DipNovel Chapter 577 Ilya
Chapter 577 Ilya
"You just said a reliable buyer," Xu Si brought the topic back on track.
"Who is it?"
"The eldest daughter of the City Lord's family!" the shopkeeper said.
Xu Si was somewhat surprised. If the trading partner were someone who clearly sounded powerful and influential, he, as the shop owner, would definitely accept the item first and then conduct the transaction himself.
However, the shop owner in front of him did not make that choice, but instead gave Xu Si the option that was most advantageous to him.
Xu Si didn't know if there was some kind of trap, or if it was just the nature of the Crystal Clan.
But now he's starting to get interested in the deal.
Perhaps he could find the most detailed description of this world in the city lord's mansion, which would save him a lot of effort.
Seeing that Xu Si remained silent, the shop owner did not urge him, but simply tilted the facet slightly, as if patiently waiting for the customer to make a decision.
The faint light on his crystal surface flickered, seemingly expressing some kind of excited mood.
"Why would a noble lady from the city lord's mansion accept something like this?"
"Add to favorites." The shop owner answered readily.
"The young lady has a deep love for plants, and her garden is filled with many rare species. However, some inevitably dwindle in number, and ordinary spiritual springs and crystal powder cannot save them. Only plant spirits can prolong their lives. She recently asked someone to search for one, offering an extremely high price, but this little fellow is a rare find."
"she……"
The shop owner seemed to understand Xu Si's implied meaning.
"The young lady has a very good temperament, but unfortunately she lacks talent in cultivation, so she doesn't have many friends in the city, nor many enemies."
Xu Si nodded. The shop owner had already said enough; Xu Si had to be 'sensible'.
The listless plant spirit in his palm stirred, as if sensing its fate was about to be decided, and struggled to break free from Xu Si's restraints.
Xu Si gently closed his fingers, letting them quiet down again.
"Then I'll trouble you to make the introduction," he said.
"Sure, sure!"
The shop owner walked out from behind the counter. He was about half a head shorter than Xu Si. His crystal-like body reflected tiny, pale blue light spots in the light.
He walked to the door, glanced in a certain direction at the street corner, and then gestured for Xu Si to follow.
The two walked one after the other like two compasses, or like an old-fashioned clock, through two streets and alleys.
The passing alien races saw the Crystal Clan shopkeeper leading a strange Crystal Clan member, but they didn't give him a second glance. Occasionally, a few scaled giants would glance at Xu Si for a moment as they made way for him, but then look away.
Xu Si remained silent, but his perception always covered a distance of a hundred feet around him, taking in the sounds, smells and rhythms of pedestrians along the way.
He discovered that the city's internal structure was more complex than it appeared from the outside; the streets were not a straight grid, but rather meandered along some kind of curve, as if built according to the direction of the earth's veins.
"We've arrived." The shopkeeper stopped in front of a dark blue gate.
On either side of the gate stood a stone pillar about ten feet tall, its shafts carved with intertwined vine patterns, the tips of which were inlaid with fine crimson crystals that shimmered slightly in the light from who-knows-where.
There were no guards at the gate, but the aura emanating from the crack in the door gave Xu Si a familiar feeling—an aura similar to the laws of life, even purer than the one he had seen on that inhabited planet.
The shop owner raised his hand and knocked on the door knocker three times, the rhythmic beat clearly a pre-arranged signal.
A moment later, the door opened a crack from the inside, revealing a round face.
They were still the short, round-faced race, their features squeezed in the center of their faces like kneaded dough. At this moment, they were looking at the two people outside the door with their round eyes, and their gazes clearly paused when they landed on Xu Si.
"Who is this...?" Its voice was high-pitched and spoke very quickly.
"My guest has brought the very thing that the young lady has been looking for recently." The shopkeeper stepped aside to make room for him.
The round, short man's gaze returned to Xu Si's face, scrutinizing him for a moment before slowly opening the door. "Come in, Miss is in the back garden."
Xu Si never expected that the young lady of the city lord's mansion would live in the alley. Shouldn't she live in the city lord's mansion in the city center?
Moreover, the location here is much more relaxed than he imagined; in fact, it's practically nonexistent.
Xu Si followed the shop owner across the threshold, and the texture under his feet changed from bluestone slabs to a path covered with tiny crystals, making a rustling sound when he stepped on it.
The courtyard was larger than he had imagined. After passing a screen wall, the view suddenly opened up before him.
A meticulously maintained garden unfolds, lush with vegetation and vibrant with flowers, including many varieties whose names I don't know.
The air is filled with the rich fragrance of flowers and the sweet scent of grass, making you want to take a deep breath.
At least for now, it seems that what the shop owner said is probably true.
Deep within the garden, beneath a wooden pavilion, a slender figure stood with her back to them, holding a long, thin pair of scissors, bending down to trim a shrub about half a person's height.
"Young Miss." The plump little man stopped ten steps away from the pavilion, his voice becoming much more respectful.
The figure straightened up and turned around.
Xu Si expected to see some strange alien appearance, but when the face was fully revealed in front of him, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.
It was a person—or rather, a woman whose appearance was extremely similar to that of a human.
Her ears were longer and pointed than human ears, with a touch of pale pink down, and her hair was a very light silver-white that shimmered like pearls in the light. Her eyes were pale purple, like diluted amethyst.
"Orcs?" Xu Si asked in surprise.
"Manager Qing Shi?" she asked, her voice surprisingly gentle.
What did you bring?
The shop owner bowed slightly, gesturing for Xu Si to step forward.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Si took out the listless plant spirit from his waist bag.
The little guy was lifted into the air by his chubby bottom, his two fleshy wings flapping loudly, his round body curled up into a ball, and then he was too lazy to even struggle.
The silver-haired woman's gaze fell on the plant spirits, and her pale purple eyes brightened slightly, like two ignited glass beads.
She put down the scissors, stepped out of the pavilion, her steps light, her long skirt trailing among the flowers.
"A plant spirit?" The orc girl was half a head taller than Xu Si, and carefully took the chubby little guy.
"Hello, I'm Ilya. Did you bring this?"
As he got closer, Xu Si could see two small bulges hidden among her silvery-white hair, which looked like the antlers of a fawn.
"Mm," Xu Si nodded.
It's clear that Ilya really likes the little guy, so it's safe to say that Xu Si should get a substantial reward.
However, he failed to achieve his goal this time.
First, he did not see the city lord, nor did he see any stronger beings with higher life levels or strengths; second, this place seemed to be just a garden, without any documents, data, or any information about this world that Xu Si needed.
Xu Si's biggest gain this time was probably seeing a beast-eared girl.
But that's it.