Chapter 3161: Sudden Wealth
Xu Huo smiled as he watched the old lady walk away, but he didn't return to the beach. Instead, he went to Liu Yi's bar.
It was almost dark, and the number of customers was increasing. He found a seat in a corner, and Dai Si mixed him a new drink, smiling as she said, "Let's eat together later. There are fresh vegetables today, and Liu Yi is cooking."
Xu Huo didn't refuse. He calmly enjoyed the sea view and the clamor of the crowd.
No matter how the districts changed, as long as the flames of war hadn't spread to every corner, life went on as usual. All pain and joy would eventually be smoothed over.
Of course, it wasn't always this peaceful. Starting from mid-afternoon, quite a few players had gathered near the beach. Among them were some from District 009, but more were from outer districts. Xu Huo had no idea what they were there for.
Ignoring the stares around him, Xu Huo waited until dark and had a fairly hearty dinner with Liu Yi and the others.
"Prices are high now, and fresh vegetables are especially expensive," Liu Yi said. "I'm worried that if this keeps up, I'll have to buy vegetables from other districts just to eat."
"District 009 isn't that bad," Dai Si chimed in from the side. "I've seen many districts in dire straits. Forget about living a normal life—even getting a meal is a problem. I still really like our district."
"A man's homeland is his anchor. Even if I die, I want to die in District 009."
Liu Yi chuckled and looked at Xu Huo. "You've been leveling up so fast. You probably rarely go back, right?"
"What about you?" Xu Huo asked instead of answering.
"I lost my homeland a long time ago," Liu Yi said nonchalantly. "I only had one teacher, but unfortunately, he died young too. I'm alone now, drifting wherever the wind takes me."
Dai Si was her loyal fan and now a friend in hardship. She patted Liu Yi's shoulder comfortingly. "I, and many others, have your back."
That was the truth. During the time Liu Yi was being hunted, it was these people who supported her and helped her escape. Later, when she left and then returned, it was still these people who provided her with shelter. But for safety's sake, she never stayed in one place for long.
"I wonder what you'll look like the next time I see you," Liu Yi said. "I feel like I won't die this time."
Xu Huo took a sip of water. "Leave District 009."
He looked at the woman across from him. "Neither of us will come back to District 009. Let's see if the prophecy will eventually come true."
Liu Yi nodded. "Alright."
They each raised their glasses, then set down their cups and vanished from the bar together.
Xu Huo used a return ticket to go to District 011.
He stood outside Rose Castle for a moment before walking in. He said to Mr. Dong, who had come to greet him, "We shouldn't have any expenses for road repairs, right?"
"It's a charity project from the district government," Mr. Dong said, his lips not moving but a voice still coming out. "They felt that the old city area was affecting the city's appearance and didn't match your status, so they opened a new charity project specifically for repairing the castle district."
"Besides the outer streets, our gardens and outer walls are also covered under the reimbursement."
Mr. Dong had no expression, but his light tone revealed his good mood.
Xu Huo's status was different now. Given the current situation, even if he refused to take over from Huahan Werner, District 011 would still have to treat him well. Besides the assets of the Herta family that had been compensated to him earlier, the Werner family, as well as player families and large corporations from the district and several sub-districts, were all trying to curry favor with him. This included directly giving him companies, mines, transportation routes, and nominal dividends. If it weren't for the fact that inviting him to be a non-contributing shareholder or honorary director might seem like looking down on him, countless people would be eager to go into business with him. Of course, he wouldn't be responsible for the business, only for collecting the money.
The main point of sending money wasn't to ask for his protection, but because if everyone else gave and you didn't, you'd easily be resented. So everyone was giving.
As a result, he was now quite wealthy. Although he couldn't compare to Pu Yu's fortune, if someone were to gift him another ten billion in assets, it wouldn't have the same impact as before.
But even though he wasn't short of money anymore, Mr. Dong was still very satisfied that the district government was willing to repair the roads and the castle for free.
"We shouldn't be poor anymore from now on, right?" Xu Huo said.
Mr. Dong's face turned serious. "Don't speak too soon. Sudden wealth and sudden poverty can happen overnight."
Hmm, it seemed they had been poor for too long.
A servant brought tea and snacks. The two of them went over the recent accounts in the study. The people who had been managing the Herta family assets for him were still doing their best, and everything was currently profitable. The people specifically in charge of auditing also submitted regular reports, confirming that the accounts were not falsified.
"Since you're back this time, do you want to see them?" Mr. Dong reminded him. "It's a necessary part of managing assets."
Sometimes, if the boss never shows his face, some people might gradually start to think there is no boss.
"We'll talk about it later," Xu Huo said. Although the district had legal restrictions, if he wanted to know something, he only needed to call the person in front of him and ask. He was sure they would tell him everything without holding back. Falsifying information would be an absolute high-risk, low-reward move.
"Help me send a letter to Mr. Huahan, asking when he's free. I'd like to pay him a visit," he instructed.
Mr. Dong noted it down, then went to prepare toiletries and fill the bathtub with water.
Xu Huo took a comfortable bath and then returned to his room. His tense nerves relaxed a little. The tangled thoughts in his mind gradually faded, sinking deeper into the depths of his spiritual world, becoming an invisible knot.
The next morning, he was awakened by the chirping of birds outside his window. He got up and headed to the garden downstairs.
The main flowers planted at Rose Castle were roses. But after becoming wealthy, Mr. Dong had gradually introduced some rarer flower species. They bloomed all year round, and the front and back gardens, along with the greenhouse, were a riot of color. To keep pests away, they had specially raised some miniature mutant birds. These birds weren't afraid of people. As Xu Huo walked into the garden, they fluttered around nearby.
Xu Huo casually raised his hand, and two little birds immediately flew down, landing on his arm and hopping around, chirping incessantly.
Then a few more birds flew over. They had flowers in their beaks, and when they flew over his head, they dropped them. Small flowers fell down, some landing in his hair, some on his pajamas.
This was probably their habit. After delivering the flowers, they stretched their throats and chirped loudly for a while before scattering back into the flower bushes and disappearing.
Xu Huo picked the flowers off his head and clothes. He turned to Mr. Dong, who had brought in breakfast, and asked, "Do these birds act like this with everyone they see?"
"They are very close to humans," Mr. Dong said. "And they can accurately distinguish between humans and other species. At least, I have never once received such treatment."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow slightly. "Now that's interesting."