Chapter 2748: Unable to Accept Being Bald

Chaoyang quickly rose, and the photographers and botanists did not miss breakfast the next morning. Both had a confrontation with Mrs. Ti Hui last night, but today they could nonchalantly greet her. To build rapport, they ignored her cold demeanor and frequently struck up conversations with her.

Mrs. Ti Hui, as before, maintained a stoic expression and treated everyone with equal coldness.

Xu Huo had gathered some information about Mrs. Ti Hui from other servants. While the useful information was scarce, there was plenty of gossip. Some said she was actually a relative of Mr. Wen, despised by her family, thus working here. Others claimed she was an admirer of Mr. Wen, having pursued him when she was young, though Mr. Wen remained unmoved, allowing her to stay at the estate out of pity.

Of course, aside from these relationship rumors, more were about her past as a member of the Enforcement Department, once working at the Punishment City. It was said she was cruel and ruthless, offending many, thus now she doesn’t dare leave the estate, as someone would kill her if she did.

And in the estate, besides the Butler, the other servants generally keep their distance from her, fearing saying something wrong and inviting her revenge.

As for Punishment City, it is essentially another name for prison, but mainly used to detain players. In Zone 022, players sentenced and incarcerated could have their actions restricted by the Enforcement Department. Regardless, over time, players dare not escape.

When Punishment City is mentioned, the servants become apprehensive, describing it as a place one goes in and cannot come out of.

People let their imaginations run wild, telling Xu Huo that Mrs. Ti Hui must be an Executioner of Punishment City, and the District Government has its set of laws for criminal players, so most players there endure inhumane treatment. There were cases of players escaping and returning to the Punishment City for revenge, creating chaos.

The emphasis in their narration was that Mrs. Ti Hui is not someone to be trifled with. In the estate, she might not show it, but it’s uncertain if she wouldn’t retaliate privately.

In the morning, Xu Huo headed towards the greenhouse alone. Mrs. Ti Hui was feeding birds in the greenhouse and came out to gesture for him to leave upon seeing him.

"Can’t guests tour the greenhouse?" Xu Huo asked.

"Mr. Wen hasn’t said so," Mrs. Ti Hui stated coldly, "but many flowers and birds in the greenhouse are exceptionally valuable."

"Just taking a look." Xu Huo didn’t care about her refusal and proceeded into the greenhouse.

The birds in the greenhouse chirped, causing a clamor as newcomers entered. But with a few rhythmic whistles, the birds calmed down.

"You’re quite skilled at birdkeeping." Xu Huo casually observed, placing a bit of bird food on the back of his hand, attracting several birds to swoop over and peck at it eagerly.

After feeding the birds, he eyed a pot of fresh flowers and was about to bend over to smell them when Mrs. Ti Hui warned, "The pollen is toxic."

Xu Huo stepped back, glancing at her, "Won’t the poisonous flowers affect these birds?"

"They know which flowers to approach and which to avoid." Mrs. Ti Hui moved the pot slightly, turning the flower buds, and as she moved, some birds flew onto her shoulders and arms, tilting their heads to call out to her.

She then shifted to the side, placing some water into a bowl.

"Have a good look and then leave." Mrs. Ti Hui had no time to entertain him further, reminding him again not to visit at night.

Xu Huo strolled out of the greenhouse, pausing in the garden outside before returning to the estate.

Dr. Deng’s reply had just arrived. Based on the characteristics of the Red Feathered Hummingbird he provided, Dr. Deng suspected their diet might contain toxins, causing changes in their feathers. Detoxifying resulted in the fall of the red feathers as proof, and it’s possible that due to long-term exposure to toxins, the Red Feathered Hummingbird’s physiology had changed, causing them to die quickly without those toxins.

Does that make sense?

Having a toxic diet and dying after detoxification?

"Perhaps they especially like the red feathers on their heads," Dr. Deng replied. "Some animals are very delicate, and seeing themselves bald could drive them to death from the shock, which is quite normal."

Xu Huo was at a loss for words, but one could never be sure with stressed animals.

Regarding the toxins on the Red Feathered Hummingbird, Dr. Deng had already isolated them and categorized the dosage based on the hummingbird’s weight.

There were plenty of hummingbirds over at Rose Studio, but Xu Huo wasn’t in a hurry to capture one. Instead, he went to find the Butler, expressing his desire to look at some books on plants and birds.

The Butler led him to the study, efficiently locating the books and said, "These were personally selected by the gentleman. Many plants and birds within the estate can be found in them."

The books documented various types of hummingbirds, but there was no record of the Red Feathered Hummingbird. There were, however, numerous types of poisonous flowers at Rose Studio, with some large swathes of flowers being inaccessible for close viewing, requiring those tending them to wear masks.

Xu Huo selected some toxic flowers based on the hummingbird’s habits, excluding those the hummingbirds frequently visited, finally focusing on several remaining flowers that were planted in smaller quantities.

The hummingbirds, fed by Mrs. Ti Hui, rarely went searching for food elsewhere, but a few playful ones would occasionally flit away. From upstairs, Xu Huo observed that after the hummingbirds returned to the greenhouse, Mrs. Ti Hui could accurately identify the one that had visited a flower named "Early Riser", which grows alongside Midnight Beauty.

After capturing the hummingbird that had consumed the toxic nectar, Mrs. Ti Hui isolated it in a cage and administered a potion injection. Half an hour later, she released the hummingbird back into the flock.

Up until now, not one hummingbird’s head feathers turned red. Seventy-two hummingbirds in total, all lively and well.

"What are you watching?" the Scholar suddenly appeared behind him, accompanied by Harry.

The two were getting along quite well.

Xu Huo pointed to the books on the table, "I’m not proficient in this area, so I’m cramming."

Harry casually flipped through a book and laughed, "You don’t need these books to understand the value of flowers. These books are useless. Any plants prized for their ornamental value are based on human aesthetics. Zone 022 favors bright, vividly colored, and long-flowered plants. Just stick to that."

Xu Huo complimented him a couple of times, and as the three chatted, a loud crashing sound suddenly erupted nearby. The botanist and the gourmet chef rolled out of a room, locked in a brawl, with the former pinning the latter to the carpet, furiously raining down punches, eyes red with rage, as if harboring a deep-seated vendetta.

The gourmet chef, still somewhat clear-headed, was also angered and threatened, "Stop now, or I’ll get serious!"

The botanist sneered, "Dare you?"

Ordinary conflicts could be overlooked, but once props were used, both would surely be expelled from the estate. Hence, when the Butler arrived, they quickly separated.

"What can’t be discussed calmly, why resort to violence?" The good-natured Scholar came over to mediate.