Brain bloom

“Rejected. I need to buy everything.” Mori refused.

"I... I'll buy it for you. That way, when I get back, I'll see that you've finished making the clothes, and you won't have to make several trips... It'll save you a lot of time!"

Sen hesitated, unsure whether to agree. Dandelion's words did make sense, but she wasn't sure if her princess would be deceived in business. After much deliberation, she could only shake her head and refuse.

And so, she dragged her dejected dandelion toward the next shop.

Along the way—at the end of the street, a dilapidated little shop in the far corner caught Mori's attention.

"What does that sell?"

"I don't know," Dandelion answered without even looking at it, still looking listless and needing water and sunshine.

"Then go have a look."

The sign read "Astrology and Antiques." Perhaps it was the antiques that attracted Mori, because as soon as she came to her senses, she was already walking over.

Deep in the street, there were no other customers besides the two of them; people probably didn't want to come to such a secluded place. Mori looked up and found that tall stone houses blocked the sunlight, and even the sea breeze couldn't reach this place; the atmosphere was dry and gloomy.

"...Are there shops like this here?" It was Dandelion's voice; she realized something was wrong.

"What, not feeling down anymore?" Mori teased casually.

"Yes, I shouldn't have been so willful. I'm already so happy that Mori made clothes for me... I'm sorry, I just haven't been this happy in a long time."

Mori chuckled to himself. Let her continue to be happy, just don't complain about being tired when it's time to fight.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, it's a bit strange. I've been here before, and I don't think there's a shop like this before..." She looked intently at the signboard, feeling that there were some contradictions in her memory.

"Let's just go in and take a look."

After saying that, Mori pushed open the door.

The shop has a spacious interior; you could easily believe it was an entire floor with all the walls removed. But from the outside, it looks like a small attic room, definitely not that big.

"W-Welcome...Are you here to look at antiques or have your astrological readings?" a timid voice asked.

Volume 1 #053 Shopping Spree (Part 3)

[Level 49 - The One Who Knows the Star Tracks - Yingyou]

This was the name Morishi saw as she stepped into the shop, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Even if this place was truly a shady, exploitative shop, with a level of only 49, she was confident she could escape with Dandelion.

However, this is indeed a shady shop. Even though it was daytime with the sun shining brightly, the inside of the shop was as dark as night.

Dandelion didn't even dare to go inside, standing at the doorway ready to retreat at any moment. Mori looked around the room and could only vaguely see a small, thin figure walking towards her; that was the shop assistant named Yingyou.

Seemingly sensing her wariness, Yingyou coughed rather shyly:

"Sorry, I'll turn on the room right away..."

As soon as he finished speaking, light came from above, casting a gentle glow throughout the entire shop.

Mori looked up and was surprised to find the shop quite interesting. The entire dome of the shop was adorned with starlight, as if he were gazing up at a miniature but precise starry sky. The starlight was dense, and the star trails were rotating at a faint speed, everything possessing a harmonious beauty.

Mori was inevitably a little surprised. The astrologer who often appeared in "Silent World" as a charlatan or to drive the plot was now actually alive and well in front of her.

"Astrologists..."

"Yes, welcome. What would you like, sir?"

The light also shone on Yingyou, a boy with wheat-colored skin dressed in a full astrological robe. Sen Shi was surprised again; he had initially thought the voice was a girl, but instead, he had a handsome young face.

But one thing was strange: his eyes were completely black, like obsidian, which made Mori feel a strange sense of wariness from the bottom of his heart.

"I am the owner of this shop, Yingyou. Would you two like to look at antiques, or would you like to understand your destiny through astrology?" He asked again patiently.

"Let's take a look at the antiques..."

"Can astrologers predict everything?" Dandelion interrupted Mori, having somehow already walked up to her.

"Basically, it can be achieved in love, wealth, life, career..."

Yingyou looked back at Senshi and raised her hand from her long sleeve: "The antique is over here."

Mori Toki completely ignored his words, because it was this action that made her understand why she had always been somewhat wary—it was a hand with sharp nails. Mori Toki was greatly surprised and immediately blurted out:

"devil?"

"What...what are you saying? What devil? I was just..."

Yingyou panicked and quickly hid her hands, taking several steps back as she spoke in a tearful voice:

“I...I have the right to reside and operate a business in Silvermoon City, and I have many years of tax payment records! I am not...I am not a bad devil.”

Mori didn't lower the bow, and Dandelion, upon hearing the word "devil," was already prepared with her magic: "Mori, how do you know this is from the devil?"

"His nails are very sharp; normal people don't grow them like that, but those devils do."

"...Have you ever seen a real devil? How do you know this?" Yingyou raised his hands in annoyance to show that he had no hostility. At the same time, he knew that there was no point in hiding his identity anymore. "I promise I'm not a bad devil, just a half-breed... Believe me."

"Mixed-race? Which innocent, pitiful rural woman was so cruelly violated by that evil devil?" Mori asked with disgust.

"No, my father is human, my mother is the real devil."

"How did this happen... Your dad is pretty handsome, isn't he?" Dandelion had an incredulous expression, but also a bit of a gossipy desire.

Mori was still wary, after all, back in Frozen Bear Town, a powerful demon with a sinister aura had been searching for them. The best course of action at this point was to simply turn around and leave; even if Yingyou wasn't a bad person, absolute safety couldn't be guaranteed.

"How can I prove to you that I won't harm anyone? It's so sad, I already have so few customers..."

“Let me see your residence permit,” Dandelion suggested.

He immediately nodded and did as instructed, taking out a bare feather, which was a civilian permanent residence permit. Dandelion carefully checked it and proved that Yingyou would not cause any harm: "It is engraved with magic. If someone other than the person holding it, it will trigger some trouble."

Trusting Dandelion, Mori put down the bow and, before taking down the hastily made arrow, briefly assessed the Debt-Collecting Bow's reaction.

"He's not worth shooting."

The attack power increased from the base 1 to 10, and that's about it.

After putting the bow away, Mori could almost smell the stench of poverty emanating from the shop. But if they really fought, this bow would be utterly useless; they'd be better off making more hams to smash things...

"A devilish astrologer, how interesting. In that case, how about you divine my fortune? How much will it cost?" Dandelion asked with great interest.

"Fifty silver coins."

"Uh..." Dandelion hesitated, then murmured, "Such a low price?"

In Dandelion's view, astrologers are generally mysterious and accurate, but this price was not in line with the identity of an astrologer, so she stared at the other party with a very suspicious look.

This hurt Yingyou's pride, and he puffed up his cheeks in anger.

"My mother educated me for twelve years, and I am a true orthodox astrologer! In most cases, I can guarantee accuracy... Here's what we'll do: I'll divine your destinies and guess your identities. If I'm right, please pay this inexpensive astrological fee."

"What if I said something wrong?"

"You two can take any antique from my shop," Yingyou said confidently. Despite her young age, the determination on her face was genuine.

Upon hearing this, Mori immediately waved his hand.

"I don't like the feeling of having my fortune told. I'd rather pay you than have you guess my fate."

Since arriving in this world, she has been in the process of adapting to her sudden gender change, almost forgetting that she is a pessimist. But when faced with something like this, Moritoki subconsciously thinks in the worst-case scenario—what if the other person is pretending to be an astrologist but actually intends to do something bad?

"And by the way, don't even think about trying to pry into the life of my companion—"

However, before Mori could finish speaking, his clear voice fell to the ground.

Three oddly shaped astrological dice fell from Yingyou's hand. They rolled on the ground, as if following starlight. Yingyou looked up at the simulated starry sky, muttering something from time to time. The room was silent; only the starry night seemed to coalesce in his eyes, and all the light seemed to intensify.

Mori was extremely displeased with this thuggish behavior of offering fortune-telling without warning and was about to interrupt.

Suddenly, strange things began to happen in the room.

At first, the three dice instantly turned into sand, scattering all over the ground. Then, the simulated starry sky that should have been hovering above their heads suddenly went out one after another. Every star track also stopped operating, as if the real starry sky had malfunctioned, sending chills down their spines.

In the darkness, Yingyou let out a shocked choking sound—

"The stars... have disappeared?"

……

Yesterday, Moon Crow lost to Laziness and failed the extra chapter challenge. Trying again today… hopefully I'll win. Damn it, I owe so many chapters!

Volume 1 #054 Shopping Spree (Part 4)

Then, a scream interrupted him.

Mori remained relatively calm, gathering her rocket spell in her hands and using the flames to relight the room. The first thing they saw was Hotaru slumped on the floor, surrounded by fresh blood—and the young astrologer was emitting low moans of pain.

"Am I...am I peeking into the fate of the gods? Impossible...even the stars have gone out..."

"How are your injuries? Don't worry too much, there's a clinic nearby, just relax," Dandelion said with some concern.

"This is a strong backlash, directly affecting my soul. No, could it be that my abilities are insufficient... No, no one could possibly see through this trajectory."

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, barely managed to sit on the ground, his whole body filled with fear and unease, hugging his knees and trembling slightly.

"Whose fate have you calculated?" Mori asked coldly, his handsome face seemingly covered with a layer of frost.

“Guest…this is yours.” Yingyou looked directly at Senshi.

Mori was silent for a moment, then put his hand into his money pouch, intending to scrape together fifty silver coins to pay for the astrological consultation. Even if it was just a coincidence, the astrologer was indeed right; he was calculating the fate of a god.

Mori knew very well that the mythical figure revered as the coffin bearer was herself.

But she wasn't quite sure whether the cause of this backlash was her religious identity as a coffin bearer, or the complex trajectory of fate summoned by magic? Or perhaps neither...

After coughing for a while, Yingyou, whose complexion had improved slightly, looked up at Senshi and said in an even more timid voice, "I admit defeat. Although I don't know who you are, I have offended you. I'm sorry."

"You made a mistake in your operation, right? Should we calculate it again?"

"Please let me admit defeat."

"Alright, alright, here's some money. Go buy some herbs or something and get some rest." Mori put the silver coins on a nearby table and then went to check out the goods sold in the shop, which were what interested her.

……

Apart from the extinguished starry sky, there was nothing else to light up the shop. They probably never thought the starry sky would go out. Fortunately, after Yingyou went to rest, the stars quickly resumed their operation, and the cool light shone brightly again.

There weren't many shelves in the store, arranged on the left and right sides. Dandelion and Senshi didn't separate to look at them, but instead walked side by side to the left.

However, there were no strange or unusual antiques, only stone cabinets filled with oddly shaped dust of various colors. Mori wandered around for a long time and found that without exception, they were all filled with this kind of dust.