Chapter 1904: Platinum Eye Insights
This could also be considered a good thing. If the robot had been left there alone, it would inevitably leave traces afterward. However, the past fragments retrieved through Time Ray are merely images and won't leave concrete evidence.
Xu Huo put the robot away. To be safe, he directly used his ticket to board a train heading to Platinum Eye.
After entering the station, he checked his prop watch. The watch wasn't damaged. Once he came out, time returned to normal. The strange courtyard and the outside world had no difference in time flow—it wasn't a space with a different time speed.
However, looking back after coming out, that place seemed more like a training ground designed to cultivate Super Evolvers. Setting aside the furnishings, his Time Ray had broken through the space too easily, and the method of exiting afterward was also overly simple. The key point was clearly focused on using Time Ray to breach space.
And breaking through space with Time Ray should be a significant part of Temporal Super Evolution, because whether it's Time Freeze or Time Acceleration, one needs to connect to different Time Rays from different spaces.
Zone 011 had Super Evolvers, so creating such a training area wasn't difficult.
Of course, Xu Huo only had one thought upon exiting: run. If the other party could later review the courtyard's past fragments and discover the "Angel's Eyes" in his possession, they would dig three feet into the ground to find him.
Better not go back for now.
After coming out, he contacted Mr. Dong to send Xiao Yuan and Tan Qi to catch the train. He had already requested leave from the school in advance. The Painting Woman could wait until next time.
The entire journey went smoothly. However, it wasn't until Xu Huo boarded the starship that he learned something major had happened in Platinum Eye.
Previously, Platinum Eye had planned a marriage alliance with a family from an outer zone that also possessed advanced mechanical manufacturing technology. To hold the engagement ceremony, they even intended to build a dedicated starship. To this end, they had gathered a large number of people with crafting skills. The entire city was buzzing with anticipation for the event, with various industries celebrating the engagement in advance. Yet, unexpectedly, the engagement fell through before it even began.
The incident likely occurred during a banquet involving both parties of the engagement. The main figure of the engagement was unexpectedly assassinated—though, of course, they didn't die.
Although the person didn't die, the two sides turned against each other over the matter. Lang Zongjing, the young master of the Lang family who had been constantly chasing after Bai Kou, insisted that Bai Kou opposed the marriage and had used such means to sabotage the engagement—this was the widely circulated version in Platinum Eye, and also the version being discussed on the starship.
The aftermath of this version was that Platinum Eye and the Lang family immediately fell out and came to blows. The specifics of the fight were unclear, but the conflict didn't spread to Platinum Eye. After about ten days of confrontation, the Lang family eventually left. The city government announced the cancellation of the engagement, and all traces of the marriage contract vanished without a trace.
The lives of Platinum Eye's citizens remained unchanged. The city was orderly, and there were no restrictions on foreign visitors, as if nothing had ever happened.
It was precisely this evasive attitude that fueled widespread speculation among Platinum Eye's residents. Everyone was guessing what had actually happened, how much loss Platinum Eye had suffered, and whether the Lang family would seek revenge.
After Xu Huo disembarked from the starship and boarded a free aircraft, he used his Message Collection Terminal to check relevant information. On a well-known forum, an analytical post was extremely popular. Its gist was that this matter wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Two major technological cities—was the marriage alliance merely for business purposes? It was obviously a means to more easily acquire technology.
Before the engagement, the terms should have been negotiated. But just as the engagement was about to take place, an "accident" occurred. This "accident" was certainly not something unexpected; more likely, one side made excessive demands while the other refused, leading to a direct fallout and conflict.
The process of the fallout ending with the Lang family's peaceful withdrawal was probably bloody and brutal. However, since both sides relied on technology for their rise, they agreed not to fight on home turf and chose a different battlefield instead. Although the city showed no visible losses, the high-tech weapons used by the government and the deployment of players must have left traces.
The final result must have been a stalemate. Otherwise, either Platinum Eye would have been attacked, or the Lang family's home base would have been hit. If either side had been breached at their doorstep, both parties would have known.
So, it likely stopped at the stage of player and weapon confrontation. Both sides suffered losses, both felt the pain, and could only cease hostilities.
Thus, the marriage alliance aimed at acquiring the latest weapon development technology ended in mutual defeat.
This post generated a lot of discussion and gained widespread recognition. However, the city government never came forward to comment, so everyone could only watch the spectacle.
As for Bai Kou, who was at the center of the public opinion storm, whether on the Message Collection Terminal or in everyday public discussion, most believed she had little to do with the matter. On the terminal, the view was that using her as an excuse to break off the engagement was merely the Lang family's pretext. The everyday version also held that the Lang family was petty, possibly deliberately sabotaging the marriage because they couldn't win her over.
No one knew the specifics, but many people spontaneously marched outside the Mechanical Castle to show support and comfort. Gifts, letters, and even donations flew toward the Mechanical Castle like snowflakes.
This showed Bai Kou's status in the hearts of the people.
Bai Kou never appeared.
Xu Huo checked all public records after this. Not only Bai Kou, but also the mayor and the mayor's wife had not appeared in public. Only the mayor's signed notices were posted in the Government Hall.
However, due to confidence in the city's power, no one suspected they might be in trouble. Most public opinion focused on the Lang family, even considering them ungrateful, believing the Lang family's technology could never match Platinum Eye's.
Of course, this was just talk. Many crafters and mechanics felt that their own people had been bullied over technical issues and needed to reclaim their honor. As a result, Platinum Eye experienced a small technological storm, with a surge in patent applications for new weapons and equipment.
From the enthusiastic faces of the residents, there was no sign of frustration over the failed engagement. Instead, they appeared exceptionally positive and motivated.
It had to be said, Platinum Eye was a city with a great atmosphere.
Xu Huo got off near the Mechanical Castle. Before he had taken two steps, someone came over to sell small snacks, at surprisingly low prices.
"Sir, buy one. It's filled. I guarantee you won't regret it."
Xu Huo paid and took a bite, only to find it was indeed filled. Inside, there was a sugar figurine made with jam. He looked at it. "This person looks familiar."
The vendor slapped his forehead. "My craftsmanship still isn't good enough. I need to make changes. Don't tell anyone about this—it's not something to bring into the open."
Xu Huo took another look at the sugar figurine, clearly dressed in Lang family attire but with slightly different colors, and bit off its head in one go.