Players, Please Board the Train

This point was very clear to Xu Huo. People like Duke Tal might have a duke’s title, but in reality, they wielded less power than their wives. This was because Duke Tal’s family didn’t have many outstanding elite players, while his wife’s family, originally just a third-rate noble house, had produced several exceptionally talented players. Duke Tal’s family had placed an early bet by arranging the marriage to unite the two families. Now, the sons and nephews of the Duke’s wife’s brothers were either high-level players or held important positions in the District 011 government. Therefore, it was mostly the Duchess who was active in public affairs.

As for people like Duke Tal, their greatest contribution to their own family might just be increasing the population, hoping to nurture a few talents among the next generation.

”To truly forge connections with the nobility, one must get close to the real elites,” Ran Ying sighed with emotion. ”It’s a pity my background isn’t great. Even after making contributions in Black Epaulets, I still don’t receive much regard.”

Mentioning this, Xu Huo said, ”I haven’t congratulated you yet on your promotion and raise.”

Ran Ying smiled slightly. ”Thank you. You just came out of a dungeon, right? Do you have time? Let’s grab a meal together later?”

Just as Xu Huo was about to answer, the door to the smoking room opened again. A woman in a golden gown entered. She paused in her steps the moment she saw Ran Ying. ”Black Epaulets?”

”Duchess,” Ran Ying clearly recognized this woman. ”I am Ran Ying, a squad leader of Black Epaulets.”

”It’s you,” the Duchess said, lighting a long, slender ladies’ cigarette and walking over to sit down. ”You’re following that fool Tal again, aren’t you? A young girl like you, with a bright future ahead, why get tangled up with that sort of person?”

Ran Ying smiled. ”You jest, Madam. I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first.”

Ran Ying turned her head, pointed to the communicator on her hand at Xu Huo, and left first. Xu Huo followed her out but did not leave. Instead, he closed the door.Hearing the footsteps, the Duchess turned her head. ”You’re not with Black Epaulets?”

Xu Huo smiled slightly. ”You look completely different from how you did at the Welfare Home, Madam.”

Hearing this, the Duchess scrutinized him for a moment before saying, ”You changed your face? I remember now. You’re the one who suggested dismissing the Director. I heard he was terrified after leaving the Welfare Home, moving his family out of the main partition overnight. Was that your doing?”

Xu Huo sat down opposite her. ”I just gave him a warning. I didn’t expect him to be so timid.”

The Duchess propped up her cigarette and stared at him. ”Players have privileges in this world. He had no choice but to be afraid.”

”Did you pick such a tacky outfit yourself?”

”You might not like hearing this,” Xu Huo said, ”but it was your husband.”

”That stupid pig?” The Duchess’s voice turned displeased. ”You know him?”

”I inherited my uncle’s Rose Castle. The Duke has some acquaintance with my uncle,” Xu Huo explained.

”Rose Castle. It’s quite a beautiful place. He Pu was also a very charming man,” the Duchess said, her red lips beneath the golden mask curving into a smile. ”I just don’t know what his nephew is like.”

”What do you think, Madam?” Xu Huo asked.

”Hard to say,” the Duchess said, taking a drag of her cigarette. ”Men can change. Before marriage, Tal was still quite handsome and dignified. Within a few years, he let himself go. If a man who isn’t too smart to begin with loses both his face and figure, there’s no difference between him and a dead man.”

Xu Huo chuckled. ”Your standards for men are too harsh, Madam.”

The Duchess also laughed. ”There’s no gender distinction in such matters. It’s the same for men and women.”

As she spoke, she tilted her head, examining his jawline. ”Is your current face real?”

”As real as it gets,” Xu Huo had just finished speaking when the woman opposite him crossed her legs, revealing a section of fair-skinned calf that she gently swayed. She added, ”Hiding in here, not interested in the club’s performance?”

Xu Huo showed a hint of distaste. ”On the contrary, I’m puzzled why anyone would be interested in that kind of performance. Isn’t there enough bloodshed and violence in the game?”

”Because they are incompetent people,” the Duchess said calmly. ”They lack the ability to enter real dungeons and the courage to face real players. They can only seek some thrills in places like this. Watching players who’ve had their limbs removed being tortured to death might help salvage their inferiority complex from not being able to become players themselves.”

”I heard your elder brother and younger brother are players.”

”Fourteen brothers and cousins. Less than a third survived,” the Duchess said, her leg stopping its swaying. Her expression suggested she didn’t want to continue this topic.

Xu Huo paused for a moment, then retrieved the ”Noblewoman’s Folding Fan” from his game panel. ”A small token of my appreciation, to express my thanks.”

This item had been sitting in his panel since he obtained it. He had tried using it a few times but couldn’t grasp its method. Its description was merely a simple line: ”A popular silk folding fan favored by high society. It is said to have been a beloved possession of a high-ranking official’s lover.”

Not knowing its use, perhaps it was more suited for use on women.

The fan was made of silk, embroidered with intertwining gold and silver threads. Under the light, it was eye-catching but not glaring.

The Duchess’s eyes didn’t leave the fan once she saw it. A delighted smile appeared on her face. ”It matches my gown today perfectly.”

【Noblewoman’s Folding Fan: A gift that can be given an infinite number of times. Only when the recipient sincerely accepts it can the sincere giver obtain a 5% increase in the recipient’s favorability.】

As the fan was handed to the Duchess, a notification popped up in Xu Huo’s personal panel.

Compared to the 5% favorability value, the true worth of this item lay in its ability to determine whether a person sincerely accepted a gift. For the Duchess, if given to Bai Kou, the other party would likely think of defense first.

”Thank you, I like it very much,” the Duchess said, her smile deepening. She added, ”After He Pu’s passing, his title should also be inherited by you.”

Xu Huo, however, smiled. ”I don’t place much importance on that title. It’s just that I think having an identity in District 011 would be better. I want to engage in charity work.”

The Duchess was quite surprised. ”You? Doing charity?”

Generally, unless required by their family, no player would do such a thankless task. Killing their way in and out of dungeons would wear down anyone’s sympathy.

”Just doing some good within my capabilities,” Xu Huo said. ”I was an orphan too. Seeing children who have lost their parents and loved ones evokes some sympathy. If I didn’t know, that would be one thing, but when it’s right before my eyes, I really can’t pretend not to see it.”

A flicker of emotion passed through the Duchess’s eyes. ”That is the truth.”

”Calling it charity, it’s really just giving them some supplies and money so they can grow up. There’s not much else to be done,” Xu Huo sighed with emotion, then added, ”Even the game doesn’t recruit very young children into dungeons. As seniors already in this hell, it’s our duty to do what we can.”

”Yes,” the Duchess also said. ”The new generation is the future.”