Chapter 255: Here Again?
When Xu Youyou heard this, her first reaction was that it was a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
Finding this lacquer plate in Finland had already been a pleasant surprise for her, and now, she didn’t expect that the plate would also bring news of another antique.
Even though she had made a loss on this lacquer plate, Xu Youyou was still very eager to bring back the national treasures that had ended up overseas.
“Alright, I can’t fully promise you, because I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to find your old friend, but if I do see it, I’ll make sure to buy it no matter what,” Xu Youyou promised seriously.
Xiao Hong, the lacquer plate, naturally felt Xu Youyou’s sincerity and said, “Little girl, I believe in you. You have such a pleasant aura, and I think it’s the same for it—it must also be looking forward to seeing you.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but ask what this so-called pleasant aura was, but the plate, like Qing Yao, could only smell it and couldn’t explain it clearly. This mysterious and obscure explanation left Xu Youyou feeling helpless.
“Little girl, it’s rare for me to talk so much today, I’m quite tired, and I won’t be able to continue chatting with you for a few days,” the plate said.
After saying this, the plate fell into a deep sleep. No matter how much Xu Youyou tried to call out to it, it gave no further response.
Xu Youyou then asked the system, “Earlier you said that if I complete an important bargain without any system prompts, I can be exempt from one task punishment. Does that still apply?”
The system confirmed the answer.
【Host, please remember, not all bargains can be considered important. Please don’t try to cheat.】
Xu Youyou nodded. “I understand.”
The system has a special set of rules for determining bargain tasks, and Xu Youyou still hasn’t fully figured them out, only vaguely understanding that the bargain targets are usually expensive, with a market price of at least two million.
During the beginner phase, the tasks might include things like lottery tickets found in garbage bins, but now, the bargain tasks seem to carry some special attributes, and simple finds like lottery tickets rarely appear as targets anymore.
Since the system didn’t rush her, Xu Youyou didn’t leave Finland immediately but instead enjoyed the rest of her trip.
The system didn’t prompt her until a week later when Xu Youyou had fully enjoyed her travel. It finally issued a reminder.
【Dear host, please complete an important bargain within ten days.】
Because Xu Youyou had chosen not to receive prompts for this bargain task, the system only reminded her, without offering the golden pointer.
Meanwhile, Lu Jingyao, though he tried to shorten his working hours to accompany Xu Youyou more, still had a lot of work back home that needed his attention.
After spending over ten days in Europe with Xu Youyou, it seemed that he had reached his limit. After receiving about ten calls from home in one day, Xu Youyou proactively urged, “There are so many people relying on you back at the company, and there are also people here who can accompany me. You should go take care of what you need to do. Don’t worry about me.”
Lu Jingyao sighed and said, “I’m already looking for a professional manager. It won’t be long before I’m completely freed up.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but ask, “I remember you said before that you really enjoy working.”
Lu Jingyao reached out and rubbed her hair, saying, “I like working because I enjoy seeing myself always succeeding.”
Xu Youyou felt that his words sounded a bit too extravagant, yet it was true.
Xu Youyou hadn’t fully understood this feeling in the past, but after she started receiving one fortune after another through the bargain system, the constant success made her feel a bit proud.
People who earn money always want to earn more, and winners want to keep basking in their success—it seems to be human nature.
“So now what? Why do you suddenly want to let go? You’re still so young, you shouldn’t lose your fighting spirit,” Xu Youyou casually said.
Lu Jingyao looked at her seriously. “I used to find it hard to understand why people would love so passionately, but now I completely get it. In fact, I even want to indulge in it, because I truly have everything I need.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t tell if he was confessing or just boasting about his overly smooth life.
After seeing Lu Jingyao off, Xu Youyou didn’t stay in Finland any longer but headed to Germany instead.
Germany was an underrated tourist country. In terms of scenery, it could compete with Italy or France, but strangely, the number of tourists each year seemed far fewer than at these two popular destinations.
Xu Youyou looked at the fairytale-like castles, but she wasn’t very interested in sightseeing.
“What is this place?” the plate suddenly woke up the second day they entered Germany.
Xu Youyou replied, “Germany, we’re in Berlin now. Can you feel your old friend’s presence?”
After a day of feeling aimless, Xu Youyou had been hesitating whether to ask the system for the golden pointer. Before she could make up her mind, the plate woke up, which solved her immediate problem.
The plate said, “Don’t rush, let me sense it carefully.”
Xu Youyou waited patiently. Three minutes later, the plate sighed. “The old guy seems weak.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help asking, “Do you two have a special way of contacting each other?”
The plate replied, “I can’t explain it, but I can just tell it’s not in good shape.”
Xu Youyou’s heart tightened. “Can we find it? In what direction? Should I go rescue it right now?”
The plate pointed in a direction.
Xu Youyou immediately instructed the driver to start the journey. Their car traveled west along the Danube River, stopping and going as directed by the plate.
She wasn’t sure how long it took, but the car eventually stopped.
“Where is this?” Xu Youyou had no idea where the small town in front of her was.
Chinese people are often called “street wanderers of the Earth,” and even though there weren’t many Chinese tourists in Berlin, Xu Youyou could always spot a couple of Chinese faces if she turned around.
But in this remote small town, it was rare to see not just Chinese faces, but even East Asian ones.
However, the scenery here was beautiful, with simple, grand architecture accented by bright colors, making it look stunning.
“Boss, this little city is called Passau. It’s on the border between Germany and Austria, so the architectural style is influenced by both countries’ cultures,” Xu Fang, the tour guide, explained diligently.
Xu Youyou nodded slightly, but her attention was mostly on the red lacquered plate she held in her hands.
“Go south, it’s very close now,” the plate said.
Xu Youyou followed the direction and walked all the way to the end of a flower-filled path.
At the end stood a castle. From the outside, the iron gate was covered in overgrown weeds, and it seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but feel, Am I buying another castle?
Then a voice suddenly reached her ears, gentle yet weak.
“Old buddy, you’ve finally brought someone to find me.”
