Chapter 3126: Non-Open Relics
A player joked, "I know my talent is average, but if I were willing to marry into the family, would the Field Clan give me some free pointers?"
"You're dreaming," Li De snorted. "Who knows how many players in this district want to marry into the Field Clan? Where would they find enough daughters for all of you? Besides, they wouldn't look twice at ordinary players."
"Maybe tonight will change that," the joking player said suggestively.
Marriage was a common means of solidifying relationships. Kinship, friendship, love—any emotion could bind a person. Compared to the conditions needed to cultivate kinship or friendship, marriage was a convenient method: first tie the knot, then use that special bond to forcibly bind two people together. Strangers couldn't quickly develop kinship or friendship, but marriage was easy.
However, given the Field Clan's strength, doing so would be somewhat beneath them.
"I don't think they will," Li De said. "The Field Clan definitely has the resources. They wouldn't trot out their daughters for people to pick over just to win over a player. Mr. Carmen has been dead for years, and it's not like they're on the verge of collapse. There's no such urgency."
With a Super Player dead for so long, the Field Clan had already weathered the hardest times. They wouldn't be like the Vilna Family in District 011, desperately trying to bind a new successor before their Super Player passed away to maintain their status.
"Besides, don't let their politeness fool you. They might not think much of us outsiders," Li De lowered his voice. "Take Sen Sen, who's guiding us. Do you really think she's just some minor character sent to entertain us?"
In a player family, no one without real strength would be sent to deal with other players—unless the family had truly fallen to the point of having no one else to use.
"Don't overthink it," the earlier player laughed. "They're definitely not interested in you."
In other words, any schemes were aimed at Xu Huo, not them. They didn't need to worry themselves sick over it.
Although Li De had been badly hurt by Xu Huo before, he wasn't one to hold grudges. His words were partly a warning for Xu Huo.
"Some people put on airs, but they're full of twists and turns," he said directly to Xu Huo. "Don't fall for it."
Xu Huo smiled. "You really don't like the Field Clan."
Li De waved his hand. "I've taken plenty of losses at the hands of families like theirs. Now whenever I see them, I feel like they're brewing trouble. Anyway, I can't play their game, so I just keep my distance."
"True, the Field Clan members do make you feel like you're walking on a spring breeze," Xu Huo said.
Li De furrowed his brows. "That might be a talent too. I definitely don't have it."
Cui Tan nudged his arm, reminding him he was talking too much—this was Field territory.
Li De shut up. Complaining behind people's backs was one thing, but badmouthing them to their faces was another.
They had spent some time in the room before heading out. Sen Sen had been waiting outside the entire time without any sign of impatience. She first addressed Xu Huo: "Mr. Xu, don't worry about the relics. After the banquet, the family will arrange for someone to take you to those non-open relics."
This was the real benefit. Judging from the earlier Chaos Space situation, the non-open relics likely contained remnants of Super Players, or even fragments of Super Items.
Hadn't the Field Battle Angel's parts never been fully recovered?
The Paper Servant Master had said they took the core part representing the Battle Angel's fate, and that the parts of a Super Item would be drawn to each other by that "fate."
Xu Huo had indeed collected quite a few parts of the Battle Angel. Whether the attraction still existed between the parts was hard to say. Besides, he had stored all the items away, but he didn't know if the Field Clan had ways to obtain related information.
Non-open relics... What a tempting prize.
"Thank you. I'll need to think about it," he said.
"That's only natural." Sen Sen nodded slightly and led the way to the quiet room they had been in earlier for a brief rest.
"Miss Sen Sen, can we go to the non-open relics?" the joking player asked. "If there are outsiders accompanying us, everyone would feel more at ease."
Since they were non-open relics, the Field Clan would definitely be in charge. Xu Huo was only one person—how could he go in without worry? If something happened, no one would know.
"The district government will arrange escorts," Sen Sen said. "The district government and the Field Clan can vouch for it with our reputations."
In short, there was no place for the hangers-on. The reason they had been invited along earlier was simply to prevent Xu Huo from having concerns about going alone. Why would they show something so important to them?
Of course, Xu Huo was still just a candidate under evaluation. Geniuses were rare, but if a genius wouldn't work for the Field Clan, why would they support and nurture him?
The other players didn't say much—they understood. Still, they felt a bit regretful. They had missed out on both the Chaos Space and the mirror item opportunities.
"Haha!" Li De laughed. "I'm curious whether Genius Xu will evolve again. I'm not leaving District 001 until I see the result!"
Cui Tan nodded along. "Meeting by chance is fate. If he really takes another step forward, it's something worth celebrating for all players."
No matter what they said, openly or subtly, Sen Sen kept her smile. But Xu Huo could sense her growing impatience.
Sen Sen was good at hiding it, but when her gaze inadvertently swept over Xu Huo and caught his eyes, it was like a bucket of cold water was dumped over her head. She instantly calmed down, her personal emotions vanishing completely.
"Mr. Carmen probably didn't live at the Field estate year-round, did he?" Xu Huo said at that moment.
"Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles. Grandfather enjoyed the strange tales of other districts and liked making friends," Sen Sen said. "But he would come home for short stays every so often."
Rumor had it that Carmen had left home for long periods because he foresaw that he would bring disaster to his clan. Still, he seemed to hold considerable expectations for his family—though whether his family felt the same was another matter.
"I heard Mr. Carmen didn't have many children. Which of his descendants are you from?" Xu Huo asked another somewhat inappropriate question.
Sen Sen stopped walking and turned to look at him. "Mr. Xu seems very interested in this?"
Xu Huo shook his head slightly. "I just think you and Mr. Carmen are very different."
Sen Sen's eyes darkened. "I am indeed not related to Grandfather by blood."
Not just her—at least two-thirds of those within the family who called Carmen "Grandfather" were not his direct descendants. Some were distant relatives, while others were purely "adopted"—yes, adopted into his lineage after his death.