Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 259 "Returning to the Scene"

……

"You can come and eat now!" Elori called out.

"Hmm... okay," Chen Xuan replied, leaning against the windowsill.

He was still in a dream, the city before him bearing witness: the crimson sunset was fading, streetlights were lighting up one by one, outlining the crisscrossing streets; a few lights were peeking from the windows of apartment buildings not far away, as if people, after a busy day, were finally able to return home and rest. But in reality, the streets and buildings were completely empty, not a single person in sight.

This Parisian city seemed to belong only to Elori.

Chen Xuan didn't immediately press her about what happened that day because he sensed her suspicion. He realized he had to follow the dream's script and play his role well; if Elori found it too strange, the dream might end prematurely.

That's what makes dreams so incredible.

The little angel wouldn't suspect the empty city, but would become suspicious of his repeated questioning.

Chen Xuan could only be patient and wait for a better opportunity.

Dinner consisted of onion soup, pan-fried cod, beef stew in red wine, and a plate of bread. Except for the bread, which was store-bought, all the other dishes were made by Elori herself. The small round table was piled high with food, making it look both plentiful and delicious.

"Your cooking skills are quite impressive," Chen Xuan praised sincerely.

"Hehe, I learned it all online." Elori laughed happily. "Before Miss Liuli came, I lived here alone, and I gradually learned to cook for myself."

"Given that we've reunited after so long, it's worth celebrating." Liuli deftly poured red wine for all three of them. "Come on, cheers!"

"You can only finish this one bottle at most," the angel instructed.

"Oh, it's a special day, let's not worry about this. Being happy is the most important thing, isn't it?" she said with a laugh.

Chen Xuan raised his wine glass, clinked it with theirs in agreement, and then drank it down in one gulp.

It has a slightly sour taste with a hint of fruity sweetness, just like the taste of real red wine.

"Drink less, this isn't baijiu." Liuli even complained about him, although she poured him another cup, but this time she only poured a little bit.

The Liuli here is quite different from the N21 he knew. Is it because, according to the setting, she has already spent half a year with Elori?
"So even strange creatures need to eat," Chen Xuan joked.

“I can live without eating, but why not?” Liuli said dismissively. “I have a sense of taste, a sense of smell, and all the senses of a human being. Wouldn’t it be a waste not to use them? Besides, Elori’s cooking is quite good, and I like it very much.”

According to the plan, this dinner was specially prepared for him by Elori.

It was simply because he rarely made the trip.

Chen Xuan hadn't expected that the other party would care about him so much. This attitude was far more than that of a customer to a shop manager; it was more like that of a rare friend.

The question is, if Elori really wanted to see him, why didn't she go directly to the store through the VIP room?

But Chen Xuan dared not ask this question in his dream... because it was unclear how far the world could expand after entering the dream, and the topic of boundaries might trigger a bug.

After a few rounds of drinks, a slight blush appeared on Elori's face.

Seeing that things were about right, Chen Xuan cleared his throat and asked, "How are your injuries from before?"

"It's ready a long time ago," she replied cheerfully.

"Can you tell me what happened? I can't quite remember." He pretended to be slightly drunk.

“It’s nothing serious.” Elori smiled, looking at Chen Xuan with a somewhat absent-minded gaze. “I was looking up information in the library, and it was a bit late when I went out. The streets were very quiet at the time, so I didn’t think much of it, and then I was ambushed.”

Chen Xuan held his breath. "The attacker... used a gun, didn't he?"

“Yes, and the bullets can even track targets. It’s truly futuristic.” She said it casually, as if she hadn’t been the one attacked. “The areas outside the city center of Paris are usually very chaotic, but I never imagined that the security situation would still be so bad after a hundred years that people could actually open fire with fully automatic weapons on the street.”

Sure enough, she was referring to this attack!
Chen Xuan did not know the specific details of the attack, and the dream he conceived based on that certainly did not include related content, but Elori described the situation at the time, and this memory could only come from her!
"I was hit by several bullets and tried to escape, but I was intercepted by a demon... It's ridiculous, I'm an angel, and I couldn't even beat a demon. He seemed different from the demons I've seen before, not at all like a weakling." Elori smiled. "Luckily, the shopkeeper arrived at that moment, otherwise I would have been in serious trouble."

"I... came?" Chen Xuan asked subconsciously. "Yes, I called your name in the moment of crisis, and then you rushed out of the shop on the street, not only repelling the demon, but also taking me away from danger." Elori lowered her head slightly, "You said that whenever I encounter trouble, I can ask you for help, and you will definitely come to solve my troubles... The shopkeeper's promise is indeed very reliable."

Chen Xuan felt a slight jolt in his heart.

Is this how dreams are woven?

Did he ever say something like that? He definitely did. He would say something similar to every customer who visited the ability shop, just like when he worked at a fast-food restaurant and gave each customer a professional smile.

That doesn't represent his true thoughts.

For him, there are different kinds of customers. Some customers can provide more valuable abilities and will naturally receive more attention from him.

Elori does not belong to this category.

But he seemed to have overlooked the fact that, for the customers, he and the shop were, most of the time, their only hope.

Because there aren't multiple ability shops in the world for them to choose from.

The truth is, Chen Xuan did not arrive at the scene in time. By the time the store connected to her area, she was already lying on a cold emergency bed.

But the dream altered this part... Why? Is it because Elori still feels that way? That he will definitely keep his promise?

Chen Xuan suddenly tasted a bitter flavor.

He runs a store, but it shouldn't just be a store.

"Don't worry... everything will be alright." Chen Xuan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "No matter how severe the situation is, even if the future is reversed again, I will ensure your safety."

“Yes!” Elori nodded with a smile. “Thank you. I’ve always thought so.”

"Ugh, it's so sour! Drink up!" Liuli poured the two of them another half cup.

After taking a couple of bites of grilled fish, Chen Xuan asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why did the demon discover your whereabouts?"

He had previously guessed that demons might not have disappeared, but rather had quietly hidden themselves and blended into human society without leaving a trace, and had even specifically warned Elori about this. According to Elori, she had never revealed her identity as an angel, relying almost entirely on libraries and the internet to gather information.

“I also found it very strange, and I couldn’t figure it out at first,” the little angel sighed. “But then I suddenly remembered that I had received a few WeChat messages between the time of the attack.”

"WeChat? In Paris of the future?" Chen Xuan asked in surprise. Then he realized that it was entirely possible, since the apocalypse had been averted and all human cities were fine, so the company operating WeChat could still exist.

Who sent it?

"Red Lotus. She's from the Vision Agency."

Chen Xuan was extremely familiar with this name; he had heard it from Lin Qing many times before. "Did she need something from you?"

Elori took out her phone and showed it to him.

"I still have all the chat logs; they're my only connection to the outside world."

It was just a few simple questions, the kind of thing a team leader would do if they had lost a subordinate and were filled with worry and concern.

Chen Xuan didn't notice anything unusual at first glance, but upon a second look, he suddenly realized something was amiss. Something's wrong with these sentences!
Finally, his gaze lingered on the two sentences: "We are still looking for you" and "Where are you? We have been looking for you for a long time."

How could Honglian, an operator who entered the other world at the same time as Jiang Siqi, possibly have the memory of searching for Elori?!

Jiang Siqi didn't even have any impression of the apocalypse!

Perhaps they did search for Elori at first, but once history took a turn, they shouldn't have remembered it anymore!

The person who sent these messages is probably not Honglian at all.

(End of this chapter)