Brain bloom

"...Is this an antique? Ancient flour?"

"No, I can feel the weight of time. I guess it must be some truly ancient artifacts that have weathered over time."

"Oh, but this probably won't be of any use to us, will it?" Mori didn't hide his disappointment, thinking that these antiques were really boring.

Dandelion, however, had her own unique perspective: "Perhaps these things are waiting for someone with the right destiny. If they are destined, they will return to their original form... Flowers—I mean, I seem to have read something similar in some of my ancient books."

Mori became interested and continued browsing more containers, hoping to find some treasure that was meant for him. For example, some dust suddenly coalesced into a legendary staff, saying that it had been waiting for Mori—it was quite romantic to think about.

"—Guests, that's not right. Those aren't properly restored... The real containers are on the other side," Yingyou suddenly said.

"recovery?"

"Aren't we waiting for the right person?"

“Fated people? No, they are all relics and sand dunes we acquired. My mother and I have a special business. Although we help people with astrology, we also restore these things that have been damaged by time to sell. If we are lucky... we can restore some good things.”

They looked at each other awkwardly for a while, then had no choice but to walk to the other side—just as Yingyou had said, all the items displayed here were real objects.

There were ruins and broken pots and pans that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, as well as strange fossils, bones, and artifacts, making Sen Shi feel like he had stepped into an ancient museum. In short, they all had one thing in common: they were all of little value.

As he strolled around, he asked questions.

"You recovered all of these from the sandstorm?"

"Well... to be precise, it's my mother. I'm mainly in charge of astrology." Yingyou was healing herself by sitting under the starry night with her eyes closed devoutly.

"Speaking of which, your mother seems to be a devil?"

“Yes—ah, but my mother isn’t a bad devil either…I promise, please don’t discriminate against devils.”

Sen Shi neither confirmed nor denied it, but said seriously, "I'd like to meet your mother sometime; we're very interested in the devil."

“If it weren’t for the desire to kill us, then… I think Mom would agree. But she’s been doing some very troublesome work lately. We accidentally obtained some powerful soul dust, and she’s trying to restore it… If you don’t mind, could you give me an address? I’ll talk to Mom.”

"Giving the devil's address is a suicidal act, a complete fantasy."

As she spoke, Dandelion casually flipped through a box in a shipping container, its surface studded with many strange gems that caught her attention.

What is this?

Yingyou did indeed possess some strange power; he answered directly without even opening his eyes to look.

"I don't know about that box either. I only heard my mother say that it was something used by real classical astrologers before the 'Night of the Flowing Stars' happened, and we can't open the contents inside."

"Starry Sky Flowing... An Era?" Upon hearing these unfamiliar words, Mori Toki became quite interested.

"It's normal for guests not to know this name. It refers to a miracle that happened in the night sky more than a hundred years ago. It directly led to the collapse of the star system and the interruption of the lineage of astrologers, so we astrologers call it the 'Night of the Flowing Stars'."

Dandelion put down the box she couldn't open and added some information she knew.

“I’ve heard people who have experienced it say that the stars in the sky seemed to be summoned and left together from the night sky, never to return like a flowing river.”

Sen Shi froze on the spot, feeling like there was something fishy going on behind this.

She started to think about the matter from the worst possible perspective, and her hand unconsciously picked up the box that the dandelion had left and began to play with it.

"How many years ago exactly?" she asked again.

After a moment's thought, Yingyou answered with a precise number—"One hundred years ago...yes, one hundred and twenty-one years ago."

The timing was familiar, and a possibility surfaced in Mori's mind, one that was significant. Her expression grew increasingly grim, and her hands involuntarily tightened their grip on the box.

"Sen Shi?" Dandelion called out to her with concern.

"Dandelion, do you still remember which era I came from..."

"How did you open the box? What's this... uh, a piece of paper? Is it a map?"

Volume 1 #055 Shopping Spree (Part 5)

The sound of dandelions brought Mori to her senses, and she looked down at her hands. Without realizing it, she had indeed opened the tightly locked, ornate box. It felt strange; it was as if the box had surrendered, willing to share its innermost feelings with Mori.

It was only now that Mori noticed the gems inlaid on the box; each one was extraordinary. Although the type was not discernible, a strong spiritual energy was condensed within the gems' translucent fire, and they were permeated with light simulating the starry sky, exuding a sense of sacredness.

But what's even more eye-catching is the roll of paper inside the box.

What could it be? A treasure map? Or a map of a special location? Or perhaps just some piece of ancient history?

"What? That box was opened?"

Despite not having rested well, Yingyou staggered over, eager to see for herself what it was carrying.

"Wow... Could it be a treasure map? From the era of classical astrology? Could it contain some kind of secret treasure?"

"Mori, take a look."

"Ah."

Mori picked up the roll of paper and immediately became certain that it was not something evil or dangerous. On the contrary, it felt exceptionally comfortable to the touch and was quite heavy.

She untied the rope binding the paper and spread it out. Dandelion and Mori looked over, and Yingyou also stood on tiptoe to see.

Immediately, all three of them gasped in shock.

"The starry sky?"

"...The stars are so beautiful."

"The Astrologer's Bible: The Trillion Star Chart!"

Sen Shi read out its origin in astonishment. Even though she was usually quite calm, she was now deeply moved.

This thing was all too familiar to Sen Shi! She was driven crazy by it back then when she was trying to get a mage-grade assistant for her main character.

The Trillion Star Spectrum is an extremely special magical material.

It can only be made by oneself, and the shortest production cycle is a year in real time. The production method is extremely complicated, requiring one to record the starry sky at specific locations on various maps every clear night, and the restrictions are so numerous as to be a headache. This doesn't even include the nasty specific conditions and the materials required for recording.

This is an upgrade component for the mage's off-hand spellbook, and the improvement it brings can only be described as amazing.

"Where did you acquire this from?"

"Well, it was sand and dust brought back from an ancient site a few years ago. It filled a wooden cart, but so far, this is the only piece that has been restored."

"I urge you to continue restoring that sandstorm."

After finishing speaking, Sen Shi focused all his attention on the trillion-star spectrum.

Now, she is holding a star chart like this... Yes, that's right.

The trillions of stars recorded on the paper seem to possess a vast and boundless vitality, shining brightly on the page. If you gaze at them for a few more seconds, your eyes and soul seem to melt into them, becoming an extremely tiny speck of dust within them.

Its brilliance is breathtaking; in comparison, the simulated starry sky on the ceiling of the store seems incredibly crude.

All three knew that this was a treasure.

The highest-ranking dandelion wasn't so fascinated and quickly looked away, considering how to acquire the item—suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and looked at the still-shocked half-demon.

"Little brother Yingyou, you know what we're planning to do, right? Let me remind you, it's a bet."

"Um... I am a man of my word. We devils never lie... Waaah, I keep my promise."

He wiped away his tears, sobbing softly, already knowing what the other person meant.

"If you want it, take it. I... I'll just take a beating."

Previously, he had confidently stated that if he couldn't guess their origins, he would let them take any antique they wanted. Sen Shi felt a little guilty, but such a precious item couldn't be given up; it was a no-brainer.

Resisting the temptation to look at it a few more times, Sen Shi rolled up the trillion-star spectrum again, put it back in the box, sealed the lid, and solemnly placed it in his bag.

“We won’t take it for free. What was your original selling price?” she asked.

"...two, two gold coins."

"...That's really low."

"Let's not even talk about whether it can be opened or not. Just look at all these gems inlaid in it, and it's priced like this?" Dandelion was also quite astonished. She was used to a life of poverty and was even more furious at this stupid pricing.

"Because the gemstones can't be removed, they can only be used as decorations, boohoo."

He wiped away more tears, but he couldn't wipe them all away.

“We only get one customer every few days, so we have to set low prices to sell as quickly as possible. Alas, Lord Balzac promised that opening a shop in Silvermoon City would mean making money and living a wealthy life, but after my father died, we can barely make ends meet.”

"Your shop is already in a rather remote location, and the items aren't very appealing."

"It's not that remote, is it..."

"You are an astrologer, and many people like to ask about their fate. You should actively promote yourself and price your products dozens of times higher to attract nobles."

While Dandelion was explaining her clumsy business rules to Yingyou, Mori silently put down two gold coins.

After a moment's thought, she took out all the loose change she had on her, totaling two gold coins, forty-four silver coins, and some completely worthless copper coins. This was the limit of how much she could do as a good person.

"Happy transaction," Mori said with a smile. "We'll definitely be coming back often in the future."

"It's not pleasant at all..." Yingyou sobbed again.

They searched the store for a while, and only after confirming that there was nothing of value left did they prepare to leave.

It has to be said that the gains from this trip were astonishingly large, and Sen Shi almost couldn't contain his excitement. The Trillion Star Spectrum is of extraordinary value; after spending some time back home, he could directly craft the world's most powerful magic book—with just this one piece of equipment, it would be equivalent to having a max-level powerhouse by his side.

Just as the dandelion was about to step out the door, it suddenly turned around—

"By the way, when will your mother appear? We want to ask the devil some questions."

"I don't know... but could you please leave an address?"

"Leaving an address for the devil... I'm a little scared."

"Keep it, it's alright," Mori said softly.

She genuinely didn't care. This kind of devil who would come to Silvermoon City to find a remote place, open a small shop, and live a hard life certainly wouldn't be a troublesome character. Even if he really came with malice, Mori had ways to deal with him.

Dandelion was very obedient. She left behind the four characters "Four Seasons Winery" and followed Sen Shi away with light steps.

"I never thought there were good devils too, that they even had children with humans." Dandelion shielded her eyes from the sunlight, feeling quite pleased.

"After all, this world is very complicated... but we still need to be careful."

"Oh, by the way, how much is that painting that looks like a starry sky worth?"

"Can't exchange it for money."

"That?"