"I've got the general picture." Chen Xuan lowered the curtain. "One last question: how much are you willing to sacrifice to save the Saint Maiden?"
"Everything I have, of course!" Gilles de Rais answered without hesitation.
"Words are cheap. Let me see how determined you are." He raised the Scanner Gun and pulled the trigger at the man.
The latter wore a resolute expression, as if undergoing a sacred trial.
The moment he saw the other man's abilities, Chen Xuan felt a little disappointed. Gilles de Rais hadn't held anything back, but there were only three abilities to choose from, and their rarities were two white and one gray. Their traits were nothing special, either. Abilities like "Horse Riding" and "Classical Logistics" obviously had very limited uses. In terms of convenience, they weren't even as good as "Can Sleep a Lot." The last one was called "Black Magic." It had a somewhat unusual name, but the lowest rarity.
"No wonder you're only a three-star card."
Gilles de Rais looked bewildered. "Three-star... what's that?"
"Nothing. I can feel how determined you are to save your savior. It's admirable."
At any rate, every transaction earned him Performance Points, so having a little more stock on hand couldn't hurt. He wasn't in a position to be picky yet. Besides, his points were currently stuck at nine, and he only needed one more to apply for the next level. The timing of this man's arrival couldn't have been better.
Gilles de Rais was overjoyed. "You'll help me?"
"Not exactly." Chen Xuan's words turned his smile back into a frown. "Give me a few minutes to think it over... Wait outside the store for now. I'll let you know when I've made up my mind."
He hadn't forgotten the moment Joan of Arc had raised her sword and a beam of light pierced the sky. Nor had he forgotten that cannons were already in use in this era. On top of the Black Magic Gilles de Rais possessed, it only strengthened Chen Xuan's conviction that this world was anything but ordinary. Even with the few cultivation abilities he'd obtained from Liu Shuyue, storming a prison alone and taking the Saintess from a large group of battle-hardened soldiers was far too risky.
Even if customers were the Ability Store's precious assets, they weren't worth risking his life for.
After all, the handbook had made it clear: being the shopkeeper of this store was a high-risk job.
Unless he could make sure everything went off without a hitch, he had no intention of claiming disability benefits.
After ushering Gilles de Rais out of the store, though the man kept looking back, Chen Xuan went upstairs and knocked on Room 201.
He wondered if she was even there.
To his surprise, the door opened almost immediately.
Liu Shuyue stood behind it in loose, casual clothes. "What is it?"
"I want to rescue a customer." Chen Xuan got straight to the point. "She's been locked up and will be executed tomorrow. But I'm a businessman, and I'm not very good at fighting, so I was hoping you could help."
She paused. "A customer? Someone like me?"
"You could say that."
"Your service is that thorough? Not only do you offer refunds, but you'll even help break someone out before their execution?" Liu Shuyue found it unbelievable. If every merchant in the world ran a shop like his, merchants wouldn't have such a lowly reputation.
"I hope every customer who's ever visited my store can live a safe and happy life." Chen Xuan sounded completely serious.
"That doesn't seem quite right... If she's committed terrible crimes, like murder or arson, then she'd deserve to be executed."
"Don't worry about that. If she were a villain, I wouldn't have done business with her." He immediately gave her a brief account of Joan of Arc's story. "We still don't know how she ended up in this situation, but dying unjustly in her own cell clearly isn't the ending she deserves."
"I see. Still, this has little to do with why I left the mountains in the first place..."
"Of course, I wouldn't ask you to help for free. If you agree to lend a hand, I can waive half a month's rent for your VIP room—"
"One month's rent!"
Liu Shuyue immediately changed her tune.
So she wanted more money.
Who was it who'd said haggling was too mercenary?
"...Fine."
She nodded with satisfaction. "She may not be a citizen of the Great Qi Kingdom, but saving an innocent person is never a bad thing. Besides, I'm curious to meet the other customers you've made."
"Then let's go now."
"By the way..." As she passed Chen Xuan, she suddenly asked, "If I ever end up in prison, would you come and save me like this?"
Chen Xuan thought he caught a hint of mischief in her expression.
"Of course," he replied without hesitation. "You're a valued VIP, after all."
Once they stepped outside, Chen Xuan could finally see his own store from an outsider's perspective. It blended almost perfectly into the street. The plastic curtain at the entrance was mostly hidden behind a brick wall, leaving only an ordinary-sized doorway. This proved that the store really did adapt itself to its surroundings. If it appeared in the wilderness, it would probably be a standalone building; if it appeared in a city, it would become an entrance attached to an existing structure.
Still, there was one thing that set it apart.
The light spilling out from inside.
It was soft and even, a stark contrast to the light of campfires and candles in this era. Especially in this quiet alley, its warm glow was like a beacon, visible from far away.
"This isn't the Great Qi Kingdom." Liu Shuyue glanced around. She wasn't nearly as surprised as he'd expected. "Is this a world beyond the Abyssal Sea?"
"Yeah. It's pretty far from your home, at any rate."
She nodded and asked no more.
Chen Xuan introduced Liu Shuyue to Gilles de Rais, who was waiting anxiously. "This is the person I asked to help. You can call her Ms. Liu."
He looked doubtful. "Such a young woman? Your Excellency, is this really—"
"She's a witch."
Gilles de Rais was stunned, then regarded her with reverence. "A witch who's embraced the Lord God... This is the first time I've ever met one!"
"What are you talking about?" Liu Shuyue clearly couldn't understand French.
"I was introducing you to him. I said you were the greatest immortal cultivator in the Great Qi Kingdom."
"There's no such thing as the greatest... I don't even have any competition." Her cheeks reddened a little, though she didn't sound displeased.
"Do you know where Joan of Arc is being held?" Chen Xuan asked Gilles de Rais.
"Of course. I've already investigated."
He took a roll of parchment from inside his coat and unfolded it with both hands. It was a map.
"This shows the layout inside the castle. It has three main sections and four floors. I've also figured out roughly how the guards are deployed..."
In just a few minutes, Gilles de Rais explained all the obstacles they would face.
Clearly, though he was anxious, he'd put a great deal of effort into rescuing Joan of Arc.
"My men are ready. We can move at any time. Just give the word, Your Excellency, and they'll attack the royal fortress from the east and south sides of the river valley. Of course... we're short on manpower, so there's no way we can defeat His Majesty's guards. But we can at least create a diversion and cover your advance into the fortress—"
"Wait," Chen Xuan interrupted in surprise. "You brought men with you?"
Gilles de Rais was even more surprised. "Of course... How else could I rescue Lady Joan without enough men?"
"How many did you bring?"
"One battalion, and two cannons. Everyone's willing to risk their lives for Lady Joan!"
Leading troops in a surprise attack on the king's Hill Palace was practically a coup... Chen Xuan's mouth twitched. This man had some nerve!
Historically, Gilles de Rais had never openly rebelled. After Joan of Arc was executed, he'd lost all hope and left the army. In the end, he was arrested and executed for performing human sacrifices.
Well... human sacrifices and rebellion both seemed about equally outrageous.
Chen Xuan explained the plan to Liu Shuyue, but she shook her head. "That's too reckless, and it'll do more harm than good. Even if we rescue that heroic commander, she'll be disgraced as a traitor. If our only goal is to save someone, we should avoid needless casualties."
With that, she opened her waist pouch and took out two talismans. "Wood Fire Dissipation—conceal!"
As soon as she spoke, the talismans burst into flames!
When the smoke cleared, Liu Shuyue had vanished without a trace.
Wait... Liu Shuyue wasn't the only one gone. Chen Xuan looked down and realized he couldn't see his own body, either. It was as if his viewpoint were floating in midair.
"There's no need to involve anyone else. The two of us can go to the dungeon."
Her voice came from in front of him. It was Liu Shuyue's.
"Hold on... Where did you go?" Gilles de Rais cried anxiously. "Please grant me the power to become invisible, too!"
"I can't. Only people with the right talent can turn invisible, and you don't have it." Chen Xuan explained for her.
"How can that be..." He seemed unable to accept it.
"Tell your troops not to make a move. Just give me the map." Chen Xuan patted him on the shoulder to reassure him. "Besides, someone has to watch the store... Stay here. We'll bring Joan back."
Before you continue