Chapter 368: S-Rank Evaluation
After getting in the car, Xu Huo quickly learned that the short-haired woman was named Ran Ying, the captain of the Seventh Squad of the Enforcement Department. Her squad was on night duty tonight. Cheng Bing—the two robots—shared the same name. They had detected fluctuations in spatial prop usage near the main city area and, bored, went to check it out, which was how they stumbled upon the Rose Castle incident.
"How did you discover his identity?" Ran Ying asked with great interest. "Generally, wanted criminals who can stay in instances for a long time aren't easy to spot. He even altered his appearance, making it hard to recognize."
Xu Huo glanced at the female robot sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror and detailed the instance process.
"You could guess he was a wanted criminal from that?" Ran Ying was utterly shocked. "I've heard of the Rose Castle you mentioned. He Pu, a famous philanthropist, but he hasn't been active in recent years. Turns out he was killed by a wanted criminal. Cheng Bing, notify the Ancient City District branch to see how they want to handle this."
The female robot paused for two seconds before quickly responding, "The Rose Castle has already been sealed off. The police traced stolen goods from a serial murder case there and are now searching for He Pu. I've transmitted the information from here."
Ran Ying nodded and cheerfully probed Xu Huo about his age and background. Upon hearing he was a D-level player, she praised him sincerely, "Not bad at all. A D-level player can clear an instance. Now that the fake He Pu has been caught, the Rose Castle instance might not continue."
Xu Huo paused. "After the real He Pu's death, what will happen to the Rose Castle?"
"It depends on whether he has heirs or a will. If he has neither, the castle will likely be reclaimed by the government and auctioned off," Ran Ying said casually. "But maintaining that place costs a fortune. Many places like Rose Castle end up empty and unsellable."
When Xu Huo left, the Rose Castle had indeed aged and deteriorated. This was likely Mr. Dong's doing. The items on the third floor definitely didn't belong to the fake He Pu, especially those props he couldn't take or use, which were still left in the castle.
If the Rose Castle instance ceased to exist, those items would probably be auctioned off along with the castle and Mr. Dong.
He wasn't coveting those props; He Pu's research notes were far more valuable and worth revisiting in detail. He could keep an eye on the castle's auction information later.
The high-tech sports car hovered over the city roads, quickly reaching the bustling area of the main city. Ran Ying landed the car on a U-shaped parking strip. As they got out, the parking strip teleported the car away, and a new car immediately took the vacated spot.
"I'll take you to check in," Ran Ying said as they walked. "This hotel requires ID. I can issue you a temporary one."
"Your level isn't high, so you're an easy target for players. Hotels that require ID have strong security. Staying here, you basically don't have to worry about safety."
Exiting the parking lot, Xu Huo saw the "Eternal Star" sign on the directional board.
He had stayed at an Eternal Star clubhouse in Block Fairy Tale City Station. The fees were high, but safety wasn't guaranteed.
The female robot clarified his doubts. "Eternal Star hotels established in Game Government base cities generally provide personal protection for players. This cost is included in the bill. Additionally, if a player damages something in the hotel, the bill is submitted directly to the game by Eternal Star, and the game settles it from the player's personal account."
"In other words, if you break an antique, the money is deducted directly from your account. If your balance is insufficient, it becomes debt. From then on, every note that enters your account will first go toward paying off that debt."
In other words, until the debt is cleared, players can't hide a single cent in their personal accounts.
Of course, they could exchange for White Notes and not store them in their personal panel, but paper notes are inconvenient to carry and hard to preserve. Players who try to default this way usually don't live long.
The three arrived at the lobby, where a staff member on duty came to attend to them. After Ran Ying showed her work ID, they readily opened a room for Xu Huo.
"Can I check in without a membership card?" Xu Huo asked.
"Of course. Eternal Star Hotel has a cooperative relationship with the 011 District Government. We have a fixed number of rooms each month. You just need to pay the full room rate to stay," the staff member said enthusiastically as they led them upstairs.
Xu Huo glanced at the electronic screen in their hand. The price for one night in this room was 30,000 White Notes.
Ran Ying was fairly generous. After checking the room, she had the female robot pay and put her arm around Xu Huo's shoulder. "You're new here. Tonight's on me. Tomorrow morning, I'll pick you up for breakfast. What do you want to eat?"
The staff member gave Xu Huo a subtle look, and Xu Huo returned a similarly subtle look to Ran Ying. Ran Ying, completely oblivious, stared straight at him.
In the end, the female robot dragged her away, not at all worried that Xu Huo would slip off on his own.
Ran Ying's face practically screamed "profit-seeking." No normal person would be willing to leave just like that.
"Does Ran Ying often bring people here?" Xu Huo casually asked the staff member after they left, handing over his membership card.
Seeing the membership card, the staff member's smile became genuine. "There are always two or three different people each month. Captain Ran often falls into passionate love."
Xu Huo said nothing more and let them leave.
After sitting down, he first checked his game panel.
[Congratulations to player Passerby A for successfully clearing the instance. Based on your performance in this instance, you have received a rare S-rank evaluation. You will receive one primary trait, one special item, one D-rank ordinary item, twenty potions, and 20,000 White Notes.]
[Primary Trait: The Power of Writing]
[Note 1: As a resilient passerby, even if he can't speak, so what? He can still spread what he sees and hears through text. When the passerby picks up a pen, he becomes the most noticeable passerby. Everyone will put down everything they're doing and can't help but watch him. Duration: 5 seconds.]
[Note 2: A trait that contradicts the passerby itself, sometimes counteracting the effect of blurring memories.]
[Note 3: Writing juicy gossip that everyone is interested in yields better results.]
This trait seemed like a universal pause button, affecting both friend and foe. Based on Note 3, the usage condition likely includes "visibility," which defines the trait's range of effect.
If there's no limit on the number of targets, this is an excellent group attack trait.
Xu Huo then looked at the item.
[The Hungry Snake: A theft item that can be used as a decoration. Although the game does not encourage theft, somehow it came into being. It's an item that everyone who uses it finds amazing, because as long as you press the seven-inch point, the target will inevitably lose a very precious item and, for some strange reason, won't immediately notice it.]
(Chapter End)