If an ordinary student had come to buy alchemy items and encountered a clerk suddenly running into the back room in a panic, they might have found it a bit strange, but they probably wouldn't have overthought it. They would likely assume the clerk went to consult the shop owner or retrieve stock.
But Greg was different.
Ever since he had set foot on the surface, he had been under the constant care of that damn -10 Luck stat, forcing him to become accustomed to all sorts of sudden accidents and troubles.
Therefore, when he saw the female clerk's expression change drastically upon seeing his face, even to the point of rushing into the back room, the alarm bells in his heart instantly rang at the highest level.
What was going on?
Could it be... that she actually had a grudge against him?
Was she pretending to have business in the back while actually going to call for reinforcements, planning to find an excuse to teach him a lesson later?
The more Greg thought about it, the more he felt this possibility was high.
After all, his previous bad reputation in the academy hadn't come from nowhere.
Relying on his status as the son of a Duke, he had indeed offended many people. Although most of the specific incidents were a bit blurry in his memory, he definitely had a long list of prior offenses.
In the past, those people might have harbored resentment without daring to speak up because of his status, but things were different now.
He had been publicly expelled from the House of Sass and had lost his greatest backer. In the eyes of many, he had transformed from an arrogant young master into a stray dog that anyone could kick.
If someone wanted to take this opportunity to seek revenge for past grievances, it would be perfectly logical.
However, Greg's gaze fell once again on that bottle of Strong Paralysis Venom Gland, priced at 25 gold coins, which truly looked to be of superior quality.
He really needed this item, whether it was for conquering the second layer or attempting to hunt that hidden mini-boss.
If he missed out on this bottle, it would likely be difficult to find a replacement of comparable quality in the short term.
"Do I have to give up for now?"
Greg's brain worked at high speed.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
Even if there was a grudge, it was only directed at him, not anyone else. In the eyes of the vast majority of people in the academy, his relationship with Victoria was still stuck at the stage of having a falling out during the entrance exam; they didn't know the two of them had actually reconciled long ago.
So, what if he let Victoria go in and buy it on his behalf?
Perhaps the other party, following the simple logic of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,' would treat her better or even offer her a discount.
This plan was feasible!
Having made up his mind, Greg no longer hesitated.
He quickly backed out of the shop and returned to Victoria and Silvia, who were waiting outside.
"Well? Did you buy it?"
Seeing Greg come out so quickly with a somewhat solemn expression, Victoria spoke up and asked.
"The situation is a bit complicated."
Greg lowered his voice and quickly gave a brief account of what had just happened in the shop and his own suspicions.
Of course, he omitted his own unsavory past and simply said he might have accidentally offended someone from the Department of Alchemy before.
"Huh?"
As expected, after Victoria finished listening, she immediately showed a look of undisguised disgust.
"This is trouble you stirred up yourself, isn't it? If that's the case, why do I have to take this risk? If that shop won't sell it, just find another one."
"Please, I'm begging you, Little Gray!"
Greg pressed his hands together in a sincere gesture of entreaty.
"The quality of that Strong Paralysis Venom Gland is truly excellent, with 92% purity and great activity preservation. It's very important for my next plan. If I miss this bottle, it'll be hard to find a suitable one anytime soon."
Silvia listened from the side, her pink eyes showing concern. Seeing Greg's urgent look, she also softly chimed in to help.
"Victoria, just help Senior Greg. If Senior wants that item so badly, it must have a very important use. Besides... just going in to buy something shouldn't be too risky, right?"
Hearing her friend also speak up for him, Victoria looked at Greg's expression—which was a bit fake but did carry a hint of pleading—and finally sighed.
"Let's get one thing straight."
She held up a finger and pointed it at Greg.
"Regardless of whether I succeed or not, you owe Silvia and me a feast. And it has to be the signature set from the Golden Crucible; don't you dare try to brush us off with something cheap!"
"No problem!"
Greg nodded immediately, agreeing with lightning speed.
Trading one meal for a high-quality item that could save his life was a bargain no matter how he looked at it.
"That's more like it."
Victoria curled her lip, straightened her uniform, and with her head held high, pushed open the shop door and walked inside.
Greg and Silvia remained outside, nervously observing the situation through the display window.
Inside the shop, Victoria walked up to the empty counter. After waiting a few seconds without anyone appearing, she tapped the surface with her finger impatiently.
Almost as soon as she tapped the counter, the curtain to the back room was suddenly thrown open!
But this time, the person who rushed out was not the second-year girl with thick glasses from before, but a completely new figure.
It was a girl who looked to be around their age.
She was loosely wearing a standard alchemist's white lab coat that was clearly a size too large. Her slightly wavy brown hair seemed to have been gathered haphazardly by hand and tied into a somewhat messy low ponytail at the back of her head, with a few rebellious strands falling along the sides of her face.
Her features were quite exquisite, carrying a lively aura that sat somewhere between a girl and a young woman.
Unfortunately, her figure beneath the white coat looked to be kindred spirits with Victoria's. It was as if the grueling experimental life of the Department of Alchemy didn't just consume brainpower, but also came with the added side effect of suppressing breast development.
And Greg, who had played the original game, was no stranger to the owner of this face.
Chloe Ivy.
The second-year Representative of the Department of Alchemy and a genius alchemist girl, she was famous for her eccentric temper and venomous tongue.
In the game, she was one of the characters who was the least polite to the player.
"It's actually her?!"
Greg's heart sank.
As expected, his bad luck had struck again!
If he had been the one staying inside just now, he probably would have been mocked by Chloe with all sorts of sharp remarks or caught in one of her dangerous experimental accidents!
Greg couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. But at the same time, seeing that it was Chloe, he felt a slight sense of relief and was even a bit glad he had sent Victoria in.
If he remembered correctly, in the original story, the first time Chloe proactively sought trouble with Victoria should have been in the late stage of the Act Two plot, due to a dispute over some alchemy materials.
It was only the early-to-mid stage of Act Two now; the two of them shouldn't have had any direct conflict yet.
In that case, with Victoria going in as an ordinary customer, Chloe would never go out of her way to make things difficult for her.
Rate on N.U.
