NOVEL WEB Chapter 8: Going Home for a Visit
Chapter 8: Going Home for a Visit
After putting away the cards, Leon chatted with Victor for a while. After Victor said his goodbyes, Leon also left the hospital.
Walking out of the hospital gate, looking at the blue portal not far away, Leon shook his head helplessly and waved to the sky, summoning a flying car.
After giving the address, Leon leaned back on the seat of the flying car, recalling the experiences of the past few years, and slowly fell asleep.
When he woke up again, the flying car had already arrived at the outskirts of Sun City.
Compared to the city that looked like it was built from countless matchboxes, the countryside was relatively better. Small buildings of four or five stories were scattered among the fields, and in front of some of these buildings were small portals used to enter and exit the game world.
The flying car quickly stopped in front of one of the small buildings. This building wasn’t very tall, only five stories, and on the outer wall were signs like "Reed Engineering Studio" and "Reed Metal Co., Ltd." The whole place looked quite cluttered.
As the flying car stopped, someone came out of the building and took a look. Upon seeing Leon get out of the car, that person happily shouted, "Leon, why did you come back?"
The one speaking was Leon's eldest brother, Ethan Reed, who was 61 years old this year. He graduated from high school at 43 and officially became a player, taking the profession of Mechanical Hunter.
After graduation, knowing he didn't have much potential, he attended a short-term college and then returned home to start Reed Engineering Studio, taking on some engineering and mechanical tasks. He managed to make a decent living.
As for Leon's second brother, he was 44 this year and considered the most promising in the family. He became a player at 33, taking the profession of Radiant Swordsman, and is currently studying at the prestigious White Five-Star University of Holy Light Star, with the hope of reaching Level 2.
Leon also had a younger brother, who was only three years old and still too young to enter the game world, so no one knew what his potential would be.
Ethan was quite surprised by Leon's return because ever since Leon went to school, he rarely came home.
However, when Ethan noticed the red dot on Leon's forehead, he seemed to understand something. Without asking too much, he directly said, "Why are you standing outside after arriving home? Come in and sit down. Dad and Mom went to their virtual farm and won’t be back until the afternoon."
Leon nodded and followed Ethan into the building.
The interior of the building was completely different from the outside. In the corners were various flowers and herbs, and some mechanical animals, about the size of fists, were running through the flower beds.
All the furniture in the living room was made of various metals, giving it a strong post-modern vibe.
Glancing at the metal furniture, Leon chuckled, "Big Brother, you’ve really got a knack for things. Did you melt down all of Dad’s precious minerals?"
Ethan looked both proud and a bit helpless as he said, "Not at all. Dad couldn’t tolerate me melting his minerals for even one day. He hid all his rare treasures. These are just ordinary minerals he dug up."
Hearing this, Leon laughed heartily, "It’s a good thing Second Brother’s dream of becoming an architect didn’t come true. Otherwise, Dad’s precious minerals would be even less safe."
Ethan nodded in agreement.
As they were laughing and talking, Leon's parents came back. Both became official players after turning 69 and knew they didn’t have much potential, so they settled down, got married, and started a family.
Leon's father, Gareth, was 137 years old this year, primarily a miner with farming as a side profession. He spent his days working on his small plot of land, supporting the family by selling raw metal ores and raising his three children.
His mother, whose name was Ann, was 126 years old, primarily a farmer and a cook on the side. She liked to plant special flowers and herbs around the house, and the current condition of their home was largely thanks to her efforts.
As soon as they came in and saw Leon chatting with Ethan, Ann was surprised for a moment before happily saying, "Leon, why did you come back? Are you short of money for school? You could’ve just told me!"
Gareth, however, seemed to notice something and interrupted her, "Didn’t you see the red dot on his forehead? He’s currently in a weakened revival state and can’t enter the game, so he came back for a visit. But don’t waste time. Have dinner with us tonight, then head back to school."
"Do you know your affinity has the most potential? Don’t waste such a great gift," Gareth urged.
Leon smiled and explained the situation with the school's mission and the inevitable death task. Then, he took out the [Behemoth Claw] and placed it on the table.
"Big Brother, this is something hunters can use. Do you want it?"
Seeing the Level 3 (Purple) label on the card, Ethan hesitated for a long time before saying, "I want it, but I can't afford it."
Leon laughed and said, "As long as you want it, that’s enough. I heard that..."
Seeing the sparkle in Leon's eyes and the strange smile on his face, Ethan's expression became a bit uncomfortable. Still, he said, "Fine, even though I was saving that thing to get married."
As he spoke, Ethan quickly took the [Behemoth Claw] and put it in his pocket.
Afterward, Ethan grabbed Leon’s hand and led him to the basement of the building.
After passing through several doors, Ethan solemnly said to Leon, "Leon, you know about this thing. If used well, it’s incredible, but if not, all your time and effort will be wasted. I’ve nearly given up over the years."
Leon smiled and said, "Of course I know. I still remember when I was little, you spent every day researching that thing, almost going bald."
Hearing this, Ethan couldn't keep his serious face any longer. He shook his head and opened the last door.
Behind the door was a semi-virtual space, where a cube resembling a heart hung in mid-air. The cube had three sides, each with a different expression: one smiling, one crying, and one neutral.
Since Leon couldn't enter the game world, he could only stand outside the door and watch. Fortunately, Ethan quickly sealed the cube into a card and brought it out.
The newly sealed card was light golden in color, with the cube from the semi-virtual space depicted on the front.
On the back of the card was the cube’s name:
[Valannai: Box of a Thousand Souls]
[Quality: Level 2 to Level 4 (Light Gold)]
[Uses: Alchemy, Forging, Engineering, Architecture, Summoning Sacrifice]
[Description: The Box of a Thousand Souls is transformed from an ancient device once known as a ‘hard drive,’ used to store memories. Each Box of a Thousand Souls contains endless ancient wisdom, making it the best material for device spirits or tower spirits. However, due to the inability to discern the contents within, the quality of the container will ultimately affect the box's final quality.]