Led astray by KP

This little girl looks about six or seven years old, with two pigtails, wearing a dress, and carrying a small bag with an animation pattern.

Liu Xing had a premonition that this little girl would be the key to triggering the main quest of this module.

Of course, although Liu Xing hadn't forgotten the psychological trauma Isabella had caused him, he wasn't someone who refused to seek treatment.

So, Liu Xing walked up, squatted in front of the little girl, and showed a kind smile, "Little sister, why are you crying here alone? Did you get separated from your family?"

The little girl looked at Liu Xing, nodded, and whispered, "Yes, I got separated from my mom."

As soon as the little girl finished speaking, kpcao couldn't wait to say, "Alright, congratulations to player Old Chinese Doctor for triggering the first stage of this Advancement Game. All players need to help the little girl find her mother, and the task must be completed within half an hour. If the time limit is exceeded, you will enter a failure ending. As for what the failure ending is, I can tell you now: the little girl cries because she can't find her mother, and then the surrounding pedestrians will treat you as bad guys, and finally, you will be forced to leave the Harvest Festival venue."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He didn't expect this Advancement Game quest to have a time limit, and it was a multi-stage quest at that.

Time was pressing, and Tina, who was nearby, immediately walked over and said to the little girl with a smile, "Little girl, what's your name? How did you get separated from your mom?"

The little girl looked at Liu Xing, then at Tina, and then said to Tina, "My name is Minami Kotori (the Total Party Kill engine of the Reader Group is online). I got separated from my mom when we came to watch the performance. Now I don't know where my mom is..."

Liu Xing suddenly felt that he had just had an appearance contest with Tina, and he had lost...

This is indeed a world where looks matter...

At this moment, Ming Shi Xiang and the others also came over. After learning about the little girl's situation, Li Ming made his suggestion, "For a public event of this scale, the organizers should have set up a Children's Lost and Found Center. Why don't we take Kotori there first? After all, so many people are attending the Harvest Festival today. It's impossible for us to find Kotori's mother in a short time with just our strength. So, we can only rely on the organizers' help to find Kotori's mother."

Liu Xing nodded and said, "Li Ming is right. I remember when Alger was injured, a team of medical personnel immediately took him to the hospital. So, there must be a Children's Lost and Found Center set up at this Harvest Festival venue. Perhaps Kotori's mother is also heading there."

As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, kpcao smiled and said, "As expected of players who can participate in the Advancement Game, your logical thinking is so clear. You've found the best solution so quickly. In that case, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll assume you know that the Children's Lost and Found Center for this Harvest Festival is set up next to the Great Hall."

After receiving the reminder from kpcao, everyone knew that there was no time to delay. Tina was responsible for leading Minami Kotori, and everyone began to head towards the Great Hall.

However, there was still the same problem: Li Ming, with his injured leg, inevitably slowed down their overall movement speed. So, Li Ming sighed helplessly and said, "Why don't you leave me be and take Kotori to find her mother first? I'll catch up with you slowly."

Ming Shi Xiang nodded, but still said with some concern, "Li Ming, if you have to climb up to Immortal Crane Temple to meet us alone in your current condition, it might be a bit troublesome. If you accidentally fall and roll down halfway up the mountainside, your life could be in danger. After all, we have Alger's precedent!"

Upon hearing Ming Shi Xiang's words, everyone nodded in unison. After all, kpcao might really do something like that...

"Hey, hey, hey, don't slander this kp with your malicious thoughts. Am I that kind of kp with a bad personality?" Kpcao said indignantly.

Just then, Tian Dao spoke up, "Then let's do this. I'll be responsible for escorting Li Ming. That way, nothing should go wrong."

Liu Xing nodded. That was a good idea.

So, Tian Dao stayed behind to walk slowly with Li Ming, while Liu Xing and the others, with Kotori, continued to head towards the Great Hall.

Not long after, Liu Xing and his group arrived outside the Great Hall of Immortal Crane Temple and saw a small pavilion set up next to the Great Hall with a sign hanging on it – Children's Lost and Found Center.

However, Liu Xing felt that something was not quite right, because the first stage of the quest seemed too smooth. They hadn't even passed a few checks, and they were already about to complete this first stage.

Moreover, kpcao's behavior was also a bit strange. Logically, he shouldn't have provided information directly. At the very least, he should have made them pass an Insight check or asked a passerby. Instead, kpcao directly told them the location of the Children's Lost and Found Center, which was as if... Kpcao was deliberately guiding them here!

Liu Xing frowned, not expecting to be tricked by kpcao this time. The Harvest Festival venue wasn't large; a normal pace would take fifteen minutes to walk around, so half an hour seemed tight but was actually more than enough.

Therefore, Liu Xing felt their group could easily accomplish everything within the allotted time. First, they could head to the Commercial District on the left, using the excuse of looking for Minami Kotori's mother to find an opportunity to get the grapes. Then, while heading up the mountain, someone could go to the bamboo forest to dig up a bamboo shoot. Finally, upon arriving at the Children's Lost and Found Center next to the Great Hall, they could figure out a way to pick peaches behind the Great Hall. Wouldn't that gather all the items needed to pass the level?

Overall, Liu Xing felt their group had been led astray by kpcao. Although kpcao provided correct information, it had constrained their group's thinking, leading them down a path with the least difficulty but zero reward. They might have even missed many clues.

But it was too late to say any of this now. After all, their group had already arrived at the Children's Lost and Found Center. They couldn't possibly suggest going back down to look for Minami Kotori's mother and then come back up if they couldn't find her, could they?

Thinking this, Liu Xing finally believed what Wu Lei had told him—never completely trust what kp says!