Chapter 2111: The Reason for Liking the Civilized World
The Painting Woman left cheerfully, while Xu Huo remained in the restaurant. The female player said with interest, "I think she's not quite right in the head. Aren't you afraid she'll get cheated?"
"A little money, even if she gets cheated, it's not a big problem." Xu Huo said.
The female player shrugged and said no more.
People came and went in the restaurant. Because it was close to the ruins, many people still stayed to rest after eating. Xu Huo was also one of those who stayed. Not long after, a large group of players surged into the shop. There weren't enough seats in the restaurant. The boss couldn't kick out the customers who had already sat down, so he could only ask these newcomers to find another place to eat.
Under normal circumstances, no one would make a fuss about this, but probably someone among them was in a bad mood. The boss's handkerchief, which he was using to wipe his sweat, accidentally fell onto a player's foot. Just as he was about to pick it up, that player directly stepped on his hand. The other party was looking for trouble, "So many people are sitting here dry without eating, and you won't ask them to leave, but you drive away the new customers. Is this the way 011 District treats its guests?"
The boss's face changed color. He knelt half on the ground and said, "It's really that the shop is too small. Poor hospitality, poor hospitality..."
Unfortunately, the boss's groveling didn't win any concessions from these people. That player kicked him away and sat down at a table near the door, "Squeezing in a bit doesn't matter... don't you think?"
Xu Huo and the female player he had been talking to were both sitting near the door. There were also players sharing tables. Each table only had two or three empty seats, just enough for the players to sit down without being too crowded. But once this group squeezed in, people pressing against each other immediately made it cramped.
Generally, unfamiliar players wouldn't casually get this close, especially if there might be physical contact. But these people seemed completely unaware of the hostility from the other players. One of them deliberately sat next to the female player and even reached out to put his arm around her shoulder, grinning as he leaned in.
The female player's dagger was pressed against her own shoulder. The man pretended to raise his hands, "Just putting an arm around your shoulder, no need to react so strongly, right? I saw your short hair and thought you were a man!"
He winked at his companions and cast glances at the other men at the table, as if trying to provoke the female player this way.
The female player was indeed provoked by him. Moments later, the teasing man suddenly stood up, flipped his palm over, and found that his palm had turned black.
"How dare you poison me!" the man shouted. His companions immediately surrounded the female player.
"Picking on the softest target, you're not deliberately making trouble for me just because I'm a woman, are you?" The female player also stood up and blinked at them, "Sorry, but you've kicked an iron plate!"
The players exchanged glances, seeming to have the intention to make a move, but at that moment, the female player shouted outside, "Someone, come quick! These people are trying to force their way into the ruins!"
The local players maintaining order appeared in the restaurant the next second. Several high-level players wearing unified badges looked at those trying to cause trouble. The leader said, "Although He City doesn't prohibit player fights, we've seen plenty of tricks of causing trouble under false pretenses. If you want to eat, sit down and eat. Otherwise, we'll have to ask you to leave here."
Those players exchanged glances, quickly made a decision, coldly swept their eyes over the female player and the patrol personnel, and walked out of the restaurant.
The patrol personnel then withdrew from the restaurant.
The female player sat back down in her seat and said with a smile, "This is the reason I like the civilized world."
In fact, there were quite a few people like those who had just tried to cause trouble with unclear intentions, probably all aiming for the battle ruins, though it was unclear what exactly they wanted to do.
Xu Huo sat for a while longer before settling the bill and leaving. He walked toward the free market while carefully examining the He City map and ruins guide he had purchased.
That's right, the battle ruins also had a guide. Its main content described which locations were recognized as having relatively concentrated power, the specific positions of those who had undergone secondary evolution, and also the infiltration of religious forces. The guide also included lucky charms promoted by different religions that were said to bring good luck and success, all with cute appearances. Not many adults in the city wore them, but children bought more.
"Young man, want to see something exciting?" An old lady mysteriously approached and stuffed a folded flyer into his hand. "It's a pity not to try it when you've come all this way. I guarantee you'll want a second try after the first!"
She didn't linger and left after speaking. Xu Huo opened the flyer, which boldly displayed eye-catching words like "Passionate Battle," "Bloody Queen vs. New Flesh-Eating Tiger in the Boxing Ring," "A Hot Fight Staking Honor and Fortune," and below that, a betting platform for the Message Collection Terminal.
He casually tossed the flyer into a roadside trash can and soon arrived at the free market. There were indeed many players doing business here. Besides common tickets, ordinary items, and standard instruments, there were also plants from different districts, as well as rare insects and small animals transported through special items—a wide variety.
He stopped in front of a glass cultivation cabinet, examining a cluster of purple-blue fungi inside, and asked the nearby player, "What kind of mushroom is this?"
"I don't know the scientific name, but it's called 'Three-Second Down.'" That player carefully pressed the glass door of the cabinet. "This thing is extremely poisonous and can't be touched casually. The few clusters next to it are also poisonous. They need to be cultivated in a sealed environment, and you have to be especially careful when adding nutrients... Are you interested in this? Do you know how to cultivate it? If not, don't mess with it just out of momentary curiosity."
"How much are you selling it for?" Xu Huo asked again.
"If you buy the whole tank, give me fifty thousand White Notes." The other party said, "I'm not just throwing out a random price. These poisonous fungi are very mentally draining to cultivate, and you have to be extremely careful. I've been cultivating them for two years. If I weren't short on money recently, I definitely wouldn't be selling them..."
Seeing that he was about to continue, Xu Huo interrupted, "There's a miniature grass plant beneath the poisonous fungi, common near He City. After breaking, it often regrows roots at the break, growing one knuckle's length per day. Judging from the grass plant in your cabinet, this entire piece of soil was dug out less than five days ago."
That player smiled awkwardly, "Ran into an expert. I did dig this up from the wild a few days ago, but this kind of poisonous fungi isn't something you can find just anywhere. You stopped to ask the price, so you must know that too. How about this: give me twenty thousand White Notes, and it won't be in vain for me to risk my life to bring it back."
"Two thousand." Xu Huo countered. "Take it or leave it."
That player's face turned green. "Big brother, I've been squatting here for half a day. Two thousand is a bit too much. Add a little more. My son is still waiting for me to buy food to take home!"