Chapter 2784: The Sixth
"Spatial Evolver." The two weren't panicked; they had already activated a Defense Barrier and could easily escape if needed. After all, coming to a B-class wormhole point for an Instance, they certainly carried plenty of Jamming Devices to counter Super Evolvers. So they didn't take Xu Huo's threat seriously, instead thinking he was overestimating himself.
But before they could speak again, a black substance flowed out from beneath Xu Huo's feet, quickly surrounding the tree-lined path they were on. With both sound and perception weakened simultaneously, the two players realized something was wrong. In that instant, however, one of them was swallowed by the dark substance and vanished from the space without even a sound.
The man who had harassed the bar owner earlier immediately sensed that his Space Teleportation Item had failed and that the Jamming Device couldn't fully disrupt the surrounding Space Tangents. He quickly said, "Brother, let's talk this out. I really didn't mean anything by it—I was just trying to get some information. Aren't you after that woman at Whale Garden too? I need to clear the Instance, but I can't get into Whale Garden no matter what. The bar owner turned me down. Following you was really just to get a lead!"
Seeing Xu Huo unmoved, the man's expression shifted. A translucent barrier instantly covered his body, and with the help of an item, he broke through the Blockade Barrier to flee. But he didn't get far before he froze in place—the "String of Fate" had taken effect, and he was locked in place by Time Power.
Several rounds of Space Tangent attacks easily broke through his defenses and claimed his life. At the same time, the surrounding dark substance receded. Xu Huo collected the items from the man's body, then glanced toward a spot outside the park, smiling and nodding in acknowledgment.
Another group that had followed from the bar saw this and immediately withdrew without hesitation.
The two who died were simply asking for it. The ones who ran were likely from the bar. Xu Huo didn't bother with them and turned back to the hotel.
Early the next morning, the bar owner contacted him, saying that Whale Garden would get back to him soon.
By noon, a messenger delivering a visit request came to say that Ms. Ruo could meet him the next morning and that he should go directly to Whale Garden.
"Young man, you're really lucky. Ms. Ruo hasn't received guests in a long time," the intermediary said. "I wish you success."
When visiting someone, it was customary to bring gifts. Xu Huo browsed a gift shop near the hotel. Upon learning that the gift was for a young lady, the shop assistant enthusiastically recommended several categories, mostly flowers and moderately priced items.
"Since it's your first meeting, a gift that's too expensive wouldn't be appropriate—it might put pressure on the lady."
"A simple bouquet is the best choice."
"These flowers are too ordinary," Xu Huo said. They were common everywhere in Lake City and unsuitable for a formal visit.
"Is the person you're giving the gift to beautiful?" someone suddenly chimed in. When Xu Huo turned around, the person smiled and said, "We meet again. Do you remember me? I saw you at the tavern a couple of days ago."
Xu Huo nodded. It was the tall woman who had caught the attention of other women. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"Gift-giving is a delicate art," she said. "If the person you're giving to is just ordinarily pretty, you can give something that enhances her appearance—nice flowers, a pretty hat, or small accessories. That will add to her looks and make her happy."
"But if she's exceptionally beautiful, that kind of gift doesn't work as well. Too many people give those. Besides, for someone so stunning, anything she wears is just an accessory. Whether it stands out or not doesn't really matter."
"In that case, you should give her something she particularly likes. But if you don't know her preferences, you can give her some rare trinkets."
The tall woman walked around the gift shop and spotted a plant specimen placed high up. "The Ephemeral Flower. It blooms for less than a minute in its entire life. This kind of specimen is very rare. You have to pick it the moment it blooms and handle it with extreme care to preserve its beauty intact."
Xu Huo took it and examined it. "It's indeed quite ingenious."
He ended up buying the plant specimen and also picked out a stone with an unusual shape.
"You can find stones like that all over the underwater areas of Lake City. You might as well have bought flowers," the tall woman said, having overheard his earlier conversation with the shop assistant.
Xu Huo just had them wrapped up, went back to the hotel to change clothes, and then took a flying vehicle to Whale Garden.
Whale Garden was converted from an abandoned aquarium. Most of the area was overgrown with climbing plants, and due to lack of pruning, it looked uninhabited from the outside.
Just as Xu Huo rang the doorbell, the tall woman he had seen at the gift shop half an hour ago suddenly appeared, smiling brightly. "What a coincidence."
"Yeah, what a coincidence." Xu Huo's expression remained neutral, but the intercom suddenly emitted Ms. Ruo's voice, inviting the tall woman to come in as well.
Surprised by her good luck, the tall woman said to Xu Huo as they entered the gate, "I owe you one for this. I'll repay you for sure."
The two entered the main building. Unlike the desolate exterior, the interior rooms were quite well-appointed. Plants lined the corridors, and various small animals were kept in some of the open rooms.
Two kittens brushed past their feet and ran around a corner into an arched doorway nearby. Xu Huo and the tall woman followed and found Ms. Ruo lounging by a sofa, sipping tea.
She casually invited them to sit, then stroked a cat that had come up to her and said, "The tea is right there. Help yourselves."
It had to be said that an exceptionally beautiful person easily makes you overlook other things, even if she wasn't particularly polite.
The tall woman's eyes still held a trace of awe as she quickly walked over to pour tea—not just for herself but also refilling Ms. Ruo's cup. She introduced herself, "Hello, Ms. Ruo. My name is Gong Ying. It's a bit rude to show up unannounced like this."
Ms. Ruo's gaze lingered on her face, and she said with a smile, "It's fine. I like talking to beautiful people."
Gong Ying's smile widened uncontrollably. She took out a gift box and placed it on the table. "I prepared a small gift. I hope you like it."
Before Ms. Ruo could move, a small dog lying behind the sofa got up and took the gift box to her on its own.
Patting the dog's head as a reward, Ms. Ruo looked at Gong Ying. "Can I open it now?"
"Of course." Gong Ying made a "please" gesture.
Long, beautiful fingers slowly and deliberately unwrapped the gift box, revealing the plant specimen inside. "An Ephemeral Flower?"
Xu Huo paused in his tea-drinking and turned to look at the person beside him.
As if completely unaware of his gaze, Gong Ying said, "I heard that due to climate change, this flower has become very rare in Zone 022. I'd never seen a real one before, so I bought it to broaden my horizons. Have you seen one, Ms. Ruo?"
Xu Huo didn't know if Ms. Ruo had broadened her horizons, but he certainly had.