Chapter 2564: Time Square
The ear-splitting sound, resembling a bell, was not a real bell. If one listened carefully, they could detect a crispness unique to mechanical rotation in the tail end of the sound. This was not a bell, but the special rhythm of a clock's hands turning.
When the sound of the three hand rotations rang out, the square erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers. Adults shouted, "A new day has begun!" while children jumped around, eager for breakfast. The same clock sound every day might have no special meaning, but everyone in the square rejoiced at this moment.
Xu Huo followed the crowd to a spot where several people stood at the edge of the square, adjusting clocks against the Time Tower.
Calibrating the time was, of course, not done by hand. First, they used a calibration device to select the clock on the Time Tower, then the device began working, adjusting the new clock based on the tower's time until it was perfectly synchronized.
Naturally, not every household's clock was inaccurate. Some people were just there for routine checks. They would bring two clocks—one to adjust and one as a reference. Even the slightest deviation in time was important data that needed to be recorded.
"What a coincidence!" Shi Potian followed behind, having bought breakfast alongside the Painting Woman. Both of them were in the same state—their arms laden with food bags, and their hands full as they ate while walking.
The Painting Woman couldn't spare a hand to type, so she bit into a bread roll messily, then took the bags off her arm and pushed them toward Xu Huo, gesturing for him to eat.
Xu Huo glanced at the bags, nearly all of which had been bitten into. "You've tasted all of these?"
The Painting Woman nodded, indicating that these were the good ones; she didn't keep the bad ones.
"The bad ones are all with me," Shi Potian said, raising his hand to show the pile of bitten food he was holding. He volunteered, "Don't worry, nothing goes to waste. I'll eat it all later."
Xu Huo was momentarily speechless.
Shi Potian didn't mind at all. "I've been eating my sister's leftovers since I was a kid. This little sister is picky, but I'm not."
Was this really about being picky?
But seeing that he genuinely didn't care and was stuffing the Painting Woman's bitten food into his mouth, Xu Huo decided not to say more.
"The food in District 001 is amazing!" Shi Potian said. "Compared to my sister's cooking, it's like night and day!"
Xu Huo took a bread roll and walked as he spoke. "Does your sister know you're saying that?"
"She does," Shi Potian replied. "Why else would she taste her cooking and then give it all to me?"
"Your sister is really good to you," the Painting Woman said, freeing a hand to shove two more bags at him. "I'm good to you too."
But before her hand reached him, Xu Huo stopped her with a look.
"Eat it yourself," Xu Huo said.
The Painting Woman quickly took the bags back.
"It's fine, it's fine," Shi Potian said, not angry at all. "It's normal for girls to be picky."
"Why is it normal for girls to be picky?" the Painting Woman asked curiously.
"Generally, women eat less than men. If you eat a lot, you don't have the right to be picky—just having something to eat is good enough," Shi Potian said with his peculiar logic.
The Painting Woman was conflicted. She didn't fit the general case, so she reluctantly picked up the food she had bitten but didn't like and started eating.
"It's just a little food. If you really don't like it, just leave it," Shi Potian said sympathetically.
Xu Huo couldn't be bothered with them and walked around the square to check out the nearby shops.
True to the reputation of a district famous for clock-making, at least a third of the shops in the square specialized in selling clocks. The shapes, materials, patterns, and decorations of the clocks were all different, full of variety. Besides wristwatches and wall clocks, there were clocks made into hair clips, brooches, and cufflinks. The advertising slogans were excellent: "Wishing you control of your time, anytime, anywhere."
"People in District 001 seem really obsessed with time," Shi Potian said, watching the crowd. "Even the kids are covered in watches."
"Having to live by time from childhood—how terrifying."
Having a sense of time was one thing, but some people liked to use time to regulate everything, so they had high demands for punctuality. The meticulous ones would even divide their daily routines down to the minute.
But for most people, being constantly reminded of time was stressful. Those endlessly ticking hands were like invisible whips, urging and reminding people of what they should be doing at any given moment.
The Painting Woman and Shi Potian walked half a street and came back looking green, declaring they never wanted to enter another clock shop again. The ticking sounds alone gave them goosebumps.
The two abandoned Xu Huo and went off to play video games together.
The sound of clocks had a peculiar hypnotic effect, making even those who weren't in a hurry feel pressed for time. When Xu Huo wandered into the largest clock shop by the square, he noticed that all the shop assistants were wearing clock-face masks.
Yes, clock-face masks—a carved, golden vine mask covering half the face, with a tiny clock face embedded in a flower bud on it, its hands turning precisely with the seconds.
"Sir, what kind of clocks are you looking for?" a shop assistant greeted him and briefly introduced the store's main business. They specialized in boutique accessories, so they didn't sell large clocks, focusing instead on small and micro clocks. Their specialty was embedding various gemstones into clock faces, from hair ornaments to necklaces, bracelets, and small portable accessories—everything was available.
The assistant showed him an emerald ring. The emerald wasn't large but was composed of three parts, with the hands placed in the middle of the gem. Without numbers and being extremely tiny, it was almost purely decorative.
"Doesn't ore-based decoration affect the timer of the props?" Xu Huo asked after looking at it.
"The ores used to make timers are specially selected and won't affect the timer's materials," the assistant replied. "Besides, such gemstones generally have no special function. They're chosen for their unique color and luster to make accessories."
Seeing that Xu Huo seemed uninterested in the ring, the assistant showed him other items.
Xu Huo didn't give a second glance to everyday decorative items but did take an interest in a gemstone bookmark.
The assistant was perceptive. "Sir has excellent taste. This set of seven bookmarks features A-grade gemstones on each one—flawless, translucent, and naturally water-drop-shaped. They're the cream of the crop."
The gemstones were indeed beautiful, with their clock faces placed on the thin metal sheet beneath the gems. It was a credit to the designer—such a thin, delicate bookmark, yet it still housed inlaid hands.
After buying the set of gemstone bookmarks, Xu Huo noticed a sign across the way that read "Teacher Jing Shi's Book Signing Event" and turned to head into the mall.
The mall was packed with people attending the signing event, each holding a copy of "Time That Never Stops." There were also shops nearby selling the book.
Xu Huo casually picked up a copy.