Chapter 2046: The Painting Woman on the Train
Xu Huo immediately purchased a short-range space teleportation item on Under Dimension, a single-use cross-space item similar to a "doorbell." It could connect to the nearest stable small space, providing the holder with a safe house—somewhat like the tools used by the two experimenters in Zone 017. However, its duration was short; after ten seconds, it would automatically return the user to their original position.
He didn't actually enter. Instead, while the item opened a stable spatial gateway, he manipulated the time rays and space rays.
As he expected, once the gateway was opened, both time and space rays experienced a certain degree of isolation. The reason, he speculated, was that the small space created by the item was extremely stable. People could freely enter and exit, but the interfaces between spaces weren't fully compatible. Thus, from the outside, he couldn't directly control the rays inside the small space—but by reaching his hand in, he could.
The same applied to time rays. When he manipulated the time rays from outside, the time rays inside the small space didn't vibrate or resonate; they were completely isolated by the item.
Ten seconds passed quickly. The item expired, and the spatial gateway closed before him.
Xu Huo paused, then bought a second one.
After consuming over a dozen single-use space teleportation items, he finally stopped.
Unfortunately, neither space evolution nor time evolution had reached the stage he had envisioned.
Unable to verify his theory for now, Xu Huo didn't continue further. Instead, he returned to the courtyards and attempted to enhance his power by influencing the time rays of two completely different courtyards.
To draw time power from other spaces into his own, it certainly wouldn't involve destroying the space to create an entry gap. So how could he make spatial powers merge with each other?
The frustrating part was that even within this small courtyard, he couldn't make the two types of time power resonate or vibrate with each other. In fact, standing in one courtyard, he couldn't even perceive the time rays of another. Everything seemed to have returned to square one.
At the same time, he couldn't go from the refined rays back to the overall view of a single courtyard.
"I feel like something's still missing."
Xu Huo began shuttling between the courtyards again, sensing the different time powers in each as he moved.
He couldn't help but think back to Carmen Field's manipulation of time rays. At the time, the time rays had first destroyed the temple dome, then scattered to damage more objects. Initially, the area covered by the time power was indeed very small, only later expanding suddenly. Now that he thought about it, it must have been due to an increase in the fusion area of the time power—like a thin stream turning into a small creek.
This also involved the range of time power coverage and the intersection between two types of time.
Every time he pushed open a courtyard door, he felt like he had grasped something crucial. But as the door opened, that feeling quickly slipped away, as if he were always lingering outside the door. And when his sensations fluctuated, the size of the courtyard also increased or decreased, yet in the end, it never formed a complete courtyard.
This continued until nightfall again.
"Could it be that my evolution rate isn't high enough?" The changes in the courtyard suggested his direction was correct. After three days of fruitless experimentation, Xu Huo decided to look for other reasons.
This threshold seemed unlikely to be crossed anytime soon, so that night, he returned to Rose Castle. This time, he didn't use a flying vehicle but directly used a same-zone teleportation item to go back.
Mr. Dong appeared before him the next second. "Sir, would you like dinner?"
Xu Huo nodded and stretched his arm. "Get something with soup. I've been eating dry rations for days."
The Painting Woman also ran out, showing him the contents of the backpack she had prepared.
Inside a trendy little bag were not only communication devices, locators, and other small, portable instruments, but also some cosmetics, a few pieces of jewelry and gems she liked for daily wear, and several thick stacks of White Notes.
The Painting Woman indicated that this was her carry-on luggage. She was fully prepared and determined to follow Xu Huo into the next instance.
"When are we leaving?" She was very worried he would abandon her again, because Xu Huo rarely stayed at the castle for this long and should have gone to the next instance by now.
"Tomorrow," Xu Huo said after a moment's thought. "After lunch tomorrow."
During his free time over the past few days, he had cast a wide net to search for information on Dr. Deng and had already identified a specific district. After finishing the instance, he planned to stop by and take a look.
The Painting Woman jumped for joy, repeatedly emphasizing that he absolutely couldn't sneak off, then solemnly handed him her bag, which was adorned with various cartoon brooches. "Tomorrow, I'll go into the bag, and you have to carry me."
Xu Huo looked at the bag, which was bursting with personal style, and pointed to the table beside him. "Put it down."
The Painting Woman nodded, then sat nearby, watching him eat.
When he went upstairs, she followed, even fetching a blanket from her own room and declaring she would sleep at his door.
Xu Huo let her do as she pleased, closed the door, and went to sleep himself.
The next morning's work involved arranging the purchased supplies. Besides loading a lot of items into the luggage compartment, he also made use of the available space in the Snowflake Grand Hotel. In addition to daily necessities, Mr. Dong had prepared twenty sets of clothes for him this time, suitable for any occasion.
"Just leave these here," Xu Huo said. When traveling, convenience was key.
But Mr. Dong insisted, "These outfits match your status. Appropriate attire can help you avoid unnecessary trouble."
Xu Huo went along and put on the black coat Mr. Dong had selected.
The Painting Woman also changed into a black dress, twirled in front of him, and asked, "Does it look good?"
"The district we're going to next isn't hot," Xu Huo said.
The Painting Woman pretended not to hear and urged him to hurry.
After confirming there were no omissions, the two entered the sealed space created by Mr. Dong, blocking outside observation as much as possible, and left Zone 011.
The Painting Woman had to stay in the backpack until they boarded the train, so Xu Huo carried the bag. In the carriage, a flashily dressed woman was peddling potions she had made herself. She looked up, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him, and immediately walked over. "Handsome, want some fun potions? I guarantee they'll perk you up a hundred times. Don't believe me? Give it a try."
"Do you think anyone would buy your potions in public?" Xu Huo said.
"Of course they would!" The woman smiled brightly, gently brushing her long hair behind her ear. "Buying the potion comes with a free experience. And I like handsome guys too. It's a win-win, right?"
"No thanks." Xu Huo turned and walked toward the transition car. When he returned, the Painting Woman was by his side, and the backpack had been switched to her.
The potion-selling woman stared at her for several seconds before snorting softly and moving to another carriage.
Having been warned in advance, the Painting Woman behaved herself. She found a seat, called up the menu to order food, and patted her bag to indicate she was treating.