Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 481: The Hypocrite

Chapter 481: Chapter 481: The Hypocrite

Xu Huo was very clear about this: someone like Duke Tal might bear the title of a duke in name, but in reality, he wasn’t as powerful as his wife. The family of Duke Tal didn’t have many outstanding elite players, whereas his wife’s family, originally of marginal nobility, had produced several exceptional gamers. Duke Tal’s family had bet their fortunes early on by marrying into her family. Now, the brothers and nephews of the duchess’s family were either high-level gamers or holding important government positions in Zone 011, so quite often, it was the Duchess who interacted with the outside world.

And for people like Duke Tal, perhaps the greatest contribution they could make to their own family was simply to increase the population and see if the next generation could foster a few talents.

"To truly connect with the nobles, you have to get close to the real elites," Ran Ying reflected with a sigh. "It’s just that my background isn’t very good. Even though I’ve made achievements with the Black Epaulette, it doesn’t get taken seriously."

Upon mentioning this, Xu Huo said, "I haven’t congratulated you on your promotion and raise yet."

Ran Ying gave a small smile, "Thank you. You just came out of a copy, didn’t you? Are you free? Shall we have dinner together later?"

Just as Xu Huo was about to reply, the door of the smoking room was opened again. A woman dressed in a golden long dress entered. Upon seeing Ran Ying, she stopped in her tracks, "Black Epaulette?"

"Duchess," Ran Ying obviously recognized this woman. "I am the Black Epaulette squad leader, Ran Ying."

"It’s you." The Duchess lit a long lady’s cigarette and sat down. "You must be following that fool Tal again. A young girl like you with prospects, why bother mingling with such a person?"

Ran Ying smiled in response, "Madam jests, I have other matters to attend to, I will take my leave now."

Ran Ying turned back to signal to Xu Huo about her communicator before leaving first. Xu Huo followed her out but didn’t leave, instead closing the door behind him.

The Duchess looked back at the sound of footsteps, "You’re not with the Black Epaulette?"

Xu Huo slightly smiled, "Madam looks completely different from when you were at the welfare institute."

After hearing this, the Duchess took a moment to scrutinize him before saying, "You changed your face? Now I remember, you’re the one who proposed to fire the director. I heard that after he left the institute, he was so frightened that he moved his family out of the main district overnight. Did you have a hand in it?"

Xu Huo sat down across from her, "Just a warning. I didn’t expect him to be such a coward."

Supporting her cigarette, the Duchess stared at him, "Players have privileges in this world; he wouldn’t dare not be afraid."

"Did you pick out these tasteless clothes yourself?"

"You might not like to hear this," Xu Huo said, "but it was your husband."

"That pig-headed man?" The Duchess spoke with displeasure, "You know him?"

"I inherited my uncle’s Rose Castle; Sir Duke was acquainted with my uncle," Xu Huo said.

"Rose Castle, it’s quite a pretty place. He Pu was also a very charming man." The red lips beneath the Duchess’s gold mask curved up, "It’s just a mystery how his nephew might be."

"What does Madam think?" Xu Huo inquired.

"Hard to say." The Duchess inhaled from her cigarette, "Men change. Before marriage, Tal was quite handsome, but he let himself go in just a few years. A man with no brains, if he loses his looks and his physique, is no different from a dead man."

Xu Huo laughed out loud, "Madam has rather strict demands for men."

The Duchess laughed too, "Such things are not gender-specific – it’s the same for both men and women."

In the midst of their conversation, she tilted her head, scrutinizing his jaw. "Is your face real now?"

"Genuine and guaranteed." As soon as Xu Huo finished speaking, the woman across from him cocked her leg up, revealing a stretch of fair calf and swinging it gently, and said, "Hiding away in here, are you not interested in the club’s performance?"

Xu Huo showed some distaste, "I’m actually wondering why someone would be interested in that kind of performance. Isn’t there enough bloodshed and violence in the games?"

"Because they are powerless people," the Duchess said indifferently. "Lacking the strength to enter a real copy, nor the courage to face a real player, they can only find some thrill in such places, watching players with limbs removed being tortured to death. Maybe it saves them from their inferiority complex of not being able to become players."

"I’ve heard that Madam’s older and younger brothers are all players."

"Out of fourteen brothers and cousins, less than one-third survived." The Duchess’s leg stopped swinging, and her demeanor suggested she didn’t want to pursue the topic.

Xu Huo paused for a moment, then took the "Lady’s Folding Fan" out of his game panel, "A small token of appreciation."

He had held onto the item since acquiring it, attempting to use it a few times without success. The description was merely a brief note: "A popular silk folding fan coveted by high society, rumored to be a favorite object of a high-ranking official’s lover."

Not knowing how to use it, perhaps it was more fitting for a woman.

The fan was made of silk, with gold and silver thread interwoven to gleam under the light – eye-catching yet not dazzling.

Upon seeing the fan, the Duchess’s eyes never left it. She revealed a delighted smile, "It matches my outfit perfectly today."

[Lady’s Folding Fan: A gift that can be given an unlimited number of times. Only when the recipient genuinely accepts it, the sincere giver will receive a 5% increase in the recipient’s favor.]

When the fan changed hands to the Duchess, a notification popped up on Xu Huo’s personal panel.

More valuable than the 5% increase in favor, was the ability of the item to discern whether a person genuinely accepted a gift - that was its true worth. And it was the Duchess, after all. If it had been Bai Kou, she might first think of being on guard.

"Thank you, I really like it," the Duchess deepened her smile, adding, "After He Pu’s death, his title should naturally be passed on to you."

But Xu Huo just laughed, "I don’t care much about that title, but I think having a significant identity in Zone 011 would be better, I plan on doing charity work."

The Duchess was quite surprised, "You? Doing charity?"

Normally, aside from family demands, no player would indulge in such thankless work. With the constant killing in the copies, any compassion would have long been exhausted.

"I want to do some good within my means," Xu Huo said. "I’m an orphan myself, and I feel some compassion towards children who have lost their parents and loved ones. If I didn’t know about their situation, I could ignore it, but I can’t pretend not to see it when it’s right in front of me."

The Duchess’s gaze shifted slightly, "That is indeed true."

"Though it’s called charity, it’s really just providing some supplies and money to help them grow up. There’s not much else we can do." Xu Huo reflected and then added, "Since the game doesn’t allow children too young to enter copies, those of us who are already in hell ought to do what we can."

"Indeed," the Duchess replied, "the newcomers are the future."