Leaving aside how the exhibition's aftermath would be handled, Xu Huo followed the woman out of the palace. The moment he saw her figure vanish before his eyes, he immediately stepped after her.
The two moved through space one behind the other until they arrived at a nearby Wetland Park.
As soon as he stopped, Xu Huo felt a faint light sweep over him. He looked toward the person not far away—the woman Carmen had called "Maple."
The collection of love letters contained only scattered records about her, such as distinctive products of her Sub-district, particular preferences, certain physical traits, or tokens they had exchanged.
Maple's gaze remained fixed on Xu Huo for a long while before she finally asked, "What is your relationship with Carmen?"
"I have no relationship with Mr. Carmen," Xu Huo said. "I came here unannounced this time because I wanted to borrow Mr. Carmen's notes or records."
Maple revealed a strange smile that did not reach her eyes. "You look very much like Carmen, yet you say you have no relationship. If you have no relationship, why should I give you his things?"
"I'm not asking for them. I only wish to borrow them," Xu Huo said frankly. "I've recently reached an Evolution bottleneck, so I wanted to draw on a predecessor's experience."
Maple examined him, then fell silent again for a moment before asking, "How did you know about me?"
"Mr. Carmen's collection of love letters," Xu Huo answered truthfully.
Unexpectedly, Maple suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Love letters, love letters... It was actually the love letters... He even wrote love letters to me. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have nearly forgotten."
Seeing the intense emotion suddenly flare in her eyes, Xu Huo did not think she had "nearly forgotten."
Maple's laughter