Chapter 2038: One Hundred Years Older Than District 011
The Vilna family, like other nobles who had long existed in District 011, owned properties spread across District 011 and several other sub-districts. Because the Game Government had set up its base in this city, some nobles had shifted their focus accordingly, but their places of origin were not here. For all nobles, the houses used during their rise to prominence, though not as magnificent as those in Base City, symbolized their roots and honor, as well as the admiration and longing of lesser nobles and ordinary people.
Therefore, when meeting guests privately, they would invite them to some of these old estates—first to flaunt their status, and second to express respect for their guests.
Three days after Xu Huo sent out his invitation, the Vilna family dispatched a butler to his door, who solemnly invited him to meet at a tourist destination near Base City, renowned for its scenic beauty. Huahan Werner was not often in Base City and was currently recuperating in that city.
The butler’s visit was mainly to inform him of some basic etiquette for the visit. Well, the Vilna family had their own rules—how to greet, how to converse with the host, and even the fixed patterns for tea drinking and dining were very cumbersome. Not making mistakes in someone else’s home would ensure mutual pleasure.
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” Xu Huo said, spending two hours learning the protocols.
The Vilna family butler left quite satisfied.
After he left, Yan Jiayu, who had been watching the commotion from outside the door, walked in. “How interesting. Chanting sutras and meditating don’t have as many rules as they do.”
“One must have a sense of ritual in life,” Xu Huo said with a smile.
“Makes sense.” Yan Jiayu nodded, then looked out the window at the garden. “This place is so fun, I don’t want to leave.”
“Coming again next time is the same,” Xu Huo said. “Are you rushing to do an instance?”
Yan Jiayu sighed. “I’ve played around in other places for a few days, but unfortunately, there isn’t enough time. There are too many fun things in the game.”
She touched the hair clip pinned to her head—something she had just bought in District 011. When pressed, it would make her hair explode like an electric shock. She had played with it for two hours yesterday and still wasn’t bored, now turning herself into an afro.
Well, her head looked a bit too big now.
Patting her puffed-up short hair, Yan Jiayu was quite satisfied with her new look. “Nice texture.”
“I’m off then.”
She waved her hand and vanished from the corridor.
Qi Cong, who had been assigned by Mr. Dong to trim flower branches for randomly picking flowers, sensed it. He looked up toward the second floor, then continued his work.
Xu Huo turned to Mr. Dong and said, “Don’t deliberately stop him. If he wants to leave, let him.”
The scheduled visit was set for the next afternoon, so he set off in the morning.
The aircraft arrived directly at the noble district of Xiu City. This area had both old and new castles. Since Huahan Werner was staying at his old estate, the car drove slowly through the district for a while before arriving.
Noticing that people were frequently coming and going from nearby castles, some of whom he had seen at the New Year’s Eve party, Xu Huo asked the butler if there was a gathering.
“An elder of the family has a birthday approaching, and some younger members have come to celebrate,” the butler replied. “Such small gatherings usually only invite close families. You need not mind.”
Xu Huo nodded and asked no further questions.
Soon, they arrived at the ancient castle where Huahan Werner resided.
From the outside, this castle looked older than those in Base City, appearing unkempt, with many dilapidated areas left in their ruined state. However, the flowers and trees in the garden were well-planted.
Huahan Werner was having tea in the garden. He seemed to have just finished tending it, as his clothes and pants were stained with mud. The dirty tools and gloves were set aside on a small table, and he didn’t care that mud had gotten on the exquisite teapot and teacups.
“Sir!” The butler frowned and quickly walked over to tidy up. “You are meeting a guest—this is too rude!”
Huahan Werner didn’t mind at all and instead comforted him. “Fortunately, only one person saw it, and I think he won’t mind.”
He turned to look at Xu Huo. “Right?”
Xu Huo smiled in agreement.
As Mr. Dong had said, Huahan Werner appeared to be a very old man, but his mental state was excellent. Based on his physical characteristics, it was impossible to accurately estimate his evolution rate, as he seemed to be aging.
This was different from other players Xu Huo had seen before. Whether they appeared old or young on the surface, their physical foundations were strong—just from their breathing rhythm and heartbeat, one could tell they had at least thirty more years to live. Huahan Werner was the first player he had met who exuded an aura of approaching death.
Unlike degeneration, this old man was like a towering tree withering from the roots, an immense aura of decay that could not be dispelled.
Xu Huo had rarely seen players in the game who were naturally aging to the point of death.
Of course, it was possible he hadn’t met enough players.
“Please, sit,” Huahan Werner said, pointing to a chair the butler had brought over. “It’s just a young man visiting an old man with one foot in the grave—why so many rules?”
Xu Huo smiled without speaking and, following the butler’s guidance, took a sip of tea.
Seeing that he had adhered to the Vilna family etiquette, Huahan Werner shook his head with a smile. “Young people, really—the more you tell them not to do something, the more they do it.”
“It’s not just young people who do that,” Xu Huo said.
Huahan Werner paused, then laughed out loud. “True. Some people are born that way, and they never change from childhood to old age.”
The butler beside them showed a disapproving expression.
Huahan Werner restrained his laughter a bit and said to Xu Huo, “You’ve never been to Xiu City, have you? The local cuisine here is excellent, famous throughout the entire district. My butler is not only well-versed in etiquette but also a skilled chef. I’ll have him show off his skills for you later.”
Xu Huo played along appropriately, and the butler was reluctantly sent off to the kitchen.
Huahan Werner then relaxed back into his chair and complained, “Look at me, an old bag of bones—it’s good enough that I can keep my back straight. Do you expect me to be a model of etiquette?”
“I have never seen a player of your age before,” Xu Huo said. “I thought that with the emergence of the game world, human limits could be broken multiple times.”
“You drew the black box, so you should know how to use time power,” Huahan Werner said, crossing his hands over his abdomen and leisurely rocking his chair. “By my birth age, I am far from old, but when I was young, I accidentally encountered a time ray. It pulled my body into another world’s timeline. Now, I am a hundred years older than District 011.”