Just as Huohuo thought they were going to stroll through the entirety of Aurum Alley.
A call from Stelle came through on Sylvia's phone.
Sylvia put it on speaker so the others could hear Stelle's voice.
"Stelle? What's up?"
"You guys still looking for that pawnshop?"
"Something in your tone makes it sound like you know something?"
"Hehe, wanna know~?"
Stelle chuckled on the other end of the line, her tone suddenly turning mischievous.
Sushang's face flushed as she quickly blurted out:
"Jeez! Your tone is so weird, just spit it out if you've got news!"
"Hey? Ugh, who puts someone on speaker when they call!"
Stelle let out a frustrated sigh on the other end, but then honestly continued:
"About that pawnshop thing, I went and asked the little secretary, and heard a shocking fact from Lianyan!"
"..."
Sylvia and Huohuo exchanged glances, with Sushang unusually taking on the role of explainer:
"Miss Lianyan is someone close to the head of the Aurum Alley Merchant Guild, I guess... probably the chairperson's secretary?"
Sushang scratched her head, struggling for a while to remember exactly what Lianyan's position was.
But Huohuo understood that Lianyan was connected to that chairperson.
"Anyway, according to the chairperson, this so-called ghost market pawnshop is an urban legend deliberately spread by someone in the Merchant Guild to attract paranormal enthusiasts to Aurum Alley."
"Ah..."
"Well, that..."
"..."
The three of them were stunned for a moment.
How to put it.
What had seemed like an interesting prospect in Sushang's eyes suddenly became dull.
Huohuo, on the other hand, was fine with it; Hanya had mentioned when they set out that this intelligence was likely false anyway, but protocol dictated they still send someone to check it out.
As for Sylvia, she was a bit disappointed too. Chasing Heliobi was pretty fun, she'd wanted to give it a go. Looked like that wasn't happening now.
After delivering the message.
Stelle yelled 'let me stay on the line!' and hung up.
With nothing much to do now, Huohuo raised her little hand and suggested:
"Well, how about we go to that shop the grey-haired sister recommended instead?"
"Yeah, let's go! We came out to relax anyway."
Sylvia had no objections, of course, but Sushang seemed a bit reluctant.
"Um, I'll sit this one out, okay? Since I'm already here, I'll just do a patrol round, I'll catch up with you after I've made my loop."
Sushang figured since she was out anyway, she might as well do a patrol. Who knows, maybe some Cycrane was having issues waiting for someone to rescue it.
So Sushang parted ways with Sylvia at the entrance to the next alley.
--+--
Walking alone through the alleys along her pre-planned route.
Sushang let out a sigh.
"Phew— I've never really taken a close look at this place. Quite a bit of stuff piled up along the roadside. Next time I should ask the Merchant Guild if they could send someone to clean it up."
Sushang walked all the way to the southeastern corner of Aurum Alley.
This area was far from the docks, and not close to any exit either. Probably the least crowded spot in the whole place.
"Come to think of it... does anyone actually run a shop here?"
Sushang eyed the storefront before her, which looked relatively clean and tidy.
The windows were shuttered, and the door didn't look like it saw much traffic.
No wonder Sushang didn't remember it.
The area around here was piled high with all sorts of random junk.
Any legitimately open businesses were around the corner from this spot.
It really was a secluded corner.
"...Probably no one's here."
Sushang curiously took a spin around. There were scattered footprints, but the shop itself didn't look occupied.
Just then.
Suddenly, a creak—
The door of the shop she'd assumed was empty swung open from the inside, revealing a slender figure.
A foxian woman with black hair, dressed in Xianzhou attire, stepped out from within.
The clothes she wore were of an extremely traditional Xianzhou style, even by Sushang's standards.
"Greetings, esteemed guest. Would you care to step inside and browse my humble shop?"
Her soft, delicate voice sent a pleasant shiver down even Sushang's spine.
"Your shop... why is it so empty?"
Sushang peeked curiously through the doorway.
Lights were on inside, and the décor looked nice, but there weren't many shelves, and those present held items Sushang couldn't quite identify.
"Oh my, those are just samples. If you're interested, you're welcome to come in for a closer look. Might I ask for your name?"
"You talk so formally. I'm Sushang."
Sushang, never one to be suspicious, cheerfully accepted the invitation from the foxian girl and stepped into the shop.
Inside were various finely crafted objects whose purpose Sushang couldn't fathom.
As she looked around, she asked curiously:
"So, what exactly does your shop deal in? Stuck in a place like this, do you actually get any customers?"
"Hehe~ This one's talents lie not in many things, but I have a certain knack for discerning people and objects. So, this shop primarily handles pawn transactions."
"Oh— a pawnshop. Speaking of which, I actually heard an urban legend about a pawnshop today, haha~"
"Is that so? My little shop prefers to pawn items that are... less common."
Click—
The sound of the door locking echoed.
Sushang's eyes sharpened instantly, sensing something wrong.
Just as she spun around, before she could speak.
The woman's voice suddenly shifted, becoming eerily distorted:
"What this shop typically pawns are a customer's feelings, memories, and... their life!!"
Boom—
The lights inside went out, and in the next instant, a ghostly visage wreathed in emerald flame screeched and lunged at Sushang.
"Eek—!!!"
Terrified out of her wits at the horrific specter, Sushang's mind flashed to the ghost stories Huohuo had told earlier.
"Ghost—!! Gah—!"
Before the green flame even reached her face, Sushang's eyes rolled back, and she fainted dead away from sheer fright.
"...?"
The mass of ghostly apparitions coalesced back into a single ball of flame. Though it lacked a face, it somehow exuded an aura of profound confusion.
"This girl's a Cloud Knight, isn't she...? Fainting from fright, that's a riot~"
The fireball chuckled to itself, then plunged straight into Sushang's body.
"Whoa—!! That's sword techniques from another Xianzhou ship! Come on! Quick, let me see!"
The Heliobus's voice gradually morphed into Sushang's.
--+--
Meanwhile.
Sylvia and Huohuo were already seated at a table, about to enjoy a delicious meal.
They'd first contacted Stelle, who was still utterly engrossed in the Cycrane transport network.
Then they tried contacting Sushang, but for some reason, Sushang wasn't responding at all; her messages remained on 'unread'.
Just then.
Tail suddenly jolted, almost lifting Huohuo right out of her chair:
"It's the scent of a Heliobus, hehe~ Stop eating, stop eating, time to get to work!"
"Mr. Tail... don't just pop out in a crowded place like this!"
"Stop jabbering and get moving, we gotta find that Heliobus. It's really here."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.