Task Progress: 0.1/6

 

Lu Mingze used his little hat to carry water and wash the handkerchief, but there was far too much dust on the statue, and there were no buckets nearby. He could only run back and forth, ‘huff huff’, trip after trip, and very quickly he was drenched in sweat.

The statue couldn’t help asking, “I was planning to harm you—aren’t you angry?”

“But you didn’t harm me,” Lu Mingze said naturally. “And I already promised you I’d clean the statue, so of course I have to see it through.”

The statue said, “You’re too foolish.”

Lu Mingze wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, stood on tiptoe, and looked straight into the statue’s empty eye sockets. He said seriously, “I’m not foolish. Everything I’m doing has a reason.”

“Is repaying resentment with virtue the reason?” the statue asked.

Lu Mingze shook his head. “You didn’t truly harm me; you only thought about it. I can’t condemn someone based solely on their thoughts—that’s neither scientific nor reasonable.

“I think ‘thinking’ itself isn’t wrong. When dieting, you think about eating; when working, you think about slacking off; when studying, you think about skipping class; when you meet someone you like, you think about developing an intimate relationship. These are all just ‘thoughts.’ People grow while constantly struggling between reason and desire, gradually learning what is right and what is wrong.

“You thought about taking my body; you thought about exchanging bodies—that’s still ‘thinking,’ not ‘doing.’ And when you warned me not to keep looking into the mirror, your rationality overcame your impulse. That’s the same as most people, isn’t it?”

There was one thing Lu Mingze didn’t say: from childhood to adulthood, the number of people who had wanted to have a relationship with him was countless. If he hated every one of them, how exhausting would that be?

The statue said, “Even so, you don’t need to work this hard cleaning me. Wouldn’t a quick wipe be enough?”

Lu Mingze shook his head so hard it looked like a rattle-drum toy. “How could that be acceptable? I’m helping you clean with a purpose—I’m very utilitarian!”

Someone who looked as if an invisible angelic halo was floating above his head claiming he was “very utilitarian” sounded absurd. The statue couldn’t help asking again, “Then tell me—what exactly is your purpose and self-interest?”

Lu Mingze said, “I’m a prince. The king gave me the task of rebuilding this city. You’re the statue at the centre of the city square; in the past, countless people must have looked up to you. You represent the city’s spiritual image. Rebuilding a city can’t be done by one person—it requires the people to willingly rebuild it themselves. Otherwise, even if people are parachuted in to spend money and effort, the city will quickly fall into ruin again if the residents don’t maintain it. So I want to clean you up first, make you shine again. Let that be a good beginning.”

The statue watched as Lu Mingze wiped away all the dust and grime and began picking off rotting vegetable leaves stuck to its surface. Suddenly, it made a request: “Water can’t clean me properly, and it will cause rust. You should find professionals to clean me and then cover me with a layer of gold. Every gold plate is a symbol of my status.”

Panting, Lu Mingze stopped and looked at the statue for a moment. “You’re asking for quite a lot. Even if all the gold on me were melted down, it still wouldn’t be enough…”

The statue said, “Someone can do it. Walk five hundred meters south and you’ll see an abandoned gold jewellery shop. It looks like it was smashed and looted, but that’s not true. I know someone is hiding underground—he knows where a gold mine is and has buried all his valuables.”

Just as Lu Mingze was about to respond, the narrator’s voice sounded beside his ear:
“Quest One received: find someone who can provide the statue with a golden covering. Quest progress: 0.1/6.”

So quests really could be triggered. Lu Mingze patted the white wristband and said, “Oh, so you can talk too.”

After hearing him, the white wristband fell silent again, completely unresponsive.

Lu Mingze asked, “From your description, that person sounds like a miser. Would he really be willing to give up his gold?”

The statue replied, “If he refuses, that’s fine. Give me your body—I’ll go persuade him.”

Lu Mingze: “……”

He increasingly felt that the statue was strange. After carefully comparing the statue’s facial structure and physique with his own, he arrived at a conclusion: this statue might actually look a lot like him.

“Your past appearance… was it me?” Lu Mingze asked, not very confidently.

The guess seemed reasonable. He was a prince, after all. Having a statue of the future king in the city’s central square made sense, and nobles usually had fiefdoms—maybe this city was his domain.

“When I was formed, you hadn’t even been born yet,” the statue said. If it had eyes, it would definitely be rolling them now. “I am the most perfect human imagined by the people of this city. They worship beauty and placed the most beautiful thing at the city’s centre so that everyone who passed by would feel uplifted.”

Lu Mingze blinked and said very naturally, “Then that confirms it—you must look exactly like me.”

The statue: “……”

Why did it feel like strangling him, yet somehow also feel that what he said made sense?

“Getting the gold will definitely be difficult,” Lu Mingze said. “But since the difficulty is five times higher, that’s only natural. But where exactly is ‘south’?”

The statue: “……”

Lu Mingze clambered down from the statue’s base, identified the sun’s position in the sky, and found south correctly—but instead of heading due south, he walked southwest.

The statue hurriedly said, “You can’t just go like that. First find a map. There’s one in the city lord’s mansion, but it’s guarded by some greedy creatures. You might encounter danger—that’s why I didn’t tell you earlier.”

That last sentence was actually an explanation. Lu Mingze was very sensitive to goodwill, so he smiled happily and said, “Thanks for the reminder. It’s okay though—I’m stronger than you think!”

Lu Mingze still hadn’t figured out how to use his abilities, but surely he wouldn’t fail even a simple item-fetch quest.

Based on his past MMORPG experience, with so many abilities, even if he were to die, it would be during the final mission. Ordinary tasks shouldn’t be that hard.

As for the statue wanting to kill him using a mirror, Lu Mingze didn’t regard that as real danger—after all, the statue hadn’t harmed him.

Following the statue’s directions, Lu Mingze entered the city lord’s mansion. Not long after he entered the ruins, the sun set.

This is bad! the statue thought. Those greedy monsters become much stronger at night—could this poor little prince meet his end?

The statue desperately wanted to warn him, but it couldn’t make a sound. Once Lu Mingze left the base, the statue could only communicate with those touching its body or pedestal.

Lu Mingze didn’t know how anxious the statue was; he only felt that it was getting dark.

The statue had told him that the map was in the largest office on the fourth floor. Other maps weren’t detailed enough—only this one included every building from before the city became ruins, even marking locations like pastry shops. It was extremely comprehensive.

The stairs were wooden and creaked “squeak, squeak” with every step, as if they might collapse at any moment—deeply unsettling.

“Don’t I have any fire source or lighting tools?” Lu Mingze searched himself but found nothing. He was a prince with nothing but looks and expensive jewellery.

Precious metals and jewels couldn’t be eaten. Even a glowing pearl would’ve helped. Lu Mingze rummaged through his jewellery and sighed quietly.

He had been running up and down helping to wipe the statue’s body, and now he was already very hungry, but he had no food.

The wooden stairs looked rather frightening. Fortunately, Lu Mingze was quite lucky—every step perfectly avoided the rotten spots, and he made it upstairs safely. Once upstairs, the lighting improved a lot. Standing on the third floor, Lu Mingze looked toward the horizon at a sunset as red as fire, and heard someone beside him say, “Dusk is the moment when light fades and darkness descends. It is the time when monsters revel. You should not go upstairs anymore—it will be very dangerous.”

“Who’s speaking?” Lu Mingze looked around, but didn’t see a single person. Only a suit of armour, covered in dust, stood in the corner of the staircase.

Lu Mingze instinctively felt that this was the one speaking to him, so he walked over and greeted it. “Hello, was it you who warned me that going upstairs would be dangerous?”

“You recognized me?” The armour’s head rattled with a clatter clatter sound. “I’ve warned countless people, but not a single one noticed me. How did you find me?”

Since there was already a statue downstairs that could talk, armour talking didn’t seem all that strange anymore.

Lu Mingze said, “You’re the only one here. Even if I guessed wrong, no one would find out, so I just gave it a try. If you hadn’t answered me, I would’ve gone to ask the window or the staircase instead—hehehe.”

He laughed a little sheepishly. The armour stiffened for a moment before saying, “You are truly an honest person.”

“There’s no need to lie—it’s not anything embarrassing,” Lu Mingze said.

“You said there are monsters upstairs. What are they? Do they look nice?” Lu Mingze asked with some excitement.

The armour rattled again. “They are malice bred from darkness. They want to become the city lord and rule this city, so they keep lingering around the city lord’s office and refuse to leave.”

Lu Mingze said, “Then what about the city lord? Since the city became ruins, as the leader he should bear responsibility, right? Where did he go?”

“On the day the disaster arrived, I saw the city lord leave the city lord’s manor with some luggage. I watched him depart through the window, seeing his back disappear into the sunset, and I never saw him again. After all, I’m just a suit of armor—I can’t leave this place.”

Lu Mingze said, “That means among all the city’s staff, you’re the one who stayed at your post the longest.”

The armour clattered from head to toe and said awkwardly, “No, no, it’s just that I can’t move.”

“But you’ve been here for so long, and when you see someone like me accidentally enter the city lord’s manor, you still speak up to warn them. That has nothing to do with whether you can move, does it?” Lu Mingze said. “Thank you for the warning, but I have something important to do. I must enter the city lord’s manor and retrieve the map.”

“Judging from your attire, you must be someone of noble status, right?” the armour asked.

Lu Mingze nodded. “I’m a prince. The king sent me to rebuild this country.”

The armour suggested, “Then… you may wear me. I’ve stored up a bit of power and can protect you.”

“That’s wonderful—thank you!” Lu Mingze reached out and hugged the armour, getting himself covered in dust.

He then tried to pick up the armour’s weapon, but it was too heavy—he couldn’t lift it.

Lu Mingze: “……Sorry, I don’t think I can bear your weight.”

Armour: “……”

 

Translator : DarNan