Chapter 5
The following morning, at daybreak.
Mo Xi, who had fallen asleep leaning against the chair, slowly woke. Looking at the petite figure curled up beneath the covers on the bed, she helplessly shook her head.
Although Little Six would grow into a terrifying being capable of devouring souls, right now she was essentially just a child who had been swept up in all this.
“Get some good rest. At least for now, you’re safe.” Mo Xi spoke softly as she adjusted the covers for Little Six.
A moment later, Mo Xi looked over the room, which gave no hint that anyone was hiding there, and nodded in satisfaction. Then she turned and stepped out, intending to try a bold idea.
Click~
As the door closed, the girl hidden beneath the covers suddenly opened her eyes. Complex emotions flickered in them.
Meanwhile, in the banquet hall.
Seeing the hostess’s gloomy expression and the butler beside her bearing several new injuries, Mo Xi immediately had a bad feeling.
The hostess lifted her gaze to Mo Xi. Coldness and a hint of calculation mingled in her eyes, giving her an indescribably chilling air.
“Miss Angela, I heard from the butler that you know a great deal about us?” The hostess emphasized “us,” seemingly testing something.
Mo Xi calmly pulled out the chair in front of the dining table and sat down under the hostess’s icy gaze.
“I wouldn’t say I know you particularly well. I only happened to come across some information about you while studying Potioncraft years ago.” Mo Xi replied with a polite smile.
Though Mo Xi appeared perfectly calm, inside she couldn’t help complaining.
Oh, crap.
How was she supposed to know what the hostess meant by “us”? The little bit she’d discussed with the butler yesterday had nearly exhausted her knowledge. If they kept talking about this...
Realizing she had to change the subject, Mo Xi cleared her throat and asked about something else. “Ahem... Speaking of which, do we have professional equipment and materials for making potions here?”
At that, the hostess narrowed her eyes, a hint of curiosity flashing in her gaze.
“Why are you asking?” the hostess said coldly.
Seeing the hostess take the bait, Mo Xi blinked and immediately summoned the same confidence she’d used in her previous life to pitch plans and make promises to her boss.
“My beautiful lady, isn’t the reason you invited me here to slow your aging? I’m quite skilled in potion research in that area. Just give me some time, and I can prepare a potion that will slow your aging and even improve your complexion.”
Seeing that the hostess was drawn in by what she was saying, Mo Xi paused, deliberately drawing out her words. “However~ I’ll need enough materials and professional potion-making equipment.”
Seeing that the hostess seemed tempted, Mo Xi hurriedly continued, “My beautiful lady, surely you don’t want to watch your skin sag and your face become covered in age spots, do you?”
Perhaps Mo Xi had hit a nerve. The hostess took several heavy breaths, then immediately asked, “What do you need?”
As soon as she heard that, Mo Xi knew her plan had succeeded. She pretended to reach into her pocket, but actually took a list straight from her storage space.
Mo Xi handed the list to the butler beside her. “These are the materials I need. If you don’t have some of them, use materials with similar properties instead.”
The butler made the list float before him and only gave it a cursory glance before his brows furrowed sharply.
Seeing his expression, the hostess immediately sensed something was wrong. She reached out and took the list to look it over.
But the moment the hostess looked at it, the noble bearing she had put on was utterly shattered.
Smack!
The hostess slapped the table and glared furiously at Mo Xi. “Asking for some materials is one thing, but what do you mean by soul fragments and equipment to help prepare potions?”
Seeing that the hostess was enraged, Mo Xi maintained her polite smile. “My beautiful lady, if you have professional equipment for preparing potions, then there’s no need to prepare the separate auxiliary equipment.”
“As for the soul fragments...”
Mo Xi paused for a moment, then spread her hands and said innocently, “I did travel all this way. Surely I can’t leave without any payment?”
Audacious!
Arrogant!
In the hostess’s eyes, Mo Xi’s take-it-or-leave-it attitude was an unprecedented insult. She could have simply attacked and killed Mo Xi, but she restrained herself.
The reason was simple: she couldn’t bear to.
Of the five experts, only this apothecary had stayed quietly in her room while the other four started wrecking her castle.
Though it now seemed like she was trying to fleece her, didn’t that just prove she had some ability to help the hostess achieve her goal?
As the hostess took deep breaths to suppress her emotions, Mo Xi frantically prayed inwardly that her plan would work.
She was just an ordinary person. Acting cocky and shaking down a big boss was bound to make her nervous.
As for why Mo Xi was taking such a reckless risk?
The answer was simple: the payoff was high.
Although the main mission only required her to investigate the truth, that didn’t stop Mo Xi from using her abilities to gain more benefits.
Because this was a real world, and everyone had their own consciousness.
Take the butler, for example. In Mo Xi’s memory, this character had been no more than an elite monster. But after interacting with him, Mo Xi had discovered that he had thoughts of his own. He maintained his gentlemanly composure and was curious about the outside world.
Then there was Little Six. In Mo Xi’s memory, she was always running and hiding. But after meeting her, Mo Xi realized she was just a child, one who would do her best to return kindness when she received it.
So the worlds in the Paradise were all real, and Mo Xi was now taking advantage of that reality—and the hostess’s obsession with not growing old.
If her plan succeeded, she could not only use the castle’s resources to upgrade her Potioncraft, but also obtain extra rewards beyond the mission rewards.
What if someone asked what she would do if the plan failed? What if the hostess wasn’t that obsessed?
Mo Xi would tell them that potential gains came with the risk of potential losses. At least Mo Xi felt that perishing on an adventure in a world she had never imagined she could experience firsthand was itself a legendary experience.
Fortunately, Mo Xi’s judgment had been right.
When the butler floated over with a whole pile of materials and a box, Mo Xi knew she was about to make a fortune.
“These materials are enough for you to prepare thirty potions. I want to see the finished product first.” The hostess stared at Mo Xi and spoke coldly.
“Also, we don’t have any equipment to help prepare potions here. We only have one item that speeds up your thinking when worn. You can borrow it for now.”
The hostess, not wanting to look at it and get annoyed, ordered the butler to dump everything in front of Mo Xi, then stood up to leave the banquet hall.
But she had barely risen when Mo Xi, having finished inspecting everything, called after her, “Where are the soul fragments I asked for?”
Hearing that, the hostess stopped. After taking a deep breath, she said in an extremely unfriendly tone, “Ask me for payment after you bring me the finished product.”
Thud!
Mo Xi looked at the door that had been slammed shut, then at the butler, who was doing his best to maintain a gentlemanly smile. She picked up the materials and box and left the banquet hall.
After Mo Xi left, the butler stayed behind and used a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his brow. Only he knew how much the hostess had staked this time, because that piece of equipment was her favorite treasured possession—bar none.