Chapter 1907: Overthinking
"Look at that, look at that!" Xiao Yuan was immediately drawn to the clown, pointing at the petal characters floating in the air.
Xu Huo noted the time and first took them to the most famous specialty restaurant in Platinum Eye.
After eating and a brief rest, they visited a nearby botanical garden, then queued up to enter just before the animal show was about to start.
The so-called strange animal show wasn't just simple animal performances. The program had level restrictions. For children, they featured cute-looking, gentle-tempered small animals. Some animals, after evolution, would instinctively release dazzling lights or display magical colors, naturally carrying light and shadow effects that looked very eye-catching—exactly the type kids liked.
For selective viewing, there were large animal shows. Some of these animals had evolved in particularly bizarre ways, like their facial features gradually becoming somewhat human-like, or being very adept at mimicking human behavior. There were also feeding performances, usually involving large carnivores preying on medium-to-small animals, which weren't too bloody for adult audiences.
Xu Huo watched two children's shows with the kids, then followed the advice of other audience members to see an underwater performance.
After the show, it was about time, so they found a nearby hotel to rest.
Yan Fang wouldn't return to the Mechanical Castle; he needed to take the aircraft to a nearby automatic maintenance bay for servicing and would pick them up tomorrow morning.
Children maintained high enthusiasm for new things. They hadn't played like this in District 011, so even after returning to the room, they couldn't calm down for a long time.
Tan Qi had a camera and had taken many photos. After entering the room, the two kept discussing which show was the best.
Half an hour later, Xu Huo reminded them they could rest and continue playing tomorrow.
"Let's just play in the hotel tomorrow," Xiao Yuan said. "I want to turn these photos into an album."
Tan Qi nodded too, being more direct: "We spent a lot of money today."
"Miss Kou Kou from the ancient castle paid for all of this," Xu Huo didn't hide it from them.
"Is Miss Kou Kou here too?" Xiao Yuan's expression showed some longing. "She's so beautiful and powerful. I wish I could grow up to be like her."
"Mr. Dong said Miss Kou Kou is very fierce," Tan Qi said.
"Mr. Dong talks bad about people?" Xu Huo chuckled. "Looks like he's been bullied quite a bit."
"You'll be staying here for a while from now on."
"In a couple of days, I'll take you to meet a real Artificer. You'll learn crafting from her—learn as much as you can. You'll also have daily cultural classes."
Xiao Yuan was pleasantly surprised, while Tan Qi was somewhat shocked. "An Artificer from here?"
Even if they didn't know much about Platinum Eye before coming, after wandering outside all day, they understood what kind of place this was. A city famous throughout the game world for crafting—learning from an Artificer here definitely wouldn't be easy. This wasn't something money could solve.
"Kids shouldn't worry about things that aren't their business. Get some sleep early." Xu Huo pointed to the other two rooms in the suite and went into his own after speaking.
There was no need to worry about security in Platinum Eye, especially for someone holding a Platinum Badge. Xu Huo rested well that night. The two children woke up even earlier than him, already washed up and waiting to have breakfast together.
Breakfast was very abundant. Xiao Yuan thought they couldn't finish it all, so she packed some into her backpack.
The next day was all about playing. When they went out, they wore the travel outfits provided by the hotel—three people in matching clothes and backpacks, bustling noisily down the lively streets.
If you didn't care about your wallet, Platinum Eye was an excellent place to play. There were even flight groups organized specifically to see natural scenery around the city. With fast enough aircraft, reaching the destination took at most ten-plus minutes. Half a day was enough to see all the natural scenic areas belonging to Platinum Eye.
After sightseeing, they could still return to Platinum Eye for dinner.
Along the way, they took many photos and holographic recordings. Xu Huo cooperated fully, his attitude so good that Xiao Yuan found it strange. She held it in until mealtime before asking: "Uncle, am I about to die?"
Xu Huo looked down at her. "Why do you think that?"
"You used to be very busy and never played this long," Xiao Yuan said. "You're so powerful, nothing must be wrong with you. Tan Qi is also very smart. Only I'm dumb—I can't learn many things. Am I sick?"
Tan Qi also realized it. Even when Xu Huo was at Rose Castle before, he rarely spent much time with them. When they went out, they were busy nearby while he did his own thing. He had never accompanied them like this the whole time!
"Really?" Tan Qi couldn't help standing up.
Xu Huo glanced at him. "Sit down."
Tan Qi gritted his teeth and sat back down.
"Neither of you is sick. You're very healthy," Xu Huo said. "I'm playing with you because I overused my brain and have some aftereffects. I can only rest lately."
"Really?" Both children were half-doubtful.
"Does it sound like a lie?" Xu Huo countered.
The two remembered that back at Rose Castle, Mr. Dong had said he needed to buy some headache medicine for him.
"Will you be sick for a long time? Is it serious?" Xiao Yuan nervously came over and grabbed his hand. "I don't want to play anymore. Let's go back."
"I'm not a patient," Xu Huo emphasized.
Tan Qi also comforted Xiao Yuan. "I know. Overusing the brain just means doing less brain work. Playing is the best—you don't have to think about anything."
Xiao Yuan thought that made sense.
The three set off again, but this time the two children unconsciously took care of Xu Huo. He didn't refuse and let them arrange things.
However, before they could play until evening, someone came looking for them in an aircraft.
"You came without even saying hello—not very buddy-like." Xin Rong got out of the vehicle with a smile, bent down to pat Tan Qi and Xiao Yuan's heads, and gave them each a red envelope. "A meeting gift, a meeting gift."
Xu Huo signaled them to accept it and asked Xin Rong how he knew he was in Platinum Eye.
"What's there not to know? Someone's been spending all over town with Miss Kou Kou's Platinum Badge—big news. At first, I saw the places were all for kids, so I thought it was Miss Pei Pei." Xin Rong winked at him. "Not bad, huh? You said you had no connections, and now Miss Kou Kou even lent you her Platinum Badge."
"She's a friend," Xu Huo said vaguely, then added, "If you're free, want to hang out?"
"Sure." Xin Rong was extremely outgoing by nature, and since he had come specifically for Xu Huo, he readily agreed and took the lead as the local host to arrange things.
"Thanks for lending me those items before." Xu Huo had borrowed items from him in District 017 and the Midsummer Night Star River Instance.
"Don't mention it," Xin Rong waved dismissively, then lowered his voice and said, "You should know the engagement fell through, right?"