Zone 011 seemed like a decent foothold for Xu Huo, but it didn’t mean it was his only option. Similarly, for Zone 011, this was true, which is why it gave him choices.

Both parties had room for consideration on this matter, or rather, he hadn’t reached the level of strength where Zone 011 had to force him to make a decision. Lady Lily only provided him with a suggestion.

However, amidst all this, he vaguely sensed something amiss — there seemed to be secrets among the nobles of Zone 011.

Logically, a Super Player should belong to the Werna Family, so the Werna Family’s status in Zone 011 should be transcendent. But it didn’t seem to be the case; while other families respected the Werna Family greatly, they didn’t completely avoid crossing them. The presence of a Super Player didn’t seem to have absolute sway in this noble faction rivalry— even the Han Family of District 001 Flower City had maintained power comparable to other forces, despite losing their Super Player long ago. The dynamics in Zone 011 appeared rather strange.

The local information channels in Zone 011 were unlikely to provide useful information, so Xu Huo searched for the history of Zone 011’s rise beneath the Dimension.

The sub-region where Rose Castle was located was actually the main sub-region of Zone 011. Zone 011 had merged several former districts from 07 to 13, and later, the very Zone 009 that Xu Huo visited, which was merging with the game, was really the number released from Zone 009 as Zone 011 absorbed it, placing Zone 009’s number ahead, but it started its game not too long ago compared to other lower-numbered regions.

The merger of regions meant Zone 011 completely replaced the original governments of other districts, which would be impossible without the help of a Super Player. A region with a Super Dungeon would not have random instances. Although the birth of a Super Dungeon does not inherently mark a Super Player, possessing a Super Dungeon usually requires the strength level of a Super Player. There aren’t many Super Players in games, and methods to ascend to Super Player status are debatable beneath the Dimension, yet no one ever verifies these methods, so those who have already become Super Players naturally wouldn’t disclose it openly.

The incident in Zone 009 showed that Zone 011 did not intend to continue occupying other regions, possibly tied to the faction philosophies Lady Lily mentioned, though the final decision on such matters could only be made by a Super Player. How Zone 011 completely replaced other district numbers through the Game Government is unclear, but it indicated that Super Player at this stage wasn’t so "aggressively progressive," or perhaps they already faced other constraints.

From the composition of Zone 011, it seemed that Super Players in the game had permissions unimaginable to regular Players. Such a figure having unique thoughts on the balance of power in Zone 011 wasn’t surprising, and the act of gifting him a "Time Box" must have had the Super Player’s approval.

Regrettably, there was no information about the Super Player of Zone 011 beneath the Dimension. Too many powerful players emerged in the same timeframe, and identity information such as appearance wasn’t completely accessible to outsiders. Hence, no one could ascertain whether the formidable figure they encountered was indeed a Super Player, nor could the many vanished players indicate whether they had died or become Super Players behind the scenes.

The only certainty was that the Super Player of Zone 011 was skilled in using Time Force, having accomplished the record of destroying hundreds of Rank-A Players simultaneously in other regions. Most Players were unwilling to engage directly with someone like that, except for the Madmen of the Guile Sound Knights, though even they only harassed briefly before fleeing.

Hundreds of Rank-A Players... The only person Xu Huo had seen or anticipated capable of such power was Lawrence Lee. He could control Spatial Rays to kill randomly, a method similar to Time Rays.

Mastery over Space-Time Power after becoming a Super Player was already considered peak mastery.

His gaze fixed on his personal panel, yet in his mind emerged the image of the Player he had witnessed during the chaos in Zone 011, suggesting Lady Lily’s words might not be correct— perhaps the Super Player had indeed appeared at that time.

However, looking at their style and events related to the Super Player, Zone 011 clearly had its limits, though it’s unknown if this was due to constraints from the Super Player.

Out of courtesy, having received such a substantial gift from the Werna Family, Xu Huo should have reciprocated or paid a visit, but due to identity issues, he could not directly seek the head of the Werna Family or others representing the family, so the matter was left aside.

His current major issue remained the Shadow Personality, an underlying danger. Yet, the more he attempted, the deeper the Shadow Personality seemed hidden, to the point of being untraceable, causing great distress.

Unexpectedly, at this time, Yan Jiayu suddenly arrived at Rose Castle.

She appeared her usual lively self, familiarly greeting Mr. Dong upon entering. She had visited the castle once before but left quickly due to matters related to the Guile Sound Knights, and later met Xu Huo again at the Eye of Platinum.

Previously, while entangled by a black bounty, Yan Jiayu had helped him relocate that metal box. Later, as Xu Huo’s baggage expanded and the crisis was resolved, he retrieved the box.

"What made you want to visit me here?" Xu Huo had the kitchen prepare a sumptuous welcome feast, and after dinner, the two chatted in the tea room.

"Just happened to be passing by, thought I’d try my luck, and didn’t expect to find you here," Yan Jiayu inquired about the previous box issue, "Has your trouble been resolved?"

"Consider it temporarily resolved," Xu Huo replied, "I also intended to stay in Zone 011 for a while, so this time you shouldn’t have to rush off, you can enjoy yourself leisurely."

Yan Jiayu nodded happily and added, "I brought you some nice things this time."

Saying so, she took out a box, opened it, and poured its contents onto the table with a clatter— two "Bright Gentleman" Medals and a pile of Secondary Stones.

"Previously you lent me many props. I thought you wouldn’t lack potions or tickets, so these Secondary Stones are nice for crafting props; several of them have space-time attributes," Yan Jiayu said as she sorted through them, "The Medals can be given to Li Chun; I noticed she likes them."

The Girl in the painting’s eyes lit up at the sight of the Medals, nodding enthusiastically at Xu Huo, signaling him to accept the Medals.

Xu Huo chuckled, "Accumulating enough Bright Gentleman Medals allows one to exchange for a Grey Player identity."

A Grey Player is a non-dungeon Player working for the government, retaining their personal panel.

Yan Jiayu, however, shook her head, "Running errands for the game sounds boring."

After some polite decline on both sides, Xu Huo accepted the generous gifts she brought, and Yan Jiayu settled down contentedly.

"However, you might need to slightly modify your appearance while staying," Xu Huo advised. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"No problem," Yan Jiayu replied, pinching her face with both hands, and her facial features and skin condition began to visibly change.