Chapter 1256: Fate with the Magician
Magician...
Xu Huo felt he had quite a bit of fate with this senior player lately.
The reward for the Maze Instance was the Magician's item, and the Instance itself was presented in the form of playing cards. He wondered if there was any connection between the two.
Putting the item away again, Xu Huo equipped the "Dead Heart" before pushing open the door in front of him.
The place he emerged from was the back door of a restaurant in Card City. A waiter who had just sent a garbage bag to an automatic collection vehicle was about to return. Seeing the door open by itself, he consciously stepped aside and waited for it to close again before going back inside.
The people of Card City had long grown accustomed to doors in public places or homes suddenly opening on their own. As long as players coming out of Instances didn't cause trouble, no one really cared. Of course, to protect privacy, many private residences didn't have doors that could open both ways in their bedrooms, instead using automatic sensor doors like other cities in Zone 001.
Xu Huo avoided people and walked slowly down the street, noticing that after three automatic monitors brushed past him, the fourth one finally seemed to sense his presence.
Moreover, after he came out of the shop, more monitors—both visible and hidden—converged on him, while other streets with equally heavy foot traffic didn't have nearly as many.
The celebration belonged to every person in Card City. Unlike when he entered the Instance, the projection of that trump card now appeared in front of almost every storefront, with a "20% Off" tag displayed beside it.
Xu Huo first changed his appearance, then found a suitable spot to come out and casually struck up a conversation with a passerby.
"Is there some kind of festival today?"
"No, no!" The Card City resident was also very enthusiastic. He pulled Xu Huo to an open area with a good view and pointed at the huge black crown card suspended high in the distance. "See that?"
Xu Huo nodded. "It wasn't there this morning, was it?"
"Of course not. That crown card was just released from the Maze!" the pedestrian said happily. "As long as someone wins the game, the crown card appears. For the next week, the Maze will produce a large quantity of fruits and vegetables that aren't usually seen, all for free. Basically everyone can eat them. Plus, the government will give every citizen a welfare package filled with discount coupons and vouchers, even discount coupons for Yongxing Hotel. Very generous—it covers food, drink, and entertainment! You outsiders get a share too!"
So it was to stimulate consumption.
Xu Huo smiled and said, "Then I'm lucky to have arrived just in time."
The pedestrian chuckled. "You bet! This only happens a few times a year! Later, there will be a flight team performing, and flower petals transported from Fresh Flower City will scatter all over the city!"
Every face on the street wore the same identical smile. Xu Huo followed the crowd for a while, and sure enough, invisible aircraft passed over Card City's sky, followed by a rain of flower petals. The performance venue in the city center was projected into the sky, with graceful performers appearing in the air, ensuring every corner of the city could see...
Xu Huo accepted a fresh fruit cheerfully handed to him by a roadside fruit stall owner and then walked against the crowd to leave.
The entire city was now immersed in the prelude to a spending frenzy. For the time being, no one was even doing business. He found an unmanned aircraft and prepared to head to the nearest Item Exchange.
Coming to Zone 001 for the Instance was secondary. Xu Huo's main purpose was to find the things He Pu had left behind.
However, he only had a rough address, barely enough to pinpoint a certain city, with no more specific location. So he didn't know what the situation was there and needed to prepare some items first.
The "Flexible Mechanical Suit" he had bought for twenty-five million White Notes plus a B-grade item had been shattered into pieces by Xue Lang. He needed to see if Card City had suitable defensive items and buy another one.
Just as he set off, his communicator rang. It was Jiang Zifeng. After connecting, the other's figure appeared in front of him.
"Old Xu, did you get it? The big gift pack Card City is handing out—everyone can take one. It's full of fifty-percent-off vouchers. We can go have a big meal at Yongxing Hotel!"
Xu Huo had received a gift pack in the Instance, but his pack contained a voucher for free entertainment across the entire city. For the next week, wherever he spent money—as long as it was on food, accommodation, and entertainment—it would be free, including at Yongxing Hotel.
"A fifty-percent-off voucher is nothing. I have a free voucher here. Want to come along?" he asked with a smile.
"Free?" Jiang Zifeng laughed heartily. "Of course I'm coming! I'll mess around outside first and meet you at Yongxing Hotel later! Ye Bingxin is coming too!"
"No problem." Xu Huo said cheerfully.
After a brief exchange, they happily hung up.
After passing two automatic inspection procedures, Xu Huo entered the Exchange through a mid-air entrance.
Taking a dedicated navigation robot into the VIP room, a holographic projection displayed a menu with item categories ranging from A to E. Besides purchasing, there was also a selling option—just place the item on the suspension device under the projection.
Xu Huo first sold two items he had obtained from the Maze Instance. Seeing the prices were fair, he sold all the items he didn't need. After settling, he came to the purchase section.
"Based on your current asset status, the Exchange recommends purchasing B-grade items or below. For A-grade items and above, personal asset verification is required. You may choose to pay a temporary deposit, storing White Notes on Card City's transfer platform, and retrieve them when you leave the Exchange."
Xu Huo deposited thirty million White Notes.
After the A-grade item section was unlocked, it was divided into several categories based on attack and defense. He selected defense and slowly browsed from the first item.
A few seconds later, the doorbell rang. With his permission, a man and a woman—both outstanding in appearance—entered wearing splendid clothes, accompanied by a mobile robot carrying fine wine and snacks. The woman spoke, "Hello, sir. My name is Liu Ye, and this is my colleague Huai Ye. Welcome to the Spade Five Exchange. Please allow us to introduce the items to you."
Xu Huo gestured for them to stay, and they stood to the left and right in front of him.
The small mobile robot stopped beside his hand, displaying a wine menu.
"Sir, any drink you want can be freshly made," Huai Ye said.
Xu Huo didn't rush to order but asked, "Is it free?"
The two staff members didn't even twitch an eye or change expression. Liu Ye spoke, "We only charge a service fee of one thousand White Notes. The wine and food are provided free of charge. If you need other food, anything on the menu can be delivered to you within twenty minutes."
Xu Huo didn't order wine. He had the robot pour a glass of water, then stated his general requirements.