Chapter 102: The Tagalong

Shen Duo truly could not fathom why a sect as formidable and enigmatic as the Illusion Sect would be so loquacious; it was utterly embarrassing. Could it be that the stronger a person was, the stranger they became?

Startled by this thought, Shen Duo quickly shook his head and looked toward the distant city of Normans.

The brightly lit Normans resembled another dimension almost identically, except it lacked the defensive illusions enveloping the city in that other realm.

In fact, this version of Normans appeared even more authentic.

"Xiao Duo, where are you headed? To meet up with your companions?" Qin Lietian, after a brief pause, transformed once again into his role as the ever-dutiful chatterbox.

Even Lou Jingbai shot him a disdainful glance.

Not far from the city, Shen Duo and Lou Jingbai returned to the ground. Lou Jingbai shapeshifted and leapt onto Shen Duo’s shoulder.

Shen Duo glanced at Qin Lietian, then rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Call me Shen Duo! I have no companions in Normans City. I’m just passing through, casually wandering around."

If not for coveting this kid’s strength, Shen Duo genuinely wanted to punch him straight to the far west.

Qin Lietian was quite tall—Shen Duo estimated at least 1.8 meters. Standing beside him, Shen Duo only reached his chest.

Qin Lietian bent slightly, lips nearly touching Shen Duo’s cheek. "Xiao Duo, I’ve been staying in Normans for over half a month. Since you just arrived, let me show you around. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with every place we visit!"

Shen Duo twitched the corner of his mouth. Had they really just met? Were they that close?

"No thanks. I’ll look around on my own. You go do your own thing," Shen Duo said coldly, expressionless.

"Anyway, I’m pretty free. If you don’t want to follow me, then I’ll follow you instead. Maybe you’ll discover interesting places I haven’t come across yet!" Qin Lietian was determined to stick to her like glue.

Shen Duo already disliked him, and with his unfathomable strength, she didn’t believe he had no ulterior motives in clinging to her. Whatever. She only planned to glance around casually. Once he realized she was normal, maybe he’d leave.

"Suit yourself!" Shen Duo said, then headed toward the tavern.

This tavern was almost identical to the one in the parallel dimension, even down to the interior layout.

Shen Duo ordered a simple drink and some dried sprouts, then found an empty seat. Lou Jingbai jumped onto the table, clutching a piece of dried meat in his sharp black claws, while warily watching Qin Lietian.

Qin Lietian smiled warmly and sat beside Shen Duo. Without speaking, he looked quite presentable—enough to deceive a crowd of female illusionists and swordswomen into falling for him.

Since he settled next to Shen Duo, most of the nearby female swordswomen kept glancing over at their table.

Especially since he deliberately refilled Shen Duo’s drink, provoking envious looks from the women.

Feeling suffocated, Shen Duo left the tavern. She had hoped to sit quietly in a corner and gather information about this realm, but Qin Lietian had ruined that.

Outside the tavern, after asking for the address of the trading market, Shen Duo felt like running away.

But Qin Lietian was like an unshakable shadow.

Night had fallen. Usually, auctions were held only twice daily—morning and afternoon. To find what one wanted now, one had to rely on the black market and trading market.

The trading market was unaffected by night; in fact, it was even livelier and more prosperous than during the day. Many strange, glowing plants and small magical beast cubs were displayed, attracting children and female illusionists alike.

Shen Duo swept up a variety of cheap materials, while Qin Lietian bought nothing, single-mindedly tagging along.

When Shen Duo reached a street specializing in cultivation garments, she was about to turn away but was stopped by Qin Lietian.

With a smile, he said, "Xiao Duo, there’s a shop ahead selling only defensive illusion garments. Don’t you want to take a look?"

Shen Duo frowned, intending to refuse, but then glanced down at her tattered illusionist robes and sighed. These ordinary clothes were simply not durable.

After a moment’s hesitation, she coldly faced the street and walked on.

People flowed past on both sides of the street—mostly female swordswomen, with a few female illusionists sprinkled in. The shop signs glowed with various spirit stones, and some shops even had adorable magical beasts or pets luring customers.

Shen Duo even noticed a young swordswoman holding a low-grade rabbit-like beast wearing lace-trimmed clothes—a testament to the shrewd business sense of merchants in this world.

Following Qin Lietian, they arrived at a shop’s entrance. No sooner had they reached the door than someone inside enthusiastically came out to greet them; clearly, Qin Lietian was a regular.

"Lord Qin Lietian, how may we serve you?" The receptionist wore a low-cut, form-fitting short skirt. Though only a seven- or eight-star swordswoman in strength, her smile, framed by two cute dimples, easily won customers’ favor.

Shen Duo glanced around the shop, puzzled by the lack of numerous clothes racks in the main hall.

Qin Lietian seemed to whisper something to the receptionist, who then smiled and directed her toward Shen Duo: "Ah, so it is you who wishes to buy robes, my lord. Please follow me."

Shen Duo followed, curious. In her past life, she had worn military uniforms in the army—underwear included—and later, as a female officer, she still adhered mostly to military regulation. Here, people dressed however they pleased; she had never deliberately chosen clothing.

They entered a large fitting room. Shen Duo stood before a transparent spirit stone. Soon after, several attendants dressed similarly to the receptionist appeared, each holding a delicate tray with a single storage ring.

The receptionist, sensing Shen Duo’s confusion, smiled and explained: "My lord, this spirit stone measures your body size. After measuring, it will automatically select clothing in the warehouse that fits you. These clothes are all stored within the storage rings. I will personally help you choose until you are satisfied."

Shen Duo was dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected buying clothes to be so complicated. To someone like her, who never cared much about appearances, clothes just needed to be wearable. If they were more durable and didn’t break so easily, that would be even better.

The receptionist clearly didn’t understand Shen Duo’s “pragmatic” intentions.

She led Shen Duo to an attendant and pointed at the storage rings on the tray. "Your spirit stone has identified you as having Sword King-level strength. Hence, our shop has only a few defensive illusion garments suitable for you. You may choose which storage ring to try first. Each ring contains different styles—if you prefer simple and sleek, these are in this ring; if you like cute and charming, those are in this one..."

Despite the receptionist’s gentle voice and practiced smile, Shen Duo was impatient. She casually pointed to a storage ring. "This one."

If she hadn’t heard about the defensive function, she wouldn’t have looked at a single piece.

"Very well, my lord. Please wait a moment. I will arrange a private fitting room for you."

As Shen Duo looked around the dazzling surroundings, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being taken for a ride.