Ling Shaomiao slowly opened her bag and took out the pearl from inside. The pearl was small, but it shone with a strange brilliance—its smooth surface softly radiated a gentle white glow.
She gently placed it on the glass counter.
The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows slightly. He carefully picked up the pearl and took a small loupe from his desk, holding it in front of his eye. For a while, he examined the pearl attentively, turning it from different angles.
The shopkeeper looked at the pearl again, clear surprise appearing in his eyes.
"Miss… this is a genuine pearl," he said slowly.
After a brief pause, he added, "In my entire life, I have rarely seen such a bright and flawless pearl… in fact, it would be more accurate to say that I have almost never seen one."
He held the pearl up to the light. The soft white glow reflected on the glass counter.
"This is a pearl of extremely rare quality," he said in a serious tone. "Do you want to sell it, or did you only come to know its value?"
"How much would it be worth?" Ling Shaomiao asked calmly.
The shopkeeper raised the pearl toward the light again and observed it carefully for a while. Then he slowly placed it back on the glass counter.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Miss, if I speak honestly… a pearl of this quality is extremely rare. Its size, brightness, and smoothness—everything about it is outstanding."
Looking at Ling Shaomiao, he added, "In the market, its price could easily reach one hundred to one hundred and fifty pounds. If the right collector or noble buyer appears, it might even be sold for more."
"Oh, I see. Thank you," Ling Shaomiao said in a cheerful tone.
She carefully put the pearl back into her bag, politely nodded to the shopkeeper, and then turned toward the door and left the shop. The small bell on the door rang softly again.
As soon as she stepped onto the street, she began walking slowly. But another thought was already circling in her mind. There were nearly thirty to forty pearls in the box…
As this thought appeared, a shadow of surprise flashed across her eyes.
So many rare pearls… how did they end up in the house of a fashion designer?
Ling Shaomiao frowned slightly. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Ling Shaomiao took the Backlund Morning Post she had purchased from her subscription from the mailbox.
She bought some chemical powder from a pharmacy, which cost two pounds. After that, she slowly walked toward a herbal medicine shop.
There, she selected five kinds of herbs. Although each herb had some effect individually, if these five were used together, they would gradually slow the heartbeat of the human body. If someone drank it daily with wine, death would be certain within a month.
For a single day, it would only cause slight nausea and a headache, nothing more. Ling Shaomiao carefully analyzed this information in her mind.
Ling Shaomiao repaired her entire camera for four pounds. Now she had sixty-four pounds and two shillings left. Holding the things in her hands, she slowly walked back toward her home.
When she reached the gate of her house, she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Thank you for the sweets."
Ling Shaomiao turned around and saw Klein standing there steadily, holding a cane.
"Mr. Moriarty, do you live here?" Ling Shaomiao asked, pretending to be surprised.
"I live in Unit 15 next to yours," Klein replied calmly, though there was an invisible tension of alertness in his voice, as if he could take control of the situation at any moment.
Ling Shaomiao looked at Klein with a slight act of surprise, clutching the bag in her hand a little tighter and said,
"Mr. Moriarty, if you have time, would you come to my house for lunch today?"
Klein lightly held his cane and raised the corner of his lips slightly, "I have time today, Miss Nightshade. I will come on time. Thank you."
Ling Shaomiao entered her house and closed the door.
Is he suspicious of me… thinking that I followed him and deliberately live right next to him? she thought.
Participating in the Tarot gathering… forget about it.
Ling Shaomiao closed the door and walked into her house. The noon sunlight shimmered across the floor, while a gentle breeze carried the faint scents inside—freshly cut leaves, washed and dried spices, and a hint of tea leaves.
She walked into the kitchen and took out some fresh vegetables and mayonnaise from the cabinet she had prepared the previous night. Quickly, she made several sandwiches—grilled chicken with lettuce, tomatoes, and light hummus. Beside them she placed a few slices of cucumber and bell pepper.
Then she arranged a quinoa salad on a beautiful plate, mixed with bell peppers, carrots, and olives. A light vinaigrette dressing made the salad even more appealing.
From a small stock pot she poured some light chicken soup into a white bowl. It was thin, hot, and refreshing in taste. On another small plate she arranged cheese and crackers, along with several juicy apples and grapes.
Finally, she brought out a warm apple pie—its crispy crust filled with sweet apple filling, perfect to pair with tea and sandwiches. She also placed a few pieces of dry bread on the side, suitable for eating with the soup.
At last, she pressed the small ceramic teapot and prepared a cup of hot lemon tea.j
Ling Shaomiao began arranging the dishes on the table. Soft light flowed in through the window, and the fragrance inside slowly spread throughout the room.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
She quickly opened the door and saw Klein—still maintaining his elegant demeanor.
Ling Shaomiao warmly invited him,
"Mr. Moriarty, please come in and sit at the table."
Klein calmly sat down at the table, and Ling Shaomiao sat beside him.
"I hope you will like the food," Ling Shaomiao said.
The two of them began eating.
After a short silence, Klein suddenly asked,"What is the name and recipe of the sweets you gave me?"
Ling Shaomiao kept a normal expression, hiding her thoughts, and replied,"You can call it steamed rice cake. I'll write the recipe for you later."
Ling Shaomiao gently adjusted her glasses. Through them, she saw a symbol above Klein's head—the mark of the Fool pathway. Beneath the symbol were the words:
"Sequence 7: Magician."
With the help of the glasses, Klein's emotional colors appeared somewhat curious .
The moment she heard Klein's question, Ling Shaomiao immediately understood what he was trying to confirm.
He only wants to make sure whether I am a transmigrator like him, she thought.
He is a transmigrator from the real world, while I am from the world of a novel. The system asked me to make those cakes for this reason… I never thought deeply about it before. Let's play a little game with Klein.
Ling Shaomiao added a few extra words,
"In my hometown, it symbolizes health and prosperity. Usually in our city it's made in a slightly more complicated way—often with blessings in mind."
Klein nodded slightly and looked at the food. Then, very softly, almost as if speaking to himself, he said in Chinese,
"Chinese steamed rice cake…"
If someone didn't understand Chinese, they might think Klein was simply murmuring to himself, or that he hadn't heard the word clearly. But anyone who knew Chinese would almost certainly recognize those words.
"You…?" Ling Shaomiao said in Chinese as well, pretending to be curious and surprised.
In reality, she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Did I act a little too much? she thought.
Let's see how Klein reacts…
Suddenly, the doorbell rang again.
Ding—dong.
Ling Shaomiao paused. Why would someone come at this time?
She calmly stood up and said to Klein,
"Please sit. I'll see who it is."
She didn't open the door immediately. Instead, she walked slowly to the door and carefully tried to peek outside through a small gap.
The next moment, her throat went dry.
Ling Shaomiao unconsciously swallowed.
I never told him my address… so how did he come here?
Without wasting a second, she quickly turned around and almost ran back to the table. She grabbed Klein's hand.
"Don't say anything!" she whispered urgently. "Come with me."
Before Klein could ask anything, she pulled him toward the next room. There was a large wooden wardrobe there.
Ling Shaomiao quickly opened the wardrobe door and whispered,
"Get inside."
Although Klein frowned slightly, he understood the seriousness of the situation and stepped inside.
Ling Shaomiao looked at him and whispered,
"Don't make a sound until I open the door. I'll explain everything later."
With that, she gently closed the wardrobe door.Without a moment's hesitation, she activated the space ring .
There was a faint flash, and the next moment the entire cupboard—including Klein—disappeared from the room and entered her space ring.
The doorbell rang again.
Ding—dong…
Ling Shaomiao's eyes narrowed for a moment. She quickly glanced around the room. All the food on the table was still neatly arranged—soup, sandwiches, salad, dry bread, apple pie.....
she touched the space ring on her finger again.
The next moment, all the food on the table disappeared—as if swallowed by space itself. Everything was silently stored inside her space ring.The table was now completely empty.
Then she quickly fixed her hair and straightened the folds of her clothes.
Ling Shaomiao took a deep breath and forced her restless mind to calm down.
After that, she slowly walked to the door and carefully opened it.
Seeing the person standing outside, she smiled gently.
"Mrs. Welson, do you need any help?" Ling Shaomiao asked politely.
The middle-aged woman standing at the door stared at her for a few moments. Then a strange smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"May I come inside?"
For a moment, Ling Shaomiao's heartbeat sped up, but the smile on her face didn't change at all.
She stepped slightly aside from the door and said,
"Of course. Please come in."
But only one thought kept circling in her mind—
"I hope Klein doesn't make any noise inside the space ring... he doesn't try to open the door."