After the system announcement, the four noticed that players were calmer, no longer in a state of panic.

Soon, Xiao Hua and his companions arrived at the mayor's residence, only to find a sea of people there.

"What's happening? Are there missions available?" Xiao Hua exclaimed, looking at the crowd blocking the entrance.

"Part of it might be missions, but more likely, people are here to buy houses like us," Piaoling said, her face turning pale. Given the situation, the few remaining houses probably wouldn't be available to them anymore. Although each house cost 500,000 gold, if several people pooled their resources and hired NPC workers to expand and renovate the interior, it could accommodate multiple residents.

"So, what do we do now?" Fang Ning had been clinging to Xiao Hua's back since getting off the carriage, punishing him by making him carry her. She asked, still clinging to him.

"There's no other way. Though it's early, let's try the 'Missing Citizen' mission. If we fail, we fail, but we shouldn't give up without trying," Xiao Hua suggested after some thought.

The three women nodded in agreement. Xiao Hua then formed a party with them and added Fang Ning and Fang Ying to the guild. The guild was still chaotic, and no one noticed the two girls joining.

"How do we approach this?" After sharing the mission, Piaoling pondered aloud.

"Each of us takes a direction and spends some time questioning all NPCs in the city to see if we can find any clues," Xiao Hua proposed, as there were no hints provided for the mission.

"Questioning NPCs? Most people doing this mission have already asked them, and I remember there being no clues. Is it useful to ask again now?" Fang Ning asked, tilting her head while still on Xiao Hua's back.

"NPCs aren't always static. Perhaps the NPC with the clue wasn't in the city when others asked. Besides, if we don't try, we'll never know. Come on, Xiao Ning, let's get down and start the mission," Xiao Hua said, coaxing her off his back.

Reluctantly, Fang Ning slid off Xiao Hua's back. The four then went their separate ways to question the NPCs.

How big was a city? Xiao Hua wasn't sure, but after questioning a few NPCs, he realized he had suggested a foolish idea! It took nearly twenty minutes just to question the NPCs on one street. To finish questioning all NPCs in one direction of the city would take an eternity!

The responses from the NPCs were similar – either shaking their heads in confusion or reacting as if hearing something horrifying, claiming they knew nothing and wanted nothing to do with it. Xiao Hua repeatedly asked these individuals, but none provided any clues.

After nearly three hours of questioning, Xiao Hua began to feel numb and mechanical, asking NPCs purely for the sake of asking. Whenever an NPC indicated they knew nothing, he would immediately move on to the next one. During this time, he exchanged messages with Piaoling and the others a few times, but no one had discovered anything.

Exiting another building without any leads, Xiao Hua numbly entered the next one that looked somewhat familiar. He realized he had entered the Thieves' Guild. The Thieves' Guild looked almost identical to ordinary residences, and Xiao Hua hadn't noticed due to his distracted state.

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"Oh, regarding the missing citizen, I did hear an interesting rumor a few days ago," said Thieves' Master Lina after Xiao Hua asked his usual question.

"What kind of news? Can Miss Lina tell me?" Xiao Hua perked up.

"Money!" Lina held up two fingers without hiding her intentions.

Xiao Hua promptly handed over 100 gold coins.

"Tsk, so stingy!" Lina complained but carefully pocketed the gold.

"Given that you're part of the Thieves' Guild, I won't charge you much. A few days ago, a citizen reported seeing a suspected missing person near a lumber camp in the snowy forest to the north. We rushed there immediately but found nothing except the old man Tumen. After keeping an eye on Tumen for two days, we still found nothing," Lina recalled.

"Who is Tumen?" Xiao Hua knew the matter was related to Tumen and wanted to gather more information.

"Tumen, oh, he's a reclusive and stubborn old man who's been guarding the lumber camp for decades. He rarely comes to the city, except to buy daily necessities. Many young people in the city don't recognize him, and those who do dislike him. If it weren't for that report, I wouldn't have gone to that cursed lumber camp. Probably only his pet rat approaches him willingly," Lina said with a deep sense of disgust.

"Does Miss Lina have any other news about the missing citizen?" Xiao Hua asked cautiously.

"No, that's the only news. If you want to find the missing citizen and earn the mayor's reward, that's the only lead. It's the first time we've had any news in years, though it doesn't seem very reliable," Lina said regretfully.

"Thank you, Miss Lina. I'll be on my way," Xiao Hua said.

"Sure, go ahead. Work hard, earn more money, and contribute to the Thieves' Guild. Or, you can contribute to me directly," Lina said.

Sweating, Xiao Hua hastily left, fearing Lina might use an identification spell on him and confiscate his gold!

"I got some news!" After leaving the Thieves' Guild, Xiao Hua excitedly announced in the party channel.

"Really?" Piaoling and Fang Ning were skeptical. While they had spent hours questioning NPCs, countless others had attempted this mission without success. It seemed too coincidental for them to make progress now.

"I have an idea. Have you asked the mentors at your respective guilds?" Xiao Hua asked.

"No!" The three shook their heads. The house of the missing citizen was mostly on the outskirts of the city, so they started there. The guilds were located centrally, except for the Thieves' Guild.

"You should go ask your mentors now," Xiao Hua suggested.

The three women hurried to their respective guilds.

"There really is news!" Soon, Piaoling and Fang Ning, who were at the Mages' Guild, exclaimed in surprise.

"Same here!" Fang Ying had a similar experience.

"Perhaps this mission can only be completed after the game's first chapter officially starts. With so many buying houses, it's only a matter of time before someone discovers this. Let's buy mounts and head north to the snowy forest," Xiao Hua proposed, believing they needed to seize the opportunity.

The women agreed, knowing that if others chose mentors first, their advantage would disappear, and someone might have already gotten ahead of them while they were questioning NPCs.

Minutes later, the four met at the mount tamer. The tamer sold basic mounts that increased speed by 70%, priced at 1,000 gold each – not ideal but necessary.

Without hesitation, they bought the mounts and headed north towards the snowy forest.

"With just a general direction, it'll take some time to find the lumber camp," Piaoling sighed as they left the city gates.

"Hehe, finding a person in this vast snowy forest might be difficult, but a lumber camp with several buildings should be easier to locate!" Xiao Hua said proudly.

"Oh? What's your plan?" Piaoling asked curiously.

"Forgot, didn't you? Here, look up!" Xiao Hua pointed to the sky.

They were outside the city, and as Xiao Hua pointed, a small black dot flew toward him.

"Aburi!" Piaoling remembered Aburi, whose presence was so weak that it was easy to forget him.

"Wow, what is this, an owl? It talks! A parrot in an owl's skin?" Fang Ning exclaimed, noticing Aburi on Xiao Hua's shoulder and its ability to speak. She reached out to grab him.

"Rude! Despite being a bird, I'm actually a person!" Aburi jumped to the other side, evading Fang Ning's hand.

Fang Ning persisted in trying to catch Aburi. Xiao Hua slapped her hand away and asked Aburi for help in finding the lumber camp.

"Got it. I should be able to find the lumber camp quickly," Aburi happily said, pleased to finally be of use after following Xiao Hua for so long.