pjbooks Chapter 263 Alliance
Chapter 263 Alliance
Lin Qiong looked at the portrait in front of him with surprise and doubt. He saw that the person in the painting looked nine-tenths like March 7.
Apart from the decorations and clothing, which are in the local style of Onphalus, everything else is basically identical to the person in question.
It's as if it was copied on-site.
"It seems I was right. The girl in the portrait is indeed your companion."
Aglaia slightly raised her chin, her gaze shifting between Lin Qiong, Dan Heng, and Xing, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Ms. Aglaia, have you seen the girl in the portrait in March?"
Dan Heng remained silent for a few seconds, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke, raising the question that had been lingering in everyone's minds.
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong and Xing immediately turned their gaze to Aglaia, quietly waiting for her reply.
But facing the expectant gazes of Lin Qiong and the others, Aglaia gently shook her head:
"Unfortunately, although Ohmma has always been under Jin Si's surveillance, I have never actually seen the girl in the portrait."
Before the others could react, she abruptly changed the subject and continued:
"However, I have already 'invited' the person who painted this picture over, so you can ask him directly for clarification."
Having said that, Aglaia clapped her hands lightly, then turned her head to the side and raised her voice to give the order:
"Clothes maker, bring him here."
As soon as she finished speaking, the headless puppet that Aglaia called "The Tailor" slowly floated out from the side.
Behind him followed a man bound by golden threads.
"It's you?"
Looking at the man, Xing suddenly widened her eyes and couldn't help but let out a gasp.
Lin Qiong was drawn to Xing's reaction and also turned her gaze toward the man.
Upon seeing the other person's attire and face, he immediately felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen them somewhere before.
Unable to recall who the person was for the time being, Lin Qiong had no choice but to ask Xing:
"You know this guy?"
“I don’t know him,” Xing immediately shook her head and replied, “but I’ve seen him before.”
"Have you forgotten? This is the guy who was holding a cat and was so scared by Dan Heng that he fell off the tree."
After Xing reminded him, Lin Qiong remembered that there was indeed such a thing.
If he remembered correctly, the man had just gotten up from the ground and ran off in a hurry, without even giving him a chance to say a word...
However, who this person is is no longer important right now; the most urgent task is to find out as soon as possible.
How did the other party know about the existence of March 7th and draw a portrait of it?
Thinking of this, Lin Qiong immediately moved closer to the man, pointed to the portrait beside him, and asked:
"This painting, you did it, right?"
The man slightly raised his head, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, and stammered as he spoke:
"Yes...yes, this...is indeed my painting."
Seeing that the other party admitted it, Lin Qiong continued to press for answers:
"Have you seen the girl in the portrait in Ohmma or anywhere else?"
"N-Never seen it before."
The man's eyes flickered, and after hesitating for a few seconds, he shook his head vigorously, denying it quickly.
"Never seen it before? How did you draw it if you haven't seen it before?"
Xing crossed her arms, took a few steps forward, and stood side by side with Lin Qiong in front of the man.
When the man saw another person in front of him, he involuntarily shrank back, while secretly raising his eyes to carefully examine Xing.
After a long pause, he slowly spoke:
"Um... I was catching a cat in the tree when I happened to see the photo in your hand, and I thought it was extremely beautiful."
"So I memorized what the girl looked like, and when I got back, I tried to draw her..."
The man's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost as faint as the fluttering of a fly's wings, and his head drooped even lower.
"As a result, someone bought my painting at a high price and spread the word that it was a celestial maiden from beyond the heavens."
"I...I really didn't expect this to cause such a big problem."
After hearing this explanation, Lin Qiong and Dan Heng almost simultaneously turned their gazes to Xing.
The two men looked at each other as if they were sizing up someone who had unintentionally caused trouble.
Sensing their gazes, Xingwei straightened her posture and calmly spoke:
"Why are you looking at me? I didn't know anyone was hiding in the tree."
"Besides, you saw the photos on the camera back then, so you can't blame it all on me!"
"Sigh." Dan Heng sighed softly, rubbing his forehead. "What's done is done. Let's think about how to minimize the impact first."
Just as the three were pondering how to handle the situation, Aglaia suddenly spoke up:
"Regarding this matter, why don't you gentlemen listen to my suggestion?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong and the others immediately turned their attention to Aglaia, very curious about what solution she would offer.
However, when faced with the gazes cast upon her by the group, Aglaia simply smiled and then instructed the tailor to send the man away from the area.
After the man left, Aglaia slowly spoke:
"I have used the World Wide Web to suppress the rumors about the Outer Realm and the Pink Cloud Fairy, and I believe they will be completely quelled in a few days."
"Although it was unintentional for these individuals to reveal information about the outside world, it is undeniable that it has had a significant impact."
Aglaia's gaze swept gently over the crowd, and she continued in a calm and soothing tone:
"If we follow the usual practice, these people should have been bound in gold thread and received some form of punishment."
"However, since you retrieved two flames for Ohmma and made a great contribution to the pursuit of fire, I have decided not to pursue this matter any further."
Upon hearing this, Dan Heng pondered for a moment, then spoke calmly:
"So, you specially gifted us such precious wine just now because you intended to force the Star Train and the Golden Descendants to fight on the same side, right?"
"It's not so much a forced abduction, it's just an alliance," Aglaia admitted tactfully.
"What if we hadn't retrieved those two sparks? What consequences would we have faced today?" Lin Qiong asked curiously.
"Well... to ensure a smooth alliance, I won't go into details."
Aglaia brushed a few strands of hair aside with her fingertips, a faint smile playing on her lips.
However, her smile appeared somewhat cold in Lin Qiong's eyes...
Subsequently, Lin Qiong and the others discussed matters related to the "alliance" with Aglaia.
Having made it clear that it would not affect either party, Aglaia opened up all the backdoors for Lin Qiong and the others, and promised to help them "explore" Onfaros to the greatest extent possible.
In exchange, all Lin Qiong and his team had to do was assist the Golden Descendants in recovering the twelve fire seeds as much as possible.
"Food and lodging included, and all expenses covered?" Lin Qiong stroked his chin and asked calmly, "Sounds pretty good."
"When does the alliance start?" Xing rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I can't wait to go to the market and have a big feast!"
At the same time, Dan Heng slightly raised his eyes and glanced at Aglaia, who always wore a faint smile.
After a moment's hesitation, he turned to Xing, who was standing beside him with a hopeful expression, and said:
"Looks like your plan to have a big meal is about to fall through."