Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Looking at the elfin detection notification on his phone screen, Zhang Zian’s first thought was, Was the thing that ran away just now the elfin that was awaiting capture? Because that was really too coincidental.
But there were two strange points there: first was that he did not see it from the Game Capture Interface, and second was that it actually appeared before the game gave a notification… It had already appeared when they were at the parade square. Why did the game only give a notification now?
Thinking about it, he felt that there were only two possible answers. One was that the thing just now was just a random animal that walked by and not an elfin. The second possibility was… perhaps it was a very unique elfin?
“Zian, what happened?” Old Time Tea saw that his expression was strange.
Zhang Zian put down his phone and stared in the direction that thing had run off in. He answered, “There is an elfin that appeared nearby. I’m wondering if it was that thing just now?”
Old Time Tea muttered to itself and then said, “Compared to standing on the edge of a pond and idly longing for fish, it’s better to retreat and make a netting. Rather than stand here and guess, it’s better to chase after it and investigate it. What do you think, Zian?”
Zhang Zian was in deep thought. If it were an elfin, what type of elfin was it?
He narrowed his eyes to look up at the eaves again, at the 11… No, it was 11 unique animals, including the chicken.
A dragon, a phoenix, a lion, a heavenly stead, a hippocampus, a gorilla, an orangutan, a bull, and a Hang Shi––and also a chicken.
By logic, those 11 unique animals all had the right to become an elfin. After all, they had stood on the eaves for a few hundred years and had witnessed the Ming Dynasty and the Chao Dynasty in all its happiness and sadness.
Under their silent gaze, the brave and capable––or incompetent––emperors were like a trotting horses––they all took their turn in the spotlight, but no emperor could change the fate of the decadent feudal dynasty that was doomed to extinction.
They were placed on the eaves to avoid evil, but in the end, they did not manage to maintain the “house,” nor did they let any emperor avoid the “evil.” Ultimately, they were all only pieces of loess. Even the Forbidden City itself was no longer the “house” of the emperor, but had become a museum open to all people. As long as the money was spent, anyone could step foot in it.
In addition, ancient Chinese houses were made of wood and were afraid of fire. Several of the beasts were related to water, but the Forbidden City had been burned multiple times in history.
Despite that, the 11 beasts were not all suitable to be pets. Amongst them, perhaps only chickens were, grudgingly, considered pets. Since they were not even pets, it was even more doubtful as to whether they could become an elfin.
The thing that just ran away was definitely not a chicken, although Zhang Zian had not seen its specific appearance. As for the hippocampus, it was the horse of the sea, not the hippocampus in everyday life.
If it were not those 11 exotic beasts that had become elfins…
Zhang Zian recalled that he had felt monitored while he was singing the national anthem at the parade square. Pets were not allowed to enter the square… The only animal-shaped object was the stone on the ornamental column surface, but that was even more unlikely.
Standing on the stairs before the Hall of Supreme Harmony and looking backwards, the tourists poured in like corpses coming out of their cages. He and the elfins could not stay there any longer. Otherwise, they would be submerged.
“Ga?” Richard was caught off guard when Zhang Zian caught its legs and threw it up.
“Go and see where that thing ran to.”
Richard did quite a few somersaults in the sky, turning until it was dizzy. It flapped its wings as hard as it could before it managed to steady itself and not fall like a piece of stone.
It only saw a blurry image and angrily said, “It ran north… This is definitely using official means to take your own revenge. You’re purposely trying to take revenge on me, right?”
Zhang Zian would definitely not admit it. He called to the elfins, “Let’s go. Anyway, we are also heading north, so we can try to chase it. Let’s see if we can find it.”
“Meow! Hide and seek! Hide and seek!” Galaxy was eager to try and jumped out first.
Zhang Zian was scared there would be a mishap and followed closely behind with the other elfins.
Before that, he had promised that they would play hide-and-seek in the Forbidden City, but he did not think that it would come true in that way.
From the point of view of the employees, Zhang Zian alone was walking vigorously and passing through the Zhonghe Palace and Baohe Palace without turning his head. He did not even stop to admire the Forbidden City, and in their hearts, they wondered if that person had spent money to come to the Forbidden City to exercise.
If the elfins saw any kind of structure that it was slightly interested in, they would run over to it to take a look around. After they finished looking, they would run back to Zhang Zian.
Actually the process of touring the Forbidden City was quite boring. The 8,000 plus rooms were all around the same, and the history of each room was not something that interested everyone. Most people that had never come to the Forbidden City before just liked to admire the scenery and look at the new things. After that, they were unlikely to go there again.
The Gate of Heavenly Purity was an important link between the inner courtyard and the outer court. After one passed through the Gate of Heavenly Purity, they would reach the real “harem.”
Zhang Zian turned his head back to look. They had already left the large part of tourists behind. They stopped to take a breath and find the elfin’s trace while they were at it.
Richard saw the elfin go through the Gate of Heavenly Purity. Where it ran to after that, it did not manage to see.
Galaxy and the other elfins were also looking.
“Zian, I seemed to have smelled some scents,” Famous lowered its head and sniffed around, then suddenly raised its head.
“Oh? It’s the scent of that elfin just now?” Zian asked, walking closer.
Famous shook its head. “I can’t tell. It could be. Anyway, the scent is a fresh one. It extends all the way from the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
“Then that’s probably correct,” Zhang Zian let out a breath of relief. The trail that had been cut off continued again. “Where did it run to?”
“The scent trail is headed this way.” Famous raised a claw and pointed in a direction.
“Meow! That guy really knows how to play hide-and-seek.” Galaxy was very excited. After all, it was a new opponent.
Old Time Tea also tried to hurry them. “Zian, we’ve rested enough. We can’t delay any longer. Shall we continue after it?”
Zhang Zian did not move. He shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Sadly, I can’t chase it anymore. If we want to continue chasing it, only you all can go.”
“Why aren’t you chasing it anymore?” Famous was stunned, thinking that Zhang Zian meant there was a problem with its tracking ability.
Zhang Zian raised his chin, looking at that direction and sighing. “Because that’s the restricted area. It’s not open to tourists. If I go there, I would just be stopped.”
Before that, when he was at the Binhai City Library capturing Pi, he was scared as to whether Pi would appear in the ancient books section or the children’s section. If it were like that, he could not even enter, and could only give up on capturing it. The good thing was that Pi appeared in the mathematics reading area.
Now, they were met with something similar, but he was not as lucky as last time. The thing that seemed like an elfin had actually run into the restricted area. What could he do? Forcefully enter?
What a joke! That was the area of the emperor. If one had a brain, they would not dare to forcefully enter the restricted areas of the Forbidden City!
So it seemed he could only give up.
