, do you need me to teach you how to discern the value of canned knowledge? You know, if you can't buy the rarest items in her store, it'll be hard to truly impress her."
Ying and Paimon exchanged a glance, a tacit smile flashing in their eyes.
Ying then asked, "So... this canned knowledge is also divided into different levels?"
"What else?" Elhaisen raised his lips slightly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "The House of Lords is keen on labeling knowledge with different levels, and merchants will naturally set prices accordingly. Information is a commodity, and commodities have always been divided into high and low levels."
Before he finished speaking, he saw Ying and Paimon both showing understanding and knowing smiles, as if they had already expected all this.
[Blindly picking the most valuable item? Isn't that just walking into the trap?]
[Although it hasn't been shown for a long time, I think no one has forgotten the idea that Phoenix is lucky, right?]
[With Teyvat's only two phoenixes favored by fortune by his side, without knowing the specific circumstances, he chose the most valuable goods...]
[Is this any different from using a pillow when you want to fall asleep?]
【As we all know, the phoenix never lands where there is no treasure. 】
The Phoenix is naturally lucky, and being a demon god bred by Teyvat himself, he's the son of destiny. Iya is the true origin of the Nirvana demon god! This luck, take it to heart!