Directly opposite the venue entrance stood a massive mechanical lock exhibition hall. As the company's flagship product, and one praised by Tony Stark, the king of trending topics, Dream Toy Company naturally gave it the grandest presentation.
In truth, Mechanical Locks had developed to the point where Kraft no longer needed to come up with new mechanisms himself. The company had recruited quite a few specialists in the field, who regularly produced new designs. Its marketing department had also cleverly linked them to Mohist Mechanism Arts, attracting plenty of Westerners interested in Eastern culture.
The largest area of the expo, however, was occupied by the solar skateboard series. It was not that the products in that line sold exceptionally well... though they did sell fairly well. The main reason was that visitors needed a great deal of open space to try them out.
The liveliest area was, of course, the mechanical pet section. A crowd of unruly children shouted and shrieked there, mixed in with quite a few adults who had never quite grown up.
There was also the Quidditch Series, pet toys Kraft had invented to keep Bear and Quinn entertained—automatic cat and dog toys in various models, such as Bludgers, Quaffles, Golden Snitches, and more.
As for why they were called that...
Don't ask. It was all about the familiar vibe.
All of these were products Kraft remembered from his dreams. He also spotted one product he had not expected to see—a portable ball series developed from Professor Agasa's soccer belt.
Although the mass-produced balls could not expand infinitely like they did in the dream, the company's designers had solved the problem of them deflating ten seconds after being made and had also developed a retrieval function. While their quality could not compare to professional balls, they were more convenient for children who just wanted to have fun. They were not a flagship product, but apparently they sold quite well.
Some other products were probably developed independently by the company's designers. At any rate, Kraft could not tell what they had to do with his dreams.
There were also other toy vendors there to fill out the exhibition, along with traditional stalls commonly seen in Chinatown selling things like sugar figurines, sugar paintings, paper kites, and paper-cut window decorations.
Kraft then found Mary Jane in a section selling sparklers and all sorts of airy, flowing outfits. She was holding a pink Princess Dress in front of herself, trying it on for size.
Kraft: "..."
How old are you, sis?
"Uh... I was just curious..."
Noticing Kraft silently appear behind her, Mary Jane tried to struggle a little, but quickly gave up.
"Yes! I just like pretty little dresses like this! Is there something wrong with that?! What's wrong with girls liking this stuff?!"
Alice nodded vigorously beside her, her face full of agreement as she gazed longingly at the little dresses nearby.
"I didn't say anything..."
Kraft spread his hands with an amused smile, then waved at Alice. "If you like them, go try some on. They're all our own products anyway. Just take whatever catches your eye."
"Really?" Alice gave Kraft a pair of sparkling eyes. After receiving his confirmation, she excitedly hugged him. "You're so nice, big brother!"
Then she happily rushed into the pile of clothes.
"Aren't you going to pick one too? I can decide to give you an outfit for free."
Seeing Mary Jane hesitate, Kraft quietly gave her a push. "Once the expo officially starts, someone might buy it before you do. There are expo-exclusive products here. If you don't buy them this time, they'll be hard to get later."
Selling limited-edition products at expos was already a standard tactic among major companies, but it remained as effective as ever.
Pretty little dresses combined with limited editions were simply too much for Mary Jane to resist. She stopped pretending to be reserved and began picking through the clothes with Alice.
By the time the two girls had finished choosing outfits, nearly an hour had passed. The expo had already officially begun, and attendees of other skin colors had gradually started arriving in greater numbers.
After leaving their chosen clothes at the store for the time being, Kraft asked Mary Jane, "Where are David and the others? I need to talk to him about something."
"Halfway through looking around, he and Ned said they were hungry and ran off to find something to eat."
Mary Jane was in high spirits after buying new clothes. She twirled her red hair around a finger as she answered with a smile.
"...That fat bastard was clearly lying when he said he wanted to lose weight."
Kraft rolled his eyes. He had thought that after the shooting incident, Fatty Liao would finally take his weight-loss campaign seriously. Apparently, he had overestimated his good friend.
In the end, Kraft found the two fat guys happily stuffing themselves at a pancake stall.
"Didn't you say you were going to lose weight?"
Kraft strode over irritably and gave Fatty Liao a kick.
"...You need to eat your fill before you have the energy to lose weight!"
Fatty Liao fell silent for a moment, stuffed the last bite of pancake into his mouth, and spoke with righteous conviction.
"Don't use my own words against me!"
Kraft kicked Fatty Liao again before finally getting down to business.
"I'm going onstage later to unveil a new product. I need two people to help me, so you're coming up with me."
"No problem! Leave it to me!"
Naturally, Fatty Liao would not refuse such a good opportunity.
Just as Kraft was explaining the specific details to him, a young white man walked over.
"It has been a long time, classmate Kraft. Have you been well?"
Kraft turned around, looked at the blond man before him, and fell into thought. "You... who are you?"
The elegant expression on the man's face stiffened slightly, but he quickly recovered. Still smiling, he said to Kraft, "Classmate Kraft truly has a poor memory for unimportant people. Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Felim Jones. We met before at the All-New York Middle School Joint Exchange Ball."
Did that happen? What the hell was the All-New York Middle School Joint Exchange Ball? When did I ever attend some boring dance like that?
Kraft tilted his head in confusion, asking himself three baffled questions in his heart, but received no answers.
Only after Fatty Liao quietly reminded him did he vaguely recall the guy in front of him, who seemed to have some sort of elegance filter applied to him.
"Oh, it's you. Welcome."
That ball did not seem to have left him with any pleasant memories, so Kraft did not give Felim a friendly look. Still, the man was a guest, and Kraft did not show his dislike. He merely nodded faintly.
"I only came over to say hello, so I won't disturb you any longer."
Felim could also tell that Kraft did not welcome him. He maintained his elegance, gave a slight bow, and left. In truth, though, he was rather frustrated. He had never expected Kraft's boring inventions to grow to this extent. It seemed unlikely that he could repair their relationship now.
After sending that inexplicable guy away, Kraft took Fatty Liao and the others to the stage at the very back of the expo. A song-and-dance performance was underway at center stage. Some guests who had already finished touring the venue, as well as others who had little interest in the toys and had only come to show support, were scattered sparsely before the stage watching the performance.
As the performance onstage ended, the host stepped up. His voice, amplified through speakers placed throughout the venue, reached every corner of the exhibition hall.
"Now! Please welcome Dream Toy Company's chief designer! The genius youth lavishly praised by the media, the world-famous Clever Hands Doctor—Kraft Leeeeeeeee—!!! To the stage!!!"
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