Chapter 12: The Mysterious Shop (Part 1)
[An'an, the compensation has come through. They say they can grant you one wish.] After returning to the Cross-Dimension Bureau's rest hall, the system said cheerfully, [As long as you submit the wish, they'll make it happen for you.]
The Cross-Dimension Bureau's rest hall was a vast white, illusory space. Apart from rows of seats in the center, there were only two doors composed of halos—one led to the next world, the other into the Bureau's interior.
Many crossers were present at this time, but they all stayed quietly in place. Even when chatting with familiar faces, they deliberately kept their voices low.
No one wanted to break this fragile tranquility.
Like the other crossers, Qi An was enveloped in a sphere of white light the moment he returned. This light was a benefit the Bureau provided to prevent crossers from developing psychological trauma from traveling through dimensions. It could heal all injuries except for missing limbs.
[Wish?] Qi An repeated the word with an unchanged expression, offering an extremely faint smile. Somewhat carelessly, he asked, [Anything at all?]
[Yep yep. You could say this is quite a generous gesture.] The system had already materialized into solid form, happily hopping around Qi An. Its true form was a red, palm-sized apple, and once solidified, its voice turned crisp and clear.
Qi An gave a slight nod without continuing the conversation, simply sitting quietly in a corner. He was exceptionally handsome, possessing a calmness and delicacy that most crossers lacked. Even his subtlest movements carried an enchanting quality, instantly drawing many gazes to him.
Among these was Jin Huijuan, who had just emerged from a world.
She had been about to speak to the striking young man when she had to abandon the idea due to her extremely severe injuries. The warm white light shone on Jin Huijuan, her complexion visibly recovering to the pinkish hue of a normal person. Even though her blood-stained clothes remained tattered, her entire spirit had lifted several levels.
At this moment, her gaze toward Qi An was filled with curiosity.
Yet even surrounded by gazes carrying various intentions, Qi An remained harmlessly serene, his pale, fragile neck exposed to everyone's view, as if shy or perhaps completely indifferent.
"You're the third crosser?" Jin Huijuan was utterly astonished. She had always assumed Lin Jiajia was her teammate.
And during the intense battle with the specter earlier, she hadn't seen Qi An at all. She had assumed the frail young man was dead, yet here she saw him.
"Yes." Qi An bashfully arched his brows at her, looking as innocent as an inexperienced young man.
But just from this, Jin Huijuan could sense some people casting jealous glances her way.
"You..." Jin Huijuan looked at his frail frame, unable to determine whether Qi An was an exceptionally good actor or genuinely possessed a personality matching his role.
But what was undeniable was that this person's harmless appearance made people instinctively lower their guard.
Among the three, Zhang Zhaoqi was the last to arrive, his expression as placid as ever. Compared to Jin Huijuan, the injuries he sustained were hardly worth mentioning. After returning the longsword in his hand to the system space, Zhang Zhaoqi's gaze swept the surroundings, locked directly onto Qi An and the others, and walked over silently.
As he approached, Jin Huijuan glanced at his eyes several times in surprise, somewhat puzzled as to why his eyes had turned ink-black again.
Rewards for crossers completing tasks could only be distributed once all surviving crossers had gathered together.
Qi An signaled his system to submit the task, casually glancing at Zhang Zhaoqi a few times. They had only been apart for a short while, yet he felt Zhang Zhaoqi's danger level had increased several notches.
[Task Rewards Distributed: Points +50 (played an overwhelmingly significant role during the task; reward doubled)
Rare Item Drop: The General's Diary (function unknown)]
The General's Diary?
Qi An watched as a sheet of paper suddenly floated before him and took it into his hands.
This was something from the treasure chest in that previous world.
But it was only one page from a whole stack of papers.
【I fell in love at first sight with someone. I loved them so much I nearly shattered, yet I welcomed it willingly...】
Because that person would eventually... belong to me...
Qi An's eyes flickered as he stored the item back into his space. When he habitually observed his surroundings, he suddenly noticed that Zhang Zhaoqi's gaze had also become somewhat deep.
Qi An noticed a flash of crimson quickly pass through the other person's eyes.
"Together?"
Zhang Zhaoqi looked at him—a rare initiative invitation.
He had sent Qi An a team invitation for the next world. Standing nearby, Jin Huijuan stared at him as if seeing a ghost. Everyone who knew anything about Zhang Zhaoqi was aware that this guy was a complete lone wolf.
Even when the famously beautiful woman in the Cross-Dimension Bureau personally invited him, he would directly refuse without any hesitation. Now, he actually had the thought to team up with someone.
And he had spoken first.
Qi An didn't answer immediately. As always, he looked at him with a faint smile. Looking into those deep, dark eyes, he finally nodded. "Sure."
【Legend has it there exists a mysterious shop, and one can only see it if they hold a strong obsession in their heart.
Everyone can exchange something of theirs with the devil—souls, parts of the body, or even intangible things like health and luck.
The things to be exchanged are specified by someone inside, but it seems like something strange has happened to these things.
Suddenly, Cloudflower High School is haunted, with various paranormal events occurring. Now the school has welcomed a group of transfer students. Can they change this situation?】
【Main Quest: Survive and find the shopkeeper.
Side Quest 1: Kill the shopkeeper
Side Quest 2: Save those children (help certain students at Cloudflower High escape their predicament)】
【Special Note: Due to the excessive yin energy within the task executor, it may attract the attention of certain entities~ Given that this trait is extremely helpful for the task, this ability has been enhanced~】