Yes, I did all of this!

"Our studio's new product is the Sunset Doll, modeled after the Sunset in its golden flame state." The person opened the display case, revealing the Sunset Doll inside.

Q-shaped face still has a pair of beady eyes and a "∧" shaped mouth, and always looks very unhappy.

Chapter 530: Field Investigation

"Oh?"

Duanmu Mo took the Sunset Doll, looked at its expression, and smiled: "It's quite cute."

Xia Yan also stood on tiptoe, looking at that face, her tone somewhat displeased: "Why do you always look so unhappy?"

"That's the charm of the evening."

Upon hearing this, the stall owner's eyes were filled with emotion: "In the past, Yuri always fought alone, always so proud and determined. As long as it was to defeat the enemy, she was willing to lose her own life, which is why she turned into the Black Flame form in a critical moment. But later, after interacting with Huangyi, Lingyin, Fengling, and others, her proud heart also understood the importance of her companions, and she finally awakened into the Golden Flame Yuri."

The stall owner paused, then took a deep, rapt breath: "But even so, Yuhi's strength and pride are always etched into her. That's why she doesn't smile as much—compared to other magical girls, she's always been a doer, and that will be passed on to each of us through her battles."

"No, who are you talking about?" Xia Yan complained, looking completely bewildered.

At first, her words were somewhat understandable, although there were some mistakes. But by the time she awakened the Golden Flame, her words had become so absurd that even Xia Yan herself felt unfamiliar with them.

"You're talking about Xi Ri, aren't you a fan of hers?" The stall owner looked at Xia Yan with a questioning expression.

"I brought her here for a look around." Duanmu Mo turned the doll in his hand over to examine it.

"What's with the bow on her back? Why does Yuhi have that on her?"

"No? I think so," the stall owner retorted earnestly. "You must have mistaken me."

"I saw it wrong? Are you kidding me!" Xia Yan was stunned for a moment, her expression showing disbelief.

She then pointed to the flame-shaped hairpin on the doll's head and said, "How do you explain this? Yuhi didn't have this on her head, did she?"

"That's true, you know." The man's face was already showing some dissatisfaction: "Are you here to cause trouble? Even if the recent battle videos of Xi Ri are very blurry, you shouldn't question the strength of our club, okay?"

"Where is it? This is not the past at all."

"—I think I see now." The stall owner frowned, his displeasure evident. "You're not a fan of Xi Ri at all, are you? Are you going to buy it or not?"

"That's just how this child is, don't mind her," Duanmu Mo continued, trying to smooth things over. He took the doll from her hands and said, "Give me one..."

But before he could finish speaking, Xia Yan interrupted him:

"—No need, he already has a twilight year in his family."

As she spoke, Xia Yan hugged Duanmu Mo tightly.

"..."

Seeing this, Duanmu Mo sighed and handed the doll back to the stall owner: "Then forget it, we don't want it."

"What's going on..." the stall owner muttered, as Duanmu Mo led Xia Yan away from the spot.

"It's a real pity." Duanmu Mo was still a little regretful: "The dolls sold as mass-market goods are of very poor quality, but these small studios usually make them by hand, so the quality can be guaranteed to some extent."

"It just won't work!" Xia Yan snorted, and unconsciously led Duanmu Mo along.

"Okay, okay..."

Duanmu Mo shook his head and looked in another direction: "Oh? How about this one?"

He pointed to a stall, and Xia Yan was also a little confused, but she still took his arm and walked towards it.

This stall was much more popular than other places. One side of the stall was filled with boxes of merchandise, while the other side had a few boxes, but they were all empty. This shows how popular the goods sold at this stall were.

"what?"

Xia Yan led Duanmu Mo to the stall, and looking at the soft vinyl toys displayed there, she was somewhat speechless: "This is... Neville's toy?"

"Simply put, it's Nevel soft rubber," Duanmu Mozheng explained, looking at the exhibits on the stall with a look of disdain: "But the quality is really bad."

"After all, it's just a toy for people to vent their frustrations, so it doesn't need to be too fancy," the stall owner said with a smile, looking at Duanmu Mo and then at Xia Yan: "Is this your first time here, you two?"

“She’s been here a few times; I brought her here to have a look.”

Upon hearing this, the stall owner didn't hesitate and took out a Nevel soft rubber tube, giving it to the two of them: "It's for you."

"Huh? Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Xia Yan was taken aback, and then Duanmu Mo took over.

The stall owner nonchalantly replied, "I already told you it's worthless stuff. You can do whatever you want with it. Punch it a few times, stomp on it a few times, or even stick a dart into it."

While the stall owner was speaking, another customer arrived:

"—Give me five Nevel rubber tubes."

"okay."

Watching the customer ravage the soft rubber, Duanmu Mo also examined himself in his hands.

"...Which form of Neville is this soft rubber?"

"Kamen Rider Neville, also known as Final Style Neville."

"..."

If other world's Kamen Riders heard that Duanmu Mo was tarnishing the name of Kamen Rider like this, he might get a few Rider kicks in his face...

Duanmu Mo put his own thoughts aside and looked puzzled: "What is this 'Final Style Neville' theory?"

"That giant robot in Kazekawa City was called Striker Final Form by Neville, right? He mentioned it in the battle video. Then, I don't know how he did it, but it seems he fused the power of Final Form into his belt, so we all call this form Final Form Neville."

"Oh, I see. The name is quite nice..."

"It's only good-sounding with its name." The stall owner showed a disdainful look: "What Neville did is unforgivable. It is said that he devised a plan to have the Shenwu Group manufacture this Striker Finale, and he also interfered in the manufacturing process."

"Yes, that certainly fits his cunning and scheming persona."

"Moreover, in order to enhance the power of the final form, he used the life force of tens of thousands of Fengchuan City residents as a driving force, and you could even hear the wails of souls emanating from the side of the final form if you got close enough."

"Really?" Duanmu Mo looked strange. "The version I heard is that the Striker Final Form actually uses the energy of a weirdo."

"It's not that simple!" the stall owner said seriously. "Besides, the engine oil for the Striker Finale is made from the blood of countless living people, which is why Neville's body is covered in this pungent bloody smell after he gains the power of the Finale."

"Really?" Duanmu Mo asked doubtfully, while Xia Yan pondered for a moment, "No, I don't think so?"

Duanmu Mo sniffed the smell of his soft rubber, then moved it away: "It smells so strong, like industrial rubber. It's probably just an excuse the manufacturers are making up because they're too lazy to deal with the smell."

"Huh?" The stall owner frowned and looked at Duanmu Mo, saying, "Who cares if it smells like rubber? It's all cheap stuff anyway. If you really don't like it, just throw it away—but remember to stomp on it a few times before you do."

"..." Duanmu Mo sighed and looked at Xia Yan, saying, "Want to buy a few to vent your frustration?"

"Forget it, I'm not interested." Xia Yan shook her head, and Duanmu Mo also put down the soft rubber: "Then I'll pass too, I'm afraid of getting my hands dirty."

"That's a real shame," the stall owner sighed. "The reproduction was quite good; I even put some effort into it."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Mo glanced at the soft rubber again, unable to bear looking at it:

"......you're right."

He looked helpless and pulled Xia Yan away from there.

“Every time I see these toys, I feel sorry for my attack on Bandai.”

"Who is Bandai?" Xia Yan asked, turning to look at Duanmu Mo after hearing this, as she walked alongside him, holding his arm.

"It's a bit complicated to explain, just think of him as a toy manufacturer." Duanmu Mo didn't want to continue on this topic and changed the subject instead:

"—However, I didn't expect you to be uninterested in this. I thought you would excitedly buy dozens of Nevel rubber tubes and then burn them all."

"There's no point in doing this." Xia Yan shook her head as she continued striking, one blow at a time.

"Well said." Duanmu Mo nodded and smiled.

The two continued strolling around, and then stopped in front of a huge round table.

It looks like some kind of event is being held here. A host is standing at a round table, and many guests are sitting at the round table with a button next to them, seemingly engaged in a heated question-and-answer game.

The area was surrounded by onlookers, creating a lively scene.

"What are these people doing?" Xia Yan stood on tiptoe, trying to see what was happening in the crowd, but she couldn't see what was going on. She could only hear voices coming from the crowd.

Then, she looked at Duanmu Mo, who stood out even among the group, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Hey, give me a hug!"

"Okay, okay—" Duanmu Mo easily picked Xia Yan up, making her taller than himself so she could see the games in the crowd.

"...Question 17! What is Yuhi's favorite food? Why?"

beep!

No sooner had the host finished speaking than someone quickly pressed the button and shouted without hesitation, "Wasabi and chili! Because spicy things can stimulate her spirit!"

"Correct! Congratulations to this contestant for adding another point! Question 18..."

"Huh?" Xia Yan frowned. "Are you kidding me? Who would like to eat wasabi and chili peppers?"

"Maybe~" Duanmu Mo smiled and continued watching the conversation.

He came here not just to satisfy Xia Yan's playful nature, but also because he hadn't forgotten Leviathan's request. In order to please his fans while also providing some clues for Leviathan to explore, Duanmu Mo needed to conduct a thorough on-site investigation of the situation here.

Chapter 531: Hotel

. . . . . .

—Under Duanmu Mo's strong insistence, Xia Yan had no choice but to stay here for a while, watching the hobby imposed on her by her "fans".

Watching this group of people argue fiercely because of their different understandings of the past, Xia Yan gradually became numb from her initial discomfort.

Before they knew it, Duanmu Mo and Xia Yan had left the nightclub and returned to their car.

"...These people don't know me at all, and they call themselves loyal fans?!"

Xia Yan said angrily, then saw Duanmu Mo holding a notebook and writing something on it, and immediately leaned over: "What are you writing down?"

Duanmu Mo didn't hide it and showed it to her directly.

What was written in the notebook was none other than the people's fondness for the past.

"Huh?" Xia Yan was taken aback, then immediately became angry: "Why did you write all this down? Don't you know best what I like!"

"The key isn't what you like, but what your fans think you like." Duanmu Mo didn't explain the commission to her, casually brushing it off: "After all, pleasing those fans will make my future plans easier."

Is this necessary?

Xia Yan crossed her arms and looked towards the nightclub with a troubled expression: "It feels like those people don't like Xi Ri at all."

“From that perspective, it is true.” Duanmu Mo nodded. “Once you become famous, your actions will be analyzed, and every little move you make will be speculated on from various angles. As this continues, the identity of ‘Xi Ri’ will become a symbol, and what you think will no longer matter.”

He closed the notebook and put it back in the inside pocket of his trench coat, saying, "After all, in reality, your current identity is not only that of the magical girl Yuhi, but also that of the awkward little girl Xia Yan in front of me. In the eyes of those people, you are just that strong and determined Yuhi."