Chapter 537: The Shopkeeper’s Trouble
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 537: The Shopkeeper’s Trouble
"Sigh—huh?"
When I arrived at the bakery, I was met with a closed door.
I had originally thought I’d run straight into Shopkeeper Xia Li, but I hadn't expected to be turned away immediately.
But surely my Luck wouldn't guide me here just to have me hit a dead end for no reason?
No, no!
Something must have gone wrong. I didn't remember the bakery ever closing without cause; I’d even worked here part-time during the holidays, and I’d never seen it shut its doors.
So, something definitely happened, right?
I stepped forward and peered through the glass door. The shop was dim, and a notice for a temporary closure was posted on the glass—it looked like it had been put up recently.
"Something really did go wrong, didn't it? It couldn't be that I was too harsh last time and made those girls cry, leaving the shop without enough staff to maintain daily operations, could it?"
I muttered to myself jokingly, but I still cast an Identification Art on the area, wanting to get a general idea of what had happened.
The information compiled quickly, and there was a lot of it, but the results were slow to emerge.
Because this wasn't an appraisal of a specific object, but rather a summary of a specific event spanning several days across an entire area, the Identification Art seemed to struggle a bit. It looked like I’d just found another research direction and modification guide for the girls studying the Identification Art; after all, encountering problems in practice is the best way to solve them.
Just as I began to help organize the information, a sudden shout interrupted my thoughts.
"Hmm? Is that Xiao Han?"
"Senior Sister Ying Shiqian?" I turned around, surprised to see her. I hadn't expected to run into her at a time like this. Was this the so-called guidance of Luck?
"It really is you! Oh, stop calling me Senior Sister. Xiao Han is a Teaching Assistant now; I can't have you calling me that anymore~" Ying Shiqian said with a quick smile.
"It’s fine. I’m used to calling you Senior Sister anyway. More importantly, why are you here? And why is the bakery closed?" I asked curiously, pointing at the tightly shut door.
"Oh, the bakery closing... that’s a bit of a mess. I mainly came back because I left something here and only realized I needed it just now." Ying Shiqian stepped forward, took out a key, opened the door, and led me into the dim bakery.
With her back to me, she rummaged around the front desk register for a moment before quickly tucking something away.
"Hehe... that’s a secret, so I won't tell Xiao Han what I left behind." Ying Shiqian laughed off the matter with a few simple words.
I didn't press her on it. Even though she called it a secret, she hadn't been particularly deliberate about hiding it; it was just a small item.
"Then I won't pry~ So, tell me about the bakery. I was here not too long ago and everything seemed fine. What exactly happened?" I asked, changing the subject.
Since I’d run into someone I knew, I didn't need to use the Identification Art to search anymore. After all, an unrestricted Identification Art was quite an invasion of privacy.
"Right, something did happen. It’s not exactly a huge deal—at least not to us—but it was quite a blow to the Shopkeeper." At this, Ying Shiqian couldn't help but sigh.
"Something happened to the Shopkeeper? What could happen to her?" I followed her out of the bakery as she locked the door behind us.
"Well, Xiao Han, are you free? There’s a cafe nearby. My treat—I’ll tell you all about it."
"Sure, I’ll let you treat me then~" I was a bit surprised, but I agreed. I hadn't expected the situation to be so complicated that it couldn't be explained in a few sentences.
We went to a small cafe nearby and took a seat at an outdoor table. I ordered a classic pour-over coffee, while Ying Shiqian got a caramel latte.
"Xiao Han, do you remember the Shopkeeper's private stash we talked about before?" Ying Shiqian asked as soon as she sat down.
"Of course I remember. Oh... I almost forgot, the Shopkeeper still owes me a little gift."
"You still remember that?"
"Naturally. Because of that, several people from the Holy Angel Academy suffered quite a bit back then~" I said with a smile. "Anyway, let’s not talk about that. What happened next?"
"Next..." Ying Shiqian’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Xiao Han, do you remember the most precious thing in the Shopkeeper's private stash?"
"The most precious... Oh, that [Transcendent Knowledge]!" I immediately recalled it and lowered my voice in response.
"Yes, that’s the one. The Shopkeeper... she seems to be being targeted. It’s likely she’ll be forced to give it up under pressure."
"Give it up? Who’s targeting her?" I became slightly intrigued.
I had previously learned that the Shopkeeper's [Transcendent Knowledge] was a part of the original script's design, so I hadn't intended to touch it. I hadn't expected someone else to be after it now.
My first thought was that someone had a death wish, but I quickly realized something was off. Perhaps this was an event driven by the script?
After all, [Transcendent Knowledge] was no small matter. Plenty of Witches wanted it; no one would normally dare to plot for it like this.
"The people who came last time were from the Jack-of-all-trades Club. Xiao Han, do you know about that club?"
"The Jack-of-all-trades Club... yes, I know a bit about them," I nodded quickly. One of the two Senior Sisters I’d met during the written exam was from that club.
I remembered her name... was it Fu Xinglan?
I still had their contact information, and they had taken my business card.
"As long as you know. If that club wants to move against our Baking House, we simply don't have the scale to fight back."
Ying Shiqian looked a bit fearful as she spoke. As a seasoned veteran who had spent a long time in the Witch Academy, she had a decent understanding of which groups, clubs, and circles were off-limits. The Jack-of-all-trades Club was definitely one of them!
Even Xiao Han shouldn't try to go head-to-head with them. After all, within those terrifying clubs, who didn't have a few members who had become Teaching Assistants?
The Witch Academy had a long history, and the clubs that had survived since their founding all had their own systems of operation and inheritance.
"Then does Senior Sister Ying Shiqian know why they suddenly came to snatch it?" I continued to ask.
At that moment, our coffee arrived. I picked up mine and looked at Ying Shiqian curiously.
"I’m not entirely sure. It didn't seem like an outright robbery, but more like they were forcing the Shopkeeper to make a choice. I heard it has something to do with the struggle for Luck. They don't want to completely burn bridges with the Shopkeeper just yet."
"There’s quite a lot going on here," I said, surprised. It seemed the script was indeed in full swing. Are the large clubs already starting this so-called struggle for Luck?
It was likely a conflict over which side to take...
"Exactly. But I don't know much. Ever since the Shopkeeper had a private chat with the people from the Jack-of-all-trades Club, she’s become very quiet. She won't explain the situation to me, and she just closed the shop."
"Then... does Senior Sister Ying Shiqian know where the Shopkeeper is now?" I asked. If I knew, I wouldn't mind going to get some clarity myself. After all, I had plenty of time.
"I don't know. But... I heard her say she wanted to meet with Tan Han. She should be waiting for her off-campus application to be approved these past few days, or maybe it already went through and she’s gone to find Tan Han."
"Off-campus application? Isn't it the holidays... do you still need to apply?"
"Oh, that’s for those of us who have graduated but stayed at the Academy. Since the power we wield is too great, they don't want to just let us go. We’re considered 'unstable factors,' so leaving campus is quite a hassle. However, you can leave quickly for certain special tasks. The Shopkeeper might have just picked up an off-campus mission on a whim."
"I see." I nodded. It seemed I’d completely missed her this time; the Shopkeeper wasn't even in the Witch Academy!
I chatted with Senior Sister Ying Shiqian for a while longer about the details of the situation, but unfortunately, she really didn't know much.
However, I did gain one piece of seemingly useful information: the [Transcendent Knowledge] the Shopkeeper possessed was only a fragment of a complete set.
It seemed she had acquired it before she even graduated, which wasn't actually that many years ago.
Ying Shiqian wasn't clear on what Xia Li had gone through back then; she only knew the general outline.
The form of that incomplete [Transcendent Knowledge] was apparently a Crystal Crown, and its alias was "Absolute Zero."
As for whether it truly represented absolute zero, I discussed it with her for a bit. Ying Shiqian said she wasn't sure, but it was highly likely.
Ying Shiqian didn't have much of a concept of [Transcendent Knowledge], so she was just guessing. But I knew how terrifying it was. If even a fragment could reach the absolute zero of the physical world—where material particles completely cease all motion—it was entirely possible.
It was just extremely difficult to achieve.
Even the Ancient Remnant Ice transformation Tan Han once possessed might not have been able to reach absolute zero, and even if I continuously derived basic ice-element Evocation spells, I might not necessarily be able to do it either.
Otherwise, how could it be called [Transcendent Knowledge]?
Personally, I felt that something like absolute zero probably involved the properties of material space at a microscopic level. It would be very difficult to achieve through elemental energy alone.
After all, the energy level of elemental Transcendent energy was relatively low; it mostly affected the visible physical world and obeyed the objective physical laws of that world to a certain extent.
But right now, we weren't discussing absolute zero, but the trouble the Shopkeeper was facing.
I took a small sip of coffee and was about to ask something else when I suddenly felt a strange sensation.
"What’s wrong, Xiao Han?" Ying Shiqian noticed my expression change.
"Oh, it seems someone is calling me," I said casually.
In reality, I had felt the positioning of a Reverse Summoning Spell, though this particular summons was a bit strange.
The Reverse Summoning Spell I currently mastered had been updated through many versions. Basically, every business card I gave out had a distinct marker so I knew who was calling.
But this summons was... a very primitive type of summoning ritual. It was one of the first ones I’d made—a small alchemical item that carried the summoning ritual.
Back then, I hadn't given out many. Qiu Ruxin had one, and the girls in my dorm had them too, but I had replaced theirs later.
So, there weren't many people who still had those.
"Calling you? I didn't hear anything." Ying Shiqian was surprised. She looked around to confirm that no one was nearby calling for Xiao Han.
"Oh, I meant a type of spell. I’m so sorry, but I might have to excuse myself for a moment." I put down my coffee and spoke to Senior Sister Ying Shiqian with an apologetic look.
"It’s fine. I know you’re busy, Xiao Han. Go on." Ying Shiqian quickly realized what was happening and didn't say anything more, simply bidding me goodbye.
"Thank you. I’ll be going then." I nodded, and a Reverse Summoning ritual array appeared beneath my feet.
In the next instant, I vanished from the spot.
Ying Shiqian looked at the empty seat across from her, a flash of envy in her eyes, followed by a moment of wistfulness, and finally a smile of resignation.
"Hehe~ Well, I’m Xiao Han’s friend now. Telling people that will certainly give me a lot of face~"
Ying Shiqian was just feeling sentimental. It felt like no time had passed at all; the Xiao Han of the past had been so shy, and now, in the blink of an eye, she had become a powerhouse that Ying Shiqian couldn't even hope to cling to.
* * *
"Damn it... how did these guys track me down?"
At this moment, Xia Li was struggling to evade the figures in the distance. Several spells were masking her aura and any leaking signals.
Those guys had suddenly targeted her like mad dogs. To catch her, they had even used weapons of terrifying power to blow up several buildings along the way!
This series of explosions had already caused panic among everyone in the vicinity. This was likely the largest scale of destruction caused by Transcendent terrorists in recent memory.
She had tried to communicate with them, but they gave her no chance. Also... the power of the firearms those guys were using was wrong. They were likely strangely shaped alchemical items.
Or... they might be Wizard Tools from the Wizard Academy.
On the other side.
Unbeknownst to Xia Li, the people carrying out the terrorist attack were actually Players who had descended from the game world.
Normally, they wouldn't have been so reckless, but while they were gathering information about this world, they had suddenly received a mandatory task from the Terminal of Myriad Worlds!
This was the first time they had encountered such a task being issued. Its priority was incredibly high—a task jointly issued by the highest-authority Game Architects and the Terminal of Myriad Worlds.
To facilitate this, high-level Game Architects, whom they usually never even saw, had established direct communication with them and taken over command. They only needed to answer to these Game Architects.
Furthermore, they wouldn't be held responsible for any consequences caused by this incident.
Thus, these Vanguard Pioneers knew very well that they had likely stumbled upon something incredible.
But at this moment, only the Game Architects directly controlling the Terminal of Myriad Worlds understood exactly what they had found.
They were practically going insane!
In this world they had entered by chance, they had actually encountered something on the same level as the core of the Terminal of Myriad Worlds!
They referred to [Transcendent Knowledge] as a "Tech Core." If they could obtain a second Tech Core, it would be worth any price.
This opportunity was incredibly rare, so they didn't care that they hadn't had time to test the Transcendent depth of this world.
They had to seize the item before those terrifyingly powerful Transcendents could react!
Once they had it, there would be no problem even if they had to leave this world immediately. This harvest was far more valuable than the worth of an entire world!
The only problem now was how to secure this "Tech Core."