Chapter 71: Genie's Shop

Chapter 71: Genie's Shop

"Do you know him, Bree?"

The golden haired little girl bit her lip and thought about it for a while before shaking her head. "Um, I don't think so?"

Although Bree couldn't remember her life before becoming a puppy, she vaguely felt that she had known Evelyn and her friends longer than that. She could feel that she cared for them deep down.

It was that strange feeling of 'I should know this' that struck her when she saw that man, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't pinpoint any feeling she had for him. Maybe she really didn't know him before?

Had Bree already recovered her memories, however, she would have recognized where she had seen the man before, and why she didn't feel anything for him. It was because, to her, he was simply too insignificant at that time. Someone she could easily destroy on a whim.

He was the man she had almost killed if not for Elder Floris, back during Evelyn's ceremony. The same one who had later attacked the Knox mansion, but failed to cause any damage due to the 'timely arrival' of the third princess.

And the very same man who had then fled the Lavinian empire, trying to avoid retaliation from the royal family.

Evelyn didn't feel assured at all, but since Bree couldn't recall anything, she could only put the matter aside for now. If the girl didn't recognize his face, at least he shouldn't have much to do with her.

Cecilia also paused her overly enthusiastic introduction to her favorite garment shop in confusion. "If she recognizes him, isn't it better to just go and ask? He couldn't have gone far, right? We can still catch up if we go now"

Evelyn shook her head. "No way. Whether or not she knew him, we don't know if he was her enemy or friend. And I doubt we're strong enough to handle him if he's not friendly."

Cecilia smirked as she pretended to flex her muscles. "I'm quite strong?"

The pink haired girl smiled, amused. "Yes, yes. You're very strong. But there's still no point in taking that risk when we don't even know his level. So let's get what we're here for first, alright?"

Cecilia scratched her head sheepishly. "Uhh I guess you're right."

==========

Meanwhile, Blaise was scampering through the streets and alleys swiftly, his eyes darting left and right with vigilance as he silently slid into a dark corner and waited with bated breath.

Only after almost half an hour passed by did he let out a sigh of relief. 'Looks like I managed to lose them.'

"Shit! I wonder who it was to have managed to chase me all the way here!"

It had already been years since he escaped Moreen city when his plan failed and he entered the crosshairs of the royal family. The closest place he felt was safe enough at that point was deep inside the 'Wonderland of Doom', the so-called 'forbidden zone' of the Ancient Academy.

Despite how foreboding and ominous the name of the place was, it actually wasn't that difficult for him to come here.

The most difficult part had been bribing the rangers into letting him go along with them in the academy's expedition. Of course, it would be a one way trip to hell if he wanted to come alone, without the expedition.

"It's me, Cecilia! I wanna buy some clothes, granny!"

After almost two minutes of silence, the door finally clicked open, and Evelyn couldn't help but stare.

The elderly lady who had opened the door was probably the shortest 'adult' she had seen in her life. Even if she didn't take her hunched back into consideration, Evelyn didn't think the lady would reach even three feet!

"Ah, Cecilia, I see you have a friend with you, huh?"

As they followed the lady inside the shop, Evelyn was startled to discover that it was even more 'barren' than she expected. And after the closed door and obscure shop location, Evelyn's expectations hadn't exactly been very high.

There were barely two to three dozen articles of clothing on display, and none of them seemed to be small enough to fit Bree. Evelyn couldn't help but be a little disappointed, though she didn't voice her thoughts.

As she continued to curiously look around the shop, Evelyn was quite pleasantly surprised when she discovered that most of the clothes here had special properties when she probed them with her skill.

Attribute Enhancement: +5 Physique while equipped.

Special Property: Self-cleaning [Level 1] Dust and grime will be easier to shake out of the item, while finding it harder to latch onto it at the same time.

Special Property: Self-repair [Level 1] When the amount of damage to the item does not exceed one percent, it can slowly mend itself back to perfect condition, provided that no material is missing.

Common enchantments that provided some self-cleaning and self-repair properties were to be expected, however, she didn't think such common looking clothes could even come with attribute enhancements!

Even if it was all less than ten attribute points, since anyone could wear them, wouldn't these clothes technically make regular people much stronger?

The market for these things was definitely bigger than the supply. It was no wonder that the old lady didn't care if someone managed to find her shop or not.

Cecilia and the old lady were clearly well acquainted with each other, and instead of talking straight about business, the old lady seemed more intent on inquiring about her relationship with the pink haired girl.

"Your best friend?"

Cecilia nodded, puffing out her chest with pride. "That's right, granny, this is my best, no, my bestest friend!"

The old lady appeared to be both shocked and impressed. "I didn't know you had friends, Cecilia. Why else would you always come to bother an old lady like me? Oh Don't tell me that pen pal you kept bragging about wasn't a figment of your imagination?!"

The ash blonde sputtered, indignant. "Y-You never believed me?! Why would I even lie?!"

The old lady smiled kindly as she patted Cecilia's hand to placate the agitated girl. "I never said you lied. I just thought you made her up. Anyway, that's her, right?"

Cecilia huffed. "That's right! Her name is Evelyn, and she's definitely a real person!"