"I planted some in the little garden out back. If you like them, you can pick some on your way out." Madam Ruo set down the specimen and sighed to herself. "Humans always want to claim beautiful things for themselves."
Gong Ying paused slightly, then looked at Xu Huo. "Didn't you prepare a gift for Madam Ruo too?"
Having brought the wrong gift, she tried to shift the attention to Xu Huo.
Xu Huo took out the stone. He had picked it up on a whim, and now he was using it to make up the numbers. There was no need to say anything more.
Madam Ruo knew Lake City's local treasures well. She only needed a glance to identify it. "This is a piece of gravel left behind beneath the lake after it was excavated. When the environment evolved, the water formed strange ripples on these stones. Now, almost none of the stones brought up from the lake have the same patterns. It shows how fiercely the force of Evolution surged."
"Excessive Evolution isn't good for anything."
"If they were ordinary, they could still be lying at the bottom of the lake instead of being dredged up and sold as merchandise."
There was no way to keep this conversation going. Madam Ruo seemed even more sentimental than she looked.
Gong Ying sighed along with her. "Compared to plants, people are probably the least free things in the world. Before I became a Player, the biggest thing I wanted was to find a girlfriend. Who knew I'd become a Player, risking my life day in and day out, with no idea when it'll ever end?"
Madam Ruo seemed a little interested in the topic. "Have you never thought about settling down somewhere?"
Gong Ying smiled. "Of course I have. But