Xu Huo moved his hands and feet, finding that his right hand had regained so strength. With his palm facing upward, the stopwatch and pen simultaneously appeared in his hand.
Before he could do anything, the woman opposite him transford into a swarm of butterflies and retreated, instantly withdrawing beyond the garden maze.
At that mont, the tal collar around Xu Huo's neck automatically sprang open, and the air that had been drained of oxygen returned to normal.
Holding the collar in one hand, although Mada Butterfly was no longer visible in his field of vision, she hadn't left. Gripping the stopwatch in his palm, he picked up the pen to write. However, at that mont, Duke Tal's voice ca from the direction of the ancient castle: "Madam, what brings you out so late to admire the flowers?"
The darkness in the garden was swept away, and the nacing, clawing flowering trees around them returned to normal.
Xu Huo's hand paused.
"Couldn't sleep, ca out for so air," Mada Butterfly spoke. "Why has the Duke co out?"
"I had a nightmare, dreaming the spiders in the annex had all turned into monsters. I was worried you might be in danger, so I ca out to look around and sohow ended up at the door. Who knew you'd actually be outside?" Duke Tal's voice, laced with amusent, drew closer. "You're soaked, Madam. Let's go inside first. I'll have soone prepare hot tea for you."
The sound of their footsteps faded into the distance. Mr. Dong appeared behind Xu Huo, picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground, sheathed it, and hung it on his own arm.
"Did you wake Duke Tal?" Xu Huo put away his items, glanced at the collar in his hand. This should be a Spatial Item;
when used, it could drain all the surrounding air.
"Yes. Mada Butterfly used a hallucinogenic item within the castle. I thought you might need assistance, sir," Mr. Dong said.
Xu Huo hefted the surprisingly heavy collar and asked, "Do ti and space items counteract each other?"
He had seen this ntioned while researching item information before, and it was a fact accepted by many players. Wherever a high-level ti-space item exists, other items of the sa type often fail.
This was also the reason Super Items could spark wars between Ga Partitions. So super-weapons capable of annihilating an entire Ga Partition had components that utilized this principle. Once affected by a ti-space item, the super-weapon could no longer be used.
He had just wanted to test it. He didn't expect the collar to indeed fail the mont the stopwatch appeared. However, Mada Butterfly likely recognized the item, which is why she imdiately created distance.
"Not necessarily. So items can influence each other, but it's not one hundred percent," Mr. Dong said. "Carrying a ti-space Super Item on your person can avoid the effects of the vast majority of smaller ti-space items."
"This is the incompatibility of ti and space items, especially spatial items. A spatial item with a large effective range can, during its use, cause all lower-level spatial items within that range to fail or have their effects drastically weakened."
"Is that the principle behind the weapon the District 011 governnt uses to counter spatial items?" Xu Huo thought of the weapon the Enforcent Departnt used to block the fake He Pu's space teleportation item.
"Yes," Mr. Dong replied, then added, "However, using ti-space items within an unstable world-space is a very dangerous matter, especially the item you were just holding, sir. It might cause the world-space to collapse. If space collapses, even using a train ticket might not guarantee escape."
The Random Dungeon Xu Huo had entered before was originally located within an unstable world. When he summoned Little Pink Hat back then, she had said the sa thing.
However, "Are the spaces players can reach not entirely under the ga's control either?"
The train ticket should be the most powerful spatial item in the ga.
"The places players can go are not necessarily all within the ga's scope," Mr. Dong said, then paused. "The rain has stopped."
Xu Huo nodded, holding the collar as he walked out, and asked, "Do you know how many items and characteristics Mada Butterfly used just now?"
"Nine items, at least two characteristics," Mr. Dong stated.
Xu Huo was slightly surprised. "Besides the butterflies, the collar, and the item that petrified my legs, what else were there?"
Those were all he could perceive. As for causing his hands to lose strength through touch, that was likely a characteristic. The grotesque transformation of the garden could be her special evolution, though it could also be a Super Item.
"One spatial lockdown item, sealing the maze garden. Two defensive items, on her person. And three attack items, though two of those were ntal attack items that didn't take effect. The other attack item she didn't use," Mr. Dong evaluated objectively. "She did not have the intent to kill you."
Xu Huo's expression darkened slightly. Before she acted, the friendliness value above her head had indeed jumped to 9. Did she change her mind mid-way?
It seems I'll have to carry the stopwatch on
from now on, he thought. He hadn't even realized that besides the items she wore, Mada Butterfly had also planted other items in the garden. High-level players were truly impossible to guard against completely.
"Thank you for tonight," he said to Mr. Dong.
"You're welco," Mr. Dong's expression remained unchanged. "However, please be careful when falling asleep. Mada Butterfly's items can cause people to have nightmares."
"No wonder Duke Tal ran out. What about his bodyguard?" Xu Huo asked casually.
"Probably still having nightmares," Mr. Dong said. "I only woke Duke Tal."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling that although Mr. Dong was unsmiling, he was indeed a genuinely capable all-round butler. Even if he hadn't used the stopwatch tonight, this man could have rescued him a few seconds later.
He glanced up towards Mada Butterfly's room. The curtains, which had been open monts ago, were now drawn tightly shut. "Losing an item in just a few minutes. I wonder if she'll be so angry tonight that she tears the house down."
Mr. Dong's face descended at a uniform speed.
Xu Huo smiled and went back to his room to sleep.
He slept soundly all night, with no incidents or nightmares. The next morning, as he ca out of his room, he cheerfully greeted Mada Butterfly, who was just about to go downstairs.
Mada Butterfly smiled and said, "Stealing two of my items. No wonder you could beco the heir to Rose Castle."
Hearing her words, Xu Huo suddenly rembered he had used "The Hungry Gluttonous Snake" yesterday, and his stiffened legs returned to normal imdiately after use. So, he must have successfully stolen an item from Mada Butterfly at that ti, but he had completely forgotten about it afterward.
It seems the clause "for so strange reason, cannot imdiately detect it" applies not only to the person being stolen from.
He didn't take the bait, instead asking, "Have you been to Rose Castle before?"
Mada Butterfly looked at him with amusent. "You don't even know He Pu's identity, yet you inherited Rose Castle?"
Then, with a hint of mischief, she added, "That butler definitely didn't tell you, did he? Want to know? If you want to know, trade
for my items."
Xu Huo smiled. "Sorry, I don't want to know."
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