"I'm really sorry, this kind of fabric is very far from here, and I can't get it for you."

Xiao Mu shook his head, and what he said disappointed Yuan Meiting.

"Then... that's really, really..."

Yuan Meiting looked despondent, momentarily at a loss for words.

After a moment's thought, she refocused her attention on Xiao Mu, "Mr. Xiao, where are you staying? How long have you been in the city?"

"This..."

Faced with this question, Xiao Mu thought for a moment and then informed her that he had just arrived in the city and hadn't found a place to stay yet.

Thus, Yuan Meiting warmly extended an invitation for him to stay at her residence.

As a renowned fashion designer in the city, her home was quite spacious, with an entire villa to herself, complete with maids and security.

Xiao Mu intended to decline, but before he could speak, he suddenly realized that because of Yuan Meiting's unexpected appearance, the person he was planning to follow had already gone somewhere unknown.

Regretting this deeply, Xiao Mu decided to accept Yuan Meiting's invitation.

Yuan Meiting's residence wasn't far from this location, and upon Xiao Mu's acceptance, she was immediately filled with joy and summoned two rickshaws, offering one to Xiao Mu.

Seeing her so delighted, Xiao Mu couldn't help but find it amusing. Deep down, he suspected that her enthusiasm wasn't because he had offered her a seat on the steam firewheel car, but rather owing to his clothing, specifically, the fabric.

The rickshaw ride took only about ten minutes before they arrived at a small villa.

"Miss is back!"

A fifty-something woman in a white blouse came over to open the large iron gate and greeted them.

"Zhang Ma, brew a pot of Longjing tea."

Yuan Meiting instructed her, then invited Xiao Mu inside, "Mr. Xiao, please come in."

"Thank you!"

Xiao Mu expressed his gratitude and entered the courtyard, then immediately started to survey the surroundings.

From her declarations of being a renowned fashion designer, it certainly seemed impressive, at least on the basis of this vast courtyard.

This courtyard was in a bustling part of the city, something apparent from the surrounding houses.

The neighboring houses were all quite large, mainly two or three stories, spanning several hundred or even a thousand square meters.

Though not in the city center, it also wasn't far from it.

If this were in Xiao Mu's location, the property price in such a core city would likely exceed ten thousand per square meter.

Yuan Meiting's courtyard wasn't small either, covering roughly four to five hundred square meters, with a two-story villa, neatly paved with floor tiles, flower pots arranged thoughtfully, exquisitely maintained, and very clean.

She invited Xiao Mu into the living room, which was furnished with soft sofas, and hanging from the ceiling was an electric light.

Xiao Mu took it all in and was once again surprised.

Yuan Meiting invited Xiao Mu to sit, and at this time, Zhang Ma brought over a pot of tea, which Yuan Meiting personally poured for Xiao Mu.

Xiao Mu took a sip and found the tea quite good, though he couldn't distinguish anything special about it.

He glanced around the room and noticed some paintings on the walls that seemed to be the work of renowned artists, but as an outsider to this world, he couldn't appreciate what made them valuable.

"Mr. Xiao, does your fabric really have no source?"

It was clear Yuan Meiting hadn't given up, bringing up the source of Xiao Mu's fabric once more.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Mu felt a headache coming on and quickly said, "There is a source, of course, but I can't get it for you, nor can I tell you where it is; it's too far from here, and you wouldn't be able to reach it."

"It wouldn't... be those Mutated Beings, would it?" Yuan Meiting's expression changed as she finally realized the issue.

Xiao Mu smiled and nodded.

Yuan Meiting's face changed, but she eventually sighed long and deeply, finally accepting reality.

If this fabric came from the Mutated Beings, it was indeed out of reach for someone ordinary like her, simply unthinkable.

Seeing her disappointment, Xiao Mu felt a twinge of guilt. He briefly pondered before suggesting again, "How about I give you one of my clothes instead?"

With the fabric being out of the question, Yuan Meiting's interest seemed renewed regarding the clothing. Her eyes brightened as she asked in surprise, "Really?"

"Of course."

Saying this, Xiao Mu intended to retrieve clothes from the Earth Seal Space.

But as soon as he reached out, he suddenly realized the problem; he was dealing with an ordinary person and wasn't inclined to reveal his identity as a Variant at this moment.

Retrieving clothes from the Earth Seal Space was naturally inappropriate.

So he paused, slightly taken aback, then removed his jacket, handing it to Yuan Meiting, "Take this jacket."

"This... it's not really appropriate!"

Seeing Xiao Mu hand over his jacket, Yuan Meiting became uneasy and didn't immediately reach for it.

"It's no big deal, I can always buy another one later."

Xiao Mu's expression was firm as he placed the jacket on the table.

"This..."

Yuan Meiting thought for a moment but then suddenly smiled, "I almost forgot, I am a fashion designer myself, Mr. Xiao, please wait a moment while I get something for you."

With that, she apologized and left the hall, heading upstairs.

Shortly after, she returned with a pure cotton jacket, handing it to Xiao Mu, "Mr. Xiao, please wear this. It may not be as good as yours, but it should suffice in this city."

Suffice?

Perplexed, Xiao Mu reached out to take the pure cotton jacket and immediately sensed its remarkable quality.

Although the style was a bit dated, the pure cotton fabric felt comfortable to the touch, and would likely feel even more so against the skin.

"It's a nice coat!"

Xiao Mu nodded and put it on.

Yuan Meiting picked up Xiao Mu's clothes and set them aside, then began to chat with him.

She seemed curious about everything, specifically asking about the places Xiao Mu had visited and his experiences.

Xiao Mu naturally made sure not to disappoint, brightly describing a mysterious and vibrant external world.

Yuan Meiting was enthralled, and as night fell, she arranged for Xiao Mu to stay in her villa.

Her house was large enough to easily accommodate Xiao Mu in one of the rooms.

The next day, she specifically treated Xiao Mu to breakfast.

Specially made buns and breakfast dishes tasted vastly superior to those from Xiao Mu's world, leaving him quite satisfied.

After breakfast, Yuan Meiting bade farewell to Xiao Mu, inviting him to make himself at home, as she headed out to her fashion store.

There was no way Xiao Mu would stay home doing nothing. He wanted to take the opportunity to investigate the presence of Heavenly Court Mutated Beings in the city and find out where they were stationed.

"Zhang Ma!"

Stepping outside, Xiao Mu saw the servant, Zhang Ma.

"Good morning, Mr. Xiao, heading out?"

Zhang Ma approached eagerly, wearing a kindly smile.

"I'm planning to go out and take a look around. Do you have any suggestions? Which places are busier, and where do you think there might be more people gathering?" Xiao Mu asked casually, as if making conversation.

Zhang Ma naturally didn't realize Xiao Mu was intentionally probing for information about the city. She respectfully replied, "Mr. Xiao, if you're looking for a busy place, you might want to check out West Moon Road and Baishui Road. Miss instructed me that if you were heading out, I should help call a car for you."

In fact, there wasn't any need for a special call; a rickshaw was already parked right outside Yuan Meiting's front gate. Zhang Ma opened the gate and called the rickshaw driver over, instructing him to take Xiao Mu wherever he wished to go and to settle the payment in the evening.

The driver was elated, nodding repeatedly and eagerly, and promptly invited Xiao Mu to board, taking him out.

Although he wasn't quite accustomed to these manual carriages, Xiao Mu considered the convenience of maintaining a low profile and opted to ride in the rickshaw.

The rickshaw driver headed towards West Moon Road with Xiao Mu.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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