"It doesn't seem appropriate to say that this place is gloomy."
Walking in a dark alley, Lin Sanjiu tucked her hands into her trouser pockets. Her eyes darted back and forth a few times. The more she walked, the more uncomfortable she felt.
The visibility here was very low, and the air was always filled with visible particles of fog. In the distance, there were countless chimneys spewing out even thicker and more smog. If one stayed in the smog for too long, there would be a sulfuric smell in their nostrils. There were obviously no traces of rain, but whether it was on the ground of the alley or on the wide road, there were always potholes of dirty water. If one accidentally stepped in, it would splash all over one's calf.
Along the way, they passed by a few houses that looked as if they had been corroded by mold and humidity for 50 years. There were thick layers of black stains on the walls, and the water dripped down from the eaves, which only reached the height of Lin Sanjiu's eyebrows. Even in the real world where the apocalypse had struck, it was rare to see such a dirty scene.
Snow White was wearing a soft and smooth white satin dress. After walking for more than ten minutes, the hem of her dress had turned yellow and black, and there were specks of mud all over it. However, what was worse than her dress was her complexion.
The dwarf had stopped at the edge of the city and did not send the princess back to the palace. Lin Sanjiu glanced at her and pondered for a moment. In the end, she gave up on caring for the dwarf's feelings and asked directly, "You were born in this place? To be honest, you and this city look like two different cartoons … "
"Of course my kingdom doesn't look like this!" Snow White raised her voice and retorted sharply, "Although my kingdom is small, it has blue skies, clear water, and lush trees. It is a very beautiful place. I don't know this place!"
"You don't know?" Lin Sanjiu stopped walking, "Then, I'm leaving."
Snow White's skin instantly turned red. Her pretty face was contorted with anxiety, "No, I know this place. Don't go … Oh, I mean, this is my kingdom, but it wasn't like this in the past." Lin Sanjiu turned a deaf ear to Snow White's words. This place is my kingdom, but it wasn't like this in the past — "
He had already guessed that he was leaving to make Snow White anxious. He turned a deaf ear to Snow White's words. Lin Sanjiu tore a piece of paper from the wall of one of the houses.
She did not know how many years the paper had been stuck there. Her hand was covered with dust. The paper had become soft and had lost its toughness due to the moisture. The surface of the paper was covered with yellow stains. She could not even see what was originally printed on the paper. However, the paper was everywhere she could see. From the street to the end of the alley.
Lin Sanjiu gave it a gentle shake and studied it. Even Snow White kept her mouth shut. She tiptoed and craned her neck.
After staring at it for a full minute, Lin Sanjiu put down her hand, feeling a little dazed.
It required a little discernment among the mildew and stains to make out what was written on it; but if she was not mistaken, it was a leaflet.
It was a leaflet for canvassing for votes.
From the bold bold letters at the bottom, Lin Sanjiu could vaguely tell that they were canvassing for votes for someone. The English name at the end was long and unfamiliar. Lin Sanjiu looked at it for a while before she finally recognized it as "McDuck".
Lin Sanjiu was shocked. She shifted her gaze back to the yellow stains on the paper. Suddenly, she understood why the stains on this part of the paper had turned yellow.
"Scrooge McDuck is your father?"
Lin Sanjiu turned her head and stared at Snow White.
The young girl's petal-like red lips formed an "O". She did not seem to have the bloodline of a duck. "What are you talking about?"
"Look at this yourself," Lin Sanjiu impatiently covered Snow White's face with the paper, "This is a leaflet that Scrooge McDuck made for the election of the president of our country!"
Lin Sanjiu vaguely remembered that the character was Donald Duck's uncle. He seemed to be very rich … Lin Sanjiu thought to herself uncertainly as she watched Snow White's expression gradually change. "That's right. Only rich people can compete for the presidency. " Even though this was a cartoon world, the logic behind it was quite realistic …
"Since when did our country implement democracy?" Snow White shrieked again. Her voice was so loud that a few crows fluttered down from the roof. "Where's my father? And my stepmother? "
Since Snow White knew that Lin Sanjiu would not give her an answer, she didn't care about her image anymore. Lin Sanjiu sighed and followed suit. She picked up her skirt and held it in her hand as she rushed out of the room. Lin Sanjiu sighed and followed suit.
Even though the city had expanded by at least three to four times, the landmark of the city was the palace. It was still located in the center of the city. After nearly getting lost in the cobweb-like alleys a few times, the two of them finally found the location of the palace.
They saw the palace from afar. Snow White's anxious expression eased a little.
Even though Lin Sanjiu had never been here before, she could guess that the palace was probably the only place that looked the same in this dirty and gloomy city. Every part of the palace was as white as jade. The exquisite and fantastical roofs stood high and low in the thick fog. Occasionally, the roofs would shimmer with a golden light, which came from the golden carvings and decorations.
"This place matches your style," Lin Sanjiu said as she followed behind Snow White, "But why is the palace so clean when the air is so dirty?"
"You don't understand. There are people in the palace who are responsible for cleaning the outer walls …" Snow White replied. Almost as if to answer her question, a group of people carrying buckets of water and cleaning tools walked out from the main gate of the palace. Every one of them had a rag over their face. They set up a rack and started to clean the bottom of the wall.
After being here for so long, other than the rats in the gutters, the crows and the faces that flashed past the windows, this was the first time Lin Sanjiu saw a living creature.
"Let's go," Lin Sanjiu tugged at Snow White's sleeve, "Since they are here, let's go and ask them what's going on with Scrooge McDuck and where your father is."
However, Snow White did not budge at all.
Lin Sanjiu paused and turned to look at the girl.
Even though Lin Sanjiu didn't use any force, Snow White didn't need to be pulled to move. However, at this moment, the girl looked as if her soul had been sucked out of her body. She stood there motionless. Her mouth was wide open, and she looked like she was in a daze.
Lin Sanjiu followed Snow White's lifeless gaze and saw a short old man covered in dirt stumbling toward them.
"Snow White!" This old man, who had just run out from the cleaning team, had wrinkles all over his face, and his face was yellow due to malnutrition. "White Snow, I'm not sure what you're talking about. You are back! You are still alive, my precious daughter … "
[Is this the king?]
Snow White maintained her dumbstruck expression as the old man pulled her into his arms. After some time, her eyes reddened and she quickly pushed the old man away. She looked at him from head to toe in disbelief, "Father? What, what's going on? "
"Oh, you can't call me Father King anymore," the skinny old man waved his hand. "Now, under the rule of Scrooge McDuck, the country is getting better and better day by day. The position of King is a thing of the past …"
It took Lin Sanjiu a lot of effort to make out a face that resembled Snow White's from behind the old man's wrinkled face.
However, she couldn't care less about family affairs or national affairs. It seemed that her stepmother was no longer around. Should she leave?
"Who the hell is that duck?! Father, why did you make yourself look so ugly? "Snow White's face was flushed. The veins on her neck bulged. She waved her hands and stomped her feet, "Why did you suddenly change from a king to a president —"
"Hahaha, of course, this is the will of the people."
A somewhat rough voice suddenly came from behind the old man, "Ga Ga", immediately silencing the three people present.
The first to react was the former king. The old man quickly turned around, bowed his head respectfully, and called out, "Mr. President."
When he turned around, Lin Sanjiu and Snow White could see the person behind him.
Of course, it wasn't a single person.
There was a top hat on his head and a pair of round spectacles perched on top of his duck beak. Half of his rotund body was wrapped in a black suit, but the lower half of his body was bare. He looked no different from Donald Duck in the cartoon. The only difference was the short, fluffy hair on his cheeks, which indicated that he was an old duck.
Compared to Mickey Mouse, Scrooge McDuck looked much more normal, even though his body was more than half the size of a normal person. When he opened his mouth, he could practically swallow Snow White's face into his beak. When he blinked, he blinked from both sides to the center.
"So, you are Snow White," Scrooge McDuck stroked his suit reservedly and smiled at her. "The internal affairs of the royal family have already been settled. Now, this country is ushering in a new era. I hope you won't be a hindrance to it. "
When Scrooge McDuck lowered his head, he noticed the flyer in Snow White's hand.
"Oh my, why is there such a thing?" he flapped his wings as if he was embarrassed. "The Congress has already passed a resolution to appoint me as the lifetime president of this country. These flyers should be cleaned up … Why don't you guys stop wiping the outer walls of the palace today?"
The words he said to the old man seemed to have ignited Snow White's infinite anger. She pushed her father away and took two steps forward. She looked at Scrooge McDuck's huge duck face and said, "What do you mean by 'settled'?
What do you mean by 'settled'? Where is my stepmother? Also, how dare you make my father do chores? You are a fowl! "
"Oh my, how dare you call me a fowl?" Scrooge McDuck's eyes narrowed into two vertical slits. His duckbill curved into a smile, "Your stepmother is not a citizen of this country. She has already returned to her own country and continues her life as a princess … Now, you are not a princess anymore. I can't say much about this, but it is quite ironic."
Snow White was so angry that she was stunned. For a moment, she didn't know if she was still digesting the news. Taking advantage of this moment, Scrooge McDuck turned and saw Lin Sanjiu.
"Oh, you must be a tourist from a faraway place, right?" Politely, he opened half of his duck's wings, and blinked his erect eyes rapidly towards the middle. "I heard from my nephew that another tourist came here for sightseeing, but I didn't expect to meet you so soon. I have a presumptuous request for you. If you agree to it, I can provide you with all the help you need. "
It emphasized the word "everything" with a particularly loud voice.
With such a hint, Lin Sanjiu immediately thought of Minnie Mouse's golden ring.
As long as Lin Sanjiu could find the ring, this round would be over. The cat doctor was currently stuck between Puppeteer and Soul. Unfortunately, both of them were unaffected by the cat doctor, so Lin Sanjiu had no idea how they were doing right now. Puppeteer, the only one who could be considered as a combatant, was currently unconscious. If someone harbored ill intentions and approached them …
Lin Sanjiu didn't want to think about these things, but once she did, she became so anxious that she wanted to get out of this place immediately.
"What is it?" she couldn't help asking softly.
"It's very simple." Scrooge McDuck rubbed his wings and said, "Snow White has a very strong opinion of me. I hope that she can live in another land … I have already found a place. You just need to escort her there, and this will be over. When that time comes, I can give you anything you want. "
When he said that, he acted as if the father and daughter beside him didn't exist. After being stunned for a long time, Snow White finally understood what Scrooge McDuck meant. Her face instantly turned pale.
"No!" The teenage girl screamed with a mixture of anger and fear. She took a step toward Lin Sanjiu, but she stopped cautiously and stared at Lin Sanjiu, "You promised me that you would help me deal with my stepmother! Now that she is gone, you have to help me deal with this duck! That's what we agreed on! "
Lin Sanjiu shot a glance at the girl and then turned to Scrooge McDuck.
Scrooge McDuck smiled as if he had already won. He tilted his head at Lin Sanjiu, "So, what do you think? Do you want to help me, a president with a personal fortune that can rival an entire country, or this penniless little girl? "
"I knew it was another multiple-choice question..."
Lin Sanjiu exhaled and put her hands into her pockets again. She raised her head and looked at the gloomy sky.
"If I knew this was going to happen, I would have just let Snow White eat the poisoned apple and die … Why did I have to go through so much trouble?" Lin Sanjiu retracted her gaze from the sky and stretched her neck and shoulders. Her joints cracked a few times. "I'm sorry, I'm not a very clear-headed person sometimes. You just need to get used to it … I choose the penniless little girl."
PS:
The part acceptance speech said that there are sensitive words, so the entire chapter is not allowed to be uploaded. It is still being reviewed … I will delete the part and try to upload it again … What should I do?
I only left a list of thanks. If there are sensitive words, it will be the name of one of you …
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