At dawn, the first public transit starskiff docked at an empty bus stop.
As per routine, the driver opened the doors, then immediately closed them again, preparing to head to the next stop.
All of a sudden, a familiar electronic voice entered his ears. "Beep! Child Card!"
The driver's heart jolted.
Did I not sleep well last night and miss a passenger?
But when he looked through the rearview mirror, he still couldn't see a single person.
Staring at the sky that had yet to fully brighten, a creeping chill rose in his chest.
What was going on—don't tell me I'm seeing a ghost?
Summoning his courage, he twisted around and glared hard!
Still nothing at all.
He froze for a moment. Wasn't this exactly how that horror movie I watched last night went…
Cold sweat seeped down along his spine, and his hands began trembling uncontrollably.
He turned back to face forward and didn't dare look behind him again.
In his heart, he kept desperately praying that the starskiff's card reader was just broken!
The invisible, aura-concealed Bailu hugged her arms and looked at the driver in puzzlement.
What is this guy looking around for? Isn't this dangerous driving?
Don't tell me I won't even get to open a trash can before I'm rushed into emergency care…
…
Under the morning sunlight, Aventurine stepped down from his hovering sports car, spinning the key fob once around his finger before smoothly hooking it onto his belt.
Aventurine narrowed his eyes as an intangible force field spread outward, enveloping nearly half of Exalting Sanctum.
After carefully surveying the surroundings, he smiled with confidence.
No pedestrians, no commuting office workers driving by, and certainly no white-haired foxians carrying children at a sprint.
There were only a few breakfast stalls, along with several public transit starskiffs carrying very few passengers.
And the closest one to him—
Was an empty vehicle.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
This trash can opening would definitely begin with a decisive victory!
After taking in a couple of breaths of crisp morning air, Aventurine strode leisurely toward the trash can shop, brimming with confidence.
The public transit starskiff stopped for no apparent reason, opened its doors for just a brief instant, then immediately drove off.
Watching the departing starskiff, Aventurine frowned slightly and muttered softly, "That's strange. Why did the driver look so panicked?"
But he relaxed again almost immediately.
Whether that person had committed arson and murder, or was simply desperate to use the restroom—being able to encounter such a rare incident was itself proof of good luck.
With that mindset, he continued all the way to the trash can shop. When he was fewer than ten steps from the entrance, the shop door suddenly opened on its own, without any wind at all.
"Hmm?" Aventurine initially thought he had just caught Sylvester opening for business, but upon closer inspection—there was no one behind the door at all.
Not even a ghostly shadow.
As he was puzzling over this, he suddenly saw a small dragonkin appear out of thin air inside the shop.
That tiny purple figure—though he had never seen her in person, he had done his homework. Wasn't that the legendary Healer Lady?
The famed divine physician of the Xianzhou Luofu!
Whether she practiced medicine or not had nothing to do with him. What mattered was—
It looks like my place got robbed again.
How did this little one bypass his detection and sneak into the shop while invisible?
His ability inherited the authority of Diamond's Emanator power. Even if there was a gap in combat strength, their detection capabilities should have been on par!
"Haaah…"
Aventurine let out a long breath. His earlier excitement drained away as he ground his teeth lightly.
Staring at the signboard of the Curio Trash Cans Shop, he felt like crying but had no tears.
What rotten luck…
Am I just incompatible with this shop or something?
Why does something always happen every time I come here?
"Haah!" With a heavy sigh, he recalled what Jade had said yesterday and muttered helplessly, "Well… I'm already here."
With that, he stepped into the shop.
…
"Miss Bailu?" Sylvester looked at the suddenly appearing little dragonkin and spoke with mild surprise.
It wasn't that he hadn't sensed her—thanks to perception surpassing that of an Emanator, he had noticed her the instant she stepped inside.
And precisely because he noticed her, he had almost unleashed a reinforced-grade 'No Mercy Slash' on reflex!
After all, what kind of normal person sneaks invisibly into someone else's shop?
If her invisibility had dropped even a moment later, she would be an egg by now.
Bailu, completely unaware that she had just brushed past the gates of death, asked with bright curiosity, "You know me?"
"Of course."
After all, she was practically a daughter figure.
"After all, you're the Healer/Dragon Lady," Sylvester said matter-of-factly. "Saving lives with a benevolent heart—Miss Bailu's reputation is known to everyone on the Luofu. Who hasn't heard of it? Who doesn't know? In the Alchemy Commission, aside from Lingsha, you're the next most famous. The residents of Exalting Sanctum chant your name three times a day, praying for health and safety."
Still very much a child at heart, Bailu was flushed red by this completely over-the-top praise. She lowered her head shyly, scratching her little head as she laughed, both pleased and embarrassed. "Ahaha, I'm not that amazing. I just try my best to treat every patient."
She puffed out her chest, cleared her throat, and imitated how Lingsha acted when praised. "Ahem. All of this… is just trivial fame!"
"I came here today because I want to know whether your shop has a Curio that can instantly make someone much stronger. I—I want to use it to, um, contribute to the Alchemy Commission, to… enhance its image."
She tried hard to put on the bearing of the 'second-in-command under the Alchemy Commission's head,' but her milky voice and painfully limited vocabulary only made her look even cuter.
Sylvester didn't expose her. Children wanting to grow up wasn't a bad thing.
He smiled gently and said, "Of course there is. Top-tier weapons like Yanqing's are far from rare, and the supreme sword intent obtained by Li Sushang isn't unique either. As for other unknown but powerful Curios, they're countless. Whether you can obtain one depends entirely on how much virtue Lord Bailu has accumulated in daily life."
Hearing Sylvester's words, Bailu's eyes curved into crescents from smiling. "Hehe, that's the one thing I'm most confident about."
"Catch!" She weighed her Jade Abacus, then flung it toward Sylvester before turning around stylishly and heading straight for the shelves.
Sylvester raised a hand to catch the Jade Abacus and laughed. "Got it! Please, make yourself at home."
While Bailu was picking out trash cans, Aventurine entered the shop.
Sylvester turned to look at him. Normally, Aventurine wore his smile like a default expression, but today, the moment he stepped inside, his face was dark and gloomy, clearly in a terrible mood.
What happened? Did Doctor Ratio scolded him?
That couldn't be it—he laughed every time he got scolded.
Oh. Then he must've been dumped.
Sylvester quietly mocked him in his heart, while outwardly asking in confusion, "Mr. Aventurine, what's wrong?"
"Shh~~" Aventurine pressed a finger to his lips and whispered, "Don't talk to me. You might leak my luck."
With that, he turned and headed straight for the lounge area, clean and decisive without the slightest hesitation.
Sylvester pinched his chin.
Even more confusing now.
What kind of esoteric method is this supposed to be?
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa