Dream Toy Exhibition (Part 2)

Directly facing the main entrance of the venue was a massive exhibition hall for mechanical locks. As the company's debut product, and having been praised by the trending topic king, Tony Stark, the Dream Toy Company naturally gave it the grandest showcase.

In reality, mechanical locks had developed to a point where Kraft no longer needed to create new mechanisms. The company had hired many talented individuals in this field, and new mechanisms were updated from time to time. Furthermore, in their marketing, the company astutely linked these locks to the Mohist mechanical arts, which attracted many Westerners who enjoyed Eastern culture.

Occupying the largest area within the exhibition hall was the solar-powered skateboard series. It wasn't that the sales of this series were exceptionally good, although they were indeed decent. The primary reason was that this series required a large open space for visitors to experience the products.

The liveliest area was undoubtedly the mechanical pet exhibition zone, where a group of boisterous children were shouting, mixed with quite a few adults who hadn't lost their childlike wonder.

In addition, there were pet toys invented by Kraft to keep Bea and Quinn entertained – the Quidditch series, featuring automatic cat and dog toys like the Bludger, Quaffle, and Golden Snitch in various models.

As for why they were named that way…

Don't ask. If you must know, it's due to a sense of déjà vu.

These products were all ones Kraft remembered. He also spotted a product that was beyond his expectations – a portable ball series developed based on Professor Agasa's soccer belt.

Although the mass-produced balls couldn't achieve the infinite enlargement seen in dreams, the company's designers had solved the problem of the manufactured balls deflating after 10 seconds and developed a recycling function. While the quality wasn't as good as professional-grade balls, for children who just wanted to have fun, these portable balls were more convenient for their play. They weren't exactly the flagship products, but reportedly, their sales were quite good.

There were also some products that were likely independently developed by the company's internal designers; in any case, Kraft couldn't see any connection between them and his dreams.

Finally, there were other toy vendors who were just there to fill space, along with some traditional stalls commonly found in Chinatown, such as sugar figurines, sugar paintings, kites, and paper cuttings.

Then, Kraft found Mary Jane at an booth selling sparklers and various floaty outfits. She was holding a pink princess dress up to herself.

Kraft: "..."

Sister, how old are you?

"Uh... I'm just curious..."

Sensing Kraft's silent arrival behind her, Mary Jane tried to put up a fight but soon gave up.

"Fine! I just like these pretty little dresses! What's wrong with that?! Is there a problem with a girl liking these things?!"

Alice next to her nodded vigorously, looking in full agreement, and cast a covetous glance at the dresses nearby.

"I didn't say anything..."

Kraft spread his hands with a chuckle and waved at Alice. "If you like something, go try it on. They're all our own products, so just take whatever you fancy."

"Really?" Alice looked at Kraft with sparkling eyes. After receiving his affirmation, she excitedly hugged him. "You're so nice! Big Brother!"

Then she skipped off into the pile of clothes.

"Aren't you going to pick one? I can authorize giving you an outfit."

Kraft nudged Mary Jane, who was hesitating, and said, "Once the exhibition officially starts, someone else might snatch it up. These include exhibition-exclusive products, so if you don't buy them now, it'll be hard to get them later."

Selling exclusive products at exhibitions was already a standard tactic for major manufacturers, but it was still as effective as ever.

Pretty dresses plus limited editions were too much for Mary Jane to resist. She dropped her reserve and began browsing the stall with Alice.

By the time the two girls finished picking out their clothes, nearly an hour had passed. The exhibition had already officially opened, and attendees of other ethnicities were gradually increasing.

After leaving the clothes the two girls picked out to be stored at the booth, Kraft asked Mary Jane, "Where are David and the others? I need to talk to him about something."

"They got hungry halfway through their browsing and went off to find something to eat," Mary Jane replied with a smile, twirling her red hair with her finger, in a good mood after buying new clothes.

"...So that fatty's talk about losing weight was all lies again."

Kraft rolled his eyes. He had thought that after the shooting incident, Fatty Liao's weight loss journey would finally be taken seriously, but he had overestimated his good friend.

Eventually, Kraft found the two fatties enjoying themselves (no typo) at a pancake stall.

"Weren't you saying you were going to lose weight?"

Kraft walked up to Fatty Liao, a bit exasperated, and kicked him.

"...I need to be full to have the energy to lose weight!"

Fatty Liao remained silent for a moment, then stuffed the last bit of pancake into his mouth and said righteously.

"Don't use my own words to brush me off!"

After giving Fatty Liao another kick, Kraft finally got down to business.

"I'm going on stage to launch a new product later and need two people to assist me. You'll come up with me."

"No problem! Leave it to me!"

Fatty Liao would naturally not refuse such a good opportunity.

As Kraft was explaining the details to him, a young white man walked over.

"Long time no see, classmate Kraft. How have you been?"

Kraft turned around and looked at the blonde man before him, falling into thought. "You... who are you?"

The elegant expression on the newcomer's face faltered slightly, then quickly recovered. He continued to smile and said to Kraft, "Classmate Kraft, you truly have a forgetful nature. Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Felim Jones. We met before at the All New York Middle School Joint Exchange Ball."

Is that so? What kind of garbage is the All New York Middle School Joint Exchange Ball? When did I ever attend such a boring party?

Kraft tilted his head in confusion, asking himself three bewildered questions but getting no answers.

It wasn't until Fatty Liao reminded him in a low voice that he vaguely recalled the guy who seemed to have an "elegant filter" applied to him.

"Oh, it's you. Welcome."

In his memory, the ball had not been a pleasant experience, so Kraft didn't offer Felim any pleasantries. However, since Felim was a guest, Kraft didn't overtly show his dislike, merely giving a faint nod.

"I just came over to say hello and won't disturb you further."

Felim also noticed that he wasn't exactly welcome by Kraft. He maintained his composure, gave a slight bow, and then left. Inwardly, though, he was quite vexed. He hadn't anticipated that Kraft's rather uninspired inventions would develop to this extent. It seemed unlikely that he could mend their relationship now.

After seeing off that nonsensical fellow, Kraft, along with Fatty Liao and the others, headed to the stage at the very back of the exhibition hall. A song and dance performance was currently underway on the central stage. Some guests who had already finished touring the venue, or who weren't particularly interested in the toys but had come to show support, were sparsely gathered in front of the stage, watching the performance.

As the stage performance concluded, the host walked onto the stage. His voice, amplified by the speakers placed throughout the venue, reached every corner of the hall.

"And now! Please welcome the chief designer of the Dream Toy Company! The genius youth praised by the media, the renowned Doctor Ingenious – Kraft Lee! – to the stage!!!"