Chapter 92: Gu Yu's Invitation
"Although evolution rate isn't directly tied to player level, the higher the evolution rate, the stronger the player, and leveling up is only a matter of time." Gu Yu said generously. "I'm at 16% now, and with a few more bottles of P1 Potion, I can reach 20%. That's considered pretty high in Jing City."
"If your evolution speed is fast enough, the national government might even provide potions for free."
"Are you serious?" The Shen Yi siblings' eyes lit up.
Gu Yu glanced at them. "If you don't believe me, ask any player in Jing City. But this standard has to be officially verified."
The two siblings looked at each other, both looking a bit excited. They'd been lucky—they'd managed to trade for potions before, so their evolution rate had increased relatively quickly. If what Gu Yu said was true, they could head to Jing City.
Wang Chaoqing looked at them enviously. "I'm only at 6% so far."
Wu Qiuyi and the others had higher evolution rates, but Lin Pei specifically asked the silent Xu Huo.
"Just hit 10%." Xu Huo had only taken potions once, so his evolution rate had stayed in place.
"Your evolution rate should be pretty decent, right?" he asked Lin Pei.
"I'm slightly higher than Gu Yu." Lin Pei paused, then added, "Anything above 10% requires P1 Potions. I don't have any P1 left, but I still have two bottles of P0 Potion."
"Brother Lin, since you don't need them anymore, why not sell them to me?" Wang Chaoqing quickly chimed in. "If my evolution rate goes up, I can help you guys out more."
Shen Yi shoved him back down. "We haven't settled accounts with you yet, and you're already trying to take advantage!"
Meeting their cold stares, Wang Chaoqing said sheepishly, "We've been through hardships together, haven't we..."
Soon the car arrived near Master Nisai's residence. Xu Huo stood up and got out first, with Gu Yu following behind.
Areas with puzzles usually had some notes posted nearby, making them relatively easy to find. However, these puzzles didn't announce themselves at fixed times—you had to wait for them to present their questions before answering.
The town had no shortage of clocks. Just around Master Nisai's house, there were chimes every hour on the hour. Sometimes one clock would chime, sometimes two or three together.
This was different from what Wu Qiuyi had described.
Wu Qiuyi had said that the town's clocks would only chime every few hours.
"Why are the chimes so frequent here?" Gu Yu found it strange too. "I didn't hear this many before."
"Maybe the closer you get to Master Nisai's residence, the safer it is." Xu Huo said.
If Master Nisai's granddaughter came out to move around regularly, it made sense that the puzzles would be denser in this area.
Over the next five or six hours, they heard more than a dozen clock chimes. Sometimes they had to split up to find them.
Gu Yu noticed that every time he just took out his pocket watch and compared it to the clock, she would take the initiative to find paper and pen to record the locations, times, and questions.
"You can't possibly remember all these random questions, can you? Writing them down is more convenient."
Xu Huo grunted in acknowledgment but didn't follow her suggestion. After each puzzle, he would look around the shop.
The intervals between chimes were too long. Bored, Gu Yu followed him around the shop, rummaging through things. Suddenly, she stared at his profile and said, "Wait a second?"
Xu Huo turned around. "What is it?"
"Don't move." Gu Yu took two steps to the side, propped her chin on her hand, and thought for a moment. "Your profile looks really familiar. I must have seen it somewhere."
"Probably on TV." Xu Huo continued fiddling with the items in the drawer. "I'm an actor too, but just an extra."
"You? An extra?" Gu Yu looked at him incredulously. "With your looks and your aura, even if you couldn't land a lead role, you should at least have a supporting one."
Xu Huo stared at her steadily.
Gu Yu coughed dryly. "Don't misunderstand. I just think those directors are blind to make you an extra. How about this—come with me to Jing City, and I'll introduce you to some work. Money means potions."
"I don't lack potions." Xu Huo held up a glass tube, shaking the pale blue liquid inside.
"What's so interesting about that? Just a toy." Gu Yu nudged the small shells and fish in the nearby tape, leaned against the counter, and tilted her head to look at him. "I'm serious."
"So am I." Xu Huo ignored her and focused on his own business.
Gu Yu circled around him, trying to talk, but when she got no response, she bit her lip and turned away.
By the time Xu Huo left the shop, she was nowhere to be seen.
Standing at the shop entrance, he looked left and right, then headed straight for a nearby chime location.
Gu Yu entered another shop shortly after, noted down the puzzle, and said, "We've got plenty of time anyway. Let's check out Master Nisai's residence. I have a special item—if it can melt metal, sealing the ground cage will be much more certain."
Xu Huo finally looked at her properly. "Fine."
Gu Yu rolled her eyes.
The two entered Master Nisai's room. Gu Yu admired the clocks appreciatively. "These are master-level works. Nothing like what we have in our world. If I could take them out, they'd sell for a fortune."
As she spoke, she noticed the holes in the ground. Frowning, she crouched down and sniffed around the floor.
"What are you doing?" Xu Huo stood on the stairs, looking down at her.
"Smelling for any familiar scents." Gu Yu wrinkled her nose. "Too bad my olfactory evolution isn't very strong, or I'd be able to find someone immediately."
"But I know a player who can distinguish scents from three days ago. He can memorize the smell and never forget it, even after a long time. Better than a dog's nose."
Xu Huo's expression was blank. "Are you going to keep talking nonsense, or are we going to look at the black metal?"
Gu Yu dropped her smile and looked at him seriously. "Going solo in the game won't work. Smart players band together. Look at Wu Qiuyi and his group—they seem friendly enough, but they keep a clear boundary with us. Strength, traits, items—they won't reveal a thing. Can you trust companions like that?"
Let alone complete strangers, even people you knew weren't trustworthy once they entered a copy.
Xu Huo didn't argue. Instead, he said, "Players don't need to trust each other. As long as our goals align, we won't have conflict before leaving Decibel Town."
"Oh?" Gu Yu sneered. "Then who was it that ambushed you?"
"You probably have a good idea yourself."
"I have a proposal. Why don't we team up? That way, no one can make a move on either of us."
She paused, then brought up another matter. "There's a Player Mutual Aid Association in Jing City. I'm a core member. I think highly of you. If you agree to team up with me, you can join after we get out."
"Players are most desperate for tickets. The association specifically finds tickets for its members. Members are like brothers and sisters—no betrayal is allowed. We can enter copies together. Your chances of survival will be much higher than struggling through the game alone."