Evergreen College

After seeing Xia Chong off, the oddities emerged one after another and squeezed onto the sofa with Chen Miemie, beginning their customary discussion session.

Everyone had grown accustomed to Qinghua speaking first.

Qinghua smoothed her hair, her porcelain strands making faint, crisp sounds.

“Xia Chong’s dream problem has basically been resolved. Now, for the first time, we have two visitors whose accounts contradict each other.

“Kong Rong claims he was Xia Chong and Shi Buyi’s teacher, but Xia Chong himself denied it.

“One of them is clearly lying.

“The question is, this is a mysterious shop. We have no conflict of interest with either of them, so neither visitor has any reason to deceive us over this matter.

“On the other hand, according to our previous investigation, there are some suspicious aspects to Kong Rong, the leader of the Book Chasers. He once bought seaweed, and he is also disliked by Oil Pot, the Book Chasers’ second-in-command.”

Loop picked up the thread. “So, Qinghua, you’re inclined to believe that Kong Rong is lying?”

After hesitating for a moment, Qinghua nodded.

“Although I don’t know what Kong Rong’s motive would be, I trust Xia Chong more as the person directly involved. His memories are clear and intact, so his denial should be decisive.”

Loop held a different view.

“I think Xia Chong has suffered psychological torment for a long time. In that one multilayered dream, he may have spent years inside it. His memories from before might not be one hundred percent reliable.

“Do you remember? Lady Scab had records on Kong Rong. She said the files indicated that Kong Rong came from the school, yet Xia Chong was certain he had never seen Kong Rong’s face anywhere in the entire school.

“Lady Scab is a third party apart from the two of them. Her corroboration carries considerable weight.”

Pure Water offered no opinion. Given the information they had, it felt that both men were suspicious, yet neither appeared to have a motive. There was no way to reach a conclusion.

The oddities cast their votes, and the tally quickly ended in a tie.

Everyone looked at Chen Miemie.

Chen Miemie had listened for quite a while, but this time, the discussion gave him no inspiration.

He picked up the [Absent-Minded Teapot] and poured tea into a cup.

The [Absent-Minded Teapot] went on strike and refused to produce a drop.

Pure Water, quick on the uptake, immediately conjured some purified water and filled the cup.

Rather than casting his vote, Chen Miemie raised a question.

“Let’s not make a choice for the moment. When Kong Rong came to the shop last time, something about him struck me as strange.

“As a teacher, he was able to find the door to this mysterious shop. After entering, he was concerned about two students who did not seem particularly close to him, and he was even willing to pay any price to cure Xia Chong’s illness.

“I don’t think that makes much sense.

“I didn’t see what was troubling him. And going this far for students exceeds the boundaries of what an ordinary schoolteacher would do.”

Black Hole added, “Didn’t you refuse his request at the time?”

“I did. Ever since what happened with Du Juan and the Yi siblings, I decided I would no longer accept duplicate commissions for the same matter from different people. Treating his condition was something Xia Chong had requested himself, so I refused Kong Rong outright.”

Loop helped recall the rest. “Kong Rong said he had no other needs, then left soon afterward.”

“Right. In other words, Kong Rong was the first person to come to the shop and ultimately leave without making a request.”

Black Hole hopped into Qinghua’s arms.

“Why would that be? Without confusion in one’s heart, one can’t come to the shop. Could it be that curing Xia Chong really is the only thing on his mind?”

Pure Water offered a guess.

“I think he never revealed his true request from beginning to end.

“Kong Rong is unlike our previous visitors. He is older, more experienced, and more mature in his thinking. Faced with a shop that appeared out of nowhere and whose origins were unknown, he might not have been willing to open up and place his trust in us on their first meeting.”

Just as the discussion seemed about to reach another dead end, Loop revealed a mischievous grin.

“How about we capture Kong Rong and interrogate him?”

Chen Miemie was tempted for a second, but quickly shook his head.

“If he were merely a suspect in a case, then sure, we could arrest him. But he is a customer of the shop.

“A customer comes here, doesn’t make a request, and we fail to help him—then we turn around and start shouting about arresting him, dragging him off for harsh interrogation? That isn’t how one treats a guest.”

There was another half of the thought Chen Miemie did not say aloud.

What if, after interrogating him, Kong Rong really turned out to be innocent—or even someone pitiable? How would he, as the shopkeeper, ever face the man again?

Seeing that everyone had more or less finished talking, Bobo hurriedly jumped in front of Chen Miemie and shook himself vigorously, signaling for Chen Miemie to pull the fork out of him.

“Bobo, what flavor is it today?”

“Ha ha! This is my latest creation: ‘Drunken Noble Chicken.’ I had a little drink before going into the oven!”

Chen Miemie skeptically took a bite of the chicken leg.

An intense aroma of alcohol immediately rushed straight to his head. The thin layer of juice inside the meat was practically all liquor.

“Bobo! You liar! You didn’t have a little to drink—you soaked in a vat of booze all night!”

The alcohol hit him, and Chen Miemie’s face turned red in an instant.

What followed was naturally another round of chaos.

The next day, at ten in the morning.

Chen Miemie arrived at the entrance to the school.

The school in the Book-Sealing Library was called [Evergreen Academy].

Today’s guide was still [Bridge Princess], and the two had arranged to meet directly at the school gates.

Gongshu Key had arrived even earlier than Chen Miemie.

“Chen Miemie, you really are such a curious little thing. What is there to see at a school? Other than the faculty, who comes back after graduating?”

“I want to see what makes the schools in the City of Books so special,” Chen Miemie said, talking complete nonsense without batting an eye.

“I contacted one of my former teachers and got our entry passes sorted out. Let’s go—we can head straight in. Oh, right. I’ve already put my dream back into the balloon. When are you going to take it away and return it to that Dream Seller?”

Chen Miemie’s gaze drifted evasively.

Return it? Return what? His balloon had long since been ruined. Its rubber skin had been turned into an eraser, used as a temporary vessel for [Dream Dregs], and then devoured completely.

“Why are you in such a hurry? The Dream Seller is very busy. If we call it over just for two balloons, it’ll get angry. Just pretend this never happened. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Knowing that the Dream Seller was an ultra-super-duper big shot with a danger rating of 8, Gongshu Key naturally did not dare take the matter lightly.

“But the balloon has been floating beside my bed. I’m afraid that one day I might accidentally break it.”

“If it breaks, it breaks. When the time comes, the Dream Seller will only come after me, not you. Rest assured. I’m on good terms with it. It’s just a matter of saying the word.”

“Chen Miemie, were you never planning to return the balloon in the first place?” Gongshu Key was no fool; she saw through him at once.

Chen Miemie replied with perfect confidence, “That’s right. I borrowed it fair and square with my own abilities. Why should I return it?”

“No, seriously, should I call you big brother or something? That’s the Dream Seller! The Dream Seller, danger rating 8! If it gets unhappy, the entire Book-Sealing Library could be wiped out!”

Chen Miemie looked disdainfully at the flustered girl before him.

“Tch. Last time, you were bragging about being the youngest [Mystery] Level 5. And this is all the courage you have? I’d say you’re not so impressive after all.”

“Chen Miemie, can you count? I’m [Mystery] Level 5, and the Dream Seller has a danger rating of 8. Never mind that it’s an oddity—that’s a difference of three whole ranks!”

“So what? I’m [Mystery]3, and you’re [Mystery]5. Together, that makes [Mystery]8. If it dares show up, we’ll deal with it together.”

“Heh. You’re really good at math.” Gongshu Key discovered that when a person was speechless, they could truly be rendered speechless.

“By the way, is there any significance to the school’s name?” Chen Miemie refused to let the atmosphere grow awkward. Desperate for something to say, he forcibly started another topic.

He had only asked on a whim, and even he knew it was a pointless question.

Unexpectedly, though, he got an unexpected answer.

By then, Gongshu Key had shown their temporary passes and led Chen Miemie through the school gates.

She pointed to a huge tree not far from the teaching building, its crown rising even higher than the building itself.

“See that big tree? It’s a banyan tree that was already here when the school was founded. It symbolizes inclusiveness and broad-mindedness, as well as everlasting vitality throughout all four seasons.”