Journey · Imperial Capital Arc (Twenty-Two): The Life of the World
"Sister Fox Fairy, you're really going to get me killed..."
"Hmm? I never knew you were such a sweet talker, Master?"
"Is this the important point right now?!"
Right now, Xiao Ling and Heartfox are walking on the streets of the Imperial Capital, preparing to deal with their household registration issues first.
After all, Heartfox is currently in human form, and without a registered residence, there would be many inconveniences in moving around this area, so it is necessary to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Fortunately, she has the ability to manipulate illusions, so to the locals here, the two of them are no different from an ordinary man and woman.
However, Xiao Ling could see her true form.
"I know what you're thinking, Your Excellency. You're just worried that the Magistrate Jin will be discouraged by what happened this morning," Xin teased, feigning amusement. "Don't worry, that girl isn't that fragile. She's taken on the heavy responsibility of guarding the border at such a young age. This setback won't defeat her."
"But if you, the Charioteer, remain silent on this matter, I fear the rift between you and her will only deepen."
"That's all because of you!" Xiao Ling kicked Heartfox in annoyance. "I thought you could come up with some airtight explanation, but instead you gave me a Garen Last Whisper."
"You can't blame me, Your Excellency. Any girl who is fond of you would be heartbroken to see you sharing a bed with other stunning beauties while ignoring her.
"I understand. I resent that the bright moon hangs high above but does not shine on me."
That makes sense.
Phrolova: You're a female horse.
"Ha... Never mind, we'll discuss this later." Xiao Ling sighed helplessly. "Right now, the most urgent matter is resolving your identity issue."
"Thank you for your trouble, Master~" A charming smile appeared on Heartfox's pretty face.
"Speaking of which, is this ID card really as important as you say, Master? Is it really necessary to expedite the issuance of a physical certificate?" After dealing with the identity matter, Heartfox immediately raised her question to Xiao Ling.
As for how they solved the identity problem? Heartfox's illusions and Xiao Ling's Data Hacking ability obtained from Little Ai were a piece of cake to deal with this kind of thing.
"Hey, don't underestimate it," Xiao Ling said seriously. "You know the Pangu Terminal, right? Its identity authentication function is almost the same as an ID card."
"Here in our area, modern people only carry three things when they go out: their cell phone, keys, and ID card."
"This ID card actually managed to get its own spot among them? It seems this little gadget has its own unique features." Heartfox nodded in sudden realization. "So, our next step is to solve the phone problem?"
"You guessed right." Xiao Ling snapped his fingers. "As for the SIM card, I'll use my ID to get one for now, and then I'll transfer it to you once your ID is approved."
"Everything will be as you wish, Master." Heartfox smiled serenely. "This humble woman is not very capable, and I will have to rely on your care in the future."
"Don't say that, don't say that." Xiao Ling waved her hands repeatedly, "I must say, Sister Fox Fairy, your expertise in civil engineering is unparalleled!"
Although they were supposed to be going to buy a phone, they actually spent far more time on the road than actually buying the phone.
Heartfox has always been someone who craves the pleasures of the human world. This manifests in her wanting to join in any excitement she sees, or wanting to taste any delicious food she smells. Before long, time flies by.
Just like now, she was happily eating the donkey roll in her hand, swallowing one in just a few bites, not even noticing that there was already a lot of soybean powder on the tip of her nose. If they weren't on the street, Xiao Ling would have reason to suspect that she would create several clones to try different flavors.
"Hey, Imperial Guard, could you try this one for me? It's sesame flavored, see if it's good?" She picked up another sesame-flavored donkey roll and fed it to Xiao Ling's mouth.
Seeing her eager expression, Xiao Ling chuckled twice, then casually pinched off the soybean powder from the tip of her nose before calmly picking up the donkey roll and savoring it.
"Hmm... not bad. Although it's not in my preferred category, the taste is undeniably excellent." He gave a genuine and fair assessment.
"This shop is a long-established business; three generations of their family have been in this business. Their skills are unparalleled." Heartfox stuffed another donkey roll into her mouth. "Mmm~ So delicious."
They walked and stopped, continuing along the street. Whenever they came across something delicious or fun, Heartfox would pull him to stop and explore it.
And there she was, spotting something interesting in front of a shop.
"Master, what's that thing over there that looks like a house?" Heartfox asked, pointing to the photo booth not far away.
"You're asking about that?" Xiao Ling explained with a smile, "That's a photo booth, for taking big photos. It's manual, and the results are printed instantly—hey, hey, hey, what are you doing!"
Before Xiao Ling could finish explaining, she eagerly grabbed her master and ran over excitedly.
Upon entering the photo shop, Heartfox immediately began to study how to use the photo booth camera. She learned quickly and soon figured out how to use the machine. Then, she excitedly pulled Xiao Ling along to take a photo together.
Then a QR code popped up on the machine, indicating that they could only use it after paying.
"So it wasn't free after all..." Heartfox's fox ears drooped slightly.
"How could something like this be free...?"
Xiao Ling gave a helpless smile, looked at Heartfox was a little disappointed, and paid the bill out of his own pocket.
"It should be fine now."
"Really? Let me see..."
Heartfox tried operating the machine and found that it worked properly. After some adjustments, she excitedly pulled Xiao Ling along to start taking pictures.
"Come on, driver, look at the camera!"
"You..."
Xiao Ling naturally wouldn't spoil Heartfox's fun, so he cooperated by making a peace sign with her.
"Ready?" Heartfox smiled sweetly. "Then, three, two, one, cheese!"
With a click, the photo of Xiao Ling and Heartfox was taken, and then the printing press started working, printing out the photo booth pictures they had just taken.
"Hmm, they look pretty good." Heartfox took out the photo booth pictures, admired them for a while, and nodded in satisfaction. "Master, how about we take a few more?"
"As you see fit," Xiao Ling nodded.
So, the two of them took a lot of photo booth pictures like models—some pretty, some funny, some playful—and each one was printed out and sent to Heartfox.
"By the way, why did you take so many photo booth pictures?" Xiao Ling, looking at the stack of photo booth pictures in Heartfox's hand.
"You asked about that? You'll find out in a bit," Heartfox said with a sly smile, keeping everyone in suspense.
"So you're going to stick them all over your phone?" Xiao Ling looked at Heartfox, who had covered the back of her new phone with photo stickers, and then understood her intention.
"Doesn't this look better?" Heartfox said with a bright smile. "Rather than treasuring them, I prefer to put them where I can see them at a glance, so that every time I see these photos, I can remember the time I spent with you today, Master."
"To be honest, life was much more fun when we were human! We could go wherever we wanted, and we didn't have to worry about getting run over by a car while we were out."
"It must have been inconvenient being a fox, right?" Xiao Ling teased.
Heartfox gave him a charming glare, her expression indignant as she said, "You have the nerve to talk back, Master? Who was it that left me with absolutely no privacy?"
"You hold a grudge quite a bit."
"How could I not hold a grudge!"
So, on their way home, Xiao Ling and Heartfox started bickering about it, their laughter and playful scolding blending into the lively atmosphere of the world.