Qin Siyu: Great Rui fell ages ago-what damned princess am I?

The figure appearing behind Lin Yu was none other than [Great Rui Princess Moon-Exploring Star-Plucking], Qin Siyu.

As a well-known thief in the Prison Mountain Realm and a good friend of "Master Thief" Li Nian, Qin Siyu was naturally extremely skilled in the most basic Thief such as picking locks and opening doors.

Perhaps, the mechanical lock designed by Supervisor Tennyson, which involves no Alchemy Energy and no Alchemy Component, will indeed be more troublesome for most residents of the City That Never Sleeps, especially Alchemy experts like Nightless Sky Fire Apricot.

After all, as long as Alchemy Energy is involved, a master like Nightless Sky Fire Apricot can easily use the flow of internal Alchemy Energy to crack the internal structure of the door lock.

She doesn't need any extra "lock-picking skills," all she needs is knowledge of Alchemy.

Just like many mathematical geniuses can dominate at the poker table Casino, or even in the field of financial investment—they don't need great poker skills or financial knowledge; they only need to use mathematical knowledge to achieve their goals.

So... while it's true that Supervisor Tennyson's Hidden Door, which doesn't rely on Alchemical Equipment, is rare, a second, purely mechanical lock isn't exactly a novelty in the City That Never Sleeps.

While equipment incorporating alchemical techniques is generally more convenient for Commoner in the City That Never Sleeps, the wealthier upper classes and Noble, who interact with almost everyone they encounter, possess advanced alchemical skills or have access to Alchemy Master, will always find a way to bypass security measures, no matter how sophisticated their Alchemical Equipment may be.

Therefore, many high-rise buildings in the City That Never Sleeps actually use primitive and simple security technologies.

For example, having a secretary personally deliver confidential messages, and using a signature seal across the seam of letters and documents.

High-end security customization companies also offer a variety of purely mechanical door locks and security boxes to meet the needs of different Noble classes.

However, this type of door lock, which has many advantages in the environment of City That Never Sleeps, has now become a "security flaw" that Lin Yu can easily deal with.

This lock could potentially be cracked even by someone from another world like Qin Siyu, who knows nothing about Alchemy but is skilled at picking locks.

At the same time, Qin Siyu, who appeared behind Lin Yu, looked at the locked door in front of her and immediately understood what she was probably here to do.

"Wow, you're finally out again... Long time no see, Mr. Zheng, Brother Shi—so now it's my turn to open this door, senior?"

Qin Siyu stretched her arms and legs and said excitedly.

Lin Yu nodded. "That's right. Although this isn't the Prison Mountain Realm, the structure of this lock should be similar to the locks you might see in the Prison Mountain Realm... Try opening it."

Qin Siyu patted her chest. "Leave it to me—no matter which world the lock comes from, as long as it's a lock, it's not a problem for me."

As she spoke, Qin Siyu approached the door, knocked on the lock, listened to the subtle sounds inside, and gently shook the door to observe the internal structure of the keyhole.

"It's quite a troublesome lock. The structure is very complex, the material is very tough, and the processing precision is very high. Locks like this are quite rare in the Prison Mountain Realm. They must be handcrafted by a master. I've only seen them in the treasure vaults of the Great Martial Halls and the First Under Heaven Trading Company," Qin Siyu said, pulling out a cloth bag from his pocket, unfolding it, and taking out two thin lock-picking tools. He then bit the bag and bent down to start picking the lock. "However, in this world... this kind of lock can probably be mass-produced, right? Even such a small door uses a lock of this level!"

Lin Yu watched as Qin Siyu inserted two professional lock-picking needles into the keyhole and asked, "So, how long will it take you approximately?"

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot added, "It's best to be quick... try to keep it within half an hour. The security guards outside might come in to patrol after their shift changes."

Upon hearing Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Fire Apricot's questions, Qin Siyu did not answer, but turned to look at the two of them before straightening up.

Then, she gently placed her hand on the door and pushed it hard.

"Click--"

A crisp unlocking sound rang out, and the door opened a crack.

Qin Siyu calmly replied, "How much longer can it be used? I've already said I've seen this kind of lock several times... No matter how ingenious it is, it's not difficult to open after three tries."

Looking at Qin Siyu, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot's eyes lit up again. "She's really amazing, and she's beautiful too..."

Then, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot looked at Lin Yu. Lin Yu, seeing the look in Nightless Sky Fire Apricot's eyes—the kind of look a primary school student would give her if she begged her dad to buy her expensive toys—spoke up cautiously.

"I won't sell or exchange this one either; it's also my 'good friend'."

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot waved her hand. "No, I already know you don't sell any subordinates, so why would I ask you this? I just wanted to ask if I could have this girl teach me how to pick locks—I can pick some simple mechanical locks without Alchemy, but I can't open security locks like this without damaging their appearance."

"She opened it in no time... that's really impressive!"

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot spoke earnestly, praising Qin Siyu until she was a little embarrassed.

"Oh, it's just practice makes perfect... After all, this is my livelihood, I've practiced it for many years," Qin Siyu waved her hand and looked at Lin Yu, "Senior, you haven't introduced me yet... And who is this?"

Lin Yu pointed to Nightless Sky Fire Apricot: "This is Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, the second Miss of Royal Nobles in City That Never Sleeps, the future Chosen of Wisdom — Royal Nobles are among the five most powerful families in City That Never Sleeps, practically indistinguishable from the Imperial Clan."

As Lin Yu spoke, Qin Siyu looked at the Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, her expression becoming much more serious, and she bowed respectfully.

"Oh, I see... Well then, Your Highness, I was so rude of me for not knowing your identity!"

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot heard Qin Siyu say that, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What the hell is 'Your Highness'... I'm not some kind of Your Highness!"

Lin Yu glanced at the [Item Name] Qin Siyu had been given by the "Death game"—[Great Rui Princess Moon-Exploring Star-Plucking]—and casually said, "To be honest, you're actually the 'Imperial Clan' one, Qin Siyu... By Bloodline, you're also Direct Lineage of the Great Rui Dynasty's princess."

Upon hearing this, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot looked at Qin Siyu in surprise. "Wow... so you are the real 'Princess'! Greetings, Your Highness!"

She also followed Qin Siyu's example and bowed.

Qin Siyu quickly waved her hand. "Oh dear, I didn't introduce myself completely, senior... What kind of princess am I! Our 'Great Rui Dynasty' has been gone for ages."

"It's just a hollow title, completely useless... it almost killed me."

"Have you ever seen a princess who needs to be a 'Thief' to make a living, and who is so skilled at picking locks?"

As Qin Siyu spoke, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot said seriously, "I sometimes steal things and pick locks too, but I'm not as good as you... Otherwise, why would I want to become your apprentice?"

Qin Siyu looked at Lin Yu curiously, and Lin Yu sighed, "What she said is true... Among the Royal Nobles of the City That City That Never Sleeps, she is considered quite unconventional."

"Anyway, if you want to teach her how to pick locks, I have no objection."

As Lin Yu spoke, Qin Siyu nodded. "Oh... of course I have no objection. If Miss wants to learn, I can teach her—it's not some unique skill anyway. My lock-picking technique doesn't have a specific master; I just learned it from some friends in the underworld and figured it out myself."

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot cheered again, "Yay! But my surname isn't 'Bu', it's 'Nightless Sky'. The correct way to pronounce my name is 'Nightless Sky' followed by 'Fire Apricot,' like this."

Upon hearing this, Qin Siyu apologized again. "So that's how it is... I was ignorant, I'm sorry—I was just wondering if your nickname is 'Nightless Sky' and your True Name Huo Xing or something... After all, where we're from, people usually call each other by their nickname plus their True Name. For example, my friends in the martial arts world would call me 'Qin Siyu, the Moon-Exploring Star-Plucking'."

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot stroked her chin. "Wow, this name format is so cool... I also want to give myself a nickname... but my original name is long enough, it would be too awkward to pronounce 'Captain Raccoon Nightless Sky Fire Apricot'."

The two girls were talking, and they were clearly having a very pleasant conversation.

Old Zheng, standing to the side, couldn't help but sigh.

"I didn't expect that a Thief from the Prison Mountain Realm and the second Miss of the City That Never Sleeps would have so much to talk about."

Stiller chimed in from the side, "I haven't seen the Second Miss this happy in a long time."

Old Zheng looked at Stiller: "What nonsense are you talking about? It's only a minority of the time that Huo Xing in Nightless Sky Fire Apricot it?"

Stiller shrugged. "I just wanted to say that line... I've been watching a lot of similar movies and TV shows lately, and my character is quite suitable for it, don't you think?"

Old Zheng was even more surprised. "You're quite perceptive."

Stiller sighed. "What kind of talk is that? It's true I'm Artificial Humans, but I'm still human at heart, okay? I'm not some emotionless animal."

Lin Yu coughed lightly, interrupting the casual conversation between the two sides.

"Alright, let's talk and teach later. Let's first see what's in the secret room that Supervisor Tennyson hid."

As he spoke, Lin Yu pushed open the door that Qin Siyu had already opened earlier.

"Clatter--"

With a crisp sound, the room lights automatically turned on after the door opened.

Then...

A space larger than the entire Supervisor Tennyson estate combined was presented before everyone's eyes.