Chapter 2563: C9-001
There are many types of Primeval Stones, Xu Huo has the "Time Origin," as well as a stone suspected to be a Primeval Stone found in a space that appeared from Zone 014, plus the Nüwa Stone... The Nüwa Stone is somewhat special, its influence on other minerals isn’t immediately apparent, but it’s something the King Fungus depends on for long-term survival.
The Girl in the painting has seen all these stones, but what she likes most is the Medal of the Radiant Gentleman. Xu Huo thought the Medal might be made from some special minerals, and these materials would be beneficial to the Girl in the painting. Among the game-world minerals, the Primeval Stones are the best.
So it’s not at all surprising that the Medal might be made from some Primeval Stones, but there are many types of Primeval Stones, or rather, many Primeval Stones may not be known to the public, as they are rare and precious.
However, what is unexpected is that someone would use such a Primeval Stone as an ornament.
Meeting his gaze, the female player nodded friendly.
"Do you like this?" Xu Huo turned his head to ask the Girl in the painting.
The Girl in the painting nodded, rubbed the Jade Pendant on her face, and then looked very disappointed, "Too bad it’s not mine, that sister lent it to me to play with."
She looked brightly at Xu Huo, "Shall we buy this bead?"
"Since someone said it’s lent to you to play with, they definitely won’t sell it." Xu Huo said, "Play with it for a while and then return it to them."
The Girl in the painting was reluctant, but after a while, she returned the Jade Pendant. When she came back to car 3, she solemnly said to Xu Huo, "I found out what the bead is called."
"What’s it called?" Xu Huo asked.
"Primeval Stone," the Girl in the painting answered him.
Xu Huo was silent for a second, "I know it’s a Primeval Stone, does it have a more specific name?"
The Girl in the painting quickly ran back to ask, then came back to tell him, "No name, only a number, S-112."
Xu Huo searched for relevant information on the bounty platform; the biggest advantage of Primeval Stones is that they can cause qualitative changes in surrounding minerals. Primeval Stones and Secondary Stones are both very valuable prop materials, and it’s obviously more cost-effective to use Primeval Stones to influence other minerals, so once discovered and mined, they are mostly secretly collected, and there are certainly not many data available through game channels.
However, since there’s a number, this type of Primeval Stone must be recorded on some list, but there is no related list on the bounty platform, not even a statistical categorization of the specific types of Primeval Stones.
Even if it isn’t the "Time Origin," the value of a Primeval Stone is obvious. Once obtained, people would try every method to conceal it, so why would they disclose the information.
Beneath the Dimension, there are some information of uncertain authenticity, sometimes even accompanied by photos and data of Primeval Stones, but often followed by prices, making it most likely not genuine.
Ordinary players don’t know this information, some members of player families should know a little.
"I’ll ask around when I have the chance." Xu Huo said.
The Girl in the painting nodded happily, meaning she still wanted him to buy a few more pieces.
Two days later, the train arrived at District C9-001, a game district reputed to have the most accurate Time Tower.
The time in the Game System is set by the A1 Wormhole Point, said to be based on a certain Hengxing’s time, regarded as one of the foundations of the game world.
The time in other Wormhole Points and districts will somewhat differ from the A1 Wormhole Point’s time, so each time a player enters a different district, adjustments are needed. Of course, players can use timekeeping props to estimate the time, but these time props also need someone to calibrate them.
Thus, there are rumors in the game that District C9-001 has the most time, calibrating not only the time within the same Wormhole Point district but also those of other Wormhole Points. It is said there is a Time Square in District 001 with countless clocks on it, each representing the time of a game district.
Often, people from other districts come to District 001 to calibrate their district’s time according to the clocks on the Time Square.
As for why the time in a district needs continuous calibration, it is said that since districts keep evolving, the original timing methods need constant adjustment, and some districts lack the ability to do this accurately, hence they rely on the C9 Time Square for adjustment, ensuring there isn’t a big error in the conversion between district time and game system time.
The station where Xu Huo and the Girl in the painting arrived is called Little Full Moon. The entire station’s ground is made from transparent materials, and underneath is a giant clock, with six hands corresponding to hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, and nanoseconds, all in operation, representing the time in District C9-001.
Many game districts, although they have their own time units, mostly follow units like 24, 36, or 48, and due to time flow rate issues, even though it’s 24, 36, or 48, it doesn’t mean that 36 is a reference to the 24 in Zone 014. District C9-001 uses a 36-hour system, but in terms of time conversion, one day in District 001 is equivalent to two days in Zone 014.
However, being in District C9-001 makes it difficult to feel this change in time length; players seem to easily adapt to the local customs.
"What a big clock." The Girl in the painting squatted on the ground, looking at the hands moving beneath her feet, "Will it always keep turning like this? Will it break?"
"It probably will." Xu Huo paused, "If it breaks, we’ll just fix it."
"Can the time be reconnected once fixed?" the Girl in the painting asked again.
"The clock is broken, not the time, so why wouldn’t it reconnect?" Xu Huo gestured for her to get up as the station was quite crowded and another batch of players had arrived.
The two of them took the teleportation checkpoint within the station directly to the Time Square.
As a famous location in District 001, Time Square is a must-see for any Outer District People coming here. Xu Huo and the Girl in the painting queued through the teleportation checkpoint, and when they emerged from the Time Square, the place was already teeming with people.
This time is only morning in District 001; it’s still too early for breakfast, though the day is almost fully bright.
Smelling the aroma of food, the Girl in the painting pushed through the crowd in search of something to eat, while Xu Huo followed the swelling crowd, looking up at the massive Time Tower.
The so-called Time Square, the Time Tower and the Square, are actually separate; the Time Tower is made up of tens of thousands of clocks of various sizes and shapes, interlocked like gears, forming a tapered giant tower that breaks away from the ground and hovers above the Square. By observing the light and shadow cast from the tower, one can see that the tower is not compact. Many parts only look integrated with the main tower body but are actually maintained in suspension, just leaning against the tower body.
As the six hands of the largest rectangular clock on the tower body all stopped at the number 36, a sound echoed within the tower body:
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
"Dong!"