Yi Chen's sudden bid left Boss somewhat stunned.
Though he was a rare Candle Puppet Master, he had violated Lamp City's ban by illegally refining oil. He had been forbidden from opening a shop on Central Street and could no longer obtain raw materials directly from Lamp City.
That ruling had practically driven him out.
Yet he had grown up in Lamp City and insisted on staying, opening his shop in the remote Border Town Area. Every day, he left the city to search for materials for his puppets.
During one such search, he encountered danger and had his face contaminated by a Weird Substance, causing irreparable facial injuries. Even so, he continued to uphold the original spirit of a Candle Puppet Master.
However, because of the Border Town Area's weak spending power—and because he was not good at sales—his shop had gone a long time without a single customer.
Now, a strange-looking young man had suddenly arrived. After saying only a few words, he had abruptly offered to buy the cheapest, oldest puppet in the shop, one that even had trouble lighting up.
For a moment, Boss wondered whether this old puppet possessed some hidden value she had failed to discover.
"Wait a moment. This Candle Puppet hasn't been maintained in a long time. I'll need to repair it before delivery."
"How long will that take?"
"Half an hour should do."
Boss took the Candle Puppet into the workshop at the back of the shop. She picked up a magnifying glass and carefully examined it from head to toe, but found nothing of value.
The materials used to make the Candle Puppet had been fairly good at first, but after years of use, many parts of its body had cracked and been stuck back together with inferior adhesive. As