Chapter 2727: Changing Winds

Just like always, Zone 011 was unchanged. The return ticket Xu Huo bought was directed to another city, so he had to take an aircraft back to the base city. He chose not to use a teleportation prop and instead treated this journey as a time to relax and take in the scenery of other cities.

There was no news from the Girl in the painting, Zone 039, or the Suitcase Man; even Yan Jiayu, who entered a high-risk instance, hadn’t replied—everything seemed to have hit a unilateral pause button.

It wasn’t until evening that Xu Huo arrived at the Rose Castle.

The flowers in the garden were in full bloom; due to his change in identity, there were no longer tourists coming around to take pictures, though quite a few players disguised as ordinary people wandered nearby.

Upon entering the garden, Mr. Dong greeted him at the entrance as usual, taking some local specialties Xu Huo bought along the way, and using ventriloquism, said, "Dr. Deng has gone out to visit friends, Mr. Meng is walking in the garden at the back."

Dr. Deng had fully adapted to life in Zone 011, and when Xu Huo was not around, Mr. Dong took special care of his needs. Although Meng Cun’s evolutionary disease had somewhat eased, he typically stayed in his room to recuperate, rarely going downstairs.

Upon learning of Xu Huo’s return, Meng Cun came to greet him first.

He was very grateful to Xu Huo, yet he had never loosened up on the matter of contacting people from the original Zone 017. Xu Huo had spent a lot of money on him, but he could nonetheless do things excellently, so he proactively approached to see if there was something he could do in return.

"I’m not too busy at the moment," Xu Huo said, "Just continue living as usual. If you get bored, you can ask Mr. Dong to arrange an outing for you."

Understandingly, Meng Cun did not say much more.

The damaged communicator from the backpack that came from the Rank-A Wormhole Point obviously couldn’t be given to him for repair, and Xu Huo didn’t even plan to take it out in Zone 011 to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble.

His return to Zone 011 was not just for rest, but importantly to await information from Zone 039. The Suitcase Man wouldn’t appear there without reason; only after he made a new move would the matter of breaking into Circus City come to its conclusion.

After resting for two days, he had Mr. Dong prepare a gift and sent a visiting card to the Werna Family, hoping to arrange a time to meet with Hua Han Werna.

The Werna Family took a day to respond, only to inform him that Hua Han Werna was out visiting friends and currently not in Zone 011.

Xu Huo, without further ado, had Mr. Dong inquire at a previous residence of Hua Han Werna, but he could not reach the former butler. A new person answered the call, giving a similar reply, essentially saying that Hua Han Werna was too busy to meet guests recently.

Upon receiving this news, Xu Huo cross-referenced the shares and bonuses given by the Werna Family, as well as the usual exchanges of courtesy, and it was just like the last time he returned—no discrepancies.

The Werna Family intended to choose someone as Hua Han’s successor. He had rejected the Werna Family’s attempt at an arranged marriage but continued ongoing interactions with them. Additionally, judging by Hua Han Werna’s attitude, he did not seem to place much importance on whether the chosen individual had strong ties with the Werna Family.

Most likely, the Werna Family was unsatisfied; however, they did not intervene. But judging by the current stance, perhaps they had already found a better candidate.

Xu Huo didn’t think Hua Han Werna suddenly fell ill or was cut off from external contacts. For anyone in the Werna Family with a functional mind, such actions wouldn’t be taken, so the most likely scenario is they found a new "investment", yet didn’t cut off support to his side completely.

"Sir, should we contact Mr. Hua Han again?" Mr. Dong asked.

"Not for now," Xu Huo considered for a moment and said, "If the Werna Family is causing trouble behind the scenes, Mr. Hua Han will find out soon enough."

If this represented their stance, naturally, no further actions were necessary.

After resting at home for two days, Xu Huo started engaging in social activities.

His trip to Circus City cost him quite a few props and instruments, and he needed to find a way to replenish them. However, good props were rarely on the market; maybe the noble channels might acquire some good ones.

Others also came to visit him; the first was Roy Clements, with whom he had encountered several times before. As the head of a small noble family, Roy was adept at socializing and had now engaged to a lady from a branch of the Werna Family, becoming a prospective son-in-law.

He had heard about the changing winds within the Werna Family, and besides maintaining relationships, he came purposely to inform Xu Huo of some concrete news—namely, that the Werna Family had found a new grooming target.

Although details about Hua Han Werna and Xu Huo hadn’t spread, astute individuals could sense the unusual atmosphere.

"Some time ago, I noticed the Werna Family was quite eager towards you, even hinting they wanted you as a son-in-law. Yet, that breeze has died down recently, and instead, there’s talk of a new, frequently spotlighted minor noble with the Werna surname, heard to have emerged from a sub-district beneath Zone 011, with a past that no one knows much about."

Zone 011 itself had merged several sub-districts, retaining the Zone 011 designation, with Xu Huo’s division being the main one, while the others were secondary sub-districts.

"The Werna Family is filled with outstanding players, yet they persistently search for new talent," Roy mused while swirling his glass, "Not sure whether their search is earnest or deceitful."

Xu Huo smiled slightly, "As long as there’s profit, it’s all mutual benefit—how much does sincerity or deception matter?"

"True," Roy sighed somewhat wistfully, "It’s a pity that I’m not exceptional enough to attract the true lady of the Werna Family."

"You’ll be getting married soon, won’t you?" Xu Huo shifted the topic.

"Next month," Roy replied, "The engagement is already set, so tying the knot sooner will satisfy everyone."

He was quite pleased with his fiancée, "You must come to celebrate."

Xu Huo naturally agreed.

After some small talk, the topic shifted to props and instruments. Roy stated, "The technological core of instruments is always held as an important weapon by the higher-ups of the districts. It’s challenging to purchase good ones here, though nice props occasionally appear."

"After all, with the rapid turnover of players, some can’t hold onto their inheritances and might as well sell them for a high price."

"Speaking of insider information, those who spend their days indulging in leisure might know even more; substantial families hoard good stuff for their descendants, only the squanderers carelessly spend their inherited assets."

Roy offered to help connect some dots.

Xu Huo naturally thanked him and invited him to a lavish dinner, ending their meeting satisfactorily for both host and guest.