Assassination Tradition
District 001 had excellent public safety, so people didn't have to worry about their safety when going out at night. Most residents, however, took their health seriously, and the streets emptied as soon as it got dark. Most of the people still lingering in the streets and shops were tourists from elsewhere. With fewer businesses open at night, the crowds gathered in a handful of the city's busier areas.
By the time Xu Huo and the others reached Yongxing Hotel, the noise was far behind them. The streets were quiet, and there wasn't a single person up to no good.
After checking in, Xu Huo and the painted woman went up to their suite. There weren't many people outside, but the hotel was full of Players. It seemed there was some kind of gathering going on; quite a few Players were seated in the lounge beside the lobby.
As they went upstairs, two people came out of the lounge, discussing a visit to the Clock Master as they walked.
It sounded as though they wanted to buy an artifact from him. But since he accepted very few visitors, they had come to wait for someone staying long-term at Yongxing Hotel who could get them an introduction. The agreed-upon time was already two hours past, though, and many of the Players were losing patience.
That Clock Master was a famous Artificer.
It reminded Xu Huo of how Three Seconds of Life had come to be. The Pocket Watch had been crafted by the master artisan Nice, and after undergoing some kind of change, it had naturally become an artifact—and a Super Artifact, at that.
Naturally occurring artifacts could be found in newly opened Dungeons, but the more Players entered, the lower the chance of finding one. Given enough time,