"Yun Yao sister, you're here!"
After a day of getting acquainted, Xiao Xiao and Shen Yun Yao had become quite familiar with each other.
"Mmm!~"
Shen Yun Yao nodded at Xiao Xiao, then looked at Ye Feng. "Sorry, I was just handling something and came a little late~"
"Oh, it's fine. I don't have anything particularly urgent anyway, just wandering around~"
Ye Feng waved his hand lightly, unconcerned.
Since the auction hadn't started yet, Shen Yun Yao, as the host, took Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao around.
"By the way, Yun Yao, what you used this afternoon, was it called a talisman?"
After strolling for a while, the three sat around a resting table and ordered three glasses of juice. Ye Feng asked as he drank.
Earlier, in the Dune Ancient Battlefield, he had seen Zhao Gongzi use talismans against the Blood Skeletons and had been very interested, but he never had the chance to ask. To his surprise, Shen Yun Yao also possessed such an item.
"Yes!"
Shen Yun Yao nodded slightly. "To be precise, they are called Arcane Talismans! By drawing specific arcane runes or arcane formations on special materials, they can unleash extraordinary power!"
"Just like this afternoon, when I dealt with the Energy Devouring Water Monkey, I used ice-attribute arcane energy, which I don't possess!"
Shen Yun Yao took a big gulp of her tangerine juice and replied.
"I see~"
Ye Feng began to understand, but many questions arose in his mind.
For example, what were the special materials needed to make talismans, and what arcane runes or arcane formations needed to be drawn…...
Shen Yun Yao didn't mention it, so he didn't press further.
"Big brother, that bad woman who mocked you earlier is walking towards us!"
At this moment, Xiao Xiao's rather displeased voice rang out.
"Bad woman?"
Hearing this, Shen Yun Yao looked in the direction Xiao Xiao was pointing with a hint of confusion, and her expression immediately changed slightly.
Ye Feng also saw the "bad woman" in Xiao Xiao's words, who was Alice, the one who had previously used tarot cards to divine for him and looked like a witch.
Before long, Alice arrived at the table of Ye Feng and the other two.
"What do you want? Don't tell me you want another free divination or something?"
Ye Feng glanced at her indifferently and continued drinking his juice.
Alice didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked at Ye Feng with curiosity and surprise. After a long moment, she slowly said, "Young man, if you have time, come to my Time Cabin, and I'll divine for you!"
"Pfft!~"
"Cough cough~ cough~"
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng choked on his juice.
"What's with this old woman? Is she addicted to divining for herself?"
Ye Feng looked at Alice with a strange gaze, muttering to himself.
"The Fool is the only card among the 78 tarot cards that has no number!"
"It does carry the meaning of a jester. By taking one more step from the cliff, he faces an abyss…... but it also holds the meaning of infinite possibilities!"
Under Ye Feng's gaze, Alice spoke again.
"Oh~"
After listening, Ye Feng responded with a bored "oh," clearly uninterested.
Alice showed no signs of annoyance. She continued to look at Ye Feng quietly, as if there was a flower on his face.
Just as Ye Feng was starting to feel uneasy under her gaze, Alice uttered words that made him almost jump out of his skin: "Young man, you are not from this world!"
As soon as she said this, Ye Feng's expression changed, and his heart couldn't help but race.
"If you want to know more, come to my Time Cabin~!"
Before Ye Feng could respond, Alice spoke again, and with that, she turned and left decisively.
"This…..."
Seeing this, Ye Feng couldn't help but frown slightly.
"What a strange old woman~ What nonsense is she talking about?"
Xiao Xiao looked at Alice's departing back with confusion.
"Ye Feng, how did you get involved with Alice?"
At this moment, Shen Yun Yao spoke, her expression quite serious.
"Uh…... when I passed by just now, she said she'd give me a free divination…... I drew casually, and it turned out to be The Fool…..."
Ye Feng scratched his head and explained with some frustration.
"Yun Yao, who is that Alice?"
Ye Feng looked at Shen Yun Yao doubtfully, as he noticed a clear look of worry and apprehension in Shen Yun Yao's eyes when she spoke of Alice.
"I don't know who this Alice is either!"
Shen Yun Yao shook her head. "Ever since I can remember, she's been here…... Her origins are very mysterious…... Even Grandpa seems to be somewhat wary of her…... I asked Grandpa, and he sternly warned me not to ask too many questions or try to inquire about her…..."
"Right, Ye Feng, where are you from?"
Perhaps because of Alice's earlier remark to Ye Feng, "You are not from this world," Shen Yun Yao changed the subject halfway through her sentence.
"Mmm…... As for that…... 'Where do you come from?' That's a philosophical question…... I'm not too sure myself. I woke up in a small wooden cabin…..."
…...
While Ye Feng was speaking some truth and some nonsense with Shen Yun Yao, Alice had already left the building.
Under the night sky, Alice stood in the shadows. She then took out a tarot card from her cloak, the very same "The Fool" card Ye Feng had drawn earlier.
Unlike before, the arcane array pattern on the back of "The Fool" was now peeling off, revealing a hint of white light beneath.
"Whoosh~!"
Alice gently blew on the back of "The Fool," and a pile of debris scattered, revealing a glowing pattern underneath. It was a clock engraved with various mysterious runes…...
…...
Inside the building,
"Ye Feng, let's go, the auction is about to start~"
Shen Yun Yao touched her forehead with a hint of helplessness.
Of all the things Ye Feng had said, she had only understood "a small wooden cabin"…... However, this information was as good as none, as a small wooden cabin could be anywhere…...
…...
Led by Shen Yun Yao, the three of them arrived at the eighth floor of the building.
The entire eighth floor was specially constructed with a ceiling height of over ten meters. In the center was the auction stage, surrounded by large seating areas, which were now mostly filled.
Shen Yun Yao, having obviously made arrangements, led Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao to seats in the front row.
"Hmm?"
Soon, Ye Feng's gaze fell on two men in the front-row audience seats opposite them. One wore tight-fitting attire, the other wore thick glasses and had graying temples at his sides. It was Shen Bai and Shen Qing.
Both Shen Bai and Shen Qing had visible signs of fatigue on their faces.
Shen Qing was better, sitting upright with his eyes closed to rest, while Shen Bai was sprawled on the soft chair like Ge You, completely lacking the demeanor of a master. The carving knife he had been holding earlier was nowhere to be seen.
"What's up with these two?"
Ye Feng was puzzled. Shen Yun Yao had told him that Shen Bai had a last-minute matter to attend to, and it seemed like the matter was quite significant…...
…...