Xie Jun suppressed his fear and picked up the severed hand.
It was light and felt hollow.
Flipping it over, he saw an opening at the wrist.
Curiously, Xie Jun slipped his hand into it. It fit perfectly.
Even though his own hand and the hand from the jar were different sizes, the moment he put it on, it adapted seamlessly.
"Not bad," Felix chuckled, watching Xie Jun wear the hand. "You'll have to experiment with the specific effects yourself."
"I understand!"
Xie Jun nodded excitedly.
The shopkeeper said that as long as he reached out and asked for something reasonable, he would get it.
Xie Jun's mind began to race.
A moment later, his eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. He looked at Felix with intense gratitude. "Thank you, Shopkeeper!"
With that, he ran out of the shop in a hurry.
Felix watched him go, his eyelid twitching. Did he think of a use already? He looks way too excited.
Whatever, not my problem.
Felix shook his head and lay back on his recliner. He decided to wait a bit longer; if no one else came, he would close up and sleep.
Meanwhile, at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Hu Tao arrived with Mona.
"Director!"
Seeing Hu Tao return, Lao Meng's face wrinkled into a bright smile. "You're finally back! Someone has been waiting for you to perform the Soul Out-of-Body service."
As he spoke, Lao Meng looked at the Charmander in Hu Tao's arms.
Then he looked at Mona standing beside her.
Lao Meng paused.
Where did the Director find someone dressed so strangely?
"Let me introduce you. This is Mona, a mysterious astrologist. From now on, she will be a guest consultant for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
Hu Tao introduced her to Lao Meng. "Mona will be living here with us. Mona, this is the parlor's manager. Just call him Lao Meng."
"Mhm, hello."
Mona nodded politely.
"An astrologist?!"
Lao Meng's eyes lit up instantly. "Miss Mona, could you perform a divination for me?"
Astrologists were a rare and mysterious bunch. Even rarer than alchemists.
And the Director had actually brought one home!
"Sure."
Mona agreed readily. "What do you want to divine? I can do it for you in a moment."
As a guest consultant receiving free housing, Mona felt it was only natural to help out the staff.
She wanted to thank Hu Tao, but since Hu Tao didn't want a reading, divining for her employee was the next best thing.
"That's wonderful!"
Lao Meng beamed with joy.
"Alright, alright. Let me handle the Soul Out-of-Body order first."
Hu Tao stepped into the parlor.
"Director Hu!"
The waiting customer looked relieved. "Finally! I've been waiting since dinner."
"Mhm."
Hu Tao nodded. Without a word, she raised the Soul Staff and bonked the customer on the head.
Thud!
The customer collapsed to the floor, and his soul flew out of his body.
Mona: "????"
Mona, who was about to speak to Lao Meng, stood there dumbfounded.
Director Hu helps people achieve out-of-body experiences... that simply?
Shouldn't there be a ritual?
Just one bonk with a stick, and the soul pops out? It was so simple and convenient.
If Hu Tao hit her with that stick, would her soul pop out too?
Even her divinations required complex rituals. This was absurdly casual.
"Is this the out-of-body experience?"
The customer's soul looked delighted.
Floating and flying felt incredibly freeing.
He zoomed around the parlor.
"I can even pass through objects!"
He looked shocked as he drifted through a closed door.
"Nonsense," Lao Meng muttered. "Of course you can pass through things in soul form."
No physical body meant no physical barriers.
"Miss Mona."
Lao Meng turned back to Mona with expectant eyes. "I want you to calculate... do I have a chance with the girl I like?"
Hu Tao: "????"
Before Mona could speak, Hu Tao spun around, looking at Lao Meng with utter disbelief. "No way, Lao Meng. You have a crush? You want to get married???"
He's got one foot in the grave already!
"Director, I'm just looking for a companion," Lao Meng said, black lines dropping down his forehead at Hu Tao's skeptical gaze. "Is there a problem with having someone I like?"
Hu Tao: "..."
"Hmm."
Mona didn't comment. She simply borrowed a basin of water to begin her divination.
As she activated the ritual, the starry sky reflected on the water surface. Mysterious patterns rippled outward, creating a dreamlike illusion.
Lao Meng gulped, watching the mystical scene with awe.
He didn't know how powerful Mona was, but this ritual looked incredibly high-level.
Hu Tao leaned in curiously. It was her first time seeing hydromancy in action.
A moment later, Mona waved her hand. The ripples vanished, and the water became calm again.
"Well?"
Lao Meng asked eagerly. "What's the result?"
Mona, having dispelled the magic, spoke calmly. "You have no chance with her. She will be leaving far away very soon."
Hu Tao: "..."
Lao Meng: "..."
Lao Meng's face turned pale. No chance.
"Really? Miss Mona?"
He asked desperately, unwilling to give up. "But we get along so well!"
"My hydromancy has never been wrong."
Mona adjusted her wizard hat. "There are things I cannot divine, but any result I do divine is never incorrect."
She spoke with absolute seriousness.
Hearing her confirmation, Lao Meng's face drained of all color.
The words "no chance" echoed in his mind.
"Sigh."
Hu Tao shook her head. "Lao Meng, give it up."
Hearing his boss say that, Lao Meng's heart turned to ice.
The floating soul customer laughed at the scene before returning to his body.
"That was amazing."
He climbed up from the floor. "Director Hu, that's enough for today. I'll come back next time. By the way, if I pay extra, can you let me roam all of Liyue in soul form?"
The parlor was too small. He wanted to fly freely.
"No."
Hu Tao shook her head firmly. "Liyue is full of protective arrays and exorcists. If you roam freely, you could get trapped in a formation, have your soul scattered by a wandering exorcist, or even be eaten by evil spirits. Souls are a delicacy to many things."
The customer's face darkened. He sighed and left.
"Alright, that's it for today."
Hu Tao smiled at Mona. "Come on, Mona. Your room is on the third floor."
"Okay."
Mona nodded and followed Hu Tao upstairs.
Lao Meng stood there, soul-crushed.
"Uncle Meng."
The ferrylady approached him cautiously. "I'm going to sleep now. Remember to lock the door."
She had watched the divination and knew Lao Meng was in a bad place.
Lao Meng just waved his hand silently.
The ferrylady hurried away.
"Sigh."
After a long time, Lao Meng sighed deeply and locked the main door of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
At Liyue Harbor.
The crowds had finally dispersed. The Steam Battleship tours were over for the night.
"So awesome. That was worth it."
"Same. I'm coming back tomorrow morning."
"I'll bring my wife and kids tomorrow."
...
People left the harbor chatting happily. Even those who just watched from afar felt satisfied.
In the Northland Bank District.
Behind the bank, in the residential quarters for bank staff.
Ekaterina walked in from the outside, holding a short blade.
She moved silently, like a ghost.
Moments later, she stopped in front of a door.
A nameplate hung on it:
Manager Andrei - Northland Bank.
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