Reba''s leg injury had healed quite a bit.


    She was very happy today because her good friend Gabrie hade to visit her at the manor.


    Gabrie''s mother and Lady Pompey were besties, and they often attended the high society salons together.


    Reba and Gabrie had known each other since they were children and attended the same lessons at the Gillyflower Girls'' Academy.


    Reba had been missing her friend as well, so after saying goodbye to her parents, she left Pompey Manor with Gabrie to have a look around.


    "Reba, I haven''t seen you in almost two months!"


    Gabrie wore a high-necked, poofy traveling dress with a long shawl draped over her ruff cor, and topped with a coquettish cloche hat. Reba''s attire was simr, but her gigot sleeves hadce flounces, and her dress was of a more subtly elegant hue.


    "Is your leg really better? We won''t have any trouble walking this far, will we?"


    Gabrie asked with concern.


    "It''s fine, the doctor has already seen me. As long as I don''t engage in strenuous exercise, I''ll be alright,"


    Reba said.


    The two walked a fair distance, and without realizing it, they arrived at the docks. Gabrie suddenly whispered secretively,


    "Reba, do you know about the Mystic Realm?"


    "Mystic Realm..."


    Reba suddenly remembered the events of the past few days; her family was kidnapped, left immobile as if turned into statues, and then she witnessed Mr. Jack fighting the enemy.


    "I heard that there are transcendental powers in this world, like magic tricks... no, they should be called magic! It''s amazing, very powerful!"


    Gabrie said excitedly.


    "The incident at the ''Emerald Aviary Zoo'' a while back, that man who caused the riot, was a Transcendent with mystic power!"


    "He wasn''t the one who caused the riot!"


    Reba was a bit angry.


    Mr. Jack saved us all!


    He''s my knight!


    He''s not a bad person!


    Gabrie looked at Reba with a bit of surprise, wondering why she was so agitated.


    "Okay..."


    She decided not to continue on the subject and switched to another topic:


    "Reba, I''ve heard there''s a secret market around here, with hidden shops that sell items only found in the Mystic Realm...


    Should we try to find it? Maybe we can have magic too!"


    After hearing this, Reba felt an urge to explore.


    To be honest, she felt that Mr. Jack was perfect, and she was distancing herself from him.


    "If I had magic, Mr. Jack would surely be shocked, right?"


    Reba thought to herself with a snicker.


    Gabrie gave her a puzzled look, and immediately, Reba controlled her expression and resumed normalcy, then said nonchntly,


    "Sure, let''s go!"


    Gabrie smiled, took Reba''s hand, and they began searching the streets.


    It was either by coincidence or destiny that they found a market hidden among the docks, though they did not realize it was the ck market.


    Curious, they started to wander around inside.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Chen Lun saw the two of them but did not approach to greet them.


    He noticed that behind Reba, there were several men skulking surreptitiously, peering after them.


    "Reba! Look!"


    Gabrie excitedly shook Reba''s hand, pointing to a shop in the corner.


    The dpidated sign read "Witch''s House," but because the light bulbs were old, the word "witch" was not lit, so from a distance, it was easy to misunderstand.


    The women exchanged a nce, then immediately entered the shop.


    A young woman with thick eyeshadow lounge behind the counter, puffing on a pipe. Judging by her demeanor, she was likely the proprietor of the shop.


    She gracefully removed the pipe from her lips with her long, pale fingers, nced at them indifferently, and said,


    "Sorry, we''re closed. Please leave."


    "Ah?"


    Gabrie uttered in surprise, then saw that there was another middle-aged customer in the shop examining old wares. Pointing at the person, she challenged,


    "Why is there still a customer if you''re closed?"


    The woman propped her elbow on the table, rested her head on her wrist, and her long hair fell loosely around her in anguid spread.


    She took a puff from her pipe, smiling lightly.


    "Because he is a smart customer, and you are not."


    "What do you mean?"


    Gabrie frowned.


    "Professor Molimer?!"


    Reba suddenly eximed.


    Turning her head, Gabrie saw Reba''s surprised expression and followed her gaze to the middle-aged customer. After a brief observation, she realized that the man was actually the history professor from the Golden Broomstick Girls'' School.


    "Oh, it''s Reba and Gabrie."


    The middle-aged man turned around and showed a smile.


    He wore sses, exuding the aura of a schr.


    "What are you doing here at this hour? It''s not safe at night," Professor Molimer gently advised, shaking his head.


    As he spoke, he held a y pot and walked up to the counter, taking out Gold Pounds to pay.


    "This is 4 Gold Pounds... still the usual fake merchandise, Miss Rosa."


    The woman took the four Gold Coins, asking indifferently:


    "If you know it''s fake, why buy it?"


    Professor Molimer caressed the patterns on it and said sincerely:


    "Although the pot is fake, the craftsmanship is real, consistent with the patterns from the old era, and very valuable for research."


    "You see, that''s a smart person. They know it''s fake, yet they willingly pay for it," Rosa said with a slight smile.


    Gabrie, seeing her smile, didn''t know why, but she felt a sense of inferiority. The other person did not possess a face that could shock the world, yet she radiated an extraordinary Charm.


    Gabrie averted her eyes, not wanting to look at those calm yetpelling eyes.


    "So you mean to say that we''re so foolish we can''t distinguish fake merchandise and are likely to get deceived?" Gabrie said with a tone of dissatisfaction.


    "If you''re in business, why bother warning us? Isn''t making money good enough? I don''t believe there''s such a kind-hearted swindler!" Gabrie was somewhat annoyed, both for being looked down upon and for realizing there were no genuine Mystic Realm artifacts here, which frustrated her.


    "Because I don''t want trouble, youngdy," Rosa said as she inverted her pipe, tapping it lightly against the edge of the table to knock out the ashes.


    "There''s nothing here that you want. Please leave."


    Gabrie wanted to say something more, but Reba pulled at her.


    "Let it go, let''s go, it''ste," Reba said.


    "But... okay!" Gabrie relented, though still upset.


    Professor Molimer had been standing on the side, and now he intervened:


    "Do you need me to escort you home?"


    "No need to trouble yourself, sir, we will escort these youngdies..." a flippant voice interrupted.


    Everyone looked towards the source of the voice and saw four or five men in ck entering the store. They blocked the doorway, surrounding Reba and Gabrie.


    "I don''t know you!"


    Reba said.


    She was somewhat afraid, regretting wandering so far to such a remote ce.


    "Miss, you are being willful again. The boss has instructed us to ensure your safety... It''s gettingte, let''s go back now," one of the men in ck said, preparing to drag the two women out.


    Professor Molimer opened his mouth to speak but found himself at the business end of a Firearm.


    The man holding the Flintlock Gun scoffed and shook the gun barrel in a threatening manner. His aplices also drew their guns, pointing them at the shop owner, Rosa. However, she remained calm and unhurriedly lit new tobo with a match, smoking her pipe as if nothing was happening.


    Suddenly, the leader of the men stiffened, realizing he was floating in the air.


    "The boss told me to take you home too," an unfamiliar male voice came from behind him.


    A young man with ck hair, who had appeared from nowhere, was holding him up effortlessly, like picking up a chick.


    "Back to the home for rejects."


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