Chapter 148

Spring in Bekeland was a bit colder than expected, but for the Phantom of the Opera Set with its [comfort] element, temperature, humidity, or any other external influences were basically negligible.

As always, Feng Xue entered a supermarket precisely on time, waiting for Housewife who met his needs to appear.

He didn't stay at the same supermarket all the time; he would change locations every few days. After all, the characteristic of "having bought groceries at the same supermarket" was too obvious. Unless the investigator was a policeman from the Conan movie set, there was no way he wouldn't have noticed.

Time ticked by, and Housewife walked past the shelves stocked with various ingredients. Feng Xue was also selecting her own items.

After several months of practice, Feng Xue's eye for quality has improved significantly. With just a glance, he can judge the fabric and workmanship of clothing, distinguish the quality of jewelry, and even easily determine the price range of perfumes and cosmetics used by others. He may not know the specific brands of these items, but that does not prevent him from making a mental table based on the actual effects and the economic status of the item's owner.

"The handbag is brand new, with exquisite craftsmanship and the most fashionable style right now. The top has no brand name, but the buttons are genuine jadeite. Although it's only of the icy-glutinous type, the overall price won't be low. She's not wearing perfume, and her makeup is light. She's a rather low-key wealthy woman..."

"Wow, so big, so white... Ugh! Her clothes are rather revealing, she's quite young, and her perfume is strong and complex. She probably just applied it and ran out. This woman isn't here to buy groceries; she's here to pick up men, isn't she?"

"The bracelet on her wrist is made of Afghan jade, the pearl necklace is cultured pearls from freshwater, and the handbag is a high-quality replica... She's the type with a little Xiao Qian and a strong sense of vanity..."

While analyzing the characteristics of each woman in her mind, Feng Xue's actions did not stop. The way she occasionally picked up items from the shelf made her look like an ordinary customer, without the slightest sense of incongruity.

But just then, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure. It was a blonde, wavy-haired white woman with minimal makeup, wearing a business suit and a light perfume that exuded a musky scent mixed with a hint of her own body odor. She was probably already in the final stages of her fragrance.

She has a perfect figure that could be used as a selling point in action movies. With her excellent anatomical knowledge, Feng Xue immediately judged that the natural swaying caused by the gentle shaking with each step was absolutely all-natural.

However, Feng Xue only glanced at her before immediately looking away. It wasn't that he was so influenced by the Gynomorphic Filter that he "didn't want to do anything," but rather because this woman was a "hook."

The term "hook" is a kind of underworld slang, generally used to describe professions such as plainclothes police officers or undercover agents.

The reason Feng Xue was so certain was not for any other reason than that, in Feng Xue's vision, lines of small characters were floating out from the woman's body—

Title: Phantom Object: The Allure of Tempting Crime

Elements: [Props], [Decorations], [Charm], [Desire], [Seduction]

Description: A classic women's handbag that will make you the center of attention for countless men. Unfortunately, the attention it attracts often belongs to some lawless scoundrels.

Note: Ever since this handbag was found among a victim's belongings, it seems to keep returning to the detectives.

Feng Xue didn't know if this world could give birth to natural Phantom Object without the interference of Weird Tale, Omen, or anything else. But even if it could, it would be an extremely rare occurrence. At least in the few months Feng Xue had been in the world, this was the first Phantom Object he had ever encountered in the Real World, and it was a completely negative one at that.

It just so happens that it attracted the attention of a "criminal," happened to appear in a supermarket, happened to be carried by a young woman, and coupled with the "curse" inherent in the bag itself, Feng Xue found it hard to believe that this was merely a coincidence.

"Is this the Phantom Object that tricked that fool?" Feng Xue glanced at the handbag out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but think of the [Nothingness] who was arrested a month ago.

However, we can't blame the other party for being incompetent. After all, in the Infinite City, even if there are appraisal-related Tag, most of them originate from the Infinite City. Once you leave the Infinite City, these Tag become invalid. Even the most experienced appraiser will find it difficult to determine whether an item is Phantom Object without handling it in the real world, let alone see through its abilities.

Making the holder an easier target for criminals is indeed a great ability for swindling, but for Feng Xue, who can directly see the Phantom Object panel, this trick is meaningless. In fact, if the other party didn't have this handbag, he would be more likely to take the bait.

Gently shaking his head, Feng Xue turned his gaze to the other Housewife. Although, under the influence of the Phantom Object's power, his gaze kept drifting towards that woman, it didn't actually attract her attention. After all, most of the men in the supermarket were stealing glances at her.

Although the Phantom Object's power is to attract "lawless madmen," it inherently possesses the three elements of [charm], [desire], and [seduction], making it captivating even without Phantom Object own power.

Using reason to restrain her impulses towards the corpse-hair-like figure triggered by the Phantom Object, Feng Xue maintained her persona while considering whether she should change her clothes next time.

After all, the Phantom of the Opera Set's ability is merely to "blend into the environment." Although he appears like a grain of sand in the desert under the observation of on-site footage and live surveillance, there is still a certain probability of discovering his traces afterward through video recordings or similar means.

However, after some consideration, he gave up the idea. After all, the Phantom of the Opera Set had the ability to "Ghostly Evasion and disappear unpredictably," which he absolutely could not give up at the moment. Compared to being found with traces afterward, being unable to use his teleportation ability to escape was the most terrifying thing.

"Speaking of which, I've been so busy researching the coins lately that I've neglected the martial arts manuals. Now that I've got the coins sorted out, I'll spend more time looking through the manuals and see if I can unlock abilities like lightness skills... Hmm, and also techniques for area-of-effect attacks and dealing with large monsters. Do traditional martial arts novels have these kinds of things?"

Feng Xue was mentally planning her next move, but her eyes were already fixed on a Housewife to be around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. The other things were secondary; the main thing was that among the ingredients she had selected today were several that were good for Beauty and Youth. If she combined them with the cultivation path of the book <Taiyin Yiming Jue> (Note ①) that she had already obtained in Infinite City, she might be able to achieve a temporary rejuvenation effect.

Having memorized the Housewife's features, Feng Xue glanced casually at the fishing hook still dangling from the meat counter, then silently picked up her shopping basket and headed to the checkout.

From this day forward, all the women of Bekeland will go crazy for the Gourmet Demon!

Note ①: The Taiyin Yiming Jue comes from Taiwu, a first-rank divine skill. The description of the skill is that it was left by a celestial maiden. Practicing it can obtain the heart of the Supreme Being, achieve a pure Yin body, and even attain longevity, return to one's original nature, unlock all barriers, and gain insight into all gods. However, in the game, it only grants eternal youth. Moreover, it can only be practiced by a virgin to achieve its effects. This is a compromise for the sake of gameplay, since the core of Taiwu is the transmission of the sword.

P. S.: Regarding healing and saving lives, it's actually quite easy. First, the protagonist has a fairly proficient knowledge of anatomy and human anatomy. Second, he has stable hands. Finally, he has a pair of shoes that can quickly heal "external injuries".

If it's cancer, he can Sunflower Acupuncture Hand, Disassembly Madonna's body to perform surgery, remove all the lesions, then put shoes on the other person, and overnight they'll be a hero again. For hygiene issues, he can put a plastic bag or shoe cover on the other person first.

This set of operations can basically solve most organic lesions, even brain tumors. Of course, there are some diseases that cannot be treated, such as existing disabilities and fractures, because "disability" is an abnormal state in the Boots of Silence's judgment. There are also some diseases that cannot be treated well, such as poisoning.

However, the protagonist himself will also screen the coins he distributes. If he really encounters a problem that he can't solve, he can also follow the example of the gentleman who has dozens of tons of gold in his house.

As for wanting to learn math, physics, or drawing... just give him a reference book, right? Theoretically, as long as you finish this book, you can learn math. Yeah, it's that simple.

After all, a transaction is just a transaction.