Xiao Ai pursed her lips, seemingly very reluctant to admit it.
But she probably wasn't in the habit of lying. After a long hesitation, she finally gave a grudging nod.
Then she stressed, "She must have started disguising herself a very, very long time ago. Everyone in our town is an ordinary person. There couldn't possibly be a witch."
"Do you know that witch?" Zhao Xun asked.
Xiao Ai shook her head. "I heard that the witch's parents were born and raised in our town too. They were kind and friendly to everyone. Nobody in town noticed anything wrong with her parents. I don't know how she became an evil witch."
As though something had occurred to her, Xiao Ai lowered her voice and told Zhao Xun, "I think that girl might have been eaten by the witch long ago. Then the witch kept disguising herself as the girl and living in our town."
"That's certainly possible." Zhao Xun nodded with a show of solemn consideration.
Pleased to have her theory validated, Xiao Ai brightened. "I knew a couple born and raised here couldn't possibly have a witch for a daughter. The witch must have replaced the real girl."
"By the way, do you know that witch's name?" Zhao Xun asked curiously.
Xiao Ai looked at Zhao Xun in puzzlement. "Why do I get the feeling you're really interested in that witch?"
Zhao Xun smiled naturally. "From what you've told me, that witch sounds very dangerous. I want to learn as much about her as I can. If I happen to run into her, I'll know to run right away, and I can tell the people at the Public Security Office too. The sooner she's caught, the sooner the town can return to its former peace."
"Yes, yes, you're right." Xiao Ai nodded repeatedly, then told him everything she knew. "I heard her name is Ruby, but I don't know her full name. She has slightly wavy chestnut hair cut short, around her ears. She looks about twenty, stands around a hundred and sixty centimeters tall, and is on the thin side."
"All right, I'll remember that." Zhao Xun thanked Xiao Ai. "Thank you for telling me so much. But I'm a little tired from traveling all this way. Would it be all right if I rested now?"
With that, he gave an enormous yawn.
Xiao Ai hurriedly nodded. "Of course. Get some rest. I'll go heat some water and leave you alone."
With that, she started toward the door.
Just as Xiao Ai was about to leave the bedroom, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Zhao Xun. "Oh, I still don't know your name."
"Just call me A Shui," Zhao Xun replied with a smile.
Xiao Ai lowered her head shyly and left, looking quite content.
Without any fuss, Zhao Xun lay down on the bed outside the curtain.
He wasn't actually tired, but he had learned just about everything he could from Xiao Ai. He didn't want to keep chatting, so he had used that excuse.
From what he knew so far, the events in town seemed to have nothing whatsoever to do with a "sculpture."
But this was a game, not real life. The repeated mentions of the witch and her escape were unlikely to be irrelevant information.
That meant there had to be some connection between the witch and the sculpture.
In other words, the "sculpture" he needed was neither some random sculpture on the street nor a famous sculpture in town.
It was a sculpture connected to the witch.
Based on the information he had gathered so far, he thought there were two possibilities.
The first was that, as Xiao Ai had suggested, the real Ruby was already dead, and the witch had taken Ruby's appearance and lived in town for many years.
The witch's original form might have been a "sculpture" that, for some unknown reason, had gained sentience and become "human."
In that case, the "sculpture's heart" he was looking for was the witch's heart.
The second possibility was that Ruby herself was a witch, but nobody had ever noticed.
And she had sacrificed Xiao Ai's parents to create a sculpture through witchcraft-the exact reason remained unknown.
In that case, only by finding the witch could he find her sculpture and obtain the "sculpture's heart."
Whichever possibility was true, he had to find the witch first.
That was why he had asked for all sorts of information about her.
But he probably couldn't learn anything more from Xiao Ai. After all, she didn't even know Ruby.
So he planned to find someone who knew Ruby tomorrow and ask around.
As for tonight... even if he wanted to go out and ask people about the witch, there probably wouldn't be anyone on the streets.
Wandering around could also arouse the Public Security Office's suspicions. Getting arrested would be a hassle.
He might as well get a good night's sleep.
Besides, he hadn't lain on a bed for two days. Although the bed was hard and cold, being able to stretch his arms and legs comfortably felt pretty good.
At dawn, the bright sunlight outside the window gradually pushed back the oppressive darkness, and early-rising sparrows chirped clearly.
A faint noise woke Zhao Xun from his sound sleep.
He opened his eyes and saw Xiao Ai emerging from behind the curtain.
Xiao Ai tugged at the hem of her skirt in embarrassment. "Sorry, A Shui. I woke you."
"It's fine." Zhao Xun sat up. "I was planning to get up early anyway."
"What are you getting up so early for?" Xiao Ai asked in confusion. "Do you have something to do?"
"Yes. I'm going to see if there's any work in town that suits me." Once again, Zhao Xun demonstrated his ability to make things up on the spot. "I can't just stay here eating your food and living under your roof for free, can I?"
Xiao Ai smiled shyly. "Actually, helping me with the housework would be enough to cover your stay. I don't have much to offer you anyway."
"I'd still like to go out and find a way to earn some money," Zhao Xun insisted. "Besides, I really like the atmosphere in your town. If possible, I'd like to stay long-term."
"Then you really should think about earning money." Xiao Ai thought for a moment, then suggested, "Aren't you a traveling performer? You must have some talents, right? You could perform in the open-air square. Quite a few people would be willing to tip you."
"All right," Zhao Xun agreed. "I'll give it a try."
"I have to work in the flower fields on the edge of town, then sell flowers this afternoon." Xiao Ai took out a key and handed it to Zhao Xun. "I'm not sure exactly when I'll be back. Take this key so you can come and go."
"Thank you." Zhao Xun accepted the key and thanked her politely.
Xiao Ai also told Zhao Xun where he could wash up and which container held drinking water. Only after explaining all that did she leave.
Once he was sure Xiao Ai had gone out, Zhao Xun took out his phone and checked it.
September 3, 5:30 a.m.
According to the announcement on the Endless Train, time in the Platform Game should have passed at the same rate as time in the real world.
So there was no problem with using his phone to calculate how much game time remained.
He had roughly two and a half days left. He needed to hurry.
Before you continue