Chapter 2782: The Riddle
Xu Huo glanced at the promotional clip and paid the fee without hesitation. The young woman was delighted by his generosity and suggested that after viewing the underwater carvings, he might also check out the underwater shooting stars.
"Underwater shooting stars are a spectacle formed by a type of insect that can enter the water. During their mating season, they swarm into the water in groups, creating a shimmering river of light beneath the surface. It looks like glowing stars, and occasionally they suddenly sink or rise. The underwater light stretches the glow they emit, making it look just like shooting stars."
"However, tickets for the underwater shooting stars are quite expensive, and the chances of actually seeing them aren't very high. I don't sell those tickets here—you can buy them when you get there and try your luck."
Xu Huo nodded, gave a small tip, and prepared to leave.
As he walked out, another staff member in the shop welcomed a new guest. A tall woman dressed in casual, relaxed attire possessed a neutral beauty that was striking—something the people of Lake City lacked. The shop's young girls' eyes lit up as they crowded around her, eagerly introducing their finest wines.
"Can you all stop fighting?" the woman said, tousling her short hair and smiling at everyone. "How about I try everything you recommend later? Just don't get me too drunk—I don't have a high tolerance!"
The girls let out crisp laughter. "We have lodging here—if you get drunk, you can rest here. We'll keep you safe!"
Xu Huo could still hear their laughter even after he had walked a considerable distance. Scenes like this were a common sight here.
"What a warm and enthusiastic city."
Xu Huo first visited the famous spots on the island, then tried the recommended cuisine, and finally went to see the underwater carvings.
The scale of the underwater carvings was far larger than he had imagined, almost rivaling the size of a small island. Besides the totems and texts formed by ancient cultural heritage, there were also finished works by renowned sculptors from District 022 in recent years, serving as a symbol of inheritance.
The tickets for the underwater shooting stars were very expensive. Unlike the carvings, which had an underwater passage, this attraction used a space barrier to form an underwater bubble. People could sit inside it like a cable car and observe up close.
The number of visitors per session was limited, as was the time, so whether one encountered the shooting stars was entirely a matter of luck.
Xu Huo purchased a single ticket and drifted into the depths of the water within the protective barrier.
After about a minute, faint specks of light appeared in his field of vision. At first, they were sparse, but soon they converged underwater into a winding, flowing river of stars. It moved toward the deeper parts of the lake, but the light and shadow formed a unique, flowing lightscape in the dark water.
Suddenly, the entire river of stars began to descend. Streaks of faint green light arced through the water. From a lower vantage point, it truly looked like a meteor shower, and it lasted for quite some time.
As the underwater light and shadow drifted, Xu Huo rose and fell with the currents. Bubbles occasionally passed by. Then, unexpectedly, a bubble slowly rising from beneath the river of stars drifted into the meteor swarm. Insects collided with it one after another, their flashing light illuminating the stunningly beautiful face of a woman inside the bubble.
Even under such dim lighting, many people were captivated by her. A player reached out and pulled her out of the star river. She turned back and politely smiled at him.
That smile caused some bubbles to break away from their original trajectories and drift toward her.
But by then, the viewing session was over. All the bubbles returned to their tracks and slowly moved toward the exit.
"Beautiful lady, you are even more dazzling than the shooting stars beneath the lake. Do I have the honor of getting to know you?" A man eagerly approached her as soon as she stepped out of the bubble.
The woman brushed her hair back, and a string of bells on her wrist chimed clearly. She smiled and asked, "Would you be willing to stay here for me?"
The man was momentarily entranced and blurted out, "Of course I would!"
A small curve formed on the woman's full lips. "Once you settle down in Lake City, come find me."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving the man standing there, mesmerized.
"A true masterpiece of creation," someone remarked. "I've been to so many districts, and I've never seen anyone so beautiful."
"I disagree," another countered. "Simulated robots can be made far more beautiful than real people."
"Simulated robots have no soul and lack spirit—how can they compare to humans?" the first speaker retorted, then stepped forward and patted the smitten man on the shoulder. "Are you really going to move here? The conditions for settling in District 022 are pretty harsh—it'll cost a lot of money."
"To win a woman like that, spending a little money is nothing," the man said smugly. "Besides, she just agreed."
"Agreed to what?" a local nearby said. "She told you to come find her—she didn't say she'd be with you."
Feeling that his charm was being underestimated, the man was about to retort when he overheard others discussing the woman.
According to them, for the past ten years, she had been coming to see the underwater shooting stars every now and then. Many people had approached her, even local players from District 022 who had courted her, but all had come to nothing. It was said that the conditions she set were extremely harsh—being willing to live with her in Lake City forever was just the entry requirement.
Of course, for those curious about such matters, someone also provided an answer: undoubtedly, many had tried to use underhanded methods to force her compliance, but those people had also vanished without a trace.
That woman was like a misty, hazy riddle—no one had truly managed to solve it.
However, some players from other districts considered this a gimmick cooked up by Lake City. After all, beauty could be fabricated. A non-player character who had been appearing here for ten consecutive years was highly likely to be a marketing ploy.
Regardless of the speculation, many people were still intrigued.
Once back on shore, Xu Huo also inquired with the locals. The woman was indeed not from Lake City, and even the local government didn't know her origins. They had once invited her to be their image ambassador for a promotional video, but she had declined.
Beauty could generate enormous economic value. Countless film companies had tried to recruit her for a debut, but none had succeeded.
However, that alone demonstrated her strength. Someone who could reject so many factions and players could hardly be an ordinary person.
"You men, always flocking to anyone good-looking," the owner of a small eatery said while supervising a robot cooking. "I've brought that girl food several times. Once, I ran into a few players barging in—they didn't look like good people. I was so scared I dropped my things, quickly hid, and reported them to the Enforcement Team. But within two minutes, she came out to meet me, and those people were gone."
"If you just want to admire a beauty, it's fine to wait for her to come out and feast your eyes. But if you're thinking of doing something bad, you'd better watch your life."
Xu Huo smiled. "I'm just curious about what she's waiting for here."