Chapter 2727: The Wind Direction
District 011 was as usual. Xu Huo had bought a return ticket that was set to a different city, so he needed to take an aircraft back to the base city. He chose not to use a teleportation item, treating this journey as relaxation time, while also taking the opportunity to see the scenery of other cities.
The Painting Woman still had no news, and no new information had come from District 039 or the Box Carrier. Yan Jiayu, who had entered the high-risk instance, had also not replied to any messages. Everything seemed to have unilaterally pressed the pause button.
It wasn't until evening that Xu Huo arrived at Rose Castle.
The flowers in the garden were in full bloom. Because of his change in identity, there were no longer tourists coming to take photos nearby, though quite a few players disguised as ordinary people were lingering in the vicinity.
Entering the estate, Mr. Dong greeted him at the entrance as usual, skillfully taking the local specialties Xu Huo had bought along the way, and said through ventriloquism, "Dr. Deng has gone out to visit a friend. Mr. Meng is taking a walk in the back garden."
Dr. Deng had fully adapted to life in District 011. When Xu Huo was away, Mr. Dong basically prioritized his needs. As for Meng Cun, although his evolutionary disease had eased somewhat, he usually rested in his room and rarely came downstairs.
Upon learning that Xu Huo had returned, Meng Cun came to greet him first.
He was very grateful to Xu Huo, but he had never relented on the matter of contacting the people from the former District 017. Xu Huo had spent a large amount of money on him, yet there was very little he could do in return. Therefore, he wanted to repay the favor somewhat, so he took the initiative to come forward and see if there was anything he could do.
"I'm not busy for now," Xu Huo said. "Just live your life as usual. If you feel bored, you can ask Mr. Dong to arrange an outing for you."
Meng Cun tactfully didn't say more.
The damaged communicator from the backpack found at the A-level wormhole point could certainly not be handed over to him for repair. Xu Huo didn't even plan to take it out in District 011, to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble.
Besides resting, his main reason for returning to District 011 was to wait for information from District 039. The Box Carrier wouldn't appear there for no reason. Only when he made his next move would the incident of breaking into the Circus City be considered over.
After resting for two days, he asked Mr. Dong to prepare a gift and then sent a visiting card to the Vilna Family, hoping to arrange a time to meet Huahan Werner.
The Vilna Family took a day to reply, but told him that Huahan Werner had gone out to visit a friend and was currently not in District 011.
Xu Huo didn't waste words. He then asked Mr. Dong to inquire at one of Huahan Werner's residences he had visited before, but he couldn't contact the original butler. A new person answered the call, giving a similar excuse—in short, Huahan Werner had no time to receive guests recently.
After learning this news, Xu Huo checked the stock dividends and routine courtesies given by the Vilna Family. It was the same as the last time he returned; there were no discrepancies.
The Vilna Family intended to choose someone as Huahan's successor. Although Xu Huo had rejected the Vilna Family's marriage proposal, he maintained contact with them. Moreover, judging from Huahan Werner's attitude, he didn't seem to care much whether the chosen person had a strong bond with the Vilna Family.
It was highly likely that the Vilna Family was dissatisfied, but they simply hadn't interfered. However, judging by their current attitude, perhaps they had already found a better candidate.
Xu Huo didn't think Huahan Werner had suddenly fallen ill or been cut off from the outside world. As long as the Vilna family members were sane, they wouldn't do such a thing. So the most likely possibility was that they had found a new "investment" but hadn't completely cut off their support for him.
"Sir, should I contact Mr. Huahan again?" Mr. Dong asked.
"Not for now," Xu Huo said after some thought. "If the Vilna Family is behind this, Old Mr. Huahan will find out soon enough."
If this represented his attitude, then naturally there was nothing more to be said.
After resting at home for two days, Xu Huo began socializing.
His trip to the Circus City had cost him quite a few items and instruments, and he needed to find a way to replenish them. But good items didn't circulate easily on the open market; the noble channels might be able to get some good ones.
Some people also came to visit him. The first was Roy Clemens, whom he had met a few times. As the head of a minor noble family, he was good at socializing and had now married a young lady from a branch of the Vilna Family, becoming their prospective son-in-law.
He had heard about the wind direction within the Vilna Family. Besides maintaining their connection, his specific purpose for this visit was to reveal a genuine piece of news to Xu Huo: the Vilna Family had found a new training target.
Although the news about Huahan Werner and Xu Huo hadn't spread, sharp people could pick up on the unusual atmosphere.
"A while ago, I saw the Vilna Family being very enthusiastic about you. Some people even hinted at wanting to recruit you as a son-in-law. But recently, that wind has died down. Instead, I've heard that a minor noble's son who recently acquired the Vilna surname has been frequently appearing at important occasions. I heard he's from a sub-district under District 011, and no one knows much about his past."
District 011 itself had merged several districts, retaining only the designation "011." The district Xu Huo was in was the main district of District 011, while the other districts under it were considered sub-districts.
"The Vilna Family has countless outstanding players, yet he insists on finding new talent," Roy swirled his wine glass. "I wonder if he's sincere or just pretending."
Xu Huo smiled. "As long as there's profit to be made, it's mutual benefit. Does sincerity or pretense really matter that much?"
"True," Roy said with some melancholy. "It's a pity I'm not good enough to win the favor of a true young lady of the Vilna Family."
"Your wedding will be soon, won't it?" Xu Huo changed the subject.
"Next month," Roy said. "Since we're already engaged, getting married early will make everyone happy."
He was satisfied with his fiancée. "You must come and join the fun then."
Xu Huo naturally wouldn't refuse.
After chatting for a while, the topic turned to items and instruments. "The technological core of instruments has always been an important weapon held by the upper echelons of the districts. It's a bit difficult to buy really good instruments here, but occasionally some good items pop up."
"After all, players change quickly. Some people can't hold onto their legacies, so they might as well sell them at a high price."
"As for these inside stories, those who spend their days eating and drinking might know even more. Families with real backing keep the good stuff for their descendants; only the prodigal sons don't care about the family assets left behind."
Roy said he could help make some connections.
Xu Huo naturally thanked him and kept him for a sumptuous dinner, before the pleasant meeting between host and guest was officially concluded.