I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

Upon hearing this, Hua glanced helplessly at Xiao Shi, then nodded in agreement.

----------------

After having breakfast and spending some time at the hotel with Xiaoshi and Hua, Greta contacted Pado, who was currently in the slums, and asked her to find a safe place to summon her.

As for why he didn't leave the hotel and go there himself...

That's because it's convenient, and I don't want to leave any traces. It wouldn't be good if they found out about Hua and Xiaoshi when I contacted Chen Huijie or Wen Yue.

After summoning the person from a deserted alley, Pado and her companion outwardly brushed past each other like complete strangers, without any apparent interaction. However, only they knew the real story behind it all…

'Thank you for your help, Sister Pado...'

"Haha, it's nothing. Gretchen, take care of yourself. I'm going back to find Ansel now."

'Yes, see you later, Sister Pado.'

After ending her internal communication with Paddo, Gretchen stopped being distracted and began to wander around the slums with curiosity.

Of course, the little girl wasn't wearing shoes at this moment, or rather, she had already taken them off when she was about to be summoned. After all, she wasn't used to wearing shoes anymore.

.

As for whether people would find it strange if they saw her, that was none of Gretchen's concern; she didn't care what others thought. Otherwise, she wouldn't have spent an entire afternoon barefoot playing with Muirsay in Trimont, Colombia.

If, by some chance, Talulah were to be mistaken for a runaway child, the little girl would hope to encounter a kind person who would take her directly to the Lungmen Guard Bureau, which would save her a lot of trouble.

……

the other side--

"Honestly, how could I be so careless? I forgot to bring everything."

At that moment, a girl in a black dress with light pink hair and a pair of mouse ears of the same color on her head was walking forward and muttering to herself.

Just as she was quickly heading towards her destination, a fleeting glimpse of color made her pause slightly and instinctively look in that direction.

Then a petite figure, completely out of place with its surroundings, came into her view, causing her to frown slightly.

"..."

Then, the girl glanced at the bag in her hand, then at the petite figure that was about to disappear from sight. After a moment of silence, she decisively postponed the matter of delivering the things to her father.

After making her decision, she didn't waste any time and quickly changed direction, chasing after him into the alley next to her.

……

Gretchen stopped in her tracks as she looked at the several new paths that had appeared before her, and fell into deep thought.

Only now has the little girl realized a very serious problem: the idea is clear, but putting it into practice is difficult...

Although she had a map shared by Pado, she still experienced what it meant to be "directionally challenged" when actually walking through the intricate network of roads and alleyways in the slums.

"Little sister, are you having any difficulties?"

Just as Gretchen was concentrating on figuring out where to go next, a voice suddenly rang out behind her, startling her so much that the hair on her head stood on end.

“???)!”

However, Gretchen turned around and saw who it was, and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, pretending not to know, she asked, "May I ask who you are...?"

"I'm just an ordinary passerby. I saw you here alone, little sister, so I came over to ask what's wrong." As she spoke, Lin Yuxia carefully observed Gretchen in front of her. However, the more she looked, the deeper her brows furrowed.

Sure enough, I wasn't wrong before... This little guy must have sneaked out of his house... These days in Longmen, who lets their child out in a thin dress and barefoot at this age?

It's worth noting that even Lin Yuxia herself is currently wearing a long jumpsuit with long sleeves.

"Hmm, I think I'm probably lost...?"

Upon hearing this, Gretchen gently touched her chin and said with some uncertainty in her tone.

"Should...? Little sister, do you have your elders' contact information?" Lin Yuxia asked patiently, though she felt a little helpless after hearing Gretchen's words.

"Um……"

Chapter 68 Lin Yuxia: "Little sister, do you need legal aid?"

"Um...no."

Faced with Lin Yuxia's question, Greta gently shook her head, denying it. She had only just left home and didn't want to be contacted by her "parents" and have to go back...

"..."

Gretchen's words successfully silenced Lin Yuxia briefly before she spoke again, "If you don't remember how to contact me, then little sister, do you remember where you live?"

"Um, sister, I didn't sneak out..."

This time, Gretchen did not choose to answer Lin Yuxia's question directly, but instead gave a serious explanation.

"?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuxia's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed slightly again. After carefully observing the child in front of her once more, she continued, "It's not good for children to lie. I'm not a bad person. Tell me what you know, and I'll take you home. It's too dangerous for you to be out alone."

“I didn’t lie, and bad people don’t admit they’re bad people either…” After hearing Lin Yuxia’s slightly “serious” words, Gretchen blinked her beautiful eyes and then said with a serious expression.

Gretchen's words left Lin Yuxia speechless. She paused for a moment, suppressing the "imposing aura" she had unconsciously exuded, and half-squatted down to look directly into the eyes of the person before her. She softened her tone and said:

"...Since you say you didn't sneak out, can you tell your sister why you weren't wearing shoes? And why you went out?"

“Well, because Kosmo said he liked it this way… and I felt more comfortable, so I didn’t wear it.” Gretchen paused slightly before continuing, “As for why I came out, it was to look for colors and to find someone.”

"?"

"Barefoot...you like it...?"

As soon as Gretchen finished speaking the first half, a big question mark appeared on Lin Yuxia's head. After listening to the whole thing, the expression on her delicate face became somewhat indescribable.

Putting aside whether the little one in front of her actually ran away, just based on the other information revealed in her words...

It makes people...

"Little sister, do you need help? I mean legal aid. I happen to know someone..."

"Hmm... legal aid?"

Seeing the sudden sharpness in the person's eyes, Gretchen tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Then, sister, can you take me away from here? There are so many forks in the road... I don't know which way to go."

"……Ugh."

Looking at the little one who seemed to have misunderstood her, Lin Yuxia sighed helplessly. However, she didn't explain, but instead went along with it and asked, "Okay, so where are you going next, little sister, to find... um... color, and who is that person?"

"I don't know... I don't know where the person I'm looking for is now, but as for colors, I've already found one."

As she spoke, Gretchen raised her head slightly, staring intently at the person in front of her with her beautiful violet eyes, and gazing deeply at the lovely colors behind her.

"...?"

Lin Yuxia met Gretchen's pure and focused gaze, and was slightly taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

To be honest, in the short time since we first met, Ms. Lin has had countless moments of doubt.

She even began to wonder if she was too old to keep up with the child's whimsical ideas... or perhaps this child was just too special?

"Never mind... I'll take you away from here first. Staying here is just a waste of time." After gently shaking her head to clear her mind of the jumbled thoughts, Lin Yuxia looked at Grey Xiu Dao again.

"If you leave with me, I'll not only take you home safely, but you'll also get lots of candy!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Yuxia reached out her hand to the "strange child" she was meeting for the first time.

Although Ms. Lin admitted that she looked a bit like a bad guy who had kidnapped a child, she was still worried about leaving such a barefoot little guy alone in this alley.

Especially lately, things haven't been peaceful in this slum...

"Oh, then I'll have to trouble you, sister..." Gretsch said without hesitation, reaching out to grasp the hand in front of her.

"Ah."

After Gretchen agreed, Lin Yuxia suddenly felt a complex mix of emotions, which made her quite conflicted.

On the one hand, she was happy that the little guy was willing to trust her and go with her, which would save her a lot of trouble. On the other hand, she was worried, feeling that he was too naive and easy to fool.

Never mind... Let's take him back first, and then we'll talk about this matter. We can give him a good talking-to and a good talking-to later.

Of course, Lin Yuxia still remembered what the little guy had said before. When she sent him back later, she wanted to see who that Kosmo was!

"By the way, my name is Gretchen, and I'm a painter. And your sister?" As Lin Yuxia led her outside, Gretchen suddenly remembered something and looked up at the person beside her.

"Gresh, that's a very nice name. My name is Lin Yuxia, and I'll keep my profession a secret for now."

"Well then, please take care of me from now on, Sister Yuxia..."

"This name..."

"Hmm, is that not allowed?"

"Sure, whatever makes you happy."

……

The sound of their conversation quickly faded into the deserted alleyway as they left.

------------------

On the other side, the candy store—

Inside the shop, Lin Gerui, the "Rat King," leaned back in his chair, glanced at the clock, then stroked his beard and muttered to himself:

"That's strange, why hasn't that girl come over yet after all this time?"

Although he had some doubts, Lin Gerui didn't think much of it, assuming that his daughter was just preoccupied with something.

His thoughts quickly turned to another matter, something he had discussed a few days earlier when Wei Yanwu had come to see him for drinks.

"Padofelis... I never expected that someone who evaded my dense surveillance would be a young girl. This generation of young people is getting more and more formidable."

Lost in thought and stroking his cane, Lin Gerui couldn't help but sigh. Just then, he suddenly changed the subject and said, "I just don't know what you can do next."

P.S.: Yesterday, while I was out buying some glutinous rice balls, the dog that I was temporarily boarding at my house pried open my bedroom door, climbed onto my bed, and chewed up all my pillows and plush toys. Even Ellie and Frostnova the rabbit weren't spared... I was so angry that I cried while washing things until midnight yesterday QAQ.

Chapter 69 Gretchen: "The person I'm looking for is named Chen Huijie..."

Candy store

Lin Gerui, who was pondering his detailed plan, stopped thinking and looked up when he sensed a familiar presence approaching.

As he expected, his daughter Lin Yuxia's graceful figure came into view. However, the "thing" she was holding in her arms did make him raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Okay, we're here."