Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 204 Return to the Dungeon

Chen Xuan had anticipated this outcome. "What time is it now?"

These words jolted Elori awake. Suppressing her excitement, she quickly opened the notebook on the table. "May 9, 2027! Have I been gone for two years already!?"

The flow of time in the world shows a difference.

However, two years is not a long time.

"At least no crystal clusters have fallen from the sky yet, so you now have a chance to change the future," Chen Xuan said with a smile.

This suited Elori's needs better than any other ability—she now knew where the future lay and had nearly a century to live, with so much to do.

Elori was aware of this as well.

She turned to Chen Xuan and bowed deeply. "Thank you, I understand what to do now!"

"I remember Amy mentioned that the first signs of the disaster came from an attack on the Angel Alliance's temple treasury, right?" Liu Shuyue's memory was really good. "I think it was called the Himalayas?"

Elori gasped, "June 1st!"

"What?" Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"The day the treasure vault was destroyed!" She suddenly remembered this. "It was this year! There are only 22 days left before the demons launch their attack! No, I have to report this to the Angel Alliance immediately..."

She rushed to the door, then turned back to look at the three of them, her face full of apology, and said, "I'm sorry... you went to the trouble of bringing me home, I should have treated you better..."

"It's alright, business is more important. You go about your business, don't worry about us." Chen Xuan waved to her.

"I'll definitely make it up next time!" Elori said before rushing out the door.

"Why doesn't she make a phone call?" Lin Qing asked, puzzled.

"The Angel Alliance probably has a special way of contacting us," Chen Xuan shrugged.

The three then returned to the shop.

Liu Shuyue opened the roller shutter door. It was still a peaceful afternoon in Tianlu Community. The festive atmosphere of Christmas outside seemed to have nothing to do with this place.

"I never imagined that buying an excavator would lead to such a huge change," she exclaimed.

Most importantly, the excavator hasn't been purchased yet. The Wuhuan Machinery Factory has been blocked, so they certainly don't have the capacity to supply him anymore.

"This isn't over yet." Lin Qing pointed upstairs. "What about the other person? Should we get him a room too and send him back to the Underground Paris?"

“No,” Chen Xuan decisively rejected. “He’s not a customer chosen by the shop, and he might not even have the need to make a transaction. The prerequisite for booking a room on the second floor is to become a customer first, so that the other party will also know our background.”

For Chen Xuan, someone who has no interest in the Ability Shop but knows of its existence represents a risk.

He would rather leave this person in Jiangcheng than register him for a room.

"By the way, you said he had something strange on him, what was it?"

“The bullet didn’t cause a major penetrating wound in his body because a lot of fleshy fibrous material blocked the bullet’s tumbling,” Lin Qing explained. “When I removed it, it was more tightly wrapped than a tangled mess, and these fleshy fibers would shrink back into his body after being peeled off, just like parasites.”

"I see." Chen Xuan said thoughtfully, "Then it must be the primordial life implanted in them after they participated in the Fusion Festival."

“I guessed so…” Lin Qing showed a disdainful expression, “Using biotechnology to enhance oneself is still just a matter of flesh and blood, which is far inferior to subcutaneous armor.”

"We've seen similar lumps of flesh and blood in Chang'an..." Liu Shuyue asked, puzzled. "Are these the same thing?"

Chen Xuan was unable to answer this question at the moment.

But he had a vague feeling that there must be some kind of relationship between them.

Because he also saw forbidden abilities in the angel. However, the former's world was very peaceful and normal before it was destroyed, just like Jiangcheng... It was hard to associate it with twisted flesh and blood.

There are also so-called "ancient insects," which are equally mysterious.

Whether it's a coin toss or a card game, before they shatter, they transform into countless insects, and the power of flesh and blood clearly sees them as enemies, even capable of devouring them within the inventory. Considering the situation in the Second New Paris, could the antagonism between the ancient insects and primordial life correspond to these two forces?
However, rather than pondering this problem, he decided to deal with Raphael's troubles first. If he didn't book guest rooms... it seemed his only option was to return via the erosion tunnel of the Fifth Ring Machinery Factory. But doing so would also involve significant risks. With such a serious incident resulting in casualties, countless eyes were undoubtedly watching the park; even a fly trying to get in would be difficult.

I wish I could rent a room in New Paris...

Wait a minute! Chen Xuan suddenly slapped his forehead. Speaking of renting a place, he actually does have one!

He opened his phone and found more than a dozen text messages written in French—these were messages he received after Amy guided him to register for a local internet service, most of which were shopping records from when he took Liu Shuyue shopping.

However, not all deductions are considered expenses. For example, one item details the costs incurred if the person does not move out and continues to stay in temporary accommodation.

After scanning the text message with a barcode scanner, he went to his computer, opened the management software, and scrolled down the branch options. Sure enough, he found that there was an additional item: "Second New Paris City No. 4 Quarantine Center, No. 1402, Dongcheng District".

So the place I was staying was called an isolation facility.

"Hahaha..." he couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Now things will be much easier."

"What did you think of?"

Chen Xuan shared his findings with the two, saying, "Now we have a quick way to return."

"This works too?" Lin Qing asked in surprise.

What surprised her was not the branch function, but that the store could include temporary accommodations within its branch network.

"Actually, it makes a lot of sense when you think about it... because they charged us for the room, and it was government-allocated housing, so it was compliant and legal, and the paperwork was definitely complete," Chen Xuan said. "The deduction agreement is essentially a contract. As long as I don't owe any room fees, it's just like a rental room."

“Okay…” Lin Qing had to admit that the store manager sometimes did think quite quickly, “but if we need to move people, we should do it now.”

Is it really necessary to be in such a hurry?

"Don't forget where you and Xiao Shuyue disappeared," Lin Qing said, glaring at her. "Wasn't the Louvre just attacked by thugs? Once the scene is cleared, you'll either be presumed dead or missing, and your rental agreement will definitely be canceled. So it's best to get there as soon as possible."

“That makes sense.” Chen Xuan also realized the seriousness of the problem. “Then let’s set off immediately.”

After setting up the branch, the three men carried the still unconscious Raphael into the elevator and arrived at the newly opened quarantine facility branch. The moment the door opened, a chubby figure immediately came forward. "Welcome back! May I ask... where did you come from? My logic system cannot make a valid judgment. And who is this lady? She is not registered as a resident of this room."

"Why are there robots here?" Lin Qing frowned.

"The guides provided by the new Paris are said to be available to every foreigner."

Chen Xuan laid Raphael down on the sofa—what used to be the living room had now been transformed into a fruit shop with the same decor as the main store. If the shop were to open for business now, the guards outside the courtyard would be terrified.

Lin Qing stepped forward, squatted down next to Amy to check her over, then pulled out a data cable from her wrist and plugged it into the port on Amy's back.

"What are you doing? Amy refuses illegal data transmission—transmission—A306, begin reboot." Amy's expression disappeared, the screen was filled with static, and the arm above her head drooped down.

"What did you do to it?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Have Xiao Lü check its hardware and software. There's no doubt that this thing is a mobile surveillance station planted by the local government around you. Once I've made the modifications, at least we won't have to worry about it leaking your whereabouts."

Future Soldier is really reliable in this regard!

"Done!" Lin Qing quickly completed the modification. "The person has been delivered, we can head home now."

"No rush." ​​Chen Xuan had other ideas. "We still need to rent a room here and go to the artifact repair shop while we're at it."

"Hey, will you come again next time?"

"Don't forget, the Dimensional Agency has also entered this world. We're not saying we should stop them, but we should at least see what they're planning to do here. And aren't you going to repair your prosthetic body? While the technology in New Paris isn't as advanced as it was in your time, it's still much better than what's happening in Jiangcheng."

Besides this, Chen Xuan had another thought he didn't voice: if Elori really changed history, would the world here change accordingly? Similarly, a century later, Jiangcheng faced a similar problem: to what extent would he and Lin Qing have to go to reverse the fate of the Crystal Palace's fall?

For them, the Second New Paris was an excellent window for observation.

(End of this chapter)