Sparkle: Hello there, chicken wing girl's fan~

Sampo said he would take him to "the best restaurant nearby".

Jingxing honestly didn't have high expectations. "It's probably just a store with really good online reviews."

It wasn't until Jingxing followed Sampo through a maze of turns into a graffiti-covered alley and saw a shop with a crooked sign hanging at the entrance that he began to believe what Jingxing had said.

The shop is small, and the owner is an old man wearing an apron.

After taking their order, Sampo leaned over and whispered, "This old man used to be at the World-Painting Academy when he was young, but he said he found that cooking was more satisfying than painting, so he started doing this instead."

He paused, then said, "I heard that when he was young, he was ambitious and insisted on painting 'things that could be passed down through generations.' Later, he realized—what truly matters is the essence of something that can be passed down through generations."

"Whether you look up at the stars or keep your feet on the ground, as long as it's something you enjoy doing, that's fine," Jingxing agreed.

As he listened to Sampo recount various events, he kept recalling the words of the Boundless Pagoda.

Jingxing didn't come to his senses until the dishes were served.

"Try this." Sampo pushed a plate of fried food towards us. "You seemed a bit down after your talk with the dean. Are you troubled by something?"

"Indeed." Jingxing nodded, but didn't tell him about his troubles.

Sampo, being quite tactful, didn't pry. "Well, life is full of challenges. As long as you keep moving forward, there's always a way out. So smile! A better mood helps you move forward with less burden, right? That's my motto, La- Sampo."

Before all the dishes were served, the chairs at the table were pulled out.

A young girl sat down naturally, as if she was meant to sit at the same table as Jingxing and the others.

She wore a white fox mask on her head, with a wide-open smiling mouth painted on it; the other half of her face, also showing a curved smile—two smiles overlapping, one real and one fake, making it impossible to tell which one to believe.

"Uncle Coldlegs," she gestured with her chin at Sampo, "Eating all by yourself without me?"

Sampo's expression froze for a moment, but quickly turned into a helpless smile, "Dude... how did you know I was here?"

Jingxing had known Sampo for most of the day, and this guy always had a smiling face and a glib tongue. This strange young girl was the first person who could make his face freeze.

"How big is the Dual-Phase Paradise?" The girl reached out, picked up a piece of fried food from Sampo's plate, took a bite, and vaguely changed the subject, "This must be the person the company's Intellitron sent, right? Hello, my name is Sparkle. If you have any trouble, feel free to come to me. As long as I think it's fun, the price is negotiable. After all, for us Masked Fools, the most important thing in life is to be happy!"

As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Jingxing's face, scanning him from head to toe. "But I thought Sampo- chan was specially going to entertain some kind of extraordinary person, but he doesn't seem that special at all."

The mere mention of the Masked Fools sent shivers down Jingxing's spine. Jingxing had previously read online discussions about the Masked Fools, which mentioned that the Masked Fools loved to tease the Knights of Beauty, the most earnest and devout knights. And for the Masked Fools, the more earnest someone was, the more fun they were to tease.

Although I am not Knights of Beauty, I am still on Path of Beauty. Who knows if these Masked Fools will try to harm me?

However, judging from Sparkle and Sampo's familiar demeanor, it seems that Sampo is also Masked Fools...

"Hiss--Is he planning to make fun of me?" Jingxing regretted transferring the commission to Sampo in advance.

"Hey," Sparkle snapped her fingers in front of him, "What are you thinking about? Your face is all pale. We Masked Fools don't eat people."

"I was afraid you'd tease me," Jingxing explained honestly.

In any case, after putting on such a boring act, even the Masked Fools should lose interest in playing tricks on himself, right?

Sparkle was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing, "Oh dear, but you have a face that makes you want to be teased."

Seeing this, Sampo quickly interjected, "Dude, you didn't come to see me just to say hello to Jingxing, did you? He's a good client of mine, you can't steal him away. Besides, my good brother's got a problem, so don't come and cause trouble."

"Oh? Something bothering you?" Sparkle raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued. "What's bothering you?"

To prevent Sparkle from coming up with any more crazy ideas, Jingxing simply revealed that his purpose in coming here to study was to become famous.

"To become famous, huh? Well, I have an idea." Sparkle's mind worked perfectly without her noticing. "Go and design a poster for our Tavern."

"Tavern?" Jingxing repeated the name.

"The End of the World, once the most fun place in the entire galaxy, and also our headquarters," Sparkle said, counting on her fingers. "If you can draw a great poster for the Tavern, we'll promote it for you all over the galaxy. You'll definitely become famous!"

"Our methods are the wildest. From the mansions of Genius Society to the sewers of slums, where aren't we? Your name will spread throughout the galaxy along with our jokes. Even Chicken Wing Girl won't be as famous as you."

"Chicken wing girl?" Jingxing frowned. "Are you talking about Robin?"

"Oh my, I haven't even told anyone else the nickname I gave her yet, and you caught it right away... tsk tsk," Sparkle grinned, "Looks like my nickname-giving skills haven't diminished at all."

"The Robin isn't the chicken-wing girl," Jingxing corrected her earnestly. "She's kind-hearted and has a talent for singing; I like her very much."

"Oh?" Sparkle's expression turned mischievous. "So, you're a fan of the Robin?"

"I don't deny it."

"Ha, then I'll say it even more often," Sparkle said smugly. "I hope you'll pass this nickname on to the Robin himself."

"Although this guy's nickname is a bit... well, the idea he just came up with is still good." Sampo interrupted again, "Brother Jingxing, you can consider it. Although the Tavern... well, the Fools' promotional abilities are second to none."

Jingxing picked up his cup, took a sip, and didn't rush to agree.

To have a group of madmen who enjoy playing pranks make him famous is unlikely to be the "positive" image he desires. But the headquarters of the Masked Fools... who knows, it might even provide some inspiration for his research?

"Let's not talk about that now," he said. "May I have a look around the Tavern?"

Sparkle's eyes lit up, and she immediately chimed in, "No problem! I'm a huge fan of Chicken Wing Girl, we'll leave after we finish eating. Anyway, everyone can come into the Tavern except for Aha and the dog."