He froze the moment he stepped inside.
In sharp contrast to the shabby exterior, the interior was an elegant, modern café. Warm yellow lights shone over marble tables, and a coffee machine hummed softly. In the air, alongside the smell of old books and metal, drifted a rich fragrance of coffee.
A witch in a black-and-red robe sat behind the bar, grinding coffee. Seeing him hesitate, she smiled and tilted her chin.
"Don't just stand there. Sit."
Shi Jin hesitated for a moment, then took a seat at the bar. Only then did he notice the elf's pointed ears peeking out from the witch's hair, glowing faintly under the warm light.
The witch wiped a coffee cup, looked up at him, and smiled with certainty.
"I know why you came. I've set a sixth‑order star‑track magic in this shop. Only those chosen by the stars and moon will be guided here."
Shi Jin blinked and subconsciously touched the necklace inside his collar, secretly startled.
He had only followed the heat of the necklace; he would never have entered if he hadn't grown curious about what was behind the curtain.
Looking at the witch's confident expression, he could not help curling his lip slightly. He pulled the necklace out from his collar and held it up.
"The so-called choice of the stars and moon… is probably related to this."
The witch took the necklace and ran her fingers over the cold pendant. Her brows slowly furrowed.
She could sense a weak but pure magical fluctuation inside it, yet she could not recognize its origin at all. Her cheeks warmed slightly. She coughed lightly and handed it back, laughing to smooth things over.
"It seems my skills are still too shallow to see its mystery. No matter. My little shop may look ordinary, but it's an everything‑house. Tell me your wish. I might be able to help."
Shi Jin put the necklace away, the corner of his mouth twitching up. Instead of answering directly, he said:
"If this is an everything‑house, why don't you guess what I'm looking for?"
The witch paused, then laughed, tapping her fingers lightly on the table.
"You look like you've traveled far. Either you're looking for someone… or something.
If it's a person, I can check the city's residence records.
If it's something, from lost magic crystals to lost ancient scrolls—I can dig up leads. My shop has the best information in the city."
Shi Jin looked at her and spoke calmly.
"The one I'm looking for is someone very important to me. Clues are scarce. I only know they're somewhere in this Mixed-Blood City-State."
The witch's eyes lit up at once, leaning forward.
"I'm the best at finding people! Tell me—do you have a portrait? Any features at all?
Even someone who disappeared hundreds of years ago, I can dig up clues for you!"
Seeing that Shi Jin seemed skeptical, she wrinkled her nose and placed her hands on her hips, indignant.
"You don't believe in my everything‑house? Then I'll show you a trick.
See that guy at the alley entrance outside? Wrapped tight in a black cloak, reeking of demonic stench. He's been following you for three streets!"
Shi Jin glanced in the direction she pointed, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He spoke casually.
"I know. He's been tailing me since early on. He just wants the Yama Demon Sword on my back."
With that, he reached for the hilt and half-drew the sword. Its blade glinted with cold light, and a faint black aura coiled around it.
The witch's gaze fell on the sword, her pupils shrinking slightly. She fell silent, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the bar, as if startled by the sword's chill.
She quickly looked away, her tone turning serious.
"Even if you can sense him, carrying this sword is far too dangerous.
The demonic aura of the Yama Demon Sword is like a torch in the night to demons. It will only keep drawing more covetous eyes. That guy back there was just the start."
Shi Jin raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Seeing this, the witch patted the bar, her tone firm.
"I can tell he's a demon at a glance, and I can help you avoid more trouble—hidden lines in the city, magical traps in every corner.
Tell me. What kind of person are you really looking for?
As long as they're in this city, I can find a way to dig up clues."
Shi Jin watched her earnest expression, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke. He gestured at a height with his hand and described slowly.
"About this tall. She looks like a young girl. Silvery-white hair, emerald-green eyes, pointed elven ears.
She usually wears a white dress with green decorations. She looks young, but she's extremely intelligent."
The witch's eyes blazed the moment she heard this, her fingers tapping faster on the bar.
"An elven girl with silvery-white hair and emerald eyes? I know her kind! I'm the best with elves!"
With that, the witch summoned a wisp of pale white magic to her fingertips. Flicking her wrist, several thick books drifted down from the high shelves and landed with a soft slap on the bar.
She tapped the thickest elven registry, the corner of her eye lifting playfully.
"First, a rule: information in my everything‑house requires payment upfront."
Shi Jin curled his lip slightly, pulled out several magic crystal coins, and flicked them onto the bar with a clear chime.
"Fine."
The witch reached for them, but Shi Jin added calmly.
"What if you can't find anything?"
Her hand froze just above the coins. She glanced at him sideways, dismissed the magic, and chuckled.
"If I can't find anything, I won't take a single coin."
"Just look first," Shi Jin said, glancing at the books on the bar.
The witch immediately flipped open the registry, her fingers racing across the yellowed pages. The soft rustle filled the café.
At first, her movements were sharp, but they gradually slowed. Her brows furrowed, and her fingers rubbed the edges of the pages repeatedly.
When she finished the last page, she closed the book, the tips of her ears quietly flushing pink. She scratched the bar awkwardly, her voice soft and embarrassed.
"W‑wait… give me a moment. I'll check other volumes. I'll definitely find a clue."
Shi Jin rested his chin in his hand, watching the flustered witch, a faint smile spreading across his face.
"It's only right you can't find her. It would be strange if just anyone could."
Warm light spilled over the bar, falling on her ink-stained fingers as they rushed across the pages. At his words, she froze. The ink smudged into a small blot, like her messy mood.
She stared at the stain, her ears still pink, her voice low and disappointed.
"Looks like I failed… again today."
Shi Jin grew curious, his fingertips tapping the cold bar lightly.
"What's wrong?"
The witch tucked her hair behind her ear, her finger brushing her pointed earlobe, then unconsciously rubbed the hard cover of the volume, her voice full of frustration.
"I'm just the apprentice. My master left on a trip a few days ago. I've messed up several jobs already while running the shop."
Shi Jin chuckled, covering his mouth with his knuckle, his eyes curved in amusement.
"The master must be quite something to have raised such an unaccomplished apprentice."
The witch puffed out her cheeks but could not refute him. She huffed and pushed the volume aside, like a wronged little beast, her fingers still brushing the ink stain unconsciously.
Shi Jin's smile deepened as he continued, his fingers still tapping the bar at a steady pace.
"What kind of person is your master?"
Still in a huff, the witch grabbed a thin book and flipped it randomly, answering absentmindedly.
"Looks almost exactly like the girl you described. Silvery-white hair, emerald eyes, pointed elven ears too…"
She froze mid-sentence, her fingers tightening sharply around the book, crumpling the page.
She shot up, eyes sparkling as she stared at Shi Jin, leaning forward on the bar.
"Are you a friend of my master?!"
She immediately shook her head, leaning back, sizing him up carefully. Her gaze traveled from his handsome face to the Yama Demon Sword at his side, finally resting on his youthful features. She mumbled quietly.
"No… you look only twenty-five or twenty-six. How could you be friends with my master? She's over seven hundred years old."
Shi Jin shook his head with a low laugh, tapping the bar lightly.
"Of course not. I'm just curious."
The rich scent of coffee mixed with faint ink, wrapped in warm light around them. Their quiet chatter brought gentle warmth to the still corner.
The witch watched Shi Jin from across the bar, secretly forming a sound-transmission seal with her fingers inside her sleeve. Pale white magic sank into the void, her voice extremely low and tentative.
"Master, someone's here. He says he's not your friend, but he's looking for an elven girl who looks exactly like you."
After a short pause, her master's voice replied from far away.
"Keep him here until evening. I'll be back today."
The witch dismissed the seal, looked up at Shi Jin with an apologetic smile, and pointed to an empty seat beside the bar.
"I'm sorry I couldn't find any clues. But my master will be back today.
If you're willing to wait, you can stay and have some coffee. It's already evening. She'll be here in an hour or two."
Shi Jin said nothing, walking straight to the empty seat. He touched the necklace at his throat—the crystal showed no light, meaning he could stay safely for a long time.
He lowered his hand and spoke calmly.
"No coffee. I won't be able to sleep at night. Do you have any snacks?"
The witch blinked, then nodded quickly.
"Yes, yes! I'll get them right now. They're homemade nut crisps, sweet but not greasy."
She turned toward the kitchen, then paused and peeked back over the bar, curious.
"Why are you looking for someone who looks like my master? You don't seem like a local cultivator with that Yama Demon Sword."
Shi Jin tapped the bar casually, his gaze drifting to the growing darkness outside.
"Just looking for someone. It's on the way."
The witch pouted and mumbled "Mysterious, much?" before disappearing into the kitchen.
Moments later, she returned with a plate of fragrant nut crisps, placing it before him, then handed over a glass of cool honey water.
"Eat with this. It cuts the grease."
Shi Jin nodded, picked one up, and took a small bite.
Only the crisp scent of nuts and the occasional night wind outside remained. The two sat quietly, waiting for the one returning in the dusk.
As dusk deepened, travelers came and went, all seeking clues from the witch.
Some asked about secret paths, others for lost artifacts. She flipped through volumes as before, speaking in half-riddles, just as she had with Shi Jin. Ink stained her fingers as she scribbled notes, her nose beading with sweat, the tips of her ears flushing pink whenever she could not answer.
Shi Jin sat by the bar, twisting a half-eaten nut crisp between his fingers, leaning casually on the table, a faint smile on his lips.
Some left with vague clues, thanking her repeatedly; others slammed the door in frustration when they found nothing.
Warm light flickered with the coming and going of guests. Ink and sweet nut crisp scents filled the air, softened by the night wind, full of mortal warmth.
He occasionally glanced at the flustered witch, his eyes soft with amusement. Waiting did not feel tedious at all.
Until night fully fell over the windows, the last guest's footsteps fading down the alley. The everything-house fell silent.
Then came a soft sound of the door opening.
Wind slipped in, carrying the cool of night, brushing the copper bell hanging by the bar.
A single clear chime rang out.
The owner of the everything-house had finally returned.
A pale green magic radiated from her, a terrifying elven pressure surging outward, meant to establish her authority.
But before the magic could spread far, the Yama Demon Sword beside Shi Jin trembled and hummed violently.
A cold, heavy sword pressure crashed down, instantly crushing the elven aura to pieces. Even the candle in the corner flickered.
The owner's face paled drastically, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.
She moved in a faint blur, teleporting in front of the witch, shielding her apprentice firmly behind her.
Her gaze locked onto Shi Jin, her voice low and sharp.
"You come with ill intent!"