Xyrin Empire
Chapter 368 - Chapter 368 Chapter 368 Slowpoke

Chapter 368: Chapter 368 Slowpoke Chapter 368: Chapter 368 Slowpoke “Trade?” When I heard Aresta utter that word, I found it somewhat amusing. “You know next to nothing about us, and yet you so recklessly bring up a trade? Even setting that aside, you don’t even know what you have that might qualify as a bargaining chip to trade with us, and besides… should your trust really come so cheaply?”

“Of course, my understanding of you is still quite limited, but in most cases, a trade doesn’t necessarily have to be based on absolute understanding, does it? As long as there is a benefit to be gained, the trade is valid. And as ‘Outsiders,’ don’t you think it’s a good thing to secure a peaceful residence in this world?”

“Hold on, I’m a bit lost,” I tapped my head, finding it hard to grasp Aresta’s convoluted way of thinking. “It seems we just conducted an illegal explosion on your turf a while back, right? And now you’re pitching real estate to me? Aren’t we getting a bit off-topic?”

“That is part of the trade–although there were no irreversible casualties, such an incident isn’t something that can be easily settled in a few words. As the victim, I believe I at least deserve some form of compensation.”

Compensation… I can’t believe you have the gall to say that. If it weren’t for our timely intervention, you’d probably have been vaporized by a stray Helium Flash by now, Uncle Pipe…

But I didn’t come here to fall out with the guy. Before I’ve had my fill of a leisurely holiday, I don’t plan on dealing with this cunning Old Fox. And regardless of how it all started, it’s a hard fact that Visca bombed their city out of spite. It seems Aresta has spotted that we would not truly harm Academy City, hence his boldness in making such a “compensation” claim. As the Leader (check out this awareness), I can’t shamelessly shirk my responsibilities (look at this integrity), right?

“Alright, state your terms,” Lin Xue yawned lazily and spoke with utter boredom, “However, we will also put forth our own conditions.”

When Lin Xue said that out of the blue, I who had wanted to say something else immediately chose to shut up. The very reason I brought this girl was for this purpose. Having a Prophet lead negotiations means a definitive advantage from the get-go. Even Aresta, elusive as he is, wouldn’t be able to escape his destiny, right? Since Lin Xue had spoken up, it indicated that such a choice was most beneficial for us.

“My request is quite simple,” Aresta seemed to have anticipated that we would agree to the trade. “It is to protect this city when necessary. I don’t know the extent of the ‘Outsiders’ power, but judging by that completely devastated area, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“You’re stating the obvious. If we’re living here, of course, we’re going to protect Academy City, at least for the sake of a peaceful night’s sleep.”

“Then this is a win-win situation, isn’t it?”

So, this pipe man simply wants to confirm our “harmlessness”? No wonder I don’t like dealing with schemers. They never say things straight out, always going around in circles with even the briefest statements.

I stood up, signaling that I was summarizing: “Let’s speak plainly then. First off, we won’t harm the interests of this Academy City, and frankly, we have little interest in interfering with whatever you intend to do. Secondly, we hope you won’t disturb us either. As you can see, we’re not weak, and as Outsiders, we possess many things beyond your comprehension. Clinging to a modicum of paranoia until Doomsday would be an unwise move. Lastly, as you mentioned, if Academy City faces a severe threat, perhaps we’ll step in to help–let’s call it rent for temporarily staying here. Oh, and of course, to put your mind at ease a little, I have a little thing as a housewarming gift.”

With that, I casually took out a Crystal Slab emitting a faint blue glow. As soon as the Crystal Slab appeared, all sorts of devices around us began to emit strange whistling sounds, and then many devices fell completely silent.

“You shouldn’t analyze this thing recklessly.”

I said innocently.

“What is this? I can’t analyze its structure or composition at all, but it seems to contain an enormous amount of Energy.”

Curiosity was heavy in Aresta’s voice. Although this guy with an IQ over 200 had guessed what we meant by “Outsiders,” he still showed immense curiosity at the sight of something that seemed to be from beyond this Material Plane.

“It’s a type of energy source from beyond our world, something very commonplace to us–be careful, it’s very dangerous.”

I casually tossed the Crystal Slab towards Aresta, but the slab miraculously hovered in mid-air.

“The combined annual output of all electric power stations in Japan, or enough to melt Mount Fuji three times over, and it might even take you to the Main God space if you’re not convinced. Feel free to take a hammer to it for a test; I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

“This… isn’t exactly a gift.”

After a full ten seconds of Silence, Aresta finally began to speak, and his voice seemed to have lost its initial calm.

“Of course, this thing could also lead to Doomsday. You can study it and any breakthrough you achieve from it will ensure that Academy City never has to worry about preserving its status as a technological leader. But if you aren’t smart enough or lucky enough, then we’ll just watch the Earthlings set off fireworks for one another.”

Lin Xue chimed in from the side: “It’s a good thing, so will you accept it?”

“Why not?”

Aresta’s response did not surprise us at all. For this madman, proposing a plan that could halt all magical activity in the world meant that accepting a gift from the “Outsiders”–which could either advance humanity by leaps and bounds or lead to global apocalypse–wasn’t too difficult a choice.

“Now, this belongs to you, wise man. However, before I hand over this crystal, I have a small condition–The Absolute Ability Plan. I’m sure you’ve also received some information. One of us has already lost control due to this plan. For the safety of Academy City…”

“That plan is not something I can decide on my own.”

I waved my hand to interrupt Aresta mid-sentence, “The rest is your own concern. Although we are temporarily residing in Academy City, as ‘Outsiders’, we need not take sides with any humans. Do you understand?”

After a few seconds of silence, the reply came through the air, “So, it looks like I have no choice but to compromise, impolite guest.”

I smiled subtly, relaxing my control over the Ghost Energy Crystal Fragment, and then suddenly reminded him, “You’d best not place too much hope in Avis. An angel born within this world isn’t much stronger than you are when it comes to knowledge from beyond this world.”

After saying this, without waiting for the little girl who served as our guide, Lin Xue and I vanished abruptly from the room.

“Outsiders, huh…” A deep and soft voice suddenly sounded in the darkness of the room, followed by a low sigh.

“Avis,” Aresta identified the owner of the voice, “why do you suggest I compromise with these outsiders by all means necessary? Simply because they come from beyond this world?”

“What do you make of this crystal?”

The “angel” known as Avis did not directly answer Aresta’s question but hinted at the crystal slab regarded as a “gift,” yet in reality, it could potentially bring great disaster to all humankind.

“It contains a tremendous amount of energy, though it seems to be somewhat overstated.”

“Overstated?” Avis seemed to scoff, “This is just a fragment, a fragment of the energy source that the ‘Outsiders’ use every day. To them, such things are even considered household trash.”

Then, there was a prolonged silence in the air.

“What is their purpose, Avis? You should know their identities. So why have they come to this world?”

“They haven’t appeared in a long time… and they also haven’t gifted mortals in a long time…”

Without answering Aresta’s question, Avis simply sighed like that and then disappeared from the room, leaving behind a vague statement, “Don’t touch anything the Outlanders give you; that’s my advice–even with an ‘angel’, don’t provoke them.”

Meanwhile, at a small commercial street near the big canister… I’ll just call it that. The Prophet and the Leader were shopping.

“Girl, why the sudden urge to go shopping?”

“It’s not often we get to come out.” Lin Xue swung her arms, wandering aimlessly from one shop window to another, with no apparent intention of buying anything, but her facial expression suggested she was in a good mood.

“But then again, Wood, was it really the right decision to give the crystal to human researchers? Such a powerful energy source may seem like a good thing, but just as Sandora said, handing it to humans in their oblivious state will only bring about doomsday!”

“Of course, if Aresta really intends to research the secrets within that crystal, whether or not he can make any discoveries, it will be a dangerous affair, so the crystal I gave him has been tampered with.”

“Huh?” Lin Xue tilted her head, looking at me, puzzled.

“He won’t discover anything; the crystal is already in a state of self-collapse, and the stored Ghost Energy will completely dissipate in the coming month. Any attempt to analyze it will only accelerate this process. Aresta will find that it is indeed a mysterious substance beyond human comprehension, but even if he exhausts the entire power of Academy City, he will not be able to uncover the slightest secret.”

“…You really are wicked… but surely you didn’t just give him the crystal as a prank?”

“Of course not, that thing will distract Aresta, it will disrupt his thinking. Even though he once was a powerful mage, he’s even more of an avid researcher. He will certainly study the mysteries within the crystal, even if he only gets a pile of useless powder. Isn’t that interesting? Moreover, a crystal containing enough power to melt an entire city is a deterrent in itself. I believe Aresta will be more cautious in his attitude towards us once he knows the power of the crystal, so I can avoid a lot of trouble… Of course, the main reason is that I want to play a little trick on that old fox.”

After hearing all this, Lin Xue gave me a thorough up-and-down look and said, startled, “Wood! You’ve gotten smarter! What kind of bad stuff have you been eating these days?”

“Smack!”

Hand-chop attack!

Can’t this lass ever be a bit more normal?

“By the way Wood, why do you think that Aresta is so easy to talk to?” As we walked, Lin Xue, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly remembered something, hopped in front of me, and unsteadily waved a finger in front of my face, “That old fox always has a plan for everything. Even if he were to use us people who suddenly appeared in Academy City as his muscle, he surely would have a series of traps set up. It’s a bit puzzling, you know? And don’t you think he’s being too generous? We are considered suspects, after all…”

“Stop waving around,” I followed Miss Lin’s swaying for a minute and then decisively pressed down this lady who lacked the demeanor of a proper young heiress, “And you’re a prophet, aren’t you? Why don’t you take a look for yourself?”

“Are you really stupid or just pretending…” Lin Xue gave me an enormous eyeroll and continued to shake, “Time, history, the future, they’re all incredibly intricate things. Moreover, future, compared to time and history that already exist and have certainty, is even more fragile. Peering too much into the non-existent can cause the world to defend itself, meaning, it would turn an originally clear future into chaos. I certainly don’t want to blur my vision from too much use of my eyes. If it can be reasoned out, try not to use prediction, got it?”

“Oh…”

I nodded, feigning understanding. This was the first time I’d heard these mystical insights about precognition.

“Of course, the more important reason is that this Miss finds constantly looking at the future to be utterly boring…”

You could’ve just scrolled through that thought in your head, girl!

“Speaking of which, it’s so strange that such a central district even has a shopping street,” I said somewhat curiously as we aimlessly wandered around. In my memory, areas that could be classified as no-go zones shouldn’t have purely civilian zones like shopping streets, right?

“Central cities aren’t uninhabited areas. There are workers, and since they can’t freely come and go, of course, there would be shopping streets like this set up. However, they’re basically stores directly under the jurisdiction of the Academy City’s Supervisory Council… Huh? There’s a jewelry store?” Lin Xue was speaking when she also became surprised, “Even if the shopping streets are established for the convenience of the workers, having a jewelry store seems a bit unnecessary, right?”

I followed Lin Xue’s gaze and sure enough, twenty meters ahead there was a little shop, with golden shining characters over the entrance: Little Xi’s Jewelry Store.

Instantly, an image of a stranger with silver hair who was three beats slow, A, and the advertisement card she designed without even an address or phone number, crossed my mind…

“Wood, do you know this store? Oh, it’s not your first time here, right? Did you come here last time to buy gifts for Qianqian and the others?”

“No, I just happened to run into a clerk from this store handing out flyers on the street, so I learned about this place. It’s my first time here.”

“Let’s go and have a look then, we seem to have a connection with this store,” Lin Xue said and, without asking for my opinion, grabbed my arm and excitedly headed towards the quiet storefront.

Along with the crisp and pleasant sound of the wind chimes, a soft, and more importantly, slow~~~ voice rang out beside us: “Welcome–”

This way of speaking that could give someone the feeling of walking in the soft moon dust was indeed too distinctive.

“Ah– It’s the gentleman I met at the street corner last time– Finally, we have a customer– It seems that the advertisements finally worked–”

You’ve been handing out flyers for days and just now got one person to enter your shop and you don’t realize there’s a problem!?

“Wood, is Alaya’s sister human?”

Lin Xue suddenly leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“This gentleman–may I ask if you’re buying a gift for your girlfriend?”

Seeing Lin Xue murmuring in my ear, this perpetually clueless saleswoman finally sped up a beat and blurted out something surprising.

Lin Xue, who had been busy discussing with me whether this silver-haired woman was Sister Alaya, let out an exclamation the next second, “Huh?!?!?”

“Damn girl, don’t yell in my ear like that!”

“Wood… wood… wood wood! You… you’re not right! That natural over there, you can eat messily, but you can’t speak… messily eat!”

Uh, girl, aren’t you overreacting? I was initially startled by the saleswoman’s surprising words, but now you’re the one who’s scared me!

“Huh? So the relationship hasn’t been confirmed yet–” The triggering saleswoman paused for a moment, and then still cluelessly slow, she said, “So it’s for choosing a confession gift–please come this way–”

Is your line of thinking completely independent from the Main Material Plane?

I watched with a sense of speechlessness as this seemingly slow-witted silver-haired woman began picking out items for us on her own, while a petrified Lin Xue gradually quieted down in her frenzy.

“It seems she didn’t mean it after all,” Lin Xue murmured quietly all of a sudden, “that figures, you haven’t got the brains for this anyway…”

“What?”

“Never mind–your task right now is to select a gift for Miss as an apology, yes, for an apology!”

“What do you think of this pendant–representing a sincere heart…”

The moment Lin Xue finished speaking, the languid saleswoman placed a delicate little box on the counter. Inside was a simple yet elegant heart-shaped crystal pendant. While I couldn’t make out the material (this sadly quiet shop wasn’t likely to have diamonds and such, right?), it emitted a pleasing luster.

“Well, it’s pretty, but…” To my surprise, Lin Xue didn’t seem interested in this beautiful little pendant. Instead, she reached into her collar and pulled out another pendant with a mysterious sheen–a light green hexagram crystal pendant. “I already have this one, so I don’t want a pendant.”

“Huh? You still have that?”

I asked in surprise, remembering it was what I had bought for her in the Otherworld; I didn’t expect she would still be wearing it.

“Do you know how hard it is to extort something from you, Wood? I have to take good care of it, don’t I? This is a fruit of victory.”

“How about this bracelet? It suits your style very well…”

The saleswoman spoke at a leisurely pace, taking out a silver-white bracelet from under the counter with a simple yet refined design, understated yet with a hint of luxury and nonchalance. If Lin Xue indeed possessed any particular style, it might really be akin to this bracelet–luxurious and restrained simplicity, elfin yet with an innate quality befitting a lady of wealth–surprisingly, I’ve managed to find complimentary terms for Lin Xue.

“This suits you,” I said, admiring Lin Xue as she repeatedly tried the bracelet on her wrist. I had to acknowledge the slow-working saleswoman’s sense of style. “Let’s go with this one.”

Evidently, Lin Xue was quite satisfied with this gift–she smiled at me, a rare one that showed all eight teeth.

“Oh, it’s gotten late–” After paying, the saleswoman glanced at the wall clock and exclaimed in surprise, “It’s been so long since I had customers that my biological clock is out of whack–would you two like to stay for a cup of coffee before leaving?”

“Uh, we still have to…” I was just about to decline when the silver-haired saleswoman walked off on her own, changing the sign at the shop door to “Resting” while muttering to herself, “What flavor of coffee should I make–ah, I’ll use what was bought yesterday…”

This girl… is her thought process really in another space?! (To be continued, if you wish to find out what happens next, please visit www.NovelFire.net. More chapters are available there, support the author, support genuine reading!)