“There, that should do it.”
Li Yuan finished cleaning the last set of tea tools. A minor dust-cleansing spell would ensure they wouldn't get dirty from neglect over the next few days. After completing the closing preparations, he returned to the counter to brew a pot of green tea for himself.
With only five days left until the anniversary began, he planned to follow Napa’s suggestion and find a place to stay early, taking the opportunity to properly tour the city.
He had been stuck in this little shop for over two years since arriving here; it was about time he went out for a walk. Moreover, he had received a curfew notice earlier today that would take effect tomorrow, so there was no point in keeping a tea shop open when no one could visit.
As it was the final night before closing, he didn't expect anyone else to come. While sipping his tea, he flipped open a science fiction masterpiece from Blue Star—《The Three-Body Problem》.
It was his favorite work, without exception.
If it hadn't been for these two transmigrations, Li Yuan would likely have chosen to become a scientist or an astronaut, dreaming of one day leading a fleet on an expedition to Alpha Centauri, or perhaps saying something incredibly cool like, “We... travel among the stars.”
Although with his current power, crossing galaxies and traversing the stars was entirely possible—after all, a cultivator at the Tribulation Transcendence stage could already cross the void and crush stars with their bare hands... he always felt like something was missing, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
With Li Yuan's strength, crushing three suns into one would be an easy task.
But none of that stopped him from still loving science fiction; it was just that he occasionally lacked the necessary sense of crisis and urgency while reading.
Ding-ling-ling.
The copper bell rang as the wooden door was pushed open.
Just as he was about to dive back into the novel, Li Yuan instinctively looked up and a “Welcome” escaped his lips.
He then realized the person walking in was a new face—young, handsome, but with eyes and movements that were very experienced. The man scanned the entire place the moment he entered, and the grey robe he wore signaled his identity: he was a mage.
It was truly rare for a new customer to show up on the very night before he closed. Li Yuan was somewhat surprised.
Nevertheless, adhering to the principle that the customer is king, Li Yuan immediately put on a professional business smile.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“This place... is a tea shop?”
A strange look appeared on the young man’s face, his eyes filled with both confusion and suspicion. Li Yuan was long used to this reaction.
Thinking this, he closed his book and stood up, nodding.
“Yes. Would you like some tea?”
“What kinds of tea do you have? Give me an introduction.”
“Certainly. Here is the menu. You can take a look first.”
Hogg took the menu and looked around. Finding nothing particularly special about the teahouse, he took a seat nearby. There were no traces of magic power here, nor could he sense even a flicker of magic fluctuation from the young man.
There were only two possible explanations: first, the young man before him was a complete ordinary person, and everything Angela had said was a lie. Second, the other party had perfectly disguised himself as an ordinary person, to the point that even Heroic Spirit rank methods could not see through it.
Hogg leaned toward the first possibility. After all, aside from a very few special monsters in the Abyss, he had never been mistaken before.
However, this tea shop was indeed strange, choosing to operate only at night. Did they have some purpose or... meaning for doing so? He had briefly looked into the basic information of this shop before coming, and it was suspiciously clean.
The owner—the young man before him—was named Li Yuan, a tea merchant. He had traveled here from the Bacas Principality two years ago and purchased this shop from the Hyatt Chamber of Commerce to open a teahouse. To date, he had no criminal record; even his monthly taxes were paid in full and on time, and his supply channels were legitimate.
All of this was public information. The records from the Tax Department, the City Guard, and the Hyatt Chamber of Commerce all matched; there was no possibility of forgery. The only point of suspicion was that the shop only opened at night and charged high prices.
Of course, there were other shops that operated at night, but most were places of vice and entertainment, nothing like this quiet establishment.
So, perhaps this young man was just someone with a bit of a peculiar hobby who preferred the night? But Angela’s adamant guarantee didn't seem like a lie.
Then again, a second later, he found a perfectly good explanation: his apprentice seemed to tell her fabricated lies with that same adamant conviction every single time. Last time, she had nearly given those old fogies at the research institute a heart attack, and they were still shouting about never letting her set foot in the institute again... This was likely just another one of her whims.
If it weren't for the current critical period, he wouldn't have come personally. This really was—
At the thought, Hogg’s head began to throb. Ever since he took that girl as his apprentice, she brought him “surprises” every few days.
Since there were no suspicious points, there was no need for further testing. Hogg relaxed his mind, and since he was already here, he decided to quickly scan the menu. There were many types of tea he had never heard of.
But that wasn't surprising; he wasn't one to indulge in culinary or material pleasures. He simply ordered the item at the very top of the menu.
“I'll have this one. Oolong tea.”
“Certainly. Please wait a moment.”
Receiving the order, Li Yuan turned to begin the preparations.
Setting out the tea set, boiling the water, measuring the leaves—his movements were extremely practiced and definitely not something deliberately faked. Watching the young man’s busy back, Hogg completely dismissed his lingering doubts.
Regardless of whether there was an issue—be he a foreign spy or a contact for some evil organization—as long as he didn't cause trouble during this critical time, Hogg didn't mind being a bit lenient.
An ordinary person didn't have enough value to warrant much attention.
Just as Hogg reached his final conclusion, a cup of steaming hot tea was ready.
“Oolong tea. Please enjoy.”
“Mm.”
Hogg nodded, staring at the exquisite cup of steaming tea. For a moment, he dazed out—how long had it been since he had sat down so leisurely to enjoy a cup of tea? Ten years? Twenty? Perhaps longer...
He truly couldn't remember. Ever since the disaster fifty years ago, he had poured almost all his energy into the research and development of magic. It had been a long time since he had eaten, slept, or entertained himself like a normal person.
He would treat this as a long-overdue moment of relaxation. He’d finish this cup and head back.
As for this young man, he would leave the rest to the City Guard Captain. If there were no problems—or rather, if he hadn't had the chance to cause problems yet—he would let him off, provided he was cooperative enough.
Based on first impressions, Hogg found the young man quite agreeable. From their brief exchange and the youth's body language, he seemed to be a well-educated person with high professional standards.
Moreover, for an ordinary person to show such composure and poise when facing a professional was quite rare. Furthermore, the other party seemingly didn't know his identity, and this kind of equal conversation actually made him feel a bit relaxed.
Perhaps after becoming famous, the pressure of trying to meet everyone’s expectations every day didn't exist in front of this young man.
Where there are no expectations, there is no pressure, and naturally, one feels at ease.
A sip of hot tea entered his mouth. A herbal fragrance mixed with the scent of unknown flowers and a hint of sweetness spread across his palate. As the tea slid down his throat and into his stomach, Hogg felt his entire being calm down significantly.
His constantly taut nerves, his various pressures, and even the magic power fluctuations from his recent forced development of new magic showed signs of returning to a state of calm...
Wait! Magic power?!
Returning to... calm?
Rate on N.U.
