Half an hour passed in silence, save for the occasional rustle of turning pages.
Unbeknownst to her, Setis’s cup had gradually reached its bottom. Just as she was about to ask for a refill, another voice spoke up first.
“The rain has stopped, Miss Setis.”
“Hmm? Oh... another cup, please. Thank you.”
She pushed her teacup gently toward Li Yuan. Seeing that he made no move to take it and instead looked at her with a hint of concern, Setis asked curiously, “What is it? Is something wrong?”
Li Yuan cleared his throat, faking a light cough, and repeated, “The rain has stopped... You should probably head back now, shouldn’t you?”
“Are you kicking me out?”
Setis furrowed her brows, her expression instantly shifting to one of annoyance.
“It’s not even closing time yet, is it?”
“You’re joking. How could I ever kick out a guest? It’s just that the rain will likely only stay paused for a short while. Wouldn't it be better to head back during this break?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Let me finish this section first.”
Her finger traced a line on the page. She gave Li Yuan a sharp glare before ignoring him entirely.
Li Yuan could only respond with a bitter smile. The customers who frequented this shop all seemed to have somewhat eccentric personalities. With a silent sigh, he dutifully served her another cup of black tea.
Time flew by in their shared silence, and soon it was midnight.
As her third cup of black tea hit the bottom, Setis finally closed the book with a satisfied expression and placed five gold coins on the bar.
“I’ve finished this one. Recommend another interesting one for me next time.”
“Certainly. Thank you for your patronage.”
Li Yuan happily swept up the gold coins. She was as generous as always. It was thanks to customers like her that this small shop could even survive the taxes. It was necessary to offer appropriate hospitality to such patrons to ensure their loyalty.
“Are you leaving now?”
Setis nodded and scanned the room. “Do you have an umbrella? Give me one.”
“I do, but it seems you won’t be needing it.”
Li Yuan looked toward the window as he tidied up.
“The rain has stopped again.”
Listening closely, the sound of rain had indeed vanished. It was quite the “coincidence.”
However, the young lady didn't seem particularly happy about it; a visible look of disappointment crossed her delicate face.
She glanced sideways at him and finally let out a sigh as if giving up. Reaching into an inner pocket of her clothes, she pulled out a white card and handed it over.
“This is an invitation to our school’s anniversary celebration. Can you... come?”
Li Yuan removed his gloves and carefully accepted the object, which still held a faint warmth. It was an external guest invitation for the Royal Martial Arts Academy’s quinquennial anniversary. He had heard that these unregistered invitations could fetch as much as a hundred gold coins on the black market.
To just give it away so casually... it was very much like her.
While surprised, he was also a bit touched. However, he didn't particularly enjoy crowded places, which presented a bit of a dilemma.
As he hesitated, he suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him, which quickly darted away the moment their eyes met.
Setis rested her chin on one hand, turning her head away, while the index finger of her other hand restlessly twirled a lock of her long hair. She was trying to hide her inner trepidation with this clumsy display.
The sight brought a knowing smile to Li Yuan’s face, and he shook his head.
Fine, fine... he would go. It must have been difficult for this young lady to come all this way just to deliver an invitation.
“Of course. Thank you for the invitation.”
“Really?!”
She slapped the table and stood up, her voice jumping several octaves. Realizing her loss of composure the next second, she cleared her throat and tried to act calm.
“Then it’s a promise.”
“Yes, a promise.”
“Remember to be on time! You can even be a guest pastry chef for my class when the time comes.”
Having received the answer she wanted, an unshielded look of joy appeared on her face. With one last satisfied glance, she hurried out of the shop.
“It’s good to be young...”
Watching her leave, Li Yuan let out a heartfelt sigh. Once upon a time, he had been just like that girl—full of vitality and drive.
Outside in the darkness, Setis had only walked a few steps away from the teahouse when she vaguely heard footsteps behind her. Her instincts as a Magic Warrior kicked in; she stopped immediately and spun around, her mana beginning to circulate as she prepared to strike first.
Behind her, by the faint light filtering from the teahouse, she could barely make out a figure entirely concealed in a gray robe, slowly walking toward the shop.
“A customer?”
Setis found it strange. There had been no one around when she walked out just now.
A timely roll of thunder interrupted her thoughts, and the figure pushed open the wooden door of the teahouse.
A muffled “Welcome. Oh, it’s you... long time no see” drifted out, dispelling Setis’s urge to investigate.
The person was probably just another eccentric customer.
It was more important to get home and figure out how to explain to her father why she had sneaked out tonight.
...
Li Yuan set down the teacup he was wiping and looked curiously at the gray-robed man who had just entered.
“What brings you here today, Jesuska?”
Jesuska Napa was one of the regulars here.
Two years ago, covered in blood, he had stumbled into the shop by accident. Without immediate treatment, he certainly wouldn't have survived until the next morning. Since he was the first customer since the shop opened, and wanting to build some good karma, Li Yuan had saved him. It was the first time the once-desperate Napa felt the favor of the Goddess of Fate.
However, Li Yuan hadn't used spiritual energy or any cultivation methods during the treatment; he had only used first-aid measures available to ordinary people in this world. For the Legendary Archmage Jesuska Napa, that had been enough.
The levels for mages and other professions in this world were generally divided into Ranks 1 through 7, followed by Legend. Aside from a massive leap in power, Legend-rank mages and practitioners gained significantly increased lifespans and vitality. Above Legend was the Heroic Spirit rank. Currently, there were only five Heroic Spirit-rank powerhouses on the Ogu Continent, making them extremely rare.
Relying on his own surging mana and the supply of water and food, Napa had quickly repaired his injuries. In just a few hours, he had recovered enough to be out of danger.
Upon leaving, he had left Li Yuan a full bag of gold coins. It was with this capital that the small shop was renovated and sustained for a long time afterward.
Over the next two years, Napa would occasionally come by for tea and a chat, though the intervals were long. This visit, for instance, came after a four-month absence.
He always seemed busy with something, though Li Yuan never pried into his customers' private matters.
Napa walked straight to the bar and sat down. Looking at the freshly cleaned teacups, he asked, “Was that child just now a new customer?”
From beneath the gray robe that covered his entire body emerged a handsome man with silver-white hair. As he pulled back the hood, Li Yuan saw the face of the man who, even back in Kyushu, would have been considered a peerless beauty.
“A regular, I’d say. She’s been coming quite often lately.”
As he spoke, a cup of green tea was pushed in front of the man.
“She has good talent.”
Napa took a sip and nodded. The fragrance was indeed excellent.
“I assume you’ve heard about the security incidents in the neighborhood lately?”
“Yes. Thanks to that, this street has become even quieter.”
Li Yuan nodded, continuing with a straight face, “With fewer people passing through, business has suffered.”
“Give it a rest. This shop has business? Have you ever seen a teahouse that chooses to operate at night?”
“Isn't this one right here?”
Following the retort, a cold silence lasted for over ten seconds. Finally, Napa broke it with a sigh. He took a sip of tea and spoke.
“I’m here this time to handle these recent security incidents. A curfew notice will be issued in a couple of days. You should prepare to close up shop for a while.”
Rate on N.U.
