The Book of Maiden Contract

Although this "puppet master" with the temperament of selling pork severely hit Lin Luo's three views and made him unable to calm down, when the other party came to him with a professional smile on his face, he was still heartbroken and He generously took out a silver coin from his dry pocket and handed it over.

In the past, Lin Luo would not have blinked even if he threw a few tons of gold bricks, let alone a silver coin. He weighed whether the fighting power of the two sides could keep him alive, so he could only rely on his fairly good eloquence to earn a little travel expenses and living expenses from some tea drinkers and idlers, and even a slightly better one. He couldn't even afford clothes, so this silver coin was very precious, almost equivalent to a week's food expenses, and it was the only money he had.

But even so, he still gave the silver coin to the "Mr. Pig Killer" in front of him. Apart from the fact that the other party showed him a unique puppet show and thought the money was worth it, he also had other reasons. consideration.

In this way, after "Mr. Pig Killer" walked around the auditorium, this special puppet show finally came to an end. The show ended soon, and "Mr. Pig Killer" moved out several big boxes and carried all the dolls in one by one, obviously also packing up and going home.

"Hello boss." Lin Luo walked up to him and greeted him.

At this time, the effect of his silver coin was manifested.

You must know that such street performances do not make a lot of money, unlike those regular stage theaters, where many rich people will go to watch them, and they will spend a lot of money to pick up girls and pretend to be aggressive. As for street performers, although there are quite a few people who watch them, most of them just watch white shows and don’t spend any money at all, and only a small number of people will sympathize with the hard work of the performers and spend a little money, but at most It's just a matter of a few copper coins. After all, how many rich people will come to watch street juggling.

And a person like Lin Luo who can get a silver coin with every shot is basically a big gold master. For this "Mr. Pig Killer" in front of him, it is quite good to meet one in a few months.

Of course, "Mr. Pig Killer" would be deeply impressed by such a big benefactor.

Therefore, when he turned around and saw Lin Luo, he immediately recognized him. With a smile on his face, he rubbed his hands and said, "My guest, what do you want?"

Lin Luo smiled, "Don't be so polite, I've already given you all the money I have on me, no matter how polite you are, I won't be able to give you more money."

"Mr. Pig Killer" was taken aback for a moment, and then he laughed awkwardly, but at this time he also discovered that Lin Luo's clothes were only of ordinary civilian standards, and he could not be called a rich man at all. His face is full of travel and dust, judging from his life experience, he is probably the kind of person who wanders around without a fixed place.

If "Mr. Pig Killer" was a philistine, he might not give Lin Luo a smile at this time, but as a person who is running around for a living, he can understand that with Lin Luo's living conditions, he can still come up with a What a rare act to give him silver coins... Lin Luo said that he had already given him all the money on his body, and judging from his experience, he didn't think it was a lie.

Therefore, although Lin Luo's words were very sharp, "Mr. Pig Killer" did not lower his face, but instead showed a bit of sincerity in his smile, and changed his words: "Little brother, stop joking, you have already given I have paid me so much money, how can I have the nerve to ask for it again, if you have anything to say, just tell me, don't be polite to me."

Lin Luo nodded, not being hypocritical, and pointed to the dolls in the box next to him, "Then I'm not going to be polite, I just want to ask what's going on with these dolls, I don't think they need to be controlled by humans, It feels strange as if it has a life of its own...Of course, if it’s a commercial secret, it doesn’t matter if you don’t say it.”

"Hahaha, so it's this, I still think it's a big deal." The middle-aged boss immediately laughed, "It seems that this is the first time for the little brother to watch a puppet show."

"I did see it for the first time, but how did you know?"

"Because it's not the first time someone is watching it, so they won't ask this kind of question at all."

"How do you say it?"

The middle-aged boss first asked: "Little brother, do you think these puppets have their own lives, because they don't need us to control them, right?" After Lin Luo nodded, he explained with a smile, "Actually, they don't. I don't control it, but I have already controlled it in advance, including their dialogue, actions, and what kind of emotions they will make during the performance. All their behaviors have been set before the performance starts, so in the When they perform, I don't have to control it."

"Look, this is it." While speaking, he picked up a cute little girl doll, then gently lifted the outer clothes and turned his back to Lin Luo.

At this time, Lin Luo realized that although he couldn't see it through the clothes, there was a small clockwork on the back of the doll, and he suddenly understood... According to the middle-aged boss, he forwarded it in advance. That's why the dolls have the power to move, and people who don't know the inside story will instinctively think that the dolls have life.

But... "Even so, the performance just now lasted more than an hour. How did so many scenes come true through forwarding? Moreover, the performances of the puppets are almost exactly the same as real people, and there are voices... If it is If it is set like a tool, even if it can speak, it can only have one kind of voice at most, but the puppets have different voices under different moods, what's going on?" Lin Luo asked .

The middle-aged man smiled mysteriously, "Well, it involves business secrets."

"Ah!" Lin Luo was taken aback for a moment. Although he was full of curiosity, it was after all related to his business secrets, so he couldn't be bothered to ask. Although he was disappointed, he was helpless.

But just when he was about to give up, the middle-aged boss said: "I see that the little brother is very interested in dolls, and I think he also likes dolls. If that's the case, I might as well tell you about it."

"Is this really okay?" Lin Luo was overjoyed but a little concerned.

"It doesn't matter, just treat it as the return of that silver coin." After a pause, the middle-aged boss continued, "Actually, these dolls are also related to alchemy. When making them, the puppet master Through alchemy, they will be endowed with a special kind of energy...Little brother, you are not an alchemist, so I won't say what kind of energy it is, in short, through this kind of energy, the dolls have rich and colorful expressions And tone, almost the same as real people. Then just turn the clockwork, this energy will be activated, it looks like they are alive."

"So that's how it is." Hearing this, Lin Luo roughly understood that although because of Luo Tianyi's relationship, his strength disappeared without a trace, and even his eyesight declined, but his comprehension ability did not change.

"It's just that this energy is still limited after all. Once it's exhausted, no matter how much I turn the clockwork, they won't be able to move again, and they will turn back into ordinary dolls again." As he spoke, the middle-aged man sighed, Looking at the doll in the box, there was a bit of sadness on his face.

Lin Luo immediately said: "If the energy is exhausted, you can give them one more time, just like when you made them."

The middle-aged man shook his head with a wry smile, "Little brother, you don't know something. Although this method can indeed extend the doll's 'life', but... I don't know how to do it at all."

"Eh?"

"These dolls were not made by me, but by my grandfather." The middle-aged man said reminiscently, "My ancestors were an alchemist's family, which was originally very prosperous, especially my grandfather. He is good at making all kinds of dolls, and the dolls he made are almost as amazing as real people. Unfortunately, neither my father nor I inherited this talent from my grandfather. Now, all I have are these puppets. Although I can make them move by turning the clockwork and make a living from it, no one knows when they will stop functioning completely. At that time... well."

Lin Luo thought he was worried that he would not be able to make a living by this in the future, so he couldn't help but said, "Excuse me, even if they can't move, I believe some rich people will spend a lot of money just because of their realism. You don’t have to sigh so much if you bought it for a collection at such a high price.”

The middle-aged man stared, seemed a little angry, but calmed down in an instant, and said, "Little brother, you don't understand, and I don't blame you for saying such things, but for me, these dolls have lived with me for four years." For more than ten years, they have been with me every day, they are like my children... Although I am a worthless person, at least my love for these children is the only thing I can be proud of, even if one day I will I would not sell my child if I starved to death on the street."

After finishing speaking, the middle-aged man stroked the hair of the little girl doll with a loving expression on his face.

After hearing his words, Lin Luo suddenly understood why he was sad. He was not worried that these puppets would one day lose his source of income due to their inability to move, but worried that his cherished children would lose their source of income. leave him.

This is the love of a father for his child.

"Sorry." Lin Luo apologized, also as a father, he understands this feeling.

"It's nothing." The middle-aged man smiled openly, and put the doll into the box, "Actually, when I come to the Doll City this time, I also want to find those real puppet masters, and hope to get their help to continue the children's life. life."

"The real... puppeteer?"

(to be continued)