Chapter 1305: The Truly Overlapping Map
Half an hour later, Xu Huo obtained some answers that were not entirely unexpected. First and foremost, Primordial Stones could certainly be destroyed, but the difficulty depended on the type of Primordial Stone. Generally speaking, the better the quality and the higher the grade, the harder it was to destroy. However, with the current level of technology in the game world, no Primordial Stone was indestructible—it was more a matter of willingness to sacrifice it. Stones with special attributes like "Time Origin" were extremely rare, and their preservation value far outweighed their use in crafting items.
As for the claim of contamination, no one mentioned it. Primordial Stones, in essence, were a type of ore with a more stable structure, making them difficult to contaminate like plants or animals, unless a large area was covered with special contaminating materials.
Perhaps the A-rank player was referring to the latter.
But this method wasn't particularly efficient either. First, it was impossible to sneak into a mineral vein unnoticed, and second, spreading toxins took time. Exerting so much effort without achieving the expected results was equally unprofitable.
However, this didn't mean the A-rank player was lying. Traveling all that way to tell a pointless lie made no sense. If what he said was true, then another angle had to be considered—perhaps the Directly Administered District had more than one door.
Since multiple spaces could exist within the spiritual realm, multiple doors could also exist. In that case, both their statements could be true.
The situation at the mineral vein entrance was more complicated than anticipated, but for Xu Huo, this was actually good news. It meant the Directly Administered District wasn't limited to just inside and outside the door. Once he found a way in, even if he couldn't reach the depths of the vein, the power arranged above it would serve as a natural protective layer.
At the very least, he needed to find a way through a door—any door would do.
The problem circled back to the starting point: he still needed a method to enter the Directly Administered District's portal. The "Door of Idealism" had failed, and the "Portal" seemed to have no weak points for him to exploit...
Setting aside the map for now, Xu Huo posted a bounty for a solution on the game platform.
"Have you found what you're looking for?" Zhuang Shanbai's patience had reached its limit.
"I'll leave this afternoon," Xu Huo replied, then paused and asked, "Do you know the current situation of the Han Clan?"
"I've told you, we haven't had direct dealings with the Han Clan for over a decade," Zhuang Shanbai said grimly.
"That's hard to believe," Xu Huo said. "When the Zhuang family members left, the Han Clan must have provided some assistance. You probably haven't completely cut ties... Even if you have, you should at least know something about the situation in Fresh Flower City. The descendants of the Han Clan are 'outstanding' in a unique way."
"Although I don't know if Old Master Zhuang anticipated this when he took care of the Han Clan back then, I think he must have had sympathy for ordinary people when he rebuilt District 001."
Such was the complexity of humanity. Perhaps the Han Clan and Old Master Zhuang once shared good hopes, but in just a few decades, things had undergone tremendous changes amidst peace.
The Zhuang brothers stared at him with somber expressions, remaining silent for a long time.
The afternoon sunlight was pleasant enough, but it seemed to cast a faint shadow over people.
Xu Huo left the Zhuang residence shortly after. After exiting the orchard, he didn't leave Elephant Mountain City immediately. Instead, he took another stroll around the city. Two hours later, he boarded an aircraft, and no one followed him during this time.
Returning smoothly to Fresh Flower City, he headed straight for the Directly Administered District.
The distribution maps of Fresh Flower City and the Directly Administered District he had seen earlier, along with photos taken by aircraft, were somewhat distorted. It wasn't that the basic city layout didn't match, but based on his estimation of the city, there were discrepancies between the map and the actual distance data.
After taking a sightseeing aircraft for a lap around the Directly Administered District, Xu Huo finally identified the problem. The map was one thing—forging it was too easy—but a considerable number of photos taken by private aircraft also didn't reflect the city's actual appearance at the time. They were fake images processed with data.
In other words, the layout of certain parts of the city couldn't be accurately obtained through maps or photos unless observed on-site.
Unsure if Fresh Flower City did this because of the mineral vein, Xu Huo still selected three locations to inspect in person.
On the way, he passed through the newly renovated city center block. Most shops had reopened, spontaneously organizing celebrations. Now the entire area was packed with people, as if it had returned to the time before the Head Fireworks.
Xu Huo followed the surging crowd back to the edge of the Directly Administered District, visually estimating the discrepancy between the photos and the actual site. The street he was on marked the boundary between the Directly Administered District and the outside. In reality, the block had shifted outward compared to the photos and map. That is, at least this section of the Directly Administered District's periphery was slightly larger than what the map showed, forming an arc less than five hundred meters long, with both sides naturally converging to overlap with the map again.
The second location was similar.
The third location was different. It was a square building on the street that had shifted outward by less than a hundred meters.
Finding a spot, he redrew the areas that deviated from the map and compared them with the Zhuang family's layout. A strange thing happened: the edges of certain parts of the Zhuang family's hidden instance venue overlapped with the edges of the Directly Administered District. However, it wasn't an overlap with this specific area of the Directly Administered District but rather a symmetrical shape outside it, covering the city center, Fresh Flower City Government, and the Game Government Base.
It wasn't unusual for city planning layouts to be similar or regular. Coincidentally, if one tried to match the Zhuang family's layout with the Directly Administered District's edge using Fresh Flower City's published map, it wouldn't align. However, if one searched within the Directly Administered District, a scaled-down overlapping section could be found. Yet, after certain parts shifted outward in arcs or sharp cones, this line could be enlarged proportionally and fit perfectly.
The entire Directly Administered District might be a portal, but that didn't mean other parts of Fresh Flower City weren't within the instance venue.
The Fresh Flower City Government Office Building and the Game Government Base were too conspicuous, surrounded by players and detection items everywhere. Xu Huo followed the layout map to another corner of the city center, entered an underground passage, and used the "Door of Idealism."
The spiritual realm space that had resisted multiple attempts earlier opened without warning. Pushing open the "Door of Idealism," a pitch-black world appeared behind it. Strands of white light, like elongated starlight, moved from far to near, then vanished one by one at the door's edge, exuding a chill.
Xu Huo stepped inside, but suddenly, an identical version of himself appeared on his left, turning its head to look at him.
(Chapter End)