Chapter 103: Sentiment Street, Not Even Shown on the Map
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103: Sentiment Street, Not Even Shown on the Map
"These are all failures, aren't they? You're losing money on the material costs alone. If you're looking for a sucker to help you break even, this isn't the way to do it." Sister Bai crouched down, scanning the various trinkets on the stall before picking one up and questioning the senior sister running it.
"Eh? Oh, you caught me. How about I lower the price a bit more? Even if they're failures, it's not like they're completely useless. They make for very atmospheric decorations~" Having been called out, the senior sister hurriedly offered an embarrassed explanation.
"But using things like this as art pieces would just lower the tone," Sister Bai said, remaining relentless. "Give me a fair price, and I might pick out a few."
"Fine, fine~"
After some haggling, the senior sister eventually accepted a low-price sale.
In the end, I found myself holding two new little toys.
Their intricate structures and metallic luster made them hard to put down. However, it wasn't until Sister Bai explained them to me that I understood what they actually were.
One was a hollowed-out sphere containing another hollowed-out sphere inside. It made a crisp, tinkling sound when shaken. Even ignoring its function, the craftsmanship alone seemed like it would be worth a lot in the outside world. Originally, the inner sphere of this concentric ball was supposed to float, but because it was a failure, it didn't hover. In my hands, it was basically just a bell.
Even if the thing had been a success, it would have been a useless art piece; now, it was just a toy. The only value it had left was the residual transcendent energy inside that made it glow when shaken.
The other was a magic prop used for performing stage magic. Well... it felt a bit strange.
Wasn't using actual magic to perform stage magic a bit redundant?
Furthermore, since this item was a failure, it couldn't even perform the stage magic properly. It was just a series of rings, though the way they were linked together was quite ingenious. They made a sharp clinking sound when pulled, and there was a small chance they would trigger magic effects like streamers or smoke for misdirection.
Through my Spirit Vision, I could see that these effects were powered by transcendent energy. Once the energy inside was depleted, those effects would vanish forever.
"Hehe~ these are actually pretty fun. I didn't expect the floor for alchemy items to be this low."
"Of course. Alchemy is something you learn bit by bit; no one can master it overnight. In the beginning, alchemists rely on constant practice with resources. It's only in the later stages that they can refine alchemy products with powerful effects," Bai Yu explained with a smile.
"So, does Sister Bai know alchemy?"
"No, I haven't touched that field of knowledge. Everyone chooses their own path. There's no need to try and learn everything that catches your eye. Being a jack of all trades and master of none is the biggest pitfall."
"Oh, I was just curious. I don't have nearly enough money to study something like that anyway," I said with a laugh.
"True. Let's head back; there's nothing interesting further ahead."
"Further ahead... yeah, I guess." I looked up. It seemed the whole area was like this. After the initial curiosity faded, all that remained was boredom. Besides, I wasn't much of a shopper; I had only suggested a stroll because I wanted to spend more time with Sister Bai.
"Hm? Wait, Sister Bai, isn't that place up ahead a bit strange?" I hadn't deactivated my Spirit Vision yet. It provided me with a unique perspective on the transcendent world, and I was doing my best to adapt to this power.
Ever since I had been humbled by Tan Han, I had gained a new level of understanding and control over my Spirit Vision, which continued to surprise me.
"There's nothing up there. Let's go back."
"Wait, Sister Bai, you're acting weird!" Looking at her reaction, I could tell she seemed quite anxious.
"I'm not acting weird! If you don't listen, Sister Bai is going to have to punish you!" Bai Yu's tone was hurried, as if I had exposed something she wanted to keep hidden.
"What exactly is this place?" I felt Sister Bai pulling on my arm, but I didn't budge. Her unusual behavior had thoroughly piqued my curiosity.
I used my Spirit Vision to scan the street again. I couldn't see it clearly at first, but now I suddenly realized that there was another space overlapping with this one!
It was just like how the Witch Academy overlapped with the Magic City; here, another space was layered over this entire district.
Unfortunately, while I could see it, I couldn't touch it. It wasn't a dream space or some other illusory realm. I could even see figures walking around inside...
"Xiao Han, good kids shouldn't go in there..." Seeing my expression, Bai Yu likely realized I had used my Spirit Vision to see the anomaly. She had wanted to lead Xiao Han away earlier, but she had failed.
If she had known Xiao Han would discover it so quickly, she would have been more forceful from the start.
"I'm already an adult, and I've had my Coming-of-Age Ceremony. What kind of place could possibly be off-limits to me?" I retorted weakly.
Even as I spoke, I continued to observe the area closely. Since that space was crowded with people, there had to be a convenient way to enter. I just didn't know it yet.
"This place... it... it's..." For a moment, Bai Yu didn't know how to explain. She couldn't exactly say that this was "Sentiment Street," one of the four famous streets in the Witch Academy, could she?
A place like this couldn't even be found on the academy maps. She hadn't wanted Xiao Han to know about it, but who could have guessed he would end up here? If she had known, she would have pointed in any other direction, and it wouldn't have been as bad as this.
To put it simply, she was regretting it—deeply regretting it!
Meanwhile, I had found a breakthrough point. This space had many entrances and exits, but they were very well-hidden in inconspicuous spots.
"Hey! Xiao Han, where are you going? Don't run off!"
"It's fine, I'm just taking a look. It's nothing." I laughed it off as I led Sister Bai to a corner.
This seemed to be a node in the arrangement. I might not have noticed anything with my normal sight, but under Spirit Vision, I could clearly see an "Encryption Lock" on it.
Once I saw through the mechanism, it couldn't stop me at all.
It was like a physical lock that a normal person couldn't open, but with the help of my Spirit Vision, I had "X-ray vision." As long as I understood the basic principles, I could open it by hand.
Of course, I couldn't literally use my hands here; I had to use mental power. Specifically, my mental power threads, which acted like a skeleton key at this moment.
The moment I extended my mental power threads, Bai Yu reacted. She didn't come to Sentiment Street often, so her knowledge of the entrances was limited to a few specific locations. This was an entrance she didn't know about, but she realized what was happening quickly.
It was too late.
She had held onto the hope that I definitely wouldn't be able to open it, but she had underestimated my Floating World Level Spirit Vision.
This was a dimensional strike on the level of transcendent cognition.
As my mental power picked the "lock," the door to this "new world" swung wide open!
In that instant, both Sister Bai and I were enveloped by the opened node.