Chapter 2733: Lessons and News
"Strictly speaking, the Field Clan is a member of the Game Government's ruling class. When a player's strength reaches a certain level, they no longer face individual players but advanced energy weapons and technological hard power," Huahan said. "Carmen Field has a special identity and is a highly talented genius. The support he can obtain is immeasurable. If someone like that wants to do something, no one dares to let it go unchecked, which is why the wormhole point war broke out."
He looked at Xu Huo. "I'm telling you this not to make you hide and cower, but to warn you to be careful in any situation. Triple-trait evolution doesn't mean absolute power. Fighting any behemoth alone is unwise."
Xu Huo understood his good intentions but still wanted to ask, "Do you think I did something wrong yesterday?"
Huahan smiled. "You did very well. This is E27, still a million miles away from an A-level wormhole point. The Game Government won't pay special attention to you."
"Being cautious is one thing, but if you lose your fighting spirit, what kind of person are you?"
The old butler, who happened to be bringing in tea, rolled his eyes discreetly at this remark, set down the tea, and withdrew.
Xu Huo took the words to heart and then asked, "How did you get involved with time power back then?"
Huahan cleared his throat lightly. "Let's not dwell on the past. Now, let's officially begin our lessons."
Xu Huo tactfully didn't press further and settled down to receive his instruction.
Over the next half month, he didn't return to Rose Castle but followed Huahan to various places for training. Due to the different time flows in different districts, this half month was actually much longer than the real time in District 011. When he had made some progress and returned to District 011, he received several accumulated messages.
First, regarding District 011, all of the Hertel family's assets had changed hands, with the new owner naturally being Xu Huo. The Vilna family had also sent new, substantial compensation gifts.
The second message was from Old Mr. Xi. The A-grade item he had been crafting for Xu Huo was complete and could be delivered at any time.
The third was good news from Yan Jiayu. She had emerged from the high-risk random instance. She was badly injured but not in mortal danger, and she had gone to a friend's house in Platinum Eye to recover.
The last was a heavyweight piece of news: the information about the Box Carrier's super instance in District 039 had been leaked.
The news about the Box Carrier had come from District 039 itself. The message vaguely mentioned that no one knew why the Box Carrier refused to leave even when multiple players had probed the instance. Xu Huo immediately went to check Under Dimension and learned that someone had revealed that the Box Carrier had apparently lost ownership of the instance. Most of the players heading to District 039 now were going to snatch his instance.
No one could provide more details about the inside story, but seeing this news, Xu Huo felt a vague sense of worry. He asked Ji Qingcheng to help monitor the situation around the instance.
He still hadn't been able to contact the Painting Woman. Compared to the time in District 011, much more time had passed in District 039. The Box Carrier couldn't reclaim the instance, which most likely meant there was a problem with the instance authorization. Logically, if the instance hadn't officially opened, the authorization didn't necessarily have to be placed inside the venue... but that wasn't certain. Perhaps the authorization was hidden somewhere in the castle, and it wouldn't be strange if something unexpected happened while the Box Carrier was coming and going.
Setting aside the instance issue for now, he was more worried about the Painting Woman's situation. This wasn't her first time going to the Box Carrier's castle. She had escaped successfully before, so there was no reason she couldn't run this time. The instance's mandatory restrictions only worked on humans and the puppets in the Clown City; they had little effect on her.
But since things had come to this, he couldn't return to District 039. After some thought, he asked Huahan for help in finding another account to post some information about the Clown City on Under Dimension.
Besides the behavior patterns of the puppets and combat dolls, the information included details about the carnival activities, the abilities of several minor bosses in the castle, and some maps and activity characteristics of the castle.
Huahan wasn't very surprised that he had escaped from the Clown City, but he was somewhat astonished to hear that he had come face-to-face with the Box Carrier and still managed to get away safely. After all, when Xu Huo had returned, the Water Cube Barrier had already been fixed to his finger. That level of protection was absolutely not enough for self-defense.
"The Water Cube Barrier was modified only after that," Xu Huo said, omitting some details.
Huahan didn't press for more and told him not to worry about being tracked by the Box Carrier. There were no special tracking marks on him.
"The Box Carrier is talented. His tracking puppets are well-made."
Huahan smiled. "For the sake of hunting down his enemies to the ends of the earth, he spares no effort."
"There are very few tracking traits that can cross wormhole points. Even if there are, they can only take effect when the tracker and the target are in the same wormhole point or district. Instruments and items have a much larger range. Since you got away, there's no problem."
"Have you dealt with the Box Carrier before?" Xu Huo asked.
"I've encountered him twice, but I wouldn't say I've truly dealt with him," Huahan said. "This person holds grudges especially well. Next time you see him, run faster."
Xu Huo smiled. "Is that black space his trait?"
Huahan nodded. "I happened to hear about it from a friend. Its original name was 'Lightless Devourer.' I'm not sure about its later evolutions. His trait seems more like a combination of space and gravity. Things devoured by it disappear into some space. Gravity strong enough, when controllable, can distort space. Unlike the gravity we know, this kind of gravity isn't limited by direction and can even produce a tidal-force-like mutual pulling state."
"Of course, it can't compare to a real wormhole."
"This is quite similar to the wonders of hyperdimensional space power," Xu Huo said.
"Gravity is inherently generated by space. As for space power, you can see in normal evolution that space power involves superposition and deconstruction. The spatial structure that can be compressed into a single speck of dust, invisible to the naked eye, is immeasurable, and the energy contained within it is naturally incalculable," Huahan said.
After a pause, he added, "Take hyperdimensional space power affecting time power as an example. Any energy, when it reaches a certain level, can influence each other."
"Time and space are the foundation of the game. They can affect anything."
"Alright, this lesson is over. Go back and take care of your household affairs."
"If you can't manage the family business yourself, consider entrusting it to other nobles in District 011. They'll keep making money for you."
Xu Huo nodded, stood up, and took his leave.
During the time he had been away with Huahan, no one had come to disturb them, and no players had lingered near Xiu City or Rose Castle. But as soon as Xu Huo returned to Rose Castle and Mr. Dong opened the main gate, the long-waiting guests began to arrive one after another.
Those offering apologies and those bringing gifts had all converged at the same time. Xu Huo had Mr. Dong receive the Vilna family's representative while he personally entertained Lady Lily and several other noble members.