It's time to improve the strength of the infinite world

Chapter 16 I Will Protect You
Compared with other bustling and lively shops in the town, that clothing store seemed to be forgotten in a prosperous corner, looking particularly deserted and lonely.

It can be said that the place is deserted.

The hustle and bustle on both sides of the street forms a sharp contrast with it, as if it is a touch of light ink in a lively painting.

However, it was precisely because the contrast was so obvious that Xia Zhi could see it at a glance. Otherwise, it would be somewhat difficult to find a specific fairy directly from the noisy streets that were like a festival celebration.

Xia Zhi thought about it for a moment and felt that this was probably because the clothing store was easy to understand and the fairies all knew what it was for, so they had no interest in it. Naturally, they lost the novelty and desire to explore familiar things.

The fairies are like a group of naughty kids who are keen on playing house games. They are full of curiosity and enthusiasm for those mysterious and elusive things.

After all, they are just a bunch of naughty kids, but they are playing a game of "playing house" together.

Many of their behaviors have no practical meaning. They are more like an imitation and mockery of the appearance of human civilization, pursuing excitement and novelty for pleasure. The more incomprehensible things are, the more they can arouse their interest, and thus attract their pursuit and onlookers.

Although this behavior is a bit childish, it also reveals the simple and pure terrible psychology, and we can get a glimpse of the essence from it.

Xia Zhi and Vivian came to the clothing store and stood still, looking at the store that was so deserted that you could swat a fly. It was so empty that you could almost hear the sound of time passing.

There was a fairy who looked like a little girl sitting behind the counter. She seemed to have no idea that any customers would come and was sleeping soundly on the counter.

I almost blew bubbles out of my nose. This scene seemed a little familiar.

Xia Zhi thought about it and found that after Index completely let down her guard and lost her vigilance, her sleeping posture during this period was a bit similar to that of this fairy. He guessed that this was the source of the sense of déjà vu.

Vivian, on the other hand, was completely focused on the store's displays and merchandise. Her eyes wandered over the clothes of varying styles and unique designs, revealing a hint of doubt. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly.
"These clothes just look... weird."

It was obvious that the girl was expressing some opinion in a tactful way.

The "chaos" and "mixture" they had previously felt in various parts of the city were vividly displayed in this clothing store in the form of clothing art, and were concretized in a very impactful way. It was a presence that could not be ignored.

It can be said that each piece of clothing is like a rhapsody composed of colors and lines. The degree of its obviousness and strong visual impact are simply jaw-dropping and extremely eye-catching.

Use bold colors.

The style is avant-garde.

The design is novel.

Of course, this is just a good thing to say, just listen to it...

As for the specific situation, I can only say that it is more or less difficult to describe in a few words.

"I guess these are also works of art created by random mixing..." Xia Zhi had already let it go and smiled with a hint of irony. He didn't want to comment on the goblins' unconventional and peculiar aesthetic sense.

Anyway, the style issue is not a problem at all. As long as the technical proficiency reaches a certain level and the professionalism is strong, that is the person I need... ahem, a genius!

After giving Vivian a look, Xia Zhi gently reached out and knocked on the counter.

"boss."

"..."

"..."

no respond.

The fairy who looks like a little girl is still snoring. If it were in an animation, a string of dreamy bubbles would emerge from the tip of her small nose, rising and falling with the even and rhythmic snoring.

"No wonder it's so deserted. If there were real customers, we wouldn't be able to catch them..."

Xia Zhi complained, then stretched out his hand again, but seemed to have thought of something suddenly, and his movements paused for a moment, as if he was carefully feeling and estimating something, and slightly adjusted the strength.

He knocked on the counter again, with a little more force than before, but with just the right amount of force.

"Boss! Are you still going to do business?"

"Um... w-what?!"

The snoring sound disappeared, and the fairy who looked like a little girl was finally woken up. She raised her head in a daze, looked around again and again, and her eyes quickly regained clarity, flashing with surprise and confusion.

Then, as if she had realized something, her expression changed noticeably, becoming gloomy. She looked like someone who was grumpy when they woke up, feeling angry and upset because they were woken up by someone.

Her red eyes widened, as if she could cast dark magic at any time.

next moment--

"What are you doing! You want to die, right? You don't need to bother me! Get out of here now! Or I'll break your legs!"

The winged fairy who looked like a little girl yelled loudly. Although her voice was childish, it was very aggressive. She slapped the counter in front of her with force, and at the same time made a ferocious look with bared teeth.

It was obvious that she was very angry, but the counter that had taken the slap was very sturdy and did not break on the spot... although one could seem to hear faint groans coming from the wood.

This attitude is a bit too bad...

No wonder there are no guests...

Vivian's eyes suddenly turned cold. She already had a general hostility towards the fairies of the Wing Clan. It could be said that it was a preconceived notion, but in short, she had a natural reputation of being cold to them.

Even this "coldness" is a disguise. If he didn't try to control his emotions, he would probably be in the hostile and dangerous camp, red as blood.

But before she could do anything, she felt her sleeve being gently pulled. Her eyes moved slightly and met the young man's eyes that said "let me handle it".

"..."

"..."

The girl didn't say anything, but her slightly cold eyes still shrouded the little girl-like winged fairy.

"Well, boss, calm down for a moment."

Xia Zhi turned around and smiled very naturally, looking harmless.

Fairies have a very long lifespan, but their mental age is often positively correlated with their appearance, which means that this little girl is probably just a little girl, so she should be at the level of an elementary school girl like Index.

"We are here to buy clothes, not to cause trouble..."

He quickly calmed the excitement of the little girl-like Winged Fairy. While speaking, he carefully observed the micro-expressions and eye changes on the other's face with his sharp eyesight.

The premise of speaking the truth to people and telling lies to ghosts is——

The skill level of observing people's words and expressions must not be low.

Only in this way can you quickly determine whether your words are effective, and whether they have a positive or negative effect from the changes in the other person's facial expressions and body language... and then quickly decide on your next strategy based on the other person's reaction.

But speaking of it——

Why is my opponent always this little girl?
Realizing that he always bullied the naive loli who knew nothing about the world, Xia Zhi couldn't help but feel a little ashamed... well, a little.

"Buy clothes?"

The winged fairy behind the counter was slightly stunned, her red eyes widened, unable to conceal her astonishment.

Perhaps the scene before her made her feel dazed for a moment, and she repeated in disbelief, "Buying clothes? You're here to buy clothes?"

Why are you here to buy clothes?

Isn't it here to laugh at myself and suppress myself?

Yes, that must be the case! They must have deliberately disguised themselves as customers, secretly looking for trouble and trying to bully me in various ways! I don't fit in with the group, they must want to drive me out!
After changing her mind, she quickly felt that she had found the truth. Thinking about what had happened during this period, she suddenly became angry again and subconsciously clenched her fists.

And at this moment——

"Yes, who made these clothes? We liked them immediately after just one look at them, they are really unique..." Such a sentence was said at the right time, and the words were full of amazement at some unique craftsmanship. The surprise and emotion between the words were intertwined, causing the Winged Fairy, who was originally furious and about to lose control, to stop instantly.

Xia Zhi deliberately used such a neutral statement so that he could change his words and attitude ambiguously later. At the same time, he also paid attention to the expression on the little girl's face opposite him, ready to please her and let nature take its course.

Sure enough, he noticed that the little girl's expression had changed significantly.

She even pushed herself up with her hands and stood up on the counter.

"How is it? What are the characteristics?" The anxiety and nervousness in the Winged Fairy's tone were extremely obvious, just like a child who was eagerly looking forward to the announcement of the results after taking an exam, eager to be praised, but also afraid of a bad result.

"..."

"..."

"Of course - it's so wonderful!!"

"I have never seen such great costume design!!"

The young man immediately understood, and very decisively and skillfully switched to praise mode and started cheering.

He looked very sincere, with a serious expression on his face, pointing at the clothes hanging in the shop, as if every word he said came from the heart.

"Look! Look! Such bold use of bright and eye-catching colors, wantonly and yet harmonious..."

"The style is unique, avant-garde and unconventional. This unique design concept and aesthetic pursuit..."

"The novel design elements, from the unique innovation of the cutting structure to the exotic fusion of patterns and textures, all reveal the designer's fantastic ideas. It is simply passionate and unrestrained, with unlimited creativity, which ignites a fire in my heart..."

This rapid-fire string of praise came out of his mouth with such overflowing enthusiasm that it stunned the two people present.

little girl:"……"

Vivian: "..."

How come this person suddenly became like the audience judges in the food animation, so professional and sincere, commenting on the works rigorously and affectionately, and praising them in rich and vivid language...

Although such praise sounds like a line from a script, it does not feel artificial at all, but is instead filled with sincerity and realness.

Naturally, achieving this level is undoubtedly highly purposeful and targeted, like a carefully choreographed and gorgeous dialogue show, in which every compliment hits the mark of the person being evaluated.

Although Vivian showed a helpless expression, the little girl-like Winged Fairy was particularly fond of it.

She first had a stunned expression, then her eyes slowly widened and light seemed to come out of her pupils.

——Does making clothes yourself have so many advantages?

——Hearing him say that, he seems very noble...

——But everyone is always belittling and suppressing my work...

Memories of the past flooded back to her mind like a tide - the doubts, sarcasm, and belittlement from all sides made her waver in the meaning and purpose of her existence.

No! No! That must be the case! It's all because those guys don't understand appreciation! I do have this design philosophy and this aesthetic pursuit, but those guys—all of them!—don't understand appreciation!
Only this person in front of me... is the soulmate I finally met!!

An unprecedented feeling of emotion and relief surged deep in her heart.

"That's right! That's it! That's it!"

In an instant, the spinning fairy jumped off the counter excitedly, ran around the counter in a hurry, grabbed the young man's hand excitedly, and nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Well said! You said it so well! Finally...finally someone can understand me, this is so great..."

She was in high spirits, as if she had found a long-lost soulmate, and her speech speed became faster and faster: "By the way! By the way! My name is Tetrot, a spinning fairy. What's your name?"

"..."

"..."

"Ah, well... my name is Li Feiyu."

Xia Zhi blinked, then immediately took the other person's hands in return, shaking them vigorously a few times, his tone serious and earnest:

"Nice to meet you, Tetrot. So you made these clothes? Then you really deserve to be called... uh, a master of visual color!"

"Oh! Really? Really?!" Tetrot's voice was full of joy, and the excitement was beyond words. The joy of being affirmed almost jumped out from every movement, infecting the air around him.

"Wait! I have more! I still have some works in there... Wait, I'll take them out!"

She was so happy that she spun around in circles, then immediately remembered something and ran into the store.

Vivian, who was standing next to her, pursed her lips, looking at this scene of "mountains and streams meeting a soulmate", and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

She took a deep breath and was about to take this opportunity to say something to the young man, but suddenly her eyebrows raised.

The girl seemed to sense something strange and subconsciously turned her head to look in a certain direction.

"Be careful! Something's happening!"

Xia Zhi, who had received the warning, had a slightly changed look in his eyes and restrained his expression, looking in the direction of the girl's gaze.

I can't see anything...

Magical perception also didn't detect...

He fully understood that he was at most an apprentice at present, so he was not discouraged. Instead, he chose to ask his superior directly: "What's going on? Vivian, can you sense it?"

"Morse--!"

"Moss is coming! Moss is coming!!"

"There are so many of them, run away! Run away!!"

Vivian didn't need to answer. A huge riot seemed to suddenly erupt in that direction. The screams and roars of the goblins were mixed together, and despair and fear were intertwined. It not only answered the question, but also seemed to foreshadow the coming of disaster.

Morse?

That kind of thing is invading this town? At this time?
"Let's go, retreat immediately. There are too many of them..." Vivian's expression was also a little ugly. She took one look at his expression and immediately said in a decisive tone: "We'll consider it after the actual combat exercise!"

"We are still unsure about what will happen if you get hurt or die in this state. We absolutely cannot take any risks!"

"I know I know……"

Xia Zhi nodded, and then he heard hurried footsteps.

"Morse is here? How come—"

Teterlot ran out of the store holding a pile of clothes. She seemed a little unable to react to what had happened, but soon she figured out the situation, dropped everything in her hands, and grabbed the young man's arm.

"In the name of the Master of Visual Color! I, Tetrot, will definitely protect you!"

The little girl patted her chest, which was completely still, and looked directly at the human opposite her with great seriousness, as if she was making a promise: "Don't worry, Li Feiyu!"

"?"

Isn't this one of the lines that boys want to say the most? Why is a little girl saying this to herself?

——Xia Zhi suddenly felt that he might really reflect on himself.

(End of this chapter)