Chapter 3034: Roses and Dance
The mechanical castle at the heart of the Platinum Eye was now ablaze with lights, guests gathered in throngs, every impeccably dressed visitor wearing a full smile as they came to offer their blessings to the woman who had already stood at the core of power in the Platinum Eye—the mayor's daughter. That female player who had remained calm in the face of danger, led from the front, and ultimately turned the tide when the Super Players attacked the Platinum Eye: Bai Kou.
No one knew what resources she had mobilized, but the Super Player Box Carrier who had assaulted the city had been repeatedly hunted down and lost an arm. The district government and the Super Player Sun Eye, who had originally coveted the Platinum Eye, were now willing to support her rise to power. Even the Lang Clan, which had forcefully intervened, had retreated in disgrace... The Platinum Eye seemed to have returned to its former stability.
But this time, many people openly displayed their admiration for Bai Kou. They didn't dislike stability—they simply preferred to see the city in the hands of a young person with backbone and ability. As for the mayor and his wife, who had not shown their faces throughout the entire attack, whether intentional or not, the moment had slipped away, and their image in the eyes of the citizens had receded to second place.
Today was Bai Kou's stage. Though the mayor and his wife made an appearance, they only stayed for a short while before leaving. The rest of the time, Bai Kou conversed with the guests. She had drunk a fair amount of alcohol, but it hadn't affected her in the slightest. She only excused herself from the banquet hall for a moment midway through.
She returned to her own room, removed the glove covering her metal prosthetic arm, and took a new bottle of wine from the cabinet.
She had paid a considerable price to return to the Platinum Eye in time. That arm could not be reattached. Though finding a new arm was not difficult, she had still chosen to install a prosthetic. This arm would serve as a constant reminder to others of the contributions she had made to the Platinum Eye.
The bubbly liquid slid into the glass when a voice suddenly spoke behind her: "Could you spare me a drink?"
Bai Kou turned around, her arms resting on the edge of the wine cabinet, and smiled at the man who had walked in from the terrace. "Why didn't you use the main entrance?"
"I originally intended to congratulate you, but grooming and freshening up took some time. Using the main entrance would have drawn too much attention." Dressed in a formal evening suit and impeccably groomed, Xu Huo handed her a red rose he had brought. "Congratulations on getting what you wanted."
Bai Kou took the flower, snapped off a section of the stem, and raised her hand to tuck it into her coiled hair. "Aren't all the flowers in your castle roses?"
"Mr. Dong specially planted roses. I think roses suit you better," Xu Huo said.
Bai Kou smiled again, poured the wine, and handed it to him. They clinked glasses, and at that moment, soft music began to play downstairs.
Xu Huo set down his glass and extended his right hand. "Would you do me the honor of a dance?"
Bai Kou had deliberately put on gloves. She placed her hand in his.
Their figures moved in the dim light of the room, sometimes overlapping, sometimes separating.
"Since you left your hometown, I assume matters at home have been settled?" As the dance ended, their conversation moved to the terrace, and the bottle of wine followed them.
"It was a close call, but no real danger." Xu Huo took a sip of the slightly sweet wine. "I made a special trip not only to congratulate you but also to thank you for lending me those instruments. They were a great help."
"Those were trivial matters," Bai Kou said. "Besides, you helped me too."
"Now that you're an A-rank player and have made such a splash in this zone fusion, what are your plans next?"
"I'll enter some instances to hone my traits," Xu Huo said simply.
"Trait evolution depends partly on luck," Bai Kou said. "Since you've already reached A-rank, why not first visit an A-rank wormhole point to learn about Hyperdimensional Devices? They are the bane of Time Power."
"Some A-rank wormhole points are exceptionally skilled in using Hyperdimensional Devices. Some even use them to cover entire zones, which severely restricts players."
"But now that you're quite famous, you need to be wary of being targeted."
"Do you know the origin of those few starships?" Xu Huo asked.
"Very ordinary starships, only used to test you," Bai Kou said. "But even a single starship is no small expense. Even the Platinum Eye wouldn't waste starships on something like this. It's highly likely a faction from some A-rank wormhole point."
"The fact that there's no follow-up means they don't bear you any real malice. It could also be a momentary whim. There are many bored people in the game."
"Your origin zone has been exposed. You should consider making some friends and stop running around alone."
She paused here, then smiled. "The Vilna Family counts as a heavyweight friend."
She was referring to Huahan Werner.
This veteran Super Player, famous for his Time Evolution, was a heavyweight figure even across the entire game.
Xu Huo's gaze lingered briefly on her arm before shifting to her face. "You're very happy."
Bai Kou leaned back in the soft chair, gazing into the distance toward the direction of the mayor's wife's residence. "Mm, I'm very happy."
Xu Huo followed her gaze but soon shifted his attention to the twinkling stars in the sky.
"The night is beautiful."
Bai Kou lifted her eyes, sharing the same starry sky.
Time slipped away in the stillness. After a while, Bai Kou stood up to go downstairs. "I still need to see off the guests. Will you stay the night in the castle? I'll have someone prepare a room for you."
"I've booked a room at the Eternal Star Hotel. I'll go see Xiao Yuan and Tan Qi tomorrow morning, then leave after that," Xu Huo said.
Bai Kou nodded. "Then I won't see you off."
Xu Huo watched her leave the room, heard the small wave of commotion downstairs caused by her reappearance, stood alone for a moment, and then left the mechanical castle.
But no sooner had he arrived at the Eternal Star Hotel than the manager contacted him, saying there was a visitor—the mayor's wife.
After a brief hesitation, Xu Huo asked the manager to invite her up.
The mayor's wife was accompanied by bodyguards, still as elegant and composed as before. She looked at Xu Huo with a kindly gaze. "You've been to see Kou Kou?"
Xu Huo paused in his motion of pouring water. "Don't you think your control over your daughter is a bit too strong, Madam Mayor?"
"It is taken for granted that children inherit power from their parents, but it is also easy for parents to seize power from their children." Mrs. Bai chuckled lightly, a hint of amusement in her tone. "Only this time, I failed."
Xu Huo placed the glass of water in front of her, then sat down across from her, adopting an attentive posture.
"Young people are always unruly and full of ideas. They never turn back until the day they hit a wall," Mrs. Bai said. "I know what Kou Kou wants to do, but she will never succeed. However, before people personally experience failure, they inevitably harbor illusions. The best way is to let her watch the people around her fail and pay the price for it."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're not talking about me, are you?"