Chapter 1299: Those Who Steal Will Eventually Go Bald
Most of the books about that legendary figure had been bought back at high prices, but since they weren't banned books, they could still be found if one really looked. Passing through a small city, Xu Huo casually picked an old bookstore and found two copies tucked away in a corner of the shelves.
The shopkeeper, relatively young, smiled when he saw the books in Xu Huo's hands. "This kind of old-fashioned heroic biography is almost never read anymore."
Zone 001 had been in the game for far too long, and the recent years had been excessively peaceful, especially in those small, neglected cities. Many people had forgotten the early days of entering the game. Without a reminder, even young people wouldn't bother to learn about that tragic history. Since Zone 001's cultural education didn't cover it, even though the books contained a great deal about Zone 001's suffering at the start of the game, they failed to resonate. Most people skimmed the words without truly absorbing them.
"So what's popular now?" Xu Huo asked casually.
The shopkeeper pointed to a shelf beside the checkout counter. "Post-apocalyptic stuff. Usually starts with Zone 001 suffering a devastating attack. Want to take a look?"
Xu Huo expressed disinterest.
The shopkeeper, a seasoned enthusiast himself, pulled a book of the same genre from a bag at his feet. "I published this one myself. It's a gift for you. After you read it, remember to leave a review on the Message Collection Terminal. The address is printed inside the book."
With that, he warmly gave Xu Huo a few pieces of fruit and saw him off with a beaming smile.
Forced to accept the buy-one-get-two deal, Xu Huo returned to his aircraft and continued on his way, arriving at the city where the Zhuang family lived in the afternoon.
Unlike the excessive bustle of Card City or the extreme oppression of Fresh Flower City, Elephant Mountain City was a remarkably free city. Judging by the shops and pedestrians on the streets, the pace of life here was very slow. It was also an agricultural city, with vendors everywhere doing business under signs like "Pick Your Own" and "Freshly Picked, Freshly Sold."
Correspondingly, the number of flying monitors was also much lower, though they still covered the city's main areas.
However, what Xu Huo first sensed were the rays emitted by different spiritual forces scattered throughout the city.
He was wearing the Cube Space, so as soon as he stepped into the city's boundary, he naturally saw the rays in the distance. Of course, spiritual force rays were different from space rays. What he actually saw were instruments. After spotting the instruments, he used his spiritual power to look again and discovered traces of spiritual force on them.
Items capable of containing spiritual power weren't unheard of, but they usually required a player to operate them. Xu Huo had never seen instruments like these that didn't need human control.
At the same time, he knew those instruments had detected his spiritual power, so he withdrew his power immediately after making contact.
"Young man, want some fresh vegetables?" A ruddy-cheeked old woman approached him. "Absolutely fresh, no pesticides. Just wash them and eat."
Xu Huo bought two white melons that could be eaten raw. After tasting one, he nodded. "Definitely better than what's sold elsewhere. Any secret?"
"What secret? It's the place itself," the old woman said with a smile. "Look at the mountains and rivers around us—completely unpolluted. All the weapon factories, artifact workshops, and mining operations are far away from here. Even the air is better than other places."
Zone 001 already had ultra-large air purifiers that could clean a city's air in a very short time, but the cost was significant. Only a few economically strong cities could afford them.
Xu Huo followed the old woman's pointing finger and glanced around. "Lush mountains and clear waters. Truly a good place."
"The welfare is good too. They take good care of us old folks. If I weren't so restless, I wouldn't even need to do business!" The old woman seemed to like him and wanted to chat for a long time.
Xu Huo listened to her for a while before asking about the Zhuang family.
"So you're here for the books," the old woman said, slapping her thigh. "You're too late. The author died a few years ago. I heard his son is also a writer. It's the same if you find him."
"Follow this road to the end, then turn right. The houses at the foot of the mountain are all theirs. There's an orchard there, and it's harvest season right now. You've come at a good time!"
The Zhuang family was easy to find. It only took ten minutes to walk there. Across an orchard, the rooftops were visible from a distance.
The orchard had no anti-theft fencing. Many children passing by would sneak in to pick a couple of fruits. When Xu Huo entered the orchard, a bald-headed kid was directing a group of "underlings" to pick fruit, loudly sharing his picking tips. When their paths crossed, the bald kid glared at Xu Huo and quickly led the other children away.
Xu Huo smiled, picked up a fruit they had accidentally dropped, and tossed it over. "You dropped this."
He didn't throw it hard, but the oversized fruit was a bit heavy. The bald kid caught it, stumbled backward, and landed squarely on his bottom.
The surrounding children burst into laughter. The little bald kid's face turned red with anger. He glared fiercely at Xu Huo and shouted, "You baldie!"
Xu Huo touched his thick hair and said with amusement, "You're balder than me."
"Idiot, I'm not bald!" The little kid jumped up. "I shaved it! You're the bald one! Those who steal will eventually go bald!"
"I'm not here to steal fruit." Xu Huo pulled the book from his backpack. "I'm here to visit the author of this book. Do you know him?"
The back of the book had the author's photo. The little bald kid glanced at it, then turned and ran, followed by a string of kids his age. As they ran and shouted, the fruits in their arms kept falling, drawing curses from passing adults.
Once the kids were far away, Xu Huo put the book away and walked deeper into the orchard.
This was no ordinary orchard. From the outside, it didn't seem very large, but after walking for at least ten minutes, he still hadn't reached the Zhuang family's residence. Looking back, the houses seemed just as far away as before.
This orchard had a special interference—possibly from items, traits, or evolutionary powers.
Xu Huo released his Spiritual Realm and opened his Spiritual Gate several times before successfully moving forward a bit. However, this didn't mean he could reach his destination in one go or walk in a straight line. Because the orchard was under the influence of spiritual interference, what the eyes saw wasn't necessarily real. So he might not have been walking in the right direction at all.
Yet within the interference, there were clear contrasts between strong and weak points, and the weaker spots seemed to form a path.
What looked like a short distance took him nearly half an hour to traverse.
Exiting the orchard brought him to the Zhuang family's residence—a series of connected small courtyards. A man around thirty years old was sweeping fallen leaves and looked surprised to see him.
(Chapter End)