Chapter 203
After finishing his massage and taking a bath, Xia Zhi returned to his room on the second floor. He took out the Iron Treasure Chest he had obtained earlier from Mr. Draff during the day. Although Mr. Draff had given him quite a few gifts, for Xia Zhi, the best gift was undoubtedly this treasure chest.
The last time he opened a Iron Treasure Chest was when he got one from Zhu Zi. Before that, it was from Brother Liu, and back then, Xia Zhi had been quite excited.
He chose to open the chest.
A jar of colorful candies appeared before his eyes.
[Long-lasting Fruit Candy]
Quality: Black Iron
Type: Consumable
Traits: None
Effect: The flavor of the candy lingers in your mouth for an entire day.
Hidden Effect: None
An interesting item.
Xia Zhi opened the jar, took out a red candy, and popped it into his mouth. It was strawberry-flavored, incredibly sweet, and tasted even better than any candy he had eaten in his original world.
As he enjoyed the candy, he went about completing his daily tasks. When the candy in his mouth was gone, he smacked his lips, still tasting the lingering sweetness of strawberry. Xia Zhi then took out a Sunsettia from his inventory and took a bite. The flavor of the Sunsettia mixed with the strawberry taste, creating a somewhat strange combination.
This candy could definitely be used for pranks.
Xia Zhi opened the Shop and spent 3 points to buy a bottle of mouthwash.
[Refreshing Mouthwash]
Quality: Black Iron
Type: Consumable
Traits: None
Effect: Removes any lingering taste in your mouth.
Hidden Effect: None
He opened the bottle, rinsed his mouth, and the strawberry sweetness finally disappeared. Quite interesting.
Later, in the dream world, the two of them played games for a while. Xia Zhi brought out the jar of fruit candy and picked out a black one for Little Shenhe.
"What's this?"
"It's sour plum-flavored candy. I picked it especially for you since you like sour things."
"Oh."
Little Shenhe took the candy and popped it into her mouth. Xia Zhi watched her and asked, "How does it taste?"
"Sour and sweet."
"Do you like it?"
"Yes."
"There's also lemon candy in here. See, the yellow ones. They're sour too."
"I want to try it."
"No."
"?"
"Because this candy is special. The flavor will stay in your mouth for an entire day."
"That long?"
"Yes, so you'll have to wait until the sour plum flavor is gone tomorrow before you can try the lemon candy. Otherwise, the flavors will mix."
"…You didn't tell me that."
"You ate it too quickly."
Shenhe widened her eyes at him, looking slightly displeased. Then, with a serious expression, she said, "Big brother, let's continue learning how to draw talismans."
"Do we have to?"
"Yes!"
"I don't think I have a talent for drawing immortal talismans."
"Practice makes perfect!"
"Where did you learn that phrase?"
"From the cartoons you showed me."
"Did I?"
"Hurry up, get the paper and brush ready."
Xia Zhi couldn't help but recall his school days when the teacher would make the class memorize vocabulary. He sighed, took out the white paper and brush, and diligently drew the simple pattern, making various mistakes along the way.
"You still made some mistakes, but you've improved a lot compared to yesterday."
"All thanks to Master Shenhe's excellent teaching."
Shenhe's eyebrows twitched slightly as she tried hard to suppress a smile. The sour-sweet taste still lingered in her mouth, and she lightly smacked her lips.
The boss isn't all-knowing after all.
Teaching and scolding the boss is so much fun!
In the days that followed, life in the shop remained peaceful and joyful. During the day, the shop operated as usual, with the two Adepti, Zhongli, and Ningguang occasionally dropping by to enjoy the daily snacks. If it wasn't raining in the evening, everyone would go out for a walk. If the weather was bad, they'd stay home and play mahjong. Every couple of days, Xia Zhi would give the girls a massage.
At night, Xia Zhi and Shenhe would play games, study talismans, and pick mushrooms. Fridays were a bit special, as Miss Ganyu would stay overnight at the shop. In the dream world, she would join Shenhe, and Xia Zhi would invite her into his meditation space to play games and eat candy.
Almost two weeks passed in this manner. During this time, Xia Zhi had secretly learned a few new skills.
[Geo Manipulation]: Can freely control Geo energy, commanding the earth to gather and form Geo constructs, altering terrain. Mana consumption depends on the scale of the changes.
[Calligraphy Mastery]: Become a master of calligraphy.
[Jade Shield]: Can freely control Geo energy to create a Geo shield for oneself or others, reducing all elemental and physical resistance of nearby enemies by 20%. If the shield takes damage, it restores health equal to 40% of the damage taken.
[Ancient Wisdom]: Gain permanent eidetic memory, never forgetting anything.
[Geo Travel]: Can freely control Geo energy to move through rock and ore.
[Commerce Mastery]: Become a master of commerce.
[Tailoring Basics]: Learn the basics of tailoring.
Most of these skills were learned from Zhongli, while [Commerce Mastery] and [Tailoring Basics] were picked up from Ningguang.
Today was September 30th, a Saturday. The shop was closed, and the weather was nice. Around 10 in the morning, Xia Zhi, having nothing better to do, was casually carving something out of a small piece of jade when someone came to visit.
It was Editor from Liyue Publishing House. She brought with her a hardcover novel.
"Mr. Xia, the novel you signed with us has been printed. We've started shipping copies to bookstores, and places like Wanwen Bookhouse will start selling it tomorrow, October 1st. This is a sample copy, and I've brought it to you personally."
"Thank you. I appreciate you making the trip."
"It's my pleasure. If your novel sells well, I'll get a bonus too."
"Ah, I see."
"I have high hopes for your novel. Wishing you great sales!"
"Thank you for your kind words."
"I'll be heading back now."
"No need to rush. Have a glass of juice before you go!"
"I still have a lot of manuscripts to review…"
"Then take it to-go. It'll be quick."
"Thank you…"
After seeing Editor off, Xia Zhi turned around to find Miss Chi Yu already eagerly flipping through the novel. Zhu Zi, Diona, Qiqi, and Shenhe were also gathered around, looking curious.
"Boss, you signed a novel?"
"Yes."
"Did you write it before?"
"Yeah."
"When did you submit it?"
"The day Shenhe came to our shop."
"Oh! I remember now. That was the day Miss Yanfei came too."
Diona, who couldn't read Liyue characters very well, asked, "Miss Chi Yu, is the novel good?"
"It's good, but you're too young. Better not read it."
"?"
Diona was left with a face full of question marks.
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