Chapter 2748: Unable to Accept Being Bald
The morning sun quickly rose. At breakfast the next day, neither the Photographer nor the Botanist was absent. The two of them had clashed with Madam Tiwei last night, yet today they could greet her as if nothing had happened. To curry favor, they ignored her cold face and frequently struck up conversations with her.
Madam Tiwei, as before, kept a stern expression, treating everyone with equal coldness.
Xu Huo gathered some information about Madam Tiwei from the other servants. There wasn't much useful news, but plenty of gossip. Some said she was actually a relative of Mr. Wen, working here because her family disliked her. Others claimed she was an admirer of Mr. Wen, having pursued him in her youth, but Mr. Wen remained unmoved, and now he let her stay in the manor out of pity.
Of course, besides these interpersonal rumors, more people said she used to be a member of the Enforcement Department, having worked in Punishment City. She was known for being cold and ruthless, having offended many people, which was why she now dared not leave the manor—if she went out, someone would try to kill her.
Within the manor, aside from the butler, the other servants basically had no dealings with her, afraid that saying the wrong thing would invite her retaliation.
As for Punishment City, it was essentially another name for a prison, but mainly used to detain players. In District 022, players who could be sentenced and locked up there had their movements restricted by the Enforcement Department. After a long enough time, the players themselves wouldn't dare to escape.
Mentioning Punishment City, the servants were all tight-lipped, describing it as a place you could enter but never leave.
Some let their imagination run wild, telling Xu Huo that Madam Tiwei must have been an executioner in Punishment City. The district government had its own set of laws for criminal players, so most players who went in suffered inhumane treatment. There had even been cases of escaped players returning for revenge and causing chaos in Punishment City.
The point of their stories was that Madam Tiwei was not someone to be trifled with. She might not show it in the manor, but there was no guarantee she wouldn't retaliate in private.
In the morning, Xu Huo went alone toward the greenhouse. Madam Tiwei was inside feeding the birds. Seeing him, she stepped out first and gestured for him to leave.
"Guests aren't allowed to visit the greenhouse?" Xu Huo asked.
"Mr. Wen hasn't said that," Madam Tiwei replied coldly. "But many of the plants and birds in the greenhouse are very precious."
"Just taking a look." Xu Huo completely ignored her refusal and walked straight into the greenhouse.
The birds in the greenhouse chirped, causing a commotion when a stranger entered. But with a few rhythmic whistles, the birds calmed down.
"You're very skilled at raising birds," Xu Huo remarked casually, placing a bit of birdseed on the back of his hand. Several birds immediately swooped over, pecking at it eagerly.
After feeding the birds, he spotted a pot of blooming flowers and was about to lean in for a sniff when Madam Tiwei warned, "The pollen is poisonous."
Xu Huo stepped back and turned to look at her. "Growing poisonous flowers won't affect the birds?"
"They know which flowers they can approach and which they can't." Madam Tiwei stepped forward to move the flowerpot, turning the blooming buds in another direction. As she moved, some birds voluntarily flew to her shoulders and arms, tilting their heads and chirping at her.
She then went to the side and added some water to a bowl.
"Once you've had your look, please leave." Madam Tiwei had no time to entertain him and reminded him again not to come in the evening.
Xu Huo strolled out of the greenhouse, lingered in the garden outside for a while, then returned to the manor.
Just then, Dr. Deng's reply arrived. Based on the characteristics of the red-feathered hummingbird Xu Huo had provided, Dr. Deng speculated that the hummingbird's diet likely contained something toxic. This toxin caused its feathers to change color, and the shedding of red feathers after detoxification was one piece of evidence. Additionally, due to long-term consumption of toxins, the red-feathered hummingbird's body might have undergone changes, making it unable to survive without that toxin.
Was that reasonable?
Eating a toxic diet, then detoxifying, only to die as a result?
"Maybe it really likes its red head feathers," Dr. Deng replied. "Some animals are very fragile. It might see itself bald and get so stressed it just dies. That's normal."
Xu Huo was speechless, but stressed animals were hard to predict.
As for the toxin on the red-feathered hummingbird, Dr. Deng had already reproduced it and even made dosage divisions based on the hummingbird's weight.
There were plenty of hummingbirds at Rose Fort, but Xu Huo wasn't in a hurry to catch one. Instead, he went to find the butler and asked if he could borrow some books on plants and birds.
The butler took him to the study, found the books with practiced ease, and said, "These were all personally selected by Mr. Wen. Many of the plants and birds in the manor can be found in them."
The books had many species of hummingbirds, but none about the red-feathered variety. However, there were plenty of poisonous flowers at Rose Fort. Some large-scale plantings couldn't even be approached for viewing, and the caretakers had to wear masks to enter.
Based on the hummingbird's habits, Xu Huo selected several toxic flowers. He then eliminated the ones the hummingbirds frequently visited, finally focusing on a few remaining species that were planted in smaller quantities.
The hummingbirds were fed by Madam Tiwei and didn't often forage elsewhere, but a few would occasionally wander off to play. Watching from upstairs, Xu Huo noticed that when a hummingbird returned to the greenhouse, Madam Tiwei could precisely pick out the one that had visited a flower called "Early Riser," which grew alongside Midnight Beauty.
After catching this hummingbird that had eaten the toxic nectar, Madam Tiwei locked it alone in a cage, found an injection to administer, and then, half an hour later, released it back into the flock.
So far, none of the hummingbirds had red head feathers. All seventy-two of them were lively and healthy.
"What are you looking at?" The Scholar suddenly appeared behind him, along with Harry.
The two of them were getting along well.
Xu Huo pointed at the books on the table. "Not well-versed in this area, so I'm cramming."
Harry came over and casually flipped through the pages, laughing. "You don't need to read these books to know the value of flowers. These books are useless. Any plant valued for its ornamental qualities is based on human aesthetics. District 022 prefers brightly colored, slender-stemmed plants. Just lean in that direction."
Xu Huo flattered him a bit, and the three were talking when suddenly a crashing sound came from nearby. The Botanist and the Gourmet tumbled out of a room, locked in a brawl. The former pinned the latter to the carpet, punching him again and again, eyes bloodshot and rage uncontrollable, as if there was some deep-seated hatred.
The Gourmet was still somewhat clear-headed but also angered, threatening, "If you don't stop, I'll get serious!"
The Botanist sneered, "Do you dare?"
Ordinary conflicts were one thing, but if they used props, both would be immediately expelled from the manor. So when the butler arrived, the two quickly separated.
"Can't you talk things out? Why resort to violence?" The warm-hearted Scholar went over to mediate.