Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 196 My Friend
"Huh? Really?" Elori was very surprised.

"Of course, we have everything you could want!" Lin Qing boasted, knowing it wasn't her responsibility to make it happen; the most important thing now was to win over the customers. "When does that Fusion Festival you mentioned start?"

"It's not fixed every year. The governor said that the festival will start when the number of people who want to integrate reaches the required number. This year, because of the appearance of angels, the Integration Festival is scheduled for five days later..."

"As long as it's not tomorrow, it's fine," Lin Qing said happily. "Are you ready for the transaction?"

The girl paused for only a second before nodding emphatically, "Yes!"

"Very good." Lin Qing stretched out her finger and pressed it against her forehead, pretending to close her eyes and meditate, while making a low humming sound that was hard to understand—for a moment, she felt that this kind of mystical display of power was embarrassing, but she was willing to do anything to find Chen Xuan. "Phew...we've reached a conclusion."

"How much money do you want?" Elori clasped her hands together. "Or... do I need to give you something else in return?"

“You guessed right.” Lin Qing wiped the fine sweat from her forehead to make it look more realistic. “There are two prerequisites for the deal. First, you have to bring those two Wanderers here before you merge with the Primal Life. Second, you have to give up at least one ability in exchange for what you need.”

She cannot initiate a transaction, so she makes "finding Chen Xuan" a prerequisite.

"What does this have to do with the two of them?"

A hint of suspicion appeared on Elori's face.

She felt that the store's transaction method was not quite what she had imagined.

“It’s very important, but I can’t tell you in advance.” Lin Qing knew she couldn’t explain too much, or even show any initiative, otherwise it would only make the other person feel more and more uneasy. “If you don’t believe me, you can leave now.”

Elori couldn't bring herself to get up and leave.

After all, they have just demonstrated the store's impressive capabilities.

If she hadn't known she had the ability to solve problems, that would have been fine, but now that she does, she's determined not to give up easily.

"...Is it enough to just bring it over? Can I go find them?"

“Of course you can, but remember, when I say come here I don’t mean the palace right now.” Lin Qing patted the sofa. “After you find them, wander around with the feeling that you really want to see me and this shop, and a new shop door will appear.”

Lin Qing also considered closing the store directly, hiding in Elori's bedroom, and then sneaking out to see Chen Xuan and Liu Shuyue in person. But after thinking about it for a moment, she realized that this was not a good option. Chen Xuan couldn't return to the store because the barcode scanner was malfunctioning, and even if the three of them reunited, there was no guarantee that the situation could be reversed.

Moreover, once she closes the store, no matter how much customers want to find it, the store door will never appear, which means she's putting all her hopes on fixing the barcode scanner.

So the best approach is to let the customers go looking for the store, while she stays here to keep an eye on it and ensure the store is always operational.

"Find them, then summon the shop?" Elori murmured.

"You understand perfectly." Lin Qing gave her a thumbs up.

"What if they don't want to come?"

"You don't need to worry about that. As long as you mention the word 'store,' they will definitely be happy to cooperate with your request."

Although the girl had some doubts, it was indeed as the other party said, and there was no harm in doing it.

“I understand…” Elori nodded in response.

Afterwards, Lin Qing saw her out of the shop.

When the angel reached the corner, he looked back and found that the shop had disappeared, replaced by an ordinary door.

If it weren't for the lingering aroma of coffee on her lips, she would have thought it was all a dream.

It truly is a mysterious shop that defies easy comprehension.

……

The next day, Elori sent someone to fetch the governor, expressing her desire to go out. However, Nymph said that now was not the time to go out.

"I've already arranged for the news about the angel's return to be released. It will be promoted along with the new Fusion Festival, starting last night. Now everyone in Paris knows about your situation, and it's not safe for you to go out now."

"Why?" Elori didn't understand what this had to do with safety.

“Child, if you stay here long enough, you’ll understand that ten million people can’t be a monolithic entity,” Ning Fu said helplessly. “Many people don’t want to stay underground any longer and want to reclaim their right to live on the surface. These people are supporters of the Star Destroyer Project, so naturally they will oppose the New Angel Alliance, which advocates the Great Wall Project.”

"But aren't you supposed to be unable to stay on the surface for long?"

"Indeed, as long as the crystal clusters remain, even individuals that have fused with primordial life cannot remain exposed on the surface for long. However, if we can completely remove the crystal clusters, perhaps we can obtain a clean living area."

"Humans are capable of doing this?" Elori asked curiously.

She thought the enemy's attack methods were unsolvable.

The governor patiently explained, “This discovery has been around for almost ten years. If we use the Primal Life to make weapons to attack the crystal clusters carried by the enemy, the two substances will mix and cause a melting phenomenon, with a ratio close to one to ten. I didn’t tell you before because it was insignificant—the Primal Life is too important to New Paris. We cannot risk losing it, even if it’s worth ten times the price. The risk is too great.”

Elori immediately understood the risks the other party was referring to. The flesh and blood mass was limited in quantity; even if they could eliminate this group of enemies and melt away the crystal clusters, there were still a large number of crystal clusters waiting for them on the moon. A single failure of a star-destroying missile could result in unacceptably high losses.

However, she can also understand her opponents.

There are always some people who would rather die fighting in the sunlight and with hope than live forever underground.

Will they attack me?

“You are the only angel in the Angel Alliance. If you can pass the fusion test, the Alliance’s prestige will surely be firmly established at the top once again.” Nymph looked at the girl with emotion. “I don’t want to assume such bad intentions about the opponents, but I don’t want you to encounter any danger at this time.”

“…I understand.” Elori gave up her plan to go out.

"That's good."

But before Ning Fu could even raise the corners of her mouth in a smile, she added, "I think it's alright to invite a friend to the Louvre, isn't it?"

"friend?"

"Yes, those are the two people who explored the old city with me."

“This…” Nymph hesitated, “Are they also from a hundred years ago? They don’t look like local Europeans.”

“Back then, people from all over the world came to Paris,” Elori said. “And they played an indispensable role in defeating the demon.”

“Of course I can see that they are very capable, even more so than most half-angels… but I always feel that you don’t know them that well, more like you’ve just met them recently.”

Uh... you guessed right.

Elori suddenly remembered that they had actually been monitoring the old city on the ground all along, which meant that the three of them had probably been noticed by the new Paris city the moment they fell into the park.

“Indeed, you’re right. But they saved my life and helped me escape safely at the Place de la Triomphe. That’s a life-or-death bond, so they definitely deserve to be called friends!” Elori decided to stick to her guns. “If you don’t invite them to the Louvre, then I won’t attend the Fusion Festival!”

"Hahaha..." the old woman suddenly laughed. "Alright, alright, I understand. Since he's someone you value so much, he must be trustworthy. I'll have Mr. Raphael extend an invitation to your friend; let's set the date for tomorrow, how about that?"

"Can't it be today?" Elori said, somewhat disappointed.

"Sorry, my schedule is completely booked for you today." She smiled and shook her head.

"Me? What am I supposed to do?"

"Festival procedures, preparatory training, psychological counseling, and..." Nymph crouched down and straightened her crooked collar, "...etiquette training. You have a lot to learn as the leader of the new generation of the Angel Alliance."

(End of this chapter)