By evening, more and more customers began to trickle in.
Most of the people who came here to buy things lived in the neighborhood. Chen Xuan had seen the old man picking out cigarettes at the counter several times already. Once a shop had been open for a while, it was only natural to get regulars—even a little convenience store in a remote spot without a proper sign was no exception.
Chen Xuan had considered putting up a new sign and changing the shop's name to something more niche, like "House Sales" or "Convenient Insurance." That would discourage most residents and, in turn, leave him more time to attract special customers.
But he had invested most of his first earnings in the instant-noodle trade. With so little capital to work with, he had to shelve the plan for now.
"Come to think of it... If I really put up a secondhand house sales sign, wouldn't that confuse new customers who wanted to trade abilities, too?" Chen Xuan muttered to himself, watching the customers wandering around the shop.
If they hesitated and then turned around and left, that would be a real loss.
"Young man, which building do you live in?" The old man handed over the cigarettes he had picked out.
"That'll be 22 yuan... Building 6."
"Scan this." He skillfully brought up the payment code. "You look pretty young. Are you working, or helping your family mind the shop?"
"I'm working. It's close to where I live, and the job's pretty easy. Here are your cigarettes."
Making small talk with customers was a piece of cake for Chen Xuan. As he did so, he casually used the Scanner Gun to peek at the old man's abilities.
He found that unless he initiated a trade, the other person wouldn't see a trade window. Of course, scanning this way let him glimpse only four abilities at most. If someone had a lot of abilities, there was no way to investigate their full hand directly.
"Business" LV1, white.
So he had an ability after all, Chen Xuan thought.
He had assumed everyone had abilities, with the only difference being how many they possessed. But after scanning the customers who came and went, he found that only about half had any abilities, and most had just one or two. Abilities were more common among people aged ten to thirty, and were closely related to their occupations. For instance, he had seen "Broadly Read Through the Ages" twice, and both times the person had looked like a student.
By comparison, the elderly were much more likely to have no abilities at all. Chen Xuan guessed they must have been good at something when they were young, but as time passed, those skills had gradually faded and been forgotten. In other words, abilities weren't permanent. They could grow stronger as their owners honed them, but fade away as their bodies and memories aged.
As for someone like him, who had started out with four abilities, he apparently belonged among the chosen few.
It was just that few people could notice this "talent"—and even if they did, it was of little use.
"Ah, young people really ought to go out and make their way in the world." Hearing Chen Xuan say that, the old man's face showed a hint of disappointment.
If I tell him it's my family's shop, is he going to ask if I have a partner next?
"I gave it a try. It wasn't for me." Chen Xuan smiled.
"Hmm... Do you have a partner?"
Huh? Why wasn't the old man following the usual script?
Just as Chen Xuan was trying to figure out what the old man was getting at, another customer lifted the curtain and entered the shop.
He instinctively glanced over, and immediately realized this person was no ordinary customer.
It was a pleasant autumn day, and everyone else was still wearing short sleeves and shorts. Yet the newcomer was draped in a gray-black cloak, wrapped up from head to toe. The cloak looked as if it had been dragged through the mud, and was filthy beyond belief.
Such an unusual outfit immediately drew everyone's attention.
Even the old man forgot about asking whether he had a partner.
Under everyone's gaze, the man seemed hesitant. He took a small step back, but soon seemed to steel himself and walked toward Chen Xuan.
"Are you the legendary emissary?" He leaned far over the counter, his fists resting on the surface and trembling slightly, as if he were struggling to contain his emotions. "I need your help!"
Well, the moment Chen Xuan heard that manner of speaking, he knew the man wasn't from this world.
The problem was, the neighborhood was still right outside the shop!
How had he gotten in?
"What kind of foreign talk is that? Can you understand him?" The old man put away his cigarettes with a look of distaste. "How about we just call the police?"
"Uh... It's fine. He's a friend of mine. He likes playing murder mystery games, but he gets a little too into character." Chen Xuan looked at the man and raised a finger. "Shh... Go sit over there. I'll come over in a moment."
The man looked as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he did as he was told.
"I meet people online. I've got a few partners." Chen Xuan turned back to the old man with a smile. "Come again next time."
The old man left the shop, glaring and stroking his beard.
Once the remaining customers had left, Chen Xuan hurriedly pulled down the roller shutter and closed the curtains.
Only Chen Xuan and the unfamiliar visitor remained in the shop on the first floor.
Was this man a new customer?
Why did it feel as if he knew Chen Xuan? He'd called him an emissary as soon as they met.
And the title of emissary sounded strangely familiar, as if Chen Xuan had heard someone call him that before...
"There's no one else here. You can take off your hood." As usual, Chen Xuan poured him a cup of coffee. "Tell me what's going on. What do you need my help with?"
"My name is Gilles de Rais." The man took off his hood, revealing an extremely haggard face. "I'm a general under the Saint Maiden."
Chen Xuan had no reaction to the name, but the word "Saint Maiden" in the second half of the sentence instantly reminded him of something. When he'd parted ways with Joan of Arc, she had called herself that, too.
"You're one of Joan's men?"
He went to the counter and immediately looked up the man's information.
"Of course... No one but Lady Joan is worthy of the title of Saint Maiden." The man lowered his head, anger and regret surging in his eyes. "Yet she, who won great victories for France and led us in retaking Orléans and Reims, was framed by vile schemers and thrown into a dungeon! I received reliable news that she'll be sent to the stake tomorrow morning!"
Holy crap! Chen Xuan couldn't help but gasp.
Hadn't she already changed history by avoiding capture at Compiègne?
"First, tell me how long ago the Battle of Compiègne took place."
"About... three years ago."
Three years? Originally, there had only been a year between Joan's capture and her death sentence. History really had changed.
Then why hadn't she escaped her fate of being burned at the stake?
Could this be that ridiculous force of historical inertia again?
"Take your time. How was she framed?"
"It's all that woman called Mad Judy's fault!" At the name, Gilles de Rais abruptly raised his head, and the murderous intent in his eyes was plain to see. "She's the one who practices dark magic, yet somehow she's become one of His Majesty King Charles's favored guests! His Majesty not only appointed her chief advisor, but even let her interfere in military affairs. It makes no sense! Everyone in the palace has been blinded by that accursed witch. They obey her every word... Lady Joan couldn't stand by and watch, so she opposed her. As a result, they accused her of heresy. It's utterly absurd!"
Who was Mad Judy? Did anyone really have a name like that? Chen Xuan searched the term, but found nothing.
Had history gone off course, giving rise to new butterfly effects?
But who could guarantee that what Gilles de Rais said was the truth? He was just a general who had spent years commanding troops in the field. Anything he knew about the palace was hearsay, so it was hard to tell how much of it could be trusted.
"Lady Joan absolutely mustn't die at the hands of people like that... The Saint Maiden of Orléans shouldn't meet such a ridiculous end!" Gilles de Rais growled. "With my own strength, I could never break into Chinon Palace, where she's being held... It's heavily guarded. Not even a bird could get in. Just when I was about to despair... I suddenly remembered a story she told me, about how she encountered light in the endless darkness and how God granted her great power!"
"You are the emissary of the Lord God, so you must understand that Lady Joan could never have colluded with heretics! She is the most devout follower of the Lord! Please, let the light drive away the darkness once more!"
So that was how it was.
Chen Xuan was deep in thought.
The man hadn't come to trade abilities. He had come to this shop to save his superior.
But could it really work like this? His plea had been answered just because of a story Joan had told him. That didn't seem to fit the rules of business. Or was it because Joan was already a valuable resource to the shop as a customer, so the shop had made an exception for him?
If that was the case, why hadn't Joan asked for help herself?
With the shop's abilities, Chen Xuan felt it wouldn't be strange if it opened a door straight into the dungeon.
"How did you find this place? Did you go to Compiègne City?"
"No. I'm near Chinon, close to the royal fortress." Gilles de Rais shook his head. "Lady Joan once told me your story. She also said that with a devout heart, one could see the light of the Lord God anywhere. So I decided to try my luck, walking around the alleys of a nearby town in circles... I never expected to find such an incredible shop."
Chen Xuan walked over to the window and lifted the curtain to peer outside.
It was still dusk, but now low gray-tiled brick houses lined the street. Withered vines covered the old walls, matching the weathered face of the man behind him.
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