Euphemia followed the Scholar Pathway and knew a great deal of extraordinary lore. But because she knew so much, she was all the more shocked. Jumping four ranks meant drinking four potions in a row; a normal person would have been blown apart by the uncontrollable power long ago, turning into a monster.
But as Euphemia looked at the white-haired girl before her, whose delicate features seemed almost inhuman, and stared into Freya's emerald eyes with their cute cat-paw patterns, she muttered, “So how on earth did you do it? This is... unbelievable.”
Seeing her companion's intense curiosity, Freya thought for a moment and said, “I guess you could call it digesting in advance. Before drinking the potions, I had already done a lot of things that helped digest them. So once I drank them, they dissolved instantly.”
Euphemia blinked in surprise. “Ah? That's actually possible?!”
At this moment, if Freya were still in her Heart Perception state, she would have seen the 'impurities' in Euphemia's body suddenly decrease a bit. Even a simple conversation like this apparently counted as 'uncovering the truth,' which helped Euphemia digest her potion.
Pausing, Euphemia said, “So, uh... do you still need me to help you investigate the case?”
Freya replied, “Why wouldn't I? You've waited for me for so long, and since we're already here, we might as well eat. Besides, once we finish eating, my payment to you will be complete, so of course we have to keep investigating.”
As Freya spoke, she walked over to the table and pulled up a chair. Euphemia finally recovered her composure. Catching the faint fragrance drifting in the air, her gaze quickly locked onto Freya.
Originally, there was some distance between them, but Euphemia stood up, dragged her chair right next to Freya, leaned in slightly, and sniffed her. “Mmh, you smell so good~”
Freya's eyelid twitched at the remark. “Ah?”
Euphemia quickly added, “Is this also a change from advancing to Rank Four?”
Freya replied, “Uh... I think so?”
The waiter soon arrived with the menus. While they ordered, he couldn't help but steal glances at Freya. Even after they finished ordering, he reluctantly tore his gaze away, leaving with a look of awe mixed with a touch of regret.
The dishes were served one by one. Since they were just two girls, their appetites weren't very large. Freya hadn't ordered much, but in the end, they couldn't even finish the three dishes.
Still, as expected of a high-end restaurant, even this simple meal cost Freya several hundred Ducats. After paying the bill, she said, “So, should we go investigate now? Though that warehouse doesn't seem to start operating until night.”
Euphemia said immediately, “Let's go, let's go. No matter what, we should go take a look first.”
Freya nodded. She figured that although they might not find many clues during the day, they could pretend to be ordinary passersby. Besides, daytime was much safer.
Just as they left the restaurant and Freya was about to lead the way, Euphemia waved down a passing carriage and said, “Driver, to Sanheng Street in the south.”
Freya was taken aback. “Eh? We're taking a carriage?”
Hearing this, Euphemia looked puzzled instead. “Otherwise? Are we supposed to walk?”
Freya was speechless. In all her simulations so far, she had traveled everywhere on foot. At first, it was because carriages were too expensive and she had no money.
Later, after she got money from Brother Scar, it didn't take long before she had her War Freya clone. Since she could run faster than a carriage, she naturally had no need to ride in one.
But Euphemia was different. The Scholar Pathway provided no physical enhancements. If she had to run to their destination, she would be half-dead from exhaustion before the investigation even started.
Although... the current Freya could easily buff Euphemia, seeing that her friend had already climbed into the carriage, she swallowed her words and hopped inside as well.
Sitting opposite Euphemia, Freya rested her chin on her hand and watched the scenery recede outside the window. She had to admit, it was a rather novel experience. But that was all. Once the initial excitement wore off after a few minutes, the only word she could use to describe the carriage ride was "bumpy."
Perhaps the carriage wheels were poor, or the road was in terrible shape. Coupled with Freya's light weight, whenever they hit a particularly uneven patch, the violent jolting would lift her completely off the hard seat for a brief second before she dropped back down.
Although Freya was now an extraordinary and possessed physical traits far superior to ordinary humans, her sensitivity was also vastly heightened. The constant shaking made her feel like her clothes were incessantly chafing against her skin, and her rear was being bounced into pieces. She felt incredibly uncomfortable.
Opposite her, Euphemia could clearly see Freya squirming like a restless child, constantly shifting her posture and pulling at her clothes. A few of her movements were so pronounced that Euphemia caught glimpses of her delicate collarbones and a broad expanse of fair skin.
Seeing this, Euphemia turned her head slightly as if looking out the window, though her gaze still drifted back to Freya from time to time.
Freya paid no attention to these details. She was simply grumbling to herself, This is unbearable. I definitely need to get some higher-quality clothes later, otherwise this is pure torture.
Finally, as the carriage slowly came to a halt, Freya sprang from her seat as if escaping, pushed open the door, and leaped out. As her clean, bare feet touched the grey cobblestone street, she felt the comforting sensation of solid ground and sighed in relief. “We're finally here...”
It was worth noting that due to her Trace Origin ability, while an ordinary person going barefoot might find the ground freezing, Freya felt as if there were underfloor heating beneath her feet—warm and perfectly comfortable.
Euphemia paid the driver and stepped down as well. She looked around at the bustling street. The southern district of Auxerre was an industrial area filled with factories, so the streets were very crowded during the day.
Even so, the sudden appearance of two extremely beautiful girls didn't cause the slightest stir. At most, a few nearby passersby glanced at them a couple of times before turning back to their own business.
Everyone here was incredibly busy. What did it matter how beautiful Freya and Euphemia were? They didn't provide food or wages, so why waste time staring?
Euphemia asked, “Roughly where is that dilapidated warehouse?”
Freya closed her eyes and entered her Heart Perception state. Instantly, the "map" of the entire Sanheng Street and countless tiny "figures" appeared in her mind.
Freya swept her perception over them. She could see that the vast majority of people were extremely fatigued, with various minor physical ailments. This was normal; what working-class person was perfectly healthy?
But besides these ordinary citizens, Freya also "saw" some very strange figures. In her vision, these people were like empty shells with absolutely nothing inside them. She immediately realized that these must be the "soldiers" summoned by that Rank Five General.
Freya said, “Follow me. The warehouse is this way.”
As she led the way, she whispered to Euphemia from time to time, “That guy reading the newspaper on the third bench to our left isn't a real person. He's a soldier summoned by the General.”
“The man in brown carrying a briefcase sixty meters ahead.”
“And the three people eating at the table closest to the door in the restaurant on our right—they are all soldiers, too.”
Euphemia marveled, “Incredible... By the way, I still don't know which Pathway you belong to.”
Since Euphemia had openly shared her own Pathway earlier, Freya didn't hide it either. She said, “It's the Earth Pathway.”
Euphemia immediately had a look of sudden realization. “Oh, no wonder you aren't wearing shoes and are running around barefoot. So you're on the Earth Pathway. That explains it.”
Freya's face flushed slightly. Although the blame was automatically shifted to the Earth Pathway, she still felt a bit embarrassed to have her barefootedness pointed out so bluntly.
As they spoke, Euphemia didn't look at the people Freya pointed out. She walked and chatted normally like an ordinary pedestrian, knowing that looking too intentionally might attract their attention.
Soon, an old warehouse with walls painted blue came into Euphemia's view. She whispered, “How's the surrounding situation?”
Freya replied, “There are too many of them. You can basically treat everyone moving around in this area as that General's 【soldiers】.”
Euphemia nodded. Taking Freya's hand, she didn't stop near the warehouse but walked past it like a genuine passerby. Only after they had walked several hundred meters did Euphemia lead Freya around a corner and into a side alley. However, as Euphemia tried to venture deeper into the alley, Freya showed clear resistance.
Euphemia asked, “What's wrong?”
Freya pursed her lips. After a moment of silence, she said, “It's too dirty here...”
Even in the modern society of her past life, people still littered and relieved themselves in public. In this more backward world, hygiene was naturally even less of a concern. Secluded side alleys like this essentially became garbage dumps, littered with all kinds of filth.
Even though Freya's body now seemed to be 【Dust-Repellent】, she still didn't want to step on such things with her bare feet. It was too disgusting.
Hearing this, Euphemia looked down at Freya's feet and said, “I completely forgot about that.”
As she spoke, she peeked out of the alley to both sides. Seeing that there was no one nearby, she said, “Never mind, this spot will do.”
She unzipped her satchel, rummaged through it, and quickly pulled out a thin, plastic-wrap-like sheet.
Euphemia gave it a gentle shake. Once it was fully unfolded, she pressed close to Freya. Huddled tightly together, she draped the sheet over both of them.
Freya had kept her eyes closed to maintain her Heart Perception. In her "god's-eye view," her and Euphemia's figures had vanished into thin air!
Euphemia explained, “An Invisibility Cloak. It's just the right size. Let's go! Let's take a look inside that warehouse.”
Freya's mouth parted slightly in a daze. “Ah? There's actually such a thing?”
Euphemia said, “It's an extraordinary item. I'm on the Scholar Pathway, after all. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to have a few handy gadgets?”
During her second simulation, while working at the Special Service for a month, Freya had heard of them but had never seen one, as the Special Service didn't possess a single extraordinary item.
They were certainly precious, considering the entire Special Service couldn't produce even one. But from Euphemia's tone, it sounded like she had quite a few of them.
Freya asked, “So how are extraordinary items made, exactly?”
A beautiful smile played on Euphemia's lips. “You don't know?”
After all, Freya had shocked her so much in just half a day. Seeing Freya look so ignorant now allowed her to reclaim a tiny sense of being a "senior in the extraordinary world."
Staring at Freya's adorable face so close to her own, Euphemia said, “If you let me pinch your cheeks, I'll tell you. Deal?”
“Mmh...” Freya pondered for a moment, tilted her head slightly, and said, “Okay?”
Hearing this, Euphemia didn't hesitate. She immediately reached out and pinched both of Freya's cheeks, squeezing and kneading them as if petting a cat. It felt incredibly soft and satisfying.
“Mmh~” Freya said, her voice muffled and slurred. “Aren't you done yet...”
After playing with them a bit longer, Euphemia withdrew her hands with satisfaction and began to explain:
“Through continuous research on the Pathways, people formulated and invented potions. You only need to drink one to gain extraordinary abilities. If you use the same materials but use a different medium—making an item instead of a potion—then in theory, that item will also possess extraordinary abilities.”
“But that's just the theory. In practice, extraordinary items are much harder to make than potions. If an ordinary person tries it, they're far more likely to create a 'sealed artifact' riddled with side effects. The Scholar Pathway is different, though. With intellect far exceeding that of ordinary people, crafting extraordinary items isn't a difficult task for them.”
“Not to mention, one of the three class advancements for a Scholar at Rank Four is called 'Artisan,' which specializes in crafting extraordinary items.”
...
Rate on N.U.
