Chapter 1 A Fleeting Moment

In that instant, Duncan mentally reviewed all the similar amulets he had sold in the past few weeks, and only after a long moment of consideration did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.

He remembered giving only two amulets as special gifts, both to Morris. The rest were just ordinary merchandise, and over such a long period, not a single buyer had ever reported anything unusual.

After the sigh of relief, Duncan couldn't help but fall into thought.

Though the reason for the amulet's change was still unclear, Vanna's news undoubtedly served as a reminder, giving him a better understanding and mental preparation for the "strange phenomena" that might occur around him.

In the future...it seemed he couldn't just give things away or agree to things so easily.

Duncan's brief silence also caught Vanna's attention, and she looked at him curiously, "Did you recall something?"

"...I carefully considered the things that have happened recently, and nothing seems amiss," Duncan shook his head, speaking with a calm expression and sincere tone, "Could Heidi be mistaken?"

"Unlikely. She's a seasoned psychiatrist, has some understanding of the supernatural realm, and is very clear about her own mental state," Vanna shook her head, "But the problem with the amulet could indeed lie in other aspects… Perhaps just a supernatural item got mixed in with ordinary merchandise, or maybe it happened during the production process…"

Vanna spoke slowly, but it seemed she was hypnotizing, convincing herself.

As an Inquisitor, she shouldn't be negligent towards potential supernatural events, but her attention eventually shifted away from the amulet issue.

She shook her head, seemingly snapping out of a daze.

"Maybe it's just work pressure," Sherry said casually, rising from behind the counter as she spoke, "After all, the big boss is about to arrive."

"The tea is ready," Prunella's voice came from the side. She brought a cup of hot tea and placed it on the counter, pushing it towards Duncan. "Please enjoy."

"I'll give it to you. It's not like it's anything valuable anyway. I just sell them as freebies," Sherry said with a wry smile, "Or should I make up a fancy product description on the spot? Do you want the historical artifact version or the health and wellness version?"

The gentleman was sitting behind the counter, a friendly smile on his face.

"Ah, sorry, I suddenly spaced out," she seemed to wake up suddenly and then coughed violently a few times, as if something had choked her. She frowned at the empty teacup in front of her, then shook her head, "Nothing. I just came here to ask about this matter."

"You're finally out," the young subordinate who had stayed in the car said as he slowly started the engine. "It's been almost an hour and a half. I was thinking if you didn't come out soon, I'd go in…"

A blond man named Shi Caibo was busy working beside the large furnace.

The sounds of traffic on the street outside the shop seemed distant. The kettle inside the shop was gradually making a piercing sound, there seemed to be some wriggling, jumping shadows in the corner of the shelf, and the staircase leading to the second floor seemed to extend into an infinitely high darkness.

Shi Cai was immediately astonished by the scene—it was the first time he had seen someone so calmly swallow Prunella's tea. As expected, this young lady was worthy of being Alice's number one beautiful and brave woman, beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.

Duncan silently picked up the teacup, put it to his lips, took a sip, and then chewed before swallowing the scalding tea and tea leaves without a change in expression.

Duncan nodded slightly and turned to leave. After a while, noticing that he was just looking around without saying anything, Shi Cai couldn't help but break the silence, "Is there anything else besides the amulet?"

Inside the antique shop, Vanna was the first to run to the front of the counter. She glanced back nervously in the direction Duncan had left, then turned to look at Sherry. "What was that Inquisitor doing here? Is she here to arrest me?"

Nina also came over at that moment. Hearing Shi Cai's words, she immediately realized, "Big boss… Are you talking about the news that was in the paper before? The Stormwind Cathedral?"

Shi Cai had lived in the Upper City since he was a child, entered the church for training before he was an adult, and directly took up a sword to fight heretics when he became an adult. He had never seen this in his twenty-odd years of life, and he was immediately confused. "Two... two hundred tickets?"

Sherry looked at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Wouldn't what?"

Sherry smiled and nodded, her gaze sweeping over Nina, Vanna, and Prunella. She suddenly asked, "Interested?"

The Stormwind Cathedral is coming. "It'll be the same next time you come anyway. The shop's always here," the young subordinate said casually. Then, he saw the crystal amulet that had appeared on Vanna's neck in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but be a little surprised. "Did you buy a new pendant? That's unexpected. You usually don't buy these."

"Enough about that. Drive faster. Go straight to the port."

As she spoke, she gently tapped her forehead, feeling like she had forgotten something. She couldn't help but mutter softly, "I left in such a hurry that I didn't even say goodbye."

Duncan thought about it seriously and shook his head, "I might need this—but I can't take your things for nothing."

Seeing this, Sherry wanted to say something more, but she saw Duncan stand up and pick up the crystal pendant.

"There probably won't be much business today anyway—most people are either at the church for mass or at the port sightseeing, so we're just idle in the shop," Sherry said matter-of-factly, "Let's go take a look. The grand occasion of the Stormwind Cathedral docking doesn't happen every year."

"Pendant?" Duncan looked down at his chest in confusion, and after two seconds, he spoke hesitantly, "Oh, I bought it…"

Duncan looked at the "crystal" amulet in front of him with some surprise, and after a moment of愣, he asked, "How much does it cost?"

"It was a pleasant meeting," she slowly smiled, suddenly speaking with a particularly solemn expression and tone. At the same time, she raised her hand and put the crystal pendant around her neck. "I look forward to our next meeting."

The gentle sound of the waves echoed in her mind, bringing waves of comfort and gradually making her forget the purpose of her visit.

The entire building seemed to be filled with faint whispers.

On the other side, Prunella didn't know what had happened, but seeing Nina so excited, she also started clapping her hands. Only Alice had a look of horror on her face, "But… but… but this is the Stormwind Cathedral! If we go, won't we…"

She wound her way through the shop, walked out the door, and came to the open space in front of the antique shop, then stopped here.

Sherry felt that the other person had suddenly become a bit strange and frowned subconsciously, but in the end, she didn't say much. She just nodded politely, "Okay then, welcome to visit again." Sherry nodded in satisfaction.

Duncan raised his head and silently surveyed the antique shop.

Nina was also helping out in the shop. "If you're interested in the amulet, I'll sell you one," she laughed and pushed the amulet she had just taken down forward. "You can study it slowly when you get back."

Vanna looked up at Sherry, lowered her head to think for a moment, and shook her head vigorously. "Nothing at all!"

Duncan was stunned for a moment. "You… is this how things are sold here?"

And in his transcendent perception, which spanned the entire city-state, he had not yet been able to sense a "presence" exuding a majestic aura gradually approaching.

As soon as he finished speaking, Nina jumped up happily, "Yay!"

"It's for giving gifts to colleagues," Sherry said in a serious tone, "And young people give them to their lovers…"

Then, I raised my head, my gaze passing over the street outside the door, over the city, and towards the port.

A sudden "beep beep" of a horn came from the road in the distance. As she spoke, she fumbled around her body and took out two ten-Sola bills from her pocket and placed them on the counter.

"An hour and a half?" Duncan was a little surprised. "I thought… it had only been twenty minutes."

"Honest business," Sherry spread out her hands. "If you definitely want to sell it, the original price of this thing is four Sola, add eighteen for a set of health and wellness theories, and twenty-two for a historical story. If you pay forty-four, I can give you a white walnut box—the box promises not to fade within six months, and I can also issue you a seven-hundred ticket."

Duncan blinked, only then noticing the car parked by the side of the road and remembering the arrival of the Stormwind Cathedral today. He quickly walked over, opened the door, and got into the car.

This girl named Vanna hadn't returned to the shop yet. At this moment, she was carefully watching over there while putting things on the shelves.

"You're overthinking it," Sherry glanced at the apprehensive girl, her expression showing helplessness. "I'm here to investigate something else. It has nothing to do with you."

"Interest?" Shi Cai was stunned for a moment.

After realizing it, his face instantly showed astonishment. "Wait, don't tell me you're going to…"

"The original price is four Sola—the rest is to thank you for your cooperation, and to thank you for the treat of this cup of tea just now."

"Oh, as long as you're not here to arrest me," Vanna breathed a sigh of relief, but then couldn't help but mutter, "You seem kind of strange today. You're not making much sense."