Parallel Guardian

The Memory Cotton wrapped around Zhang Ye, leaving only his head exposed.

Following Joyace’s instructions, he tensed his body, spread his arms, turned over, and bent his legs. Ten minutes later, the measurements were complete.

Zhang Ye put his clothes back on immediately, while Joyace watched with a silent smile.

With a light wave of her hand, a small tree nearby with seven differently colored flowers began to tremble. The flowers spat out silk threads of seven colors, which hovered before Joyace. As her fingers moved gracefully, the threads interlaced and converged in mid-air.

Furthermore, various other plants around them spat out different materials—powders, liquids, and even venom—all of which merged into the steadily forming fabric.

Zhang Ye’s eyes lit up as he watched intently, committing every one of Joyace’s movements to memory.

Joyace looked back at Zhang Ye and smiled. “What? Do you understand what I’m doing?”

“I don’t understand it, but I feel like I can learn it,” Zhang Ye replied.

Joyace gave a small smile and didn’t mind. “You can go take a look outside first. If you like any of the clothes, just take them. I’ll put it on Leona’s tab anyway.”

Zhang Ye shook his head. “No, I’ll stay here and watch. Who knows? I might actually learn something.”

“Well, if you do learn it, you can’t go stealing big sister’s livelihood,” she joked, clearly not taking him seriously.

Zhang Ye nodded and continued to watch meticulously.

Before they knew it, three hours had passed.

Three sets of magical attire now hovered before Joyace.

One set was casual wear with a loose style. In addition to basic defense and enhancement, it was inscribed with various magic circles to increase comfort.

One was formal wear, somewhat resembling a suit but much more magnificent. It was colored in black and metallic blue. Zhang Ye believed that wearing it would make him the sharpest-looking guy in any room.

The last one was a combat set. This piece had taken Joyace half of the total time to craft, yet it was the simplest in appearance—a thin garment that looked like form-fitting undergarments.

“This casual set is called 【Sunshine Knight】. It has built-in Constant Temperature and Cleansing Magic Circles, which will automatically keep you clean. It also has an Automatic Defense Magic Circle that can withstand attacks from Tier Nine and below,” Joyace explained to Zhang Ye.

“So I don’t have to shower if I wear it, right?” Zhang Ye asked.

“...” Joyace’s mouth hung open slightly, rendered speechless by his priorities, but she eventually nodded. “Correct.”

“This formal set is called 【Night Banquet Prince】. It’s meant for banquets or formal occasions and has everything you’d expect. Its special feature is that it enhances your personal charisma.”

Zhang Ye stroked his chin. “Doesn’t that mean I’ll be even more handsome than I already am? How are other people supposed to live...”

Joyace: “...”

She pretended not to hear him and continued, “This combat set is called 【Parallel Guardian】. It can defend against attacks from Tier Ten and below. It has three preset magic circles; have Leona set up the defenses for you when you get back. That way, it can withstand at least three attacks from a Three-star Saint-tier and includes three built-in purification effects.”

She gave a proud smile, though her eyes showed signs of fatigue.

“This piece is one of my masterpieces. I used a Saint-tier garment base for it.”

“Because of that, it has a unique trait that shares its name: 【Parallel Guardian】. Once it recognizes you as its master, it will merge into your body without occupying any equipment slots. Once summoned, as long as this magical attire hasn't been completely destroyed, any attack will be transferred to the garment itself; in other words, even if only a scrap of the hem remains, you won't take a single point of damage!”

Zhang Ye looked at Joyace with gratitude. “Thank you!”

He had watched the entire process. The first two sets had been made from scratch in about forty minutes each, but this 【Parallel Guardian】 had taken a full hour and a half.

And that was with a 【garment base】 already prepared.

What was a garment base?

It was a piece of magical attire that was already near completion. She had only performed minor adjustments on the base to fit Zhang Ye’s size, yet that took an hour and a half; to craft it from scratch would likely take dozens of hours.

Joyace was a Saint-tier. If someone below the Saint-tier were to craft it, it might take dozens of days or even months.

Zhang Ye didn’t know exactly how valuable a Saint-tier garment base was, but it was certainly extremely precious.

Joyace waved her hand dismissively. “You are her first student and the first man she’s ever brought here. Consider this a meeting gift.”

“Besides, I owed Leona for something in the past anyway.”

Zhang Ye could tell there was a history between Leona and Joyace, and that they shared a deep bond.

He spoke solemnly once more. “Thank you!”

Joyace suddenly tapped her lips and smiled. “If you’re so grateful to big sister, why don’t you give me a kiss?”

Startled, Zhang Ye clutched the clothes and took several steps back, laughing sheepishly. “Just charge it to Leona’s tab, haha...”

Joyace rolled her eyes at him.

She was so beautiful that others would die for a kiss, yet this kid was doing everything he could to avoid it.

Of course, she was only joking. If the boy actually dared to kiss her, she would beat him until he ended up in the mouth of a Carnival Flower.

“Go on. Making these clothes was exhausting; I need some rest.” She waved him away. “Call me when Leona gets back.”

Zhang Ye nodded, thanked her once more, and walked back to the outer shop. The curtains of the display windows had been drawn, and a sign automatically flipped over to show that Dream Silk was closed for the day.

It seemed that making these three sets of magical attire really had taken a lot out of her.

Zhang Ye went to the fitting room to change.

After enduring the pain of a drop of blood to claim ownership, the 【Parallel Guardian】 merged directly into his body. With a single thought, Zhang Ye could summon it. It fit like a second skin, similar to an undershirt, occupying no equipment slots and causing no burden. It was actually very comfortable.

Then Zhang Ye tried on 【Sunshine Knight】 and 【Night Banquet Prince】.

Not only did the magical attire feel incredibly comfortable, but it also boosted Zhang Ye’s appearance by several notches. This was especially true for 【Night Banquet Prince】; wearing it made Zhang Ye look like an actual prince. He was almost dazzled by his own reflection.

Ultimately, Zhang Ye decided to stay in 【Sunshine Knight】 because it was more comfortable for casual wear.

While Zhang Ye was admiring himself, Leona returned.

Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him in the sunny, casual outfit.

In 【Sunshine Knight】, Zhang Ye radiated a bright, cheerful aura. Combined with his naturally energetic personality, the temperament matched perfectly, making him look like the quintessential sunshine boy.

“Not bad! You look very handsome!” Leona walked over and ruffled his hair with a laugh.

Zhang Ye grinned and told her about Joyace making the 【Parallel Guardian】 for him. Leona was slightly surprised at first, but then she smiled warmly, appearing very happy.

“Big Nana, is this 【Parallel Guardian】 very precious?” Zhang Ye asked curiously.

“Of course it is.” Leona nodded and smiled. “Actually, not just anyone can enter Joyace’s shop. It’s catered toward royalty and high nobility. If you weren’t with me, you wouldn’t even have seen this place.”

“The reason is that the clothes she makes aren't something an average person can afford.”

Zhang Ye nodded in deep agreement.

At a hundred thousand gold for a pair of boxers, normal people really couldn't afford them.

“If these three sets of magical attire were put up for auction, each one would go for no less than three million gold. Parallel Guardian could even fetch tens of millions!”

“That expensive?!” Zhang Ye was shocked.

Leona chuckled. “Of course. So, looking at it now, three Thorn Black Roses weren't nearly enough.”

“What are Thorn Black Roses?”

“Saint Materials. A single Thorn Black Rose can sell for seven to eight million gold,” Leona explained. “Next time we come, we’ll have to bring her a few more.”

Zhang Ye marveled inwardly. This was the world of the wealthy—a single outfit was worth that much.

But the price was justified.

Once the defense magic circles were applied, this Parallel Guardian could withstand Saint-tier attacks. The damage transfer effect and the fact that it didn't take up an equipment slot were enough to prove how powerful it was.

Anything associated with the Saint-tier was bound to be formidable and definitely not cheap.

“I’ll go call her,” Zhang Ye said, heading toward the inner shop, but Leona held him back.

“Let her sleep for a bit. Modifying a Saint-tier garment base is extremely draining,” Leona said with a smile. “She did you a huge favor this time. With this set of clothes, if you don’t make it into the top three freshmen, you’ll be ruining her reputation, you know?”

“Don’t worry. If I don’t get top three, I’ll wash my hair while doing a handstand!”

Leona’s eyes sparkled at that. “Actually, I’d rather see you wash your hair while doing a handstand than see you in the top three. How about...”

Zhang Ye looked at her in horror.

“Hahaha, just kidding! Look how scared you are.” Leona laughed and slapped Zhang Ye on the shoulder.

Zhang Ye: “Then why do you look so disappointed?”

Leona: “As your mentor, I feel it is necessary to teach you a lesson: a great man shouldn't fuss over trifles.”

Zhang Ye: “...”