"Moddang, we're going to split off for a bit to check sothing. If we find anything, we'll call you right away,"
Amy shouted before quickly disappearing into the crowd. She wanted to find the parade and confirm whether the prince and princess in the carriage at the tail end were actually their friends.
However, when they arrived at the parade route, the parade was nowhere to be seen. k asked so passersby and learned that the parade had completed its first round and was now resting in preparation for the second round, scheduled for 5 PM. Both of them looked disappointed but decided to find the resting area for the parade by asking the amusent park staff. Amy explained that she wanted to take a photo with the characters before catching a flight abroad in less than an hour.
Thanks to Amy's small, cute appearance and her pleading tone, the staff mber could not resist and revealed the location of the parade's resting area, unable to withstand her wide, begging eyes.
"You're quite sothing,"
k remarked as they hurried to the area the staff had ntioned—a secluded open field with large shady trees, located a bit away from the amusent park.
"Well, yeah. Chang is more the intimidating type, but I'm the sweet talker. We were both spoiled growing up, but we use different thods to get our way."
Amy replied with a grin. k let out an amused, awkward laugh at her response. They arrived at the restricted area, blocked off by a barred gate. Beyond the gate was a wide open space, shaded by large trees, where the parade mbers were lounging comfortably.
"Excuse , parade crew."
Amy called out, drawing the attention of everyone in the area. Seeing the adorable young woman, a few young n eagerly approached.
"How can I help you? We're currently on break, getting ready for the next parade,"
a handso young man dressed as a golden knight said with a smile, his gaze fixed on Amy until k had to loudly clear his throat.
"I'm looking for the people dressed as sleeping prince and princess,"
Amy said. Noticing the young man's puzzled expression, she quickly added,
"I'd like to take a photo with them before catching my flight back to France."
The golden knight sighed and shook his head.
"They're not here. They're not even part of our team."
"What? What do you an? I saw them in the parade."
Amy exclaid in frustration.
"That's true, but they split off before the rest of us ca here. When soone tried to stop them and ask where they were going, the guys flanking the carriage pulled out guns. Honestly, we were suspicious from the start because there wasn't supposed to be a Sleeping Beauty carriage in today's schedule. Those people must be troublemakers trying to cause a scene in the park. But don't worry, I've already reported it to the office. They'll be caught soon enough. Wait, when did they leave?"
Amy and k went agape upon hearing the man's story. They were already gone by the ti the knight realized he was talking to himself, running. His friends burst out laughing at the sight of him chattering alone.
"Before the parade resting area, there's only one fork in the path. It leads to the waste collection site, where the garbage trucks pick up after the park closes. They must've gone there."
k said as they sprinted back the way they ca. Amy nodded and said,
"You go ahead, k. I'll call Moddang and catch up. And be careful, okay?"
"Are you worried about ? Don't worry. I'm always careful,"
k replied, flashing a sly smile. Amy's face flushed slightly, and she responded with mock annoyance.
"If you die, who's going to help find Chang?"
k's eyes widened in surprise before he broke into a laugh, his spirits soaring.
"Alright, I'll be careful so I can stay alive to help you find your best friend."
"Idiot!"
Amy muttered softly, watching k dash off before pulling out her phone to call Moddang and relay what she had just learned to Chang's two bodyguards.
.....
"How are they?"
A bald man seated in the passenger seat asked as the large black van sped down the road at a pace that could almost be called flying. They were determined to get as far from the amusent park as fast as possible and reach the rendezvous point where they were scheduled to et their boss.
"Still unconscious, boss. That sedative must've been pretty strong,"
one of the two n dressed in black guarding their guests replied.
"Good. No complications during transport is the best scenario. To be honest, our guest isn't soone to take lightly. Last ti, they gave us quite the beating,"
the bald man said with a mix of amusent and irritation. As he spoke, his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he quickly answered, his voice imdiately shifting to a deferential tone.
"Yes, boss."
"How's it going?"
"Everything's under control. We're en route to the rendezvous point now."
"The kid—no harm done, right?"
The concern in the voice caught the bald man off guard, but he refrained from prying since it was not his place.
"No harm, sir. She's in a deep sleep and probably won't wake up anyti soon,"
the bald man reassured.
"Good. Let her stay asleep. When she wakes up, she'll have to face a cruel reality—so harsh that she might wish she could keep dreaming instead."
Once again, the bald man did not understand his boss cryptic talk, but he just replied before ending the call.
The bald man sighed, turning to look at the young woman still sound asleep. Soone her age should not have to endure being kidnapped hundreds of tis. She should be living a carefree life among friends, not constantly surrounded by bodyguards, barely able to move freely. This would not be happening if she were not the sole heiress of Pichaya Rattanaruangrit, the billionaire head of Infinity Group's vast and lucrative empire.
"Yeah, staying in a dream is better than waking up to a cruel reality. Let's hope it's a good dream."
Behind her peaceful, sleeping face, the young woman was indeed dreaming. In her dream, a younger Chayarin, just four and a half years old, with shoulder-length hair, wearing a knee-length pink dress and bright yellow rubber boots, was running through an orchard. She was laughing happily and pointing out everything around her to the man accompanying her.
"Chang, slow down. I can't keep up with you,"
the young man called after her, chuckling as she jumped to catch a grasshopper perched on a blade of grass, only to fall flat on her face.
"Uncle Khun, why is this place so big?"
the little girl asked, looking up at him as he brushed dirt off her clothes.
"It has to be big. This is an orchard, after all. You know, Chang, the fruit from our orchard could feed the entire country. Our country's agricultural network is strong enough now that farrs can sell directly to consurs without going through middlen. That's brought prices for fruits and vegetables down so much that even less wealthy people can afford them. There aren't as many orchards and farms as there used to be, but there are still enough to feed the country and even export a bit. The fruits and vegetables that don't et market standards can also be processed into food capsules so nothing goes to waste."
The young man spoke passionately, but little Chang did not understand any of it. She simply blinked up at him with wide eyes.
"Uncle Khun, you really love this place, don't you?"
Chang asked, her bright smile shining through despite her confusion over his words. She could sense his happiness as he spoke.
"Of course I do. This is my ho. But things are changing. My father wants to take out a loan to start his own food business. Probably because he's been brainwashed every day by an ambitious young man with a bright future—your father."
The young man spoke with a troubled tone. His father was old and lacked sufficient knowledge about the business world, yet he wanted to invest in a highly competitive field like processed foods and organic fresh produce restaurants.
Although Chang's father frequently discussed his growing business and its continued success, not everyone was fortunate in business. Many had to abandon their ventures, and so even faced complete financial ruin. The young man had often opposed his father's plans, fearing that if the business failed, all the wealth his father had painstakingly built would be lost. But his father believed success was certain, taking inspiration from Pichaya as a role model. What left the young man speechless, however, was his father's reasoning: he wanted to build a future for him, to make him a successful and respected businessman like Pichaya, Chang's father.
"Chang, it's ti to go. Dad has to leave,"
Pichaya called out, entering the orchard to fetch his daughter. He greeted the young man warmly, without any airs of superiority. However, the young man, unaccustod to interacting with polished and wealthy individuals like Pichaya, only offered a polite acknowledgent. Yet, he often took Chang to play in the orchard.
The little girl sighed in disappointnt, her dejection so endearing that the young man almost laughed. Chang still wanted to play, but she knew the orchard was far from her ho. She also understood her father would never let her stay without him—he was overprotective and rarely let her out of his sight. Even playing in the orchard with the young man without her father's company had earned her countless bouts of sulking from him.
"Uncle Khun, Chang is leaving now. I'll co to play again another ti,"
she said. Wrapping her small arms around his neck, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Pichaya's eyes widened in shock.
"Chang! You're a girl. You can't go around doing that. Co here this instant. And you too, Thankhun. Have so self-respect. Don't let just anyone hug or kiss you like that. Hmph, I'm leaving!"
Pichaya's exasperated outburst made the orchard workers chuckle as they turned to watch the scene.
"Mr. Pichaya, Chang's still a child. She's only four and a half years old. You're acting as if she's already a grown woman..."
Thankhun said, discomfort on his face. But Pichaya ignored him, still fuming as he took his daughter's hand and began walking away. Chang turned to look back at Thankhun, secretly waving at him with a bright smile that imdiately lifted his spirits. He waved back, silently looking forward to the next ti they could play together.
.....
In the City of Ark. At long last, the majority of the city had been rebuilt, almost returning to its forr glory—except for the king's palace. The palace, with its intricate details and countless rooms, was taking much longer to restore. The AI townsfolk gradually returned to the city to reopen their shops, which had been shuttered ever since the city was reduced to ruins in the blink of an eye by sothing no one could clearly identify.
The townsfolk were all smiles as they returned to their hos, talking excitedly about the grand celebration that would take place once the king's palace was fully restored. However, one young woman's mood was entirely different. She was irritated, frustrated, exhausted, and on the verge of despair.
"Why is this happening? I ca to Ark as quickly as I could, but no matter how hard I searched, I still haven't found him,"
she muttered to herself in frustration. Based on clues from her friends, the young man she was searching for had been confird to be in this city. She had been thrilled and had rushed to Ark, only to find it in a state of shocking ruin. Neither players nor AI inhabitants could explain what had caused the destruction.
The young woman sat at a tea shop by a wooden fence, holding a teacup in her hand while her gaze drifted off into the distance. Players bustled back and forth, but none of them were the ones she was searching for. As she took a sip of her now cooled tea, her ears caught a conversation among a group of female players discussing a peculiar quest.
"Hey, have you heard about that quest everyone's been talking about in the public communication channels? I heard you can pick it up in Ark City,"
one of the three won at a nearby table whispered.
"Right. Apparently, you have to get it at the palace. It's for a quest that takes you into the Royal Conservatory. But how are people supposed to get it when the palace isn't even finished yet?"
the second woman chid in.
"You're supposed to go to the Royal Conservatory where the king and queen reside. From what I've heard, players have already started picking up the quest. The first task is to hunt beasts and exchange the loot for a duck-shaped brooch. Only then can you unlock the quest that rewards you with a little dog that transforms into a young elf man."
Narada's ears perked up, and she nearly dropped her teacup in shock. A quest with a reward as strange as a dog turning into an elf man? It sounded bizarre, yet intriguing. There was even a chance that Siegfried might be doing this quest. Setting her teacup down, Narada called over the shopkeeper to pay her bill. She then led her magnificent unicorn out of the city.
"There must be a clue about Siegfried there. A dog that turns into an elf... Sothing like that can't be real. Soone must be exaggerating or distorting the facts,"
she muttered to herself as she walked, ignoring the curious glances of male players watching her.
When she arrived at the quest pick-up area, Narada's jaw dropped. The line of players waiting at the desk stretched endlessly, like the tail of a serpent. She walked straight to the front of the line to see what the quest details were, as the instructions were usually explained to players when the quest was handed out. She noticed that the soldiers and attendants nearby were all smirking mischievously but were not saying a word. Unable to contain her curiosity, Narada approached a soldier standing close to the line.
"Excuse , sir. What's with the smirking? Is there sothing funny about the players picking up this quest?" "Oh, young lady, there's nothing funny at all,"
the soldier replied, flustered when such a beautiful woman was in front of him.
-----
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