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[Xiumu]'s eyes widened. "You know it?"

"I told you I'm an expert, but you didn't believe me."

"Quick, tell me—what exactly is this [Price-Checking Sprite]'s ability?" [Xiumu] possessed the same insatiable curiosity shared by all researchers.

Chen Miemie didn't beat around the bush.

"This little sprite was born from the act of people immediately looking up the price of a gift after receiving it.

When someone receives a gift, this little sprite crouches on the recipient's shoulder and whispers: 'Guess how much this one costs?'

It constantly tempts people to go check the price. Once they actually do, it lets out a sneer that only the price-checker can hear.

After that, for the next week or so, whenever that person receives any gift, the actual price will appear on the surface in gilded numerals, lingering for about seven days."

"Chen Miemie, I apologize for underestimating you earlier. You're amazing. If any new anomalies come up in the future, I'll invite you to study them together."

"Sure, sure."

"By the way, from what you're saying, this sprite isn't particularly harmful?"

"Sprites have different abilities, but generally speaking, they aren't specialized in direct lethality. Take this [Gift Price Recalling Sprite]—it turns the warm, human moments of social interaction into cold, naked value assessments. The damage it does to the heart can sometimes cut deeper than a blade."

Chen Miemie left the library and walked along the road.

"Daidai, do you want to rescue your friend from in there?"

"No need for us to rescue him. ChaCha isn't as skilled as me, but he's better at escaping. He can appear on the shoulders of anyone who ever asked him to check a price. He's in there by choice. Every day, new people walk in looking for a price check, so he gets to use his ability. He's having a blast."

"Is the only way to wait out a week once hit by his ability?"

"There's another way. The person who checked the price must give away three gifts they made themselves, with no estimable value, and never once ask the recipient how they feel about them."

The next few days passed without any major incidents.

The only matter that caught Chen Miemie's attention came from [Silence].

[Silence] told Chen Miemie that since [Butler] had been locked up by his own father, [Stone Speaker] had unexpectedly taken a long leave of absence, making his whereabouts completely unknown.

Chen Miemie was speechless upon hearing the news.

[Cicada] had already taken extended sick leave. Now [Stone Speaker] was also on extended leave. Every senior scholar at this sealed library held a vital post and managed their own domain—how could they just take leave whenever they felt like it?

Did they file their own leave requests and approve them themselves?

Another full moon night arrived.

A returning customer came to the shop.

Chen Miemie transformed into [Huangyi] and sat in the usual spot.

"Welcome back, Miss Witch."

The visitor was the witch who had called herself "Shi'er Shi" last time.

"Greetings, shopkeeper. It feels like years have passed in the blink of an eye, yet your shop hasn't changed a bit."

Shi'er Shi's once youthful face had fully matured. The schoolgirl from before now bore faint traces of weariness on her features.

What hadn't changed was her cautious demeanor.

Last time, she didn't touch a single sip of tea. This time, she still had no intention of drinking tea from a strange shopkeeper in an unfamiliar place.

That was her plan, until she caught a whiff of a distinctive tea aroma.

"This scent! Shopkeeper, where did you get this tea?"

"This pot is called the [Heartless Pot], and its tea is exclusive to this shop."

"Then... has anyone ever taken this tea away from here?"

"Indeed, they have."

Shi'er Shi raised the cup this time and took a small sip, her eyes immediately going wide. "Calming the mind and settling the spirit, this is the taste! This is the miraculous tea Chunhua has always been using."

"So, it seems the lady of the hour knows another guest of mine."

Shi'er Shi set down the cup. "My apologies, shopkeeper. I have been overly cautious all along. So it was you who has been helping Chunhua behind the scenes all these years. I was somewhat rude earlier—my apologies."

"No need for that. If I were in your shoes, my caution might well have exceeded yours. Steadfastness is a virtue; it's a fine quality."

"Thank you for your understanding, shopkeeper. I'm not good at pleasantries. The reason I've come to your shop again is that I truly feel lost and in need of help. I wish to commission you."

Chen Miemie was delighted. If every customer were this direct, business would be a breeze.

"Please, go on."

"After receiving your help last time, my [Mystery] grew very quickly. I was gifted, I pushed myself relentlessly, and with a bit of luck, I managed to ascend to [Mystery] Level 6 by sheer fortune.

Chunhua is the boy I mentioned last time—he saved me at the orphanage when we were kids. I trusted him deeply back in school, and I always wanted to grow close to him.

After graduation, Chunhua joined the Academy of Scholars. At first, he didn't stand out, and he lay low for several years.

Then one year, he risked his life to save others, fighting a powerful aberrant single-handedly and driving it off. He became a hero, and from that moment, his career took off, and he rose to the rank of Senior Scholar.

Over the past few years, he built up an armed team, determined to hunt down that aberrant he'd driven off all those years ago.

I joined his team.

Because of certain reports, he also remembered our childhood together. Coming from the same orphanage, we naturally felt close, and we'd played together as kids. Our relationship was warm and harmonious.

These past few years have been the happiest of my life."

Chen Miemie showed no outward reaction, but inwardly she was thinking, "So that's it."

When Chunhua had come last time, saying he was leading a team to hunt the Lullaby Hummer, and mentioning that his team included someone at [Mystery] Level 6, it had struck her as odd.

Despite Chunhua's title of Senior Scholar, he lacked real backing and resources. He couldn't even offer basic wealth or power—so what could possibly convince a [Mystery] Level 6 to join his team and risk life and limb alongside him?

So the [Mystery] Level 6 was a childhood friend. That explained everything.

Shi'er Shi didn't pause. She continued:

"I've known since I was young that life is mostly bitter, and the sweet moments are fleeting.

But when I truly realized the sweetness had come to an end, I couldn't help feeling unwilling to let it go.

About a year ago, the Academy of Scholars issued a public decree: any Senior Scholar who leads a team to kill the Lullaby Hummer would be promoted directly to Grand Scholar.

Chunhua had only one rival—Luo Lang of the Luo family.

He said this was the one opportunity of his lifetime, so he pushed himself harder than ever.

But the Lullaby Hummer had already advanced to Danger Level 7. Even I wouldn't stand a chance against it.

Luo Lang approached him about cooperating, arguing they could join forces and split the credit equally.

Chunhua was tempted, but in the end, he refused. Because splitting the credit meant he'd still be no better than Luo Lang in standing—it would still come down to family background, and he would surely lose.

So he charged in defiantly, and sure enough, he was defeated. He was gravely wounded, on the verge of death, when Luo Lang's team arrived in time and rescued him. The two teams joined forces and temporarily repelled the aberrant.

Chunhua didn't die on the spot, but no ordinary method could save him anymore.

While everyone was at a loss, an idea came to me.

Chunhua had a close friend named Yi Wuduan, whose [Mystery] could split damage.

Outsiders only knew he could evenly distribute damage, but because of Chunhua, I knew a secret: after Yi Wuduan upgraded his [Mystery] to level 4, he could adjust the ratio of the damage he shared with the injured party. If he could take on more...

I provided this information. Luo Lang offered a huge sum of money, and Yi Wuduan, who was desperately in need of time to treat his ailing family, hesitated for a long time before agreeing to save the man.

Yi Wuduan passed away, and Chunhua woke up.

We were saving his life, so Chunhua couldn't say anything to blame us, but from that moment on, an invisible rift seemed to appear between us.

Afterward, he brought out the tea from the shopkeeper's store, allowing us to resist the controlling attacks of the "Lullaby Hummer." But ah, the gap in strength was a chasm—when you can't win, you just can't win.

Chunhua's obsession ran too deep; he could no longer stop."

Chen Miemie listened to the entire story.

"So, what is your commission?"

"I am willing to pay any price. Please, I ask you to kill that Lullaby Hummer."