Felix didn't let go of Qiqi's hand until they were safely inside the Jar Shop.
Entering the shop, Qiqi looked around with a hint of confusion in her gem-like eyes. The store wasn't very large, roughly the size of Bubu Pharmacy's lobby. Behind the counter sat rows upon rows of identical clay jars.
"The rain outside is dying down. I imagine it will stop completely soon. You can head back to Bubu Pharmacy then," Felix said softly. He grabbed a clean towel from nearby and gently began to dry the rainwater from her clothes and hair.
"Th-Thank you," Qiqi murmured cautiously, accepting the dry towel from him.
She then scurried behind the counter, finding a cozy spot near the cabinets to tuck herself away.
Watching her, Felix shook his head with an amused smile. He settled back into his reclining chair, gazing out the window at the rain. The downpour had indeed weakened to a drizzle. Once it stopped, Qiqi could leave safely, and he could finally close up shop for the night.
"Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper, I'm here!"
Not long after, an overly excited voice echoed from outside the shop.
Hearing that familiar voice, the little zombie wiping herself down behind the counter instantly froze.
A split second later, Qiqi curled into a tight ball, squatting on the floor and wrapping her tiny arms protectively around her head.
It was the voice of the woman she hated most.
Felix: "..."
Remembering that he had a terrified Qiqi stashed behind his counter, Felix rubbed his temples.
He knew Hu Tao was coming tonight to open jars. He just hadn't expected to pick up a stray Qiqi along the way.
A few seconds later, Hu Tao burst into the shop with a cheeky grin. Trailing behind her were Undertaker Meng, the Ferrylady, and a certain fiery reptilian companion.
"Shopkeeper! I brought the parlor staff to open jars this time!"
Hu Tao puffed out her cheeks the moment she entered. "Honestly, this Director is taking a massive loss! These two didn't come to open jars at all last week. That means we missed out on twenty whole jars!"
Each person was allotted ten jars a week. She had told Meng and the Ferrylady to come last week, but they had been too busy. Skipping a week felt like throwing Mora down the drain to her.
"Sigh. We had no choice," Meng complained, his face looking utterly drained. "The parlor has been insanely busy! It's easy for you to act as a hands-off boss, Director, but we don't have that luxury. Honestly, we only survived these past few days thanks to Miss Mona's help."
"Hehe, is that so?" Hu Tao rubbed the back of her head, looking a tiny bit guilty.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Hu Tao paused. She sniffed the air, a suspicious look crossing her face. "Shopkeeper, did a Cryo Vision holder come by recently? The scent in here feels... very familiar."
There was a distinct chill in the air, a scent she knew intimately but couldn't quite place at the moment.
Hearing Hu Tao's words, the tiny figure huddled behind the counter began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Director, let's just open the jars," Meng yawned, entirely uninterested in playing detective. "Honestly, I just want to go to sleep. The Shopkeeper probably wants to rest too. Why didn't you just come during the day?"
"Because the cooldown hadn't expired during the day!" Hu Tao waved her hands dismissively. "The one-week mark was exactly tonight!"
Saying this, she slapped one million Mora onto the counter and began selecting her jars.
Ten jars were quickly picked out and lined up before her.
Hu Tao's eyes sparkled with excitement. She ignored the lingering Cryo scent completely. The jars had her full attention. Last time, she had obtained the Soul Staff and several other incredibly fun items. What would she get tonight?
Smash.
She decisively broke the first jar.
A pair of glasses with bright red frames tumbled out.
"Glasses?" Hu Tao looked surprised. The frames were quite stylish. Were they a special prop or just ordinary eyewear?
[Dream-Viewing Glasses]: Put on these glasses to peer freely into the dream worlds of others.
"Dream-Viewing Glasses," Felix explained with a light chuckle. "As long as you wear them, you can see exactly what another person is dreaming about."
"Eh?!" Hu Tao's plum-blossom eyes lit up instantly. "I can see anyone's dreams?"
"As long as they are asleep and dreaming, yes. You just wear the glasses and look at them," Felix nodded. "People's dreams are bizarre and wondrous. You might see some truly unbelievable things."
"Mhm-hm!" Hu Tao grinned wickedly, pocketing the glasses.
Beside her, Undertaker Meng stared at the glasses with intense curiosity. It sounded like a fascinating item.
The Ferrylady, however, went pale. A look of sheer horror and embarrassment flashed across her face as she imagined worst-case scenarios. Staring at the glasses in Hu Tao's hands, the Ferrylady made a silent, ironclad vow: From tonight onward, I am locking my bedroom door. I will absolutely never let the Director peek into my dreams!
Smash!
Hu Tao cracked the second jar.
An antique, unadorned ring fell onto the counter.
"A Storage Ring!"
Hu Tao rejoiced. She had finally gotten one! Yesterday, she had been incredibly jealous when Yoimiya pulled a Storage Ring. Now she had her own, and it looked identical to Yoimiya's.
"Shopkeeper, how much space is inside this one?" she asked eagerly.
[Storage Ring]: A storage ring from an unknown world. Contains 50 cubic meters of spatial volume. Can store inanimate objects. Cannot store living creatures.
Felix raised an eyebrow at the system readout. "Director Hu, your luck remains excellent. This ring has a storage space of fifty cubic meters."
"Fifty cubic meters?!" Hu Tao gasped in delight. "That's more than double Yoimiya's!"
Yoimiya's ring only held twenty cubic meters. Hu Tao felt incredibly smug.
"Correct," Felix nodded.
Hu Tao's pull rates were consistently top-tier. Her first ten jars had been great, and her second batch was starting off just as strong. Two highly useful items right out of the gate.
Without hesitation, Hu Tao slipped the ring onto her finger. With a thought, she stored her newly acquired Dream-Viewing Glasses and the troublesome Soul Staff inside.
"Amazing," Meng and the Ferrylady whispered, their eyes wide.
The convenience was unparalleled. With a simple wave of her hand, items vanished into thin air. Fifty cubic meters was the size of a large warehouse room!
"Mhm, much better."
Feeling thoroughly satisfied, Hu Tao leaned over the counter and flashed Felix a bright smile. "Shopkeeper, next time just call me Hu Tao. You don't need to call me Director."
"Hm?" Felix raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I could, but I prefer the sound of 'Director Hu'."
"Really?" Hu Tao blinked. "Well, alright then."
Smash.
She broke the third jar.
A fiery red, glowing flower dropped out.
[Flaming Flower Stamen]: A fiercely hot stamen from a flower that burns continuously. Even when extinguished by water, it continues to emit faint heat.
"Roar!"
Seeing the flower, the Charmeleon standing beside them roared in absolute ecstasy. It was its favorite food!
Seeing her pet's excitement, Hu Tao tossed the Flaming Flower Stamen directly to the Charmeleon.
"Shopkeeper," Hu Tao said, watching her pet happily munch on the fiery plant. "If my 'Medium Fire Dragon' keeps eating these, will it evolve into a 'Big Fire Dragon' soon?"
Felix: "..."
Hearing her naming convention, Felix maintained a deadpan expression. "It has a name. In its second stage of evolution, it is called a Charmeleon. As for its next evolution, it will require a massive amount of energy. It won't happen quickly."
"Charmeleon? What an ugly name," Hu Tao said, her face scrunching up in disgust. "'Medium Fire Dragon' sounds much better."
Felix: "...."
Beside them, the Charmeleon swallowing the stamen paused and visibly rolled its eyes at Hu Tao. But considering its master was feeding it delicious Flaming Flowers, it decided not to roar in protest. She could call it whatever she wanted. Protesting never worked on her anyway.
"Keep going, keep going!"
Riding high on her success, Hu Tao enthusiastically smashed the fourth and fifth jars together.
Smash. Smash.
From the shattered clay, two star-shaped badges and a peculiar camera fell out.
[Accomplice Badges]: Place one badge on yourself and one on another person, and you will become sworn accomplices. If one party falls into trouble, the other will absolutely not stand idly by!
[Surprise Camera]: Taking a picture of someone with this camera will cause a startling, bizarre event to happen to them.
Felix raised an eyebrow as he inspected the items.
The first item was actually quite powerful. The second was purely for pranks. If he guessed correctly, the Accomplice Badges forced a cooperative bond between two targets.
Seeing Hu Tao's expectant gaze, Felix pointed to the star-shaped pins. "These are Accomplice Badges. If two people wear matching badges, they are bound as partners. If one person encounters difficulty, the badge will trigger, and the other person will be compelled to rush to their aid."
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