Chapter 2657: Negotiate on My Behalf
Many of the Wan family members present had been affected by the mental interference. Under Xu Huo’s command, they immediately lunged at the nearby players. However, the Wan family players could not harm anyone, so they had to first shut down the Non-Game Area Simulator and release items and traits to control them.
But just as they could use items, so could Xu Huo. With a turn of the Time Ring, most of the people present were frozen in place.
“Even a Non-Game Area Simulator can be obtained. It seems the Gao surname is very much worth preserving,” Xu Huo said, looking at Wan Ping. “Since I’ve appeared here, this matter won’t end here. Without the Wan family, the Moonhorn Duchy still has other Gao surname descendants. Without the Moonhorn Duchy, there’s still the Eternal Tower and the Isle Country. If I search through all you Gao family members, I don’t believe the Peng surname won’t show up.”
Wan Ping’s previously gentle and harmless demeanor changed. His gaze sharpened as he glanced at Bei Bao before turning back to Xu Huo. “I’ve said all I can. I truly don’t know what the National Heirloom Treasure is. The real reason I drove away Gao Hui was because he was holding a list of material donations.”
“Our ancestors were born in the Isle Country. The wealth, experience, and knowledge they passed down have benefited their descendants. It’s our intention to give back to our homeland when we have the means, but that’s all it is.”
“After hundreds of years, we are no longer pure Isle Country natives. The Eternal Tower and Moonhorn have also become our homelands. We cannot stake our lives and fortunes to stabilize the Isle Country’s situation. Moreover, if we withdraw from Moonhorn, it would trigger a new round of war there.”
Outer Zone Players seeking out the Gao family descendants are after two things: first, to find the National Heirloom Treasure, and second, to use the descendants’ power to help the Isle Country government. The Wan family knows nothing about the first, and the second is absolutely impossible.
“Harassing the Wan family is pointless,” Wan Ping said. “Even if you kill every single member of the Wan family, you won’t get what you want.”
“I’m willing to believe what you’ve said,” Xu Huo smiled. “If you’re unaware, then are there other Gao surname descendants in the Moonhorn Duchy who might know?”
Wan Ping paused for a moment before replying, “Families like the Wan family, who are Gao surname descendants, are rare. Most people remain obscure, merely passing down the surname.”
“You haven’t finished,” Xu Huo reminded him. “Bei Bao has a Peng Guan descendant by her side.”
“Although hundreds of years may have merged the Gao and Peng surnames into one family, the Peng Guan descendants are different. As the descendants of a famous assassin clan, on the surface you’ve been passing down the Gao surname, but in reality, you’ve been selectively cultivating the best. Some members of this family still bear the Peng surname; they are the backbone of the clan.”
“This has something to do with the Isle Country’s Supreme God Tribunal, doesn’t it? Otherwise, the Tribunal members wouldn’t have vanished without a trace twenty years ago.”
“I fully understand your situation, and I’m not eager to expose you. But since it involves clearing the Instance, I’ll have to ask for your understanding.”
Xu Huo used an item and pulled Wan Ping into the Library Tower. “Your Gao family should have a register recording bloodline inheritance. Despite multiple generations of adoptions, there must be one branch that is the true Peng Guan descendant. I wonder which version the Isle Country government holds.”
“I suspect it’s not the bloodline inheritance branch. After all, once someone becomes a player, tracking them becomes very difficult.”
Seeing Wan Ping’s expression involuntarily turn grim, Xu Huo continued, “Given the current district situation, even if the Gao family register were made public, it wouldn’t significantly affect the triangular stalemate among the three nations. After all, for these three nations, it’s impossible to divide friend from foe based on bloodline.”
“Using this to blackmail you into helping Lian Qingkong is even more impossible.”
“So, we can change the negotiation target.”
“You mean you want us to help you?” Wan Ping remained composed, following his lead to voice his intention.
“Exactly.” Xu Huo nodded. “Lian Qingkong might have reservations, but Outer Zone Players won’t.”
If the register were made public, the greatest threat to the Gao and Peng surname descendants wouldn’t be locals, but Outer Zone Players. The attacking and defending factions, as well as the Stranded Players, might do unimaginable things for the sake of the Instance.
“This is a time bomb. Before I came, I checked. There are more than one or two Instances involving your Gao and Peng families. The National Heirloom Treasure, the Supreme God Cult, and other player organizations—all are connected to you.”
“Making these Instances disappear is your best option.”
Wan Ping couldn’t hide his shock. After a long moment, he said, “I am a member of the Gao family, yet you, an outsider, know more about it than I do.”
“But I think you might be wrong about one thing. Even if the register you mentioned exists, it has either been destroyed or is in the hands of the Gao family. Such a time bomb—how could the Gao family let it fall into outside hands?”
His earlier words weren’t entirely false. He genuinely didn’t know about the register. The list Gao Hui brought was, in his opinion, something the Isle Country players had traced through material donations. Some of the names on it seemed to have been found by following the trail.
As for whether there were Peng surname inheritors within the Gao family, he had no idea. Over so many years, no one knew how many Gao surname descendants had become players, and among those players, how many had been cultivated by other players—even their own families might not know. The Wan family was no exception.
Wan Ping had not yet reached the core of the Gao family.
Realizing this, he also understood why Xu Huo was telling him all this.
“If the register truly exists, then there can’t be only one copy,” Xu Huo said. “Bei Bao’s boss is a Peng surname descendant. He will definitely come to you afterward. You will negotiate with the Peng surname descendants on my behalf. This matter doesn’t have to end in a life-or-death struggle. We can resolve it through a relatively peaceful method.”
A considerable number of Outer Zone Players are stranded because of the National Heirloom Treasure. If the Peng surname descendants could eliminate the hidden danger, the Instance wouldn’t have persisted until now. The only explanation is that they haven’t found the copy Gao Hui originally held.
After Gao Hui left the Isle Country, he ran back and forth between the Eternal Tower and Moonhorn, most likely looking for people on the list who might help him. Of course, he wasn’t that foolish. The real register probably wasn’t on him. If it was, it was likely a fake.
The Isle Country confirmed Gao Hui’s death, so the possibility of Lian Qingkong obtaining the register is high… It’s unclear if there were other conflicts in between, but judging by the current situation, whether he got it or not is a fifty-fifty chance.
Although the Instance requirement is to find the lost treasure, that doesn’t mean it isn’t in Lian Qingkong’s faction’s hands. As for why it hasn’t worked, there are many possibilities.
“Can you guarantee you have no ill intentions toward the Gao surname descendants?” Wan Ping asked. “I’ve seen too many players who thrive on chaos.”
“Even relying on the fake genealogy compiled by the Dou family, I could find the Gao surname descendants,” Xu Huo said calmly. “The fact that your player is still alive after attempting an assassination is proof of my sincerity.”
“What do you plan to do?” Wan Ping said meaningfully. “Can you really find the National Heirloom Treasure?”
“That depends on whether the Gao family cooperates.”
Wan Ping was skeptical of his claims but still asked one more question. “If the Gao family refuses, what will you do? If the possibility that the National Heirloom Treasure is the register leaks out, your chances of clearing the Instance will be even slimmer.”
This was a hint that Xu Huo didn’t actually have many cards to play. If he tried to threaten the Gao family with the idea that the National Heirloom Treasure was the register, the Gao family wouldn’t compromise. Even if he revealed some of the names on the register, what good would it do? It would only make clearing the Instance harder for him.
Of course, if he was willing to give up on clearing the Instance and just stir up trouble, he could do that.
“I can find one Peng surname descendant, so I can find another,” Xu Huo said. “I wonder how many more secrets the descendants of your Gao and Peng surnames have left to uncover. You wouldn’t want me to remain stranded in District 039.”
With that, he withdrew his Spiritual Realm and released the Wan family members, adding, “Contact me within three days.”
Bei Bao hesitated for a moment as she watched him leave, but meeting the hostile gazes of the Wan family, she turned and followed Xu Huo.
After leaving the Wan family, Xu Huo didn’t immediately depart the Moonhorn Duchy. Instead, he went to find another family listed in the Dou family genealogy.
But this time, he didn’t find anyone. All members of this family had died in a player war two years ago. The only thing left in the world was their tombstones.
“Sometimes I don’t know what they’re doing,” Bei Bao said, looking at the dense rows of tombstones.
Like many, she couldn’t understand. Living in the same country, yet they treated each other like mortal enemies, wanting to kill everyone in sight. What was the point?
At the same time, Xu Huo received three sets of data from the unlucky guy and the others he had sent out. His task was to track the families, experiences, and intersections with Gao Hui based on the names he had provided.
The unlucky guy’s data was very detailed. He had investigated a well-known player family in a medium-sized city in the Eternal Tower. The person Xu Huo had named was already deceased. The current head of the family was his daughter, who kept a low profile and was known locally for her charity. This city was also much better off than other Eternal Tower cities—at least third-class residents weren’t as miserable.
As for Gao Hui, he had visited this family twice over a decade ago, both times by force. In the end, Gao Hui was driven away in disgrace, but the family had also lost many members. In the following years, they were embroiled in power struggles with local forces until new players rose within the family.
Gao Hui’s visits had also been used by other forces to attack the family. Rumors flew, but the most credible one was that the family had once received funding from Gao Hui. However, it all eventually fizzled out.
With so many players and rapid personnel turnover, it was very difficult to trace the whereabouts of this family’s members.
The data from the other female player and the bald man were much simpler. They also hinted that they had found important clues and wanted to exchange antidotes in person.
Xu Huo didn’t rush to deal with these two. Instead, based on the information he had, he instructed the unlucky guy to continue tracking Gao Hui’s movements and raised a few points that needed re-verification. Then, he took out a Teleportation Item and headed straight for the Isle Country’s capital, where he found the Painting Woman and Xiao Mei, who were in the middle of a fight with someone.