Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 1193: Peaceful Rose Castle

Chapter 1193: Chapter 1193: Peaceful Rose Castle

Last time, Xu Huo accepted Lady Lily’s commission to kill that captured member of the Holy Sword Society. Although the target ultimately escaped, he managed to fulfill the task during the Sea World instance.

However, he estimated that Lady Lily probably didn’t care much about the end result, since her purpose had already been achieved.

"Let’s talk about it another day." Xu Huo went upstairs to the study and asked about Dr. Deng’s recent situation.

Mr. Dong truthfully recounted Dr. Deng’s behavior and actions since Xu Huo left.

Because Dr. Deng was still a target of the Black Epaulette investigation, he spent most of his time in the rear annex and rarely came out. The few requests he made involved asking Mr. Dong to purchase experimental supplies for him, such as instruments and books. Overall, he endured solitude exceptionally well and was quite mindful of self-preservation—he hadn’t even asked to take a walk outside and had barely revealed himself.

During this period, the Black Epaulette conducted surveillance of Rose Castle twice more. However, the monitoring didn’t last long before it was withdrawn, possibly due to personnel changes within their ranks.

This relieved some of the pressure on them—at least delivering meals to Dr. Deng no longer required as much secrecy.

"Has Bai Kou never returned to the castle?" Xu Huo asked.

Upon mentioning this, Mr. Dong’s expression visibly relaxed. "She left two days after you departed and didn’t say much before she went."

Xu Huo nodded. "Invite Dr. Deng out to join us for a meal. Don’t let him go to the third floor."

Mr. Dong responded and exited the study.

On the desk, there were not only three invitations but also several others from weaker noble forces—it was normal for these less powerful groups to band together, as events of this kind occurred every few days.

The avenues for advancement within noble circles were exceedingly limited. Major noble families formed key barriers to progression, as resources were finite, and if someone joined the fray, others would get a smaller share. Either someone had to step down, or everyone had to make concessions—simple as that.

Thus, it was quite impressive that the Mi Lai’er Family had managed to secure a place in this competitive landscape.

Zone 011 was chosen by Xu Huo as a modest base of operations. It wasn’t overly conspicuous but also didn’t cut off his access to valuable information from the nobles.

After a short while, Mr. Dong came upstairs and informed him that Dr. Deng had come out but still feared for his safety, so he requested that the doors be locked and curtains drawn shut.

"I already told him that doing so made him stand out even more, but he believes that not being directly visible is safer."

"Has he been cooped up to the point of losing his sanity?" Xu Huo paused, then stood and made his way downstairs.

Regrettably, Dr. Deng sitting in the tea room appeared perfectly normal. His hair and clothing were immaculately groomed, and upon seeing Xu Huo, he even took the initiative to greet him.

"Your condition looks good," Xu Huo remarked.

"I’ve always been in the lab for years, so maintaining my physical condition has been a necessity," Dr. Deng replied as he sat down with a smile. "I’m not the kind of person who only buries himself in books."

Xu Huo placed the P1S Version Potion acquired from the Holy Sword Society member onto the table.

Dr. Deng was eager to meet him because of this. Upon seeing the potion, which was different from the ordinary evolution potion, he suppressed his excitement and asked, "Is this the Perfect Potion by any chance?"

"I’m not sure," Xu Huo replied, pushing it toward him. "The person who gave it to me said it was. You can test it... though, do you have a way to verify if it’s truly a Perfect Potion?"

Dr. Deng held the potion carefully and nodded. "I’ve seen an analysis report of a sample Perfect Potion before—this should be no problem!"

Xu Huo didn’t delve deeper. Instead, he said, "Set the potion aside for now. After hiding in the annex for so long, you should take the chance to come out and move around properly."

Dr. Deng carefully placed the potion to the side. "The Black Epaulette is still investigating me. If they come here, it’ll be trouble for you too."

"To the Black Epaulette, you’re just an inconsequential figure. They don’t have the resources or manpower to keep pursuing you," Xu Huo replied. "If you change your appearance, you should be able to go out safely."

"Maybe next time," Dr. Deng said, his attention still fixed on the Perfect Potion.

Seeing him so elated, Xu Huo didn’t spoil the mood and instead urged Mr. Dong to prepare dinner quickly.

"Aren’t you interested in the Perfect Potion?" Dr. Deng asked abruptly after his initial excitement waned.

"It’s said that if a player has already consumed a game-issued potion, the Perfect Potion has no effect anymore," Xu Huo said calmly. "Rather than waste it, it’s better used for research. Who knows, perhaps—as you said—we could one day develop a Perfect Potion usable by all players."

Dr. Deng gazed at him with a complicated expression. "Do you truly believe I can achieve that?"

Xu Huo wasn’t interested in playing the role of a "patron of talent." He glanced briefly at Dr. Deng and said, "Do I have any other choice?"

"But you’d better show some actual progress. Otherwise, I’ll dismiss you like Hengxing Group did, and we’ll part ways.""

Dr. Deng responded with an awkward laugh and avoided making any bold claims this time.

The mood became somewhat awkward momentarily, but the dinner that was promptly served helped break the tension.

The Girl in the painting and Xiao Yuan sat on Xu Huo’s left and right, respectively, while Tan Qi sat across from Dr. Deng.

Having seen Dr. Deng before, Xiao Yuan introduced him to Tan Qi, saying he was their family doctor.

Tan Qi, now dressed in boys’ clothes instead of a princess gown, stuffed a piece of beef into his mouth and remarked while chewing, "He doesn’t look much like a doctor."

Dr. Deng adapted quickly to his new identity, laughing as he replied, "I’m a doctor who changed professions halfway through. I used to work in the lab."

"Can he actually treat illnesses?" Tan Qi turned to Xu Huo and asked.

"For minor issues, you can consult him; for anything else, you’d better not," Xu Huo replied, his statement carrying a double meaning.

After hearing this, Tan Qi redirected his focus entirely to the food on his plate. Both he and Xiao Yuan had often gone hungry before coming here, so their enthusiasm for eating was unmatched.

The Girl in the painting didn’t need to eat. Remaining in her self-designated role, she gently served food to the two children.

"That’s enough," Xu Huo reminded her as he sipped his wine. "The kids can’t eat that much."

The Girl in the painting reluctantly stopped her feeding activities, shifting her attention to the other two at the table instead. Not daring to offer food to Xu Huo, she simply sat cheerfully beside Dr. Deng.

Startled, Dr. Deng quickly declined, his gaze flickering between the Girl in the painting and Xu Huo as he tried to ascertain their relationship. Xu Huo chose not to elaborate, leaving Mr. Dong to say, "Miss Li Chun enjoys joking around. If Dr. Deng feels uncomfortable, you’re welcome to refuse."

Dr. Deng instantly voiced his rejection and distanced himself from the Girl in the painting.

Seeing that the Girl in the painting was indeed bored, Xu Huo assigned her a small task: pick the most beautiful flowers in the garden and arrange them in a vase.

Having been idle for too long, even this trivial task seemed exciting to her. Unable to wait until tomorrow, she grabbed a vase and left—she even grabbed two for good measure.

Xu Huo realized he truly needed to find something more meaningful for her to do.