Playing the Part of a Champion of Justice

Judging by the timing, the murdered couple Ruby had mentioned were probably Xiao Ai's parents.

So Ruby was worried that Xiao Ai would end up suffering the same fate as her.

Ruby's parents had died too, and shortly afterward, she had moved into the Duke's Manor... Was Ruby worried that Xiao Ai would also enter the Duke's Manor and become a maid?

But that hardly seemed like a terrible outcome.

Besides, Ruby had been too young at the time, and only the Duke's Manor had been willing to take her in.

Xiao Ai was different. She was already an adult and could earn money through her own labor.

Just as Xiao Ai herself had said earlier that day, she tended the flower beds at the nursery in the morning and sold flowers in the afternoon.

She could support herself. She didn't have to enter the Duke's Manor.

Then if that wasn't the "fate" Ruby was worried about, what else could it be?

The statue shook her head, looking even more dejected. "Ruby didn't say. I don't know."

Zhao Xun wasn't disappointed. Instead, he asked, "Did anything else happen during that month?"

The statue frowned and said with some anger, "It took more than twenty days for anyone to discover the couple's deaths, but somehow, Ruby ended up getting blamed. After I saved her, she told me she'd been prepared to risk everything to expose some dark secret, but she was discovered before she could act, so they forced her to take the blame."

"Did she tell you who framed her?" Zhao Xun asked again.

"No," the statue answered falteringly.

Zhao Xun fell silent for a moment. Then he looked up, met the statue's gaze, and said very seriously, "Ruby was probably falsely accused."

The statue blinked, seemingly unable to believe what she had heard. "You believe Ruby?"

Every resident in town now firmly believed Ruby was an evil witch. The statue hadn't expected any human to be willing to believe her.

Hearing Zhao Xun suddenly say that left the Sculpture's Heart both excited and happy.

Zhao Xun nodded and continued, "If I can find evidence proving Ruby's innocence, she won't have to keep hiding, and she won't have to worry about being burned at the Burning Stake."

"Really? You can do that?" The statue looked pleasantly surprised, but also a little doubtful.

"I'll do my best," Zhao Xun said sincerely, rather than making any guarantees. "Innocent people shouldn't be falsely accused. It isn't fair. I can't stand seeing something so unjust happen, and I hope I can do everything in my power to clear her name."

Seeing that Zhao Xun didn't seem to be joking, the Sculpture's Heart gradually began to feel moved. "Thank you."

"It's what anyone with a sense of justice should do." Zhao Xun smiled gently.

After a pause, he offered the statue another suggestion. "By the way, you should ask Ruby to tell you as much as she can about what she knows. That will help me find evidence of her innocence faster."

The statue nodded. "All right. I'll try to persuade her."

"I'll come back after tonight's banquet. Hopefully, you'll have some good news for me by then." Zhao Xun glanced at the time on his phone.

It was almost seven, and the banquet was about to officially begin.

"So soon?" The statue looked troubled.

"The people at the Public Security Office aren't just sitting around doing nothing. The longer this drags on, the more likely Ruby is to get caught," Zhao Xun reminded her.

"All right, I understand." The statue thought Zhao Xun had a good point. She nodded earnestly. "I'll make sure Ruby tells me the whole story."

"I'll be off, then. I'll look forward to your good news." After speaking, Zhao Xun let his gaze drift casually over the statue's chest, then turned and left.

His main quest, "Obtain the Sculpture's Heart," hadn't actually specified exactly how he had to obtain it.

He could dig out her heart and obtain it physically.

Or he could win her emotional reliance and trust.

Of course, that emotion didn't have to be love. Gratitude would work just as well.

If he hadn't triggered the Hidden Mission, Zhao Xun would have considered simply digging out her heart to see if it worked.

Achieving his goal in the simplest way would leave less room for complications.

But now that he'd triggered the Hidden Mission, he wasn't going to give up on it easily.

After all, he remembered that his personal panel also had a [Special Items] section.

Since he hadn't seen any way to purchase special items on the train, and the system had no shop, those special items were most likely rewards from Hidden Missions.

Besides, completing the Hidden Mission might also earn him extra points.

No matter how he looked at it, he shouldn't give up on the Hidden Mission lightly.

With the Hidden Mission's restrictions, Zhao Xun had to keep both the statue and Ruby alive. That meant he could only use the more troublesome second method of obtaining the Sculpture's Heart.

During his earlier silence, he had quickly weighed the gains and losses before choosing to play the part of a champion of justice in front of the statue.

Fortunately, the statue's thoughts weren't as complicated as a human's. As long as he appeared sincere enough, she was easy to fool.

Zhao Xun avoided the patrolling guards, hurried out of the bamboo grove, and headed for the banquet hall.

Since he'd confirmed that morning that he would be having a feast at the Duke's Manor that night, he hadn't eaten all day to conserve his supplies.

So he couldn't miss this meal, no matter what.

Zhao Xun entered the banquet hall without any trouble.

He had only just caught his breath when he heard someone announce the duke's arrival.

Zhao Xun looked up and saw a potbellied middle-aged man emerge from inside.

His bloated figure was dressed in an elaborate, lavish formal outfit, making him look like a large winter melon in exquisite wrapping.

Zhao Xun had little interest in the duke. He was about to find some desserts to tide himself over when he noticed someone following behind him.

She looked somewhat familiar.

His gaze swept over her.

It was the female player who looked as though she wasn't yet an adult.

The girl clutched the hem of her skirt tightly in both hands, looking around uneasily.

Apparently, this girl had probably been in the Duke's Manor ever since she entered the game.

Just like the burly man.

Only their roles were clearly different.

Judging by her clothes, the girl didn't really look like a maid...

The duke reached out, took one of the girl's hands, and pulled her into his arms.

His face showed undisguised possessiveness, and his gestures were even more intimate.

The girl was timid and submissive. She wanted to resist, but seemed afraid to do so. All she could do was wrap her arms around herself, as though shielding herself or trying to offer herself some comfort.

Perhaps mindful of the crowd, the duke didn't take things any further, but his hands kept lingering on the girl's cheek, hands, and waist.

Zhao Xun frowned slightly.

The sight was too revolting. He chose not to watch.

He turned to look for the desserts laid out on the table. Meanwhile, the duke began his speech.

After eating several little cakes in succession, Zhao Xun finally felt his ravenous stomach settle down a little.