Shop Search

The shop address provided by Chen Miemie was on the other side of the city. If they had to rely on walking, it would take a very long time.

The three of them boarded a large, bulky bus; the whole vehicle looked like a giant thick dictionary.

There weren’t many people on the bus, so it was a good chance to chat.

“Yixian, what happened to your eyes?”

“My brother and I both graduated last year. Unlike my brother, I didn’t fully pass the graduation exam. I encountered a weird creature, and after that, I couldn’t see anymore.”

The mention of a weird creature always piqued Chen Miemie’s interest: “Do you mind going into more detail?”

“I can, but even I don’t fully understand what happened.

That day, I walked into a forest and looked up at the sunlight streaming through the leaves. I thought it was a beautiful scene.

Then, suddenly, I couldn’t see.

I didn’t see what the weird creature looked like, nor did I hear its voice. Until the exam ended, I wasn’t attacked again. Eventually, I returned to the city with the others.”

Chen Miemie was a bit puzzled: “Since you neither saw nor heard anything, how can you be sure the blindness was caused by the weird creature?”

“I’m not certain; it’s just a guess. Shortly after the exam started, I reached that forest, then went blind. I didn’t dare move recklessly, so I hid immediately. After that, I didn’t see any other people or living things.

When the exam ended, my [Mystery] level rose from 0.99 to 1, which meant I had encountered a weird creature.

I thought back over the whole process and couldn’t find any gaps. Finally, I concluded that a weird creature had blinded me and then left.”

“What do you mean by ‘couldn’t see’?”

Chen Miemie caught Yixian’s unusual choice of words.

Usually, “blindness” is shorter than “couldn’t see”—people tend to prefer the more concise expression.

“Brother Miemie, you’re sharp.” Yizhu chimed in.

“My sister isn’t actually blind. Over the past year or more, we’ve had her checked repeatedly, even had high-level mystics examine her. We’ve confirmed one thing: my sister’s eyes are physically intact, and function and spirit are both fine. It’s just that she can’t see—it’s like, it seems...”

“It seems like my eyes are covered by an invisible eyelid,” Yixian said, voicing the feeling herself.

Chen Miemie felt a bit uneasy. These two siblings had graduated last year, so they might be older than him. Yet they kept calling him “Brother Miemie,” making him too embarrassed to admit he’d just graduated himself.

“Take it slow. There’s always a way.”

“Ha, I actually feel okay about it. Not being able to see is still better than those who died directly in the exam. At least now I’m a mystic. Even if fighting is inconvenient, I can find some support work.”

“Yixian, don’t lose heart. I’ll find a way, brother promises.”

As the three of them talked,

the bus came to a stop at a station.

The doors opened, but Chen Miemie didn’t see anyone getting on or off.

“Huh? Even if no one’s getting on or off at a Book Seal Library bus, does the door still open?” Chen Miemie asked. In Siyi City, buses wouldn’t open the doors if no one was nearby.

“Normally not. Besides the sensor at the door for getting off, the driver can also control it. Maybe the driver made a mistake.”

“What station is this?”

“This stop is [School Station], right in the city center.”

The bus continued on.

After another eight or nine stops,

“Here we are. Let’s get off here.” Yizhu helped his sister up.

Getting off at the waiting area, Chen Miemie glanced at the sign. The stop was called [Fairytale Station].

“Is there any story behind this name?” Chen Miemie asked.

“This area is a hub for fairytale books. But I’m not sure if the name comes from that,” Yizhu replied.

Yizhu led them down an increasingly remote path.

The book-shaped buildings around them grew shorter, and even the shops were smaller in scale.

Yizhu frowned: “Strange. 19 Fairytale Road—I can’t seem to find this address.”

He had walked back and forth on this street three times already.

Chen Miemie wasn’t just standing by; he was searching too. But really, it was nowhere to be found.

Fairytale Road was a narrow alley.

On one side of the alley were odd numbers, and on the other, even numbers.

On the even side, the highest number was 20, with 16, 18, and 20 in proper order.

On the odd side, the highest was 17.

“All in all, the odd side is shorter than the even side. Beyond the edge of number 17, less than thirty centimeters away, there’s just a wall. Past that wall is another road. Brother Miemie, could the address you have be wrong?” Yizhu asked.

Yixian couldn’t see, but she answered for Chen Miemie: “There are numbers 18 and 20 on the other side. There’s no reason number 19 shouldn’t exist.”

Yizhu spread his hands: “I know that logic, but I can’t find it. I even asked almost ten shop owners, and they all said they didn’t know about number 19. When I asked why there’s a 20 if there’s no 19, they didn’t know either—said it’s always been this way.”

Chen Miemie walked into 17 Fairytale Road.

It was a funeral supply shop, filled with various wreaths and prayer items.

“Boss,” Chen Miemie started,

but the old man tending the shop cut him off: “Your friend has already been here twice. We don’t have a 19 Fairytale Road here. I’ve lived in this neighborhood my whole life, and I’ve never seen a number 19.”

Chen Miemie nodded: “Do you know a man named ‘Lao Song’ who supposedly runs a shop around here?”

“Lao Song! Of course I know him. I’ve been playing chess with him for over thirty years. He used to like sunning himself at my doorstep in the afternoon.”

“Where is he?”

“Looking for him in person? You’ve got to be kidding.”

Chen Miemie said nothing, just stared seriously at the old man, his face stern.

The old man pulled out a cigarette and lit it himself: “About two months ago, he died.”

Chen Miema’s eyes narrowed.

Dead two months ago?

According to the mission log, this shop-keeping task was posted by Lao Song himself, just three weeks ago.

If Lao Song really died two months ago, then who posted the task three weeks ago?

Chen Miemie’s lips curled slightly.

“Heh. Things keep getting more interesting.”