# Chapter 1790: I Have Money, I Can Lend It to You
The resort villa was a legitimate entertainment venue. The service staff coming and going were attentive and courteous without being obsequious. However, the exquisitely made-up woman half-kneeling in front of him deliberately unbuttoned her collar, pulling out a bit of angle that could easily lead to wild thoughts.
Xu Huo glanced at the small brooch on her collar and gestured for her to pour him a glass of water.
The woman gave a brilliant smile and poured tea as he instructed, but she actively lifted it and moved toward Xu Huo. However, before the tea reached his lips, she seemed to lose her balance due to the waves on the lake, and the cup tipped toward Xu Huo.
"Splash!" The tea was blocked by an invisible space barrier, and together with the cup, it fell onto the woman. Other staff members who heard the noise rushed over and quickly made the woman apologize. The woman had originally been paid to do this, and staring at the broken cup, her face turned pale. She bowed repeatedly in apology, not daring to say a single extra word.
At that moment, a boat caught up from behind. Lady Lily stood at the bow with three companions, laughing from a distance.
"I told you, he wouldn't fall for it." Lady Lily shook the small fan in her hand, smiling as she said to those around her, "My judgment of people is still pretty good."
Several ladies teasingly looked at the seated Xu Huo. "Once a man is injured, he seems even more charming, just a bit lacking in romantic interest."
"He's different from those young lads we usually fool around with," Lady Lily said.
Just then, the two boats came alongside each other. Lady Lily leaned on the railing, speaking with amusement, "You wouldn't even take a cup? You scared that delicate young girl."
Xu Huo said very sincerely, "I injured my internal organs on this trip. If I had taken it, I'd have to lie down and recuperate all over again."
"That serious?" Lady Lily looked at him carefully. "It just so happens I brought a doctor. Let him take a look at you."
Xu Huo didn't refuse her kindness. An older doctor stepped across the boat and gave him a simple examination, then said, "The injury is quite severe, but players recover quickly. Rest quietly for a while and avoid moving too much, and you'll be fine."
Lady Lily had already boarded Xu Huo's boat. Upon hearing this, she immediately had someone prepare good medicine for him. "Given our friendship, a little medicine is nothing."
She stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "The risks in this line of work are really too high. You're already a Baron. It wouldn't be impossible to move around and withdraw from the game."
"It doesn't matter if you lost your job at the base government over there. I can get you a Gray Player identity."
Xu Huo had previously worked as a contract staff member in the Orbital Supply Department, helping out between instances. However, last time when the Eerie Sound Knights attacked Zone 011, Director Sanyang had made some moves within the government base. When he was investigated afterward, he fled. At that time, all contract staff working at the base government were fired together, including Wan Tingfang, who had some connection to Director Sanyang, and Xu Huo, who was caught in the crossfire.
Pouring himself another glass of water, he smiled and said, "Gray Players have to work for the Game Government."
Becoming a Gray Player required very strict review and had to pass the Game Government's approval. Generally, only players recognized by the Game Government to work for them could obtain this status, and such quotas were extremely scarce. Judging from the operational model of the Zone 011 Game Government Base, the main staff came from people at other wormhole points. Even if a player obtained a quota, they most likely wouldn't become core members, so the number of Gray Players would definitely not be large.
Lady Lily, however, said, "The District Government can also negotiate deals and cooperate with the Game Government. What's a Gray Player identity worth?"
Seeing her wink at him, Xu Huo put down his water glass. "Madam, don't joke around."
Lady Lily chuckled softly. "Fishing at night is boring. I happen to have some fish caught during the day at my place. We'll grill them and eat together later."
They didn't need to do the cooking themselves. The staff would grill the fish according to their tastes and bring it up. Lady Lily's companions also came along, but they had no interest in interacting with Xu Huo and the others. They sat lazily to the side, drinking figure-controlling fruit drinks, occasionally tasting the food the staff brought, and talking about men and women, not bothering to avoid having the opposite sex and children nearby.
Lady Lily was more reserved. She occasionally glanced at Xu Huo, and seeing him taking care of the two children, her gaze shifted between Xiao Yuan and Tan Qi.
"These two aren't your children, are they?" The lady sitting next to him covered her lips with a light laugh. "Men don't show their age, especially players."
She meant that although he looked young, his actual age might be quite old.
"Having children this big isn't difficult," Xu Huo joked. "Find a suitable district. Maybe if you go back after a year or so, the kid could be running all over the streets."
Several ladies laughed, and Lady Lily said, "She's joking with you. Although there are time differences between districts, it's not that extreme. Otherwise, what would players do? Go out for a few years and come back to find their wife isn't theirs anymore."
They chatted and laughed through the meal. Afterward, Lady Lily and her companions prepared to return to their boat. Before leaving, she revealed a piece of information to Xu Huo—Zone 011 was planning to join forces with some districts to fund a bounty on the Eerie Sound Knights.
Of course, the Eerie Sound Knights members were already wanted criminals, and judging by their behavior, they didn't seem like the type to obediently grab tickets and continue entering instances. As for what methods they used to avoid high-risk random instances, most people believed they had some teleportation devices that could cross wormhole points, or else they were familiar with some special dimensional routes. This allowed them to completely break away from their original wormhole points and become black-market residents, moving freely between different districts without using tickets.
The districts that had suffered from their destruction were adding money on top of the game's existing bounty. If someone killed a member of the Eerie Sound Knights, they could not only obtain game rewards but also take the head to any participating district to collect the money.
The reason Lady Lily revealed this information to Xu Huo was to suggest he donate a sum of money to the District Government. If the price was right, the government might award him a medal or title, making it easier for him to be accepted into Zone 011's aristocratic circle. Only after being accepted would he have access to some of the information circulating within the nobility.
Xu Huo thanked her and said he would certainly be generous.
Lady Lily left satisfied. She was returning to Base City early tomorrow morning, so this was her farewell to him.
"Donate money?" Painting Woman walked up to Xu Huo. "Don't we have no money?"
Xu Huo said without changing his expression, "We can borrow from someone else."
Painting Woman thought for a moment and then said, "I can lend you my allowance, no interest."
Xu Huo looked at her with newfound respect. "You've been saving your allowance?"
Painting Woman had little concept of money. Last time, the two hundred million White Notes that the Special Defense Department had sent, she had given all of them to him to exchange for the Light Gentleman medal.
Painting Woman nodded vigorously and then set another condition. "Money for you, medal for me."
(Chapter End)