Chapter 1266: Key Address
The city center was very bustling, even appearing slightly more technologically advanced than Card City, as this city was built across three layers: underground, ground level, and air.
Most of the underground consisted of transportation tracks. To avoid affecting the city's environment and to keep it looking clean and tidy, ordinary residents of Fresh Flower City traveled via underground transit—though they could also use aircraft, but that wouldn't be paid for by the government.
In addition, the underground housed some large-scale entertainment projects, a city library, and a few insignificant government offices.
The ground level was mostly residential areas, commercial districts, the main body of the district government, and its directly administered district. It was worth noting that the district government's main administrative offices were not included in the directly administered district but were adjacent to the city center.
According to common thinking, since the directly administered district didn't allow ordinary people to enter, wouldn't it be better to build it in the air, overlooking everything from above?
Well, sorry, but the aerial part was the residence of Carol Field and his family.
Since Fresh Flower City placed such emphasis on the living environment, it naturally wouldn't build a roof over the city. Carol Field's entire residence was located on the city's edge, nestled just outside the directly administered district. This not only kept ordinary citizens away but also placed it closest to those in power in Fresh Flower City.
The aerial layer wasn't very large, but it only housed a castle-like building plus a few vast leisure areas, looking quite imposing from a distance.
It resembled a cluster of dark clouds floating above the city.
This aerial structure was covered by a transparent light arc protective layer, with the supporting pillars below hidden from view, making it appear completely suspended in the air. Occasionally, one or two aircraft could be seen entering or exiting, though from the city side, the situation up there couldn't be clearly seen.
After arriving at the city's commercial core area, Xu Huo got off his aircraft and casually walked along the streets.
Because there were many outsiders here, the atmosphere wasn't as tense as at the city entrance. At least the cleaning robots didn't constantly issue warnings about not littering; they just silently cleaned.
There weren't many local residents sightseeing here. Some walked hurriedly, their expressions sharply contrasting with their surroundings.
Of course, there were more people shopping generously with their children, clearly indicating good family backgrounds. Among these people, some wore items symbolizing their status as Fresh Flower City residents but didn't wear uniform clothing.
"Sir, would you like something to drink?" Xu Huo sat down on a rest bench, and a nearby robot moved over, inquiring and informing him that it could provide free drinks and a sightseeing guide.
Xu Huo requested a sightseeing guide and, based on the simple map inside, found the Game Government Library.
The Game Government Library was a library established and managed by the Dimension Rift game. Not every city had one, but if it did, players could enter using a library card issued by the game and access relevant information. When he was promoted to C-level player, the game gave him a library card for E-level wormhole points, meaning he could use this card at all wormhole points under the E-level classification.
The library wasn't far, just two streets away.
Unlike the dusty library he'd seen at the W37 base station, this Fresh Flower City library, aside from the clock moving at the top of the entrance, was decorated with flower carvings and surrounded by flower walls, making it pleasing to the eye.
"Hey buddy, can you lend me your library card?" A short, stocky man blocked Xu Huo's path, grinning broadly. "I promise to return it within an hour, and I'll give you a generous reward!"
"Library cards can't be used by others," Xu Huo said.
"There's always a way around a problem." The short man mysteriously revealed a carrier hidden in his palm—a thin metal sheet. "With this thing, I can temporarily modify the information on the library card, so it'll work!"
"Is that so?" Xu Huo reached into his pocket as if to pull something out. Just then, someone came out of the library and quickly stopped him: "Don't believe him, he's a scammer!"
Seeing the newcomer, the short man's face fell, and he turned and walked away. The person from the library came up to Xu Huo and said indignantly, "That thing in his hand isn't a high-tech product at all; it's a theft prop. As soon as you take out your library card, he can swap it! I almost fell for it earlier!"
Xu Huo glanced at him and stepped toward the library. "You're quite the warm-hearted person."
After verifying his identity, the library doors opened. The first thing that caught his eye was rows of normal bookshelves filled with paper books.
"Welcome, player, to the library. What information would you like to inquire about today?"
Xu Huo selected history, and the robot guided him to the correct location. "The information you need is available in two storage modes: Message Collection Terminal and paper books. You can choose freely, but you cannot copy or damage them."
Settling into a reading pod, Xu Huo chose to browse via the Message Collection Terminal.
The key left by He Pu had a rough landmark, but it was too large to match against Fresh Flower City. The only possible clue to narrow it down lay in the key itself.
It was a relatively ornate diamond key, likely meant to open a specific fixed door. However, in modern Fresh Flower City, everything was technologically advanced. Obvious buildings were out of the question, and if it were something portable like a safe, finding it would be nearly impossible. So it should be something in between.
The time wasn't too long, and District 001 hadn't developed just in recent years. He Pu would have anticipated rapid building updates back then. The place where he stored the item must be somewhere that wouldn't be easily destroyed or altered in a short time. Before coming, Xu Huo had already identified several targets, but he needed to see if there were any more suitable locations.
Since the exact time of He Pu's placement couldn't be determined, Xu Huo had to start looking at least twenty years back, focusing first on places that hadn't changed much over the years.
However, he hadn't expected that Fresh Flower City underwent minor renovations every five years and major renovations every ten years. Not only the district government, but even ordinary residents' homes were inspected and refurbished by robots. Any materials not meeting regulations were replaced to maintain the city's "newness." If there was any place that hadn't changed much in the past twenty years, it could only be the directly administered district.
Many players lived in the directly administered district, some of whom had families living in Fresh Flower City for generations. They had relatively well-preserved old buildings, and the diamond key's appearance was more suited to this type of location.
Information on city building changes could be obtained by reviewing videos taken during annual celebrations.
However, there were quite a few such targets.
Additionally, there was one unexpected gain: one of the targets he had previously identified was also among these buildings that hadn't been frequently renovated.
(Chapter End)