High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 825: Chapter 173 Prelude to the Influx of Guests

The view shifted back to the present.

Amidst Doctor Xiao’s complaints, the young state-sponsored student finally gave up on continuing to supervise the dressing mice and their various preparations. Stretching out the barely noticeable wrinkles on his new robe caused by crouching and standing, he hurriedly ran outside.

In fact, he was quite fond of observing the various details of an unfamiliar civilization; if it hadn’t been for pressing matters at hand, he would have certainly spent the afternoon squatting next to this group of mice with his notebook at the ready.

Perhaps after today’s opening ceremony, he could try to propose to Dangdang Ears the idea of visiting their Mouse Clan’s settlement again. Wasn’t there a big shot coming from the Mouse Clan today? If he flattered that big shot, maybe his wish could be fulfilled.

With this little thought in mind, the state-sponsored student lifted the hem of his robe and stepped over the threshold.

There was less than a quarter of an hour left before Si Time.

Even in the depths of winter, the Sun was forced to crawl over the horizon, revealing its bare self, hanging in the gray-white sky and casting a few very pale rays of sunlight.

Though pale, it was still sunlight, and the glaring sensation made the Warlock squint slightly.

The congratulatory sounds from neighbors mingled in the hustle and bustle of the busy commercial street, reaching Zheng Qing’s ears and making the corners of his mouth stretch into an involuntary, radiant smile.

As the irritation of the light faded, the Warlock opened his eyes and immediately noticed the guests who had arrived early.

”Welcome, welcome...” he greeted with a cupped hand salute, smiling broadly as he quickly took two steps forward—according to the rules, as the legal representative of ’Ding Ding Finance and Pest Control Company,’ only he was qualified to greet the guests—and said to an emaciated elder in a cyan-grey Taoist robe, ”You’ve come so early!

The gaunt old man coming towards him was none other than the neighbor of D&K, the owner of the 98th shop on Pedestrian Street, Mu Mingzi.

Whether moving houses or opening a new store, dealing with neighbors is inevitable. Zheng Qing had also sent out invitations early to several stores around D&K, inviting them to attend this morning’s opening ceremony.

Whether other people attended was their choice.

But whether to send out invitations was a matter of business attitude.

”I had to come early,” Old Master Mu waved his hand. Although he came to offer congratulations, his face lacked joy and seemed as if it were a piece of dried and cracked wood, his expression somewhat stiff: ”...I sat for a while at Crystal Granny’s yesterday. She said it would be very lively here today, coming early would beat the rush, and soon it would get more relaxed.”

These words, when spoken with Mu Mingzi’s expression, conveyed a sense of ’the sooner one dies, the sooner one gets reborn.’ It gave the impression that he wasn’t here to offer congratulations but to add to the trouble.

Zheng Qing caught a glimpse of Zhang Ji Xin’s somewhat flushed face and immediately glared at him. Then, with a chuckle, he said to the figure following behind the old master: ”Crystal Granny, you’ve come as well! Quickly, please come inside... It’s the store’s first day, so we don’t have much to offer, but each guest can receive one ’Tranquility Talisman’ of standard strength. There are only a hundred, first come, first served!”

”You two are first in line!” Xin Fat Man also called out, congratulating them, while hurriedly presenting two red packets wrapped in Talisman paper, then turned to summon the Sprites: ”Tea is served!”

Crystal Granny was the owner of the 96th shop on Pedestrian Street, running a business specializing in divination and medium services.

Although she styled herself granny, her appearance suggested she was only in her thirties or forties at most. With an oval face, arched brows, green eyes, and fair skin, she looked quite delicate.

When Zheng Qing first met this neighbor, he mistook the youthful ’granny’ for a shop assistant, which led to a bit of a humorous misunderstanding.

Whether it was the influence of Mu Mingzi or the proverb ’near vermilion, one gets stained red; near ink, one gets stained black,’ or perhaps a common trait among diviners, Crystal Granny had a somewhat reserved personality. A fist-sized Crystal Ball always floated in front of her, and most of her attention stayed on this ball, no matter the time or place. When she looked at people, her gaze was always careful and reserved, ready to break away at any moment.

”Thank you.” After receiving the red envelope handed over by Xin Fat Man, she lowered her head and expressed her gratitude softly. Then she slowly approached Zheng Qing, following behind Mu Mingzi, and stuffed a small wooden box into the warlock’s arms, ”A gift.”

Zheng Qing hesitated for a few seconds, then opened the wooden box according to local custom.

Inside the box was a light blue Crystal Ball, the size of a fist. Its surface was smooth, without a single flaw. Under the sunlight, three intersecting lines of light appeared on the surface of the ball, dividing it into six equal parts.

”Wow, you have made a fortune!” Mu Mingzi’s old and experienced voice sounded surprised from the side; evidently, he had not expected Crystal Granny to give such a valuable gift.

Xiao Xiao was also drawn over by the commotion.

He examined the wooden box carefully and then explained seriously, ”This is a Green Column Crystal Ball that old-fashioned diviners favor, and it’s been polished exceptionally well... that’s why we can see those intersecting lines of light. If I remember correctly, such a Crystal Ball would be worth more than thirty jade coins in the market.”

Upon hearing the price, Zheng Qing’s hand trembled, nearly causing him to spill the wooden box held by Doctor Xiao onto the ground.

Thirty jade coins!

As a state-funded student, his annual scholarship was only ten jade coins!

Even the yearly rent for the shop behind him would only amount to forty-five jade coins!

And the standard Talisman he had given Crystal Granny had a wholesale price of one gold bean at the Wandering Bar. In other words, his one gold bean had turned into three hundred gold beans in the blink of an eye.

Robbery couldn’t be faster than this.

The happiness was so sudden that, for a split second, the first thought that came into the warlock’s mind was to sell the Crystal Ball and then open another shop to hold another grand opening ceremony—this time, he would scatter invitations all over the Pedestrian Street.

Of course, this fleeting fantasy was quickly suppressed by his reason and sank into the deepest abyss of his consciousness.

There’s a saying, ’one does not receive a reward without having provided services.’

And another, ’unsolicited favors often indicate a hidden agenda.’

Although Crystal Granny did not seem to be the type of person to do anything untoward, once out of the Ivory Tower and faced with an unfamiliar society and neighbors, Zheng Qing felt he should be extra cautious.

”This gift is a bit too valuable!” He closed the wooden box and tried to hand it back to Crystal Granny, ”Your presence here today is already a great honor for us... there’s no need for any gifts.”

”Really? Then do I not need to give a gift either?” Mu Mingzi asked with a deadpan expression from the side—Zheng Qing thought that if his expression had been a bit more animated, it might have had a better effect.

Of course, none of the young warlocks paid any mind to Mu Mingzi’s ’cold joke,’ instead eagerly looking at Crystal Granny.

”A gift.” Crystal Granny did not take the wooden box; instead, she silently slid a step back, avoiding Zheng Qing’s outstretched arm.