"I roughly understand the situation." Chen Xuan put down the curtain, "The last question is, how much are you willing to sacrifice to rescue the Holy Maiden?"
"Of course, my everything!" Gildre replied without hesitation.
"Words are not enough, show me your determination." He raised the scanning gun and pulled the trigger towards the man.
The latter looked resolute, as if undergoing a sacred test.
The moment he saw the other's abilities, Chen Xuan felt a bit annoyed—Gildre didn't hide anything, but there were only three abilities to choose from, and they were of low rarity: two whites and one gray. The characteristics were ordinary, like "Riding Skill" and "Classical Logistics", whose applicability was quite narrow. In terms of convenience, they were not as good as "Extraordinary Sleeping Ability". The last one, called "Black Magic", had a unique name but the lowest rarity.
"No wonder you're only a three-star card."
Gildre looked bewildered, "Three-star... what's that?"
"Nothing, your determination to save your lord has been felt and is commendable."
Anyway, a transaction is a transaction, and more points for achievements can't hurt. Right now, he was stuck at 9 points, just 1 point shy of applying for the next level, so the other's visit was just in time.
Gildre couldn't help but be overjoyed, "You've agreed to help?"
"Not quite." Chen Xuan's words turned his smile into a frown again, "Give me a few minutes to think about it... go wait outside the shop, I'll let you know when I've made a decision."
He hadn't forgotten the moment when Joan raised her sword, light piercing the sky, nor that cannons were already in use in this era. Plus, with the Black Magic on Gildre, Chen Xuan became more certain that this world was quite unusual. Even if he acquired some cultivation abilities from Liu Shuyue, single-handedly breaking into a prison and rescuing a Holy Maiden from a group of seasoned soldiers was too risky.
Even if customers were valuable assets to the shop, it wasn't worth risking his life to save one.
After all, the manual clearly stated that being the shop manager was a high-risk profession.
Unless he could ensure foolproof success, he wasn't keen on collecting a disability pension.
After sending the reluctant Gildre out of the shop, Chen Xuan went up to the second floor and knocked on the door of Room 201.
Was she in?
Unexpectedly, the door quickly opened.
Liu Shuyue stood behind the door in loose casual clothes and asked, "What's the matter?"
"I want to rescue a customer." Chen Xuan got straight to the point, "She's been imprisoned, scheduled for execution tomorrow. But I'm a businessman, not good at fighting, so I'd like to ask for your help."
She was slightly taken aback, "A customer? Like me?"
"You could say that."
"Is your service so comprehensive? Not only can you return goods, but you also offer jailbreaks?" Liu Shuyue found it unbelievable, thinking that if all merchants ran their businesses like this, they wouldn't have such a bad reputation.
"I hope that every customer who visits this store can live a safe and happy life," Chen Xuan said sincerely.
"This isn't quite proper... If this person committed heinous acts like murder or arson, then being executed is deserved."
"Rest assured, if she were a villain, I wouldn't do business with her." He quickly recounted Joan's legend in a few words, "Although it's unclear why she's in such a situation, an unjust death in her own prison is clearly not the fate she deserves."
"I see. But this matter is far from my purpose in coming down the mountain..."
"Of course, I wouldn't ask for your help without compensation. If you're willing to assist, I can waive half a month's VIP room charges—"
"A month's room charges!"
Liu Shuyue immediately corrected.
Negotiation implies a demand for more money, doesn't it?
Who said haggling was too commercial?
"...Alright."
She nodded in satisfaction, "Although this person isn't a citizen of the Great Qi, saving an innocent person isn't a bad thing. I'm also curious to see what kind of people you associate with other customers."
"Then let's depart now."
"By the way..." As she passed Chen Xuan, she suddenly asked, "If one day I'm in distress, would you come to rescue me like this?"
Chen Xuan seemed to catch a hint of mischief from her expression.
"Of course," he replied without hesitation, "because you're a valued VIP."
Walking out of the shop, Chen Xuan could finally observe his shop from an outsider's perspective—it blended almost perfectly into the alleyway, the plastic curtain mostly blocked by brick walls, leaving just a normal-sized doorway. This showed that the shop could truly adapt to its surroundings; in the wild, it would likely be a standalone building; in a city, it transformed into an entrance attached to a house.
But there was something unique about it.
It was the light emanating from the doorway.
Soft and even, it contrasted sharply with the flickering light of fires and candles of this era, especially in this quiet alley, where the warm glow stood out like a lighthouse, noticeable from afar.
"This isn't the Great Qi Kingdom." Liu Shuyue looked around, not as surprised as he expected, "A world beyond the Abyss Sea?"
"Yes, it's a bit far from your place."
She nodded, asking no more questions.
Chen Xuan introduced Gildre, who looked anxious, "This is the helper I brought, you can call her Ms. Liu."
He was somewhat doubtful, "A young girl like this? Envoy, are you sure..."
"She is a witch."
Gildre was first shocked, then deeply respectful, "A witch in service of the Lord... I've never seen one before!"
"What are you saying?" Liu Shuyue clearly didn't understand French.
"I was introducing you to him, saying you are the most outstanding Immortal Master in the Qi Kingdom."
"There's nothing most outstanding about it... clearly because there are no competitors." Her face turned slightly red, but her tone did not resist.
"Can you confirm Joan's place of detention?" Chen Xuan asked Gildre.
"Certainly, I've investigated it thoroughly."
He took a roll of parchment from his chest and unfolded it, revealing a map.
"This is the internal structure of the castle; it has three main areas, divided into four floors; I've also roughly figured out the arrangement of the garrison..."
In just a few minutes, Gildre disclosed all the problems they would face.
Clearly he was anxious, but he had put a lot of effort into the plan to save Joan.
"My men are ready, we can act any time. Just waiting on your order, and they will attack the Royal Fortress from the east and south of the valley. Of course... our forces are thin and can't possibly defeat His Majesty's guards, but we can at least create chaos to cover your entry into the fortress—"
"Wait," Chen Xuan interrupted in surprise, "you also brought subordinates?"
Gildre looked more surprised than him, "Of course... how else could we rescue Ms. Joan without enough manpower?"
"How many people did you bring?"
"A battalion, with two cannons. Everyone is willing to fight for Ms. Joan!"
Leading troops to raid the Hill Palace where the King resides, this was practically a coup... Chen Xuan twitched his mouth, this guy was really bold!
Historically, Gildre never openly rebelled—after Joan was killed, he became disheartened and left the army, eventually caught and executed for live sacrifices.
Hmm... Performing live sacrifices or rebellion both seem equally defiant of heaven's order.
Chen Xuan conveyed the plan to Liu Shuyue, who shook her head, "Too reckless and not worth the loss. Even if the heroic general is rescued, she will be tarnished with treason. If it's just for rescue, it's best not to increase unnecessary casualties."
With that, she opened her pouch and took out two talismans, "Wood and fire dissolve, hide!"
As her words fell, the talismans burst into flames!
When the smoke cleared, Liu Shuyue's figure had vanished without a trace.
No, it wasn't just Liu Shuyue, Chen Xuan looked down and found his own body invisible too... his perspective seemed to float in mid-air.
"No need to involve extra people; just the two of us going to the dungeon will suffice."
The voice came from his front, belonging to Liu Shuyue.
"Wait... where are you?" Gildre exclaimed, "Please, grant me invisibility too!"
"Not possible, only those with talent can become invisible, and you don't have it." Chen Xuan helped explain.
"How can that be..." He seemed unwilling to accept it.
"Have your troops stay put and give me the map." Chen Xuan patted his shoulder, indicating reassurance, "Besides, someone has to mind the shop... You stay here, and we will bring Joan back."