Chapter 46: Happily Acquiring a Shop Assistant

Based on the description, the reason Dancer Fei died was most likely due to the loss of her Enwreathing Art.

Heaven knows how many people's life essence she had absorbed using that ability.

Aside from that, there were two other abilities that caught Chen Xuan's attention. The first was "Hundred Poisons Immunity," which had a green rarity and a standard description, but for the first time, the word "component" appeared at the end.

Could abilities not only be upgraded and advanced, but also combined?

However, this app was far too crude, and there was no telling where it picked up its fragmented descriptions. There was zero information on how many components existed or how they should be synthesized. He could only make a bold guess that the synthesized ability would likely cover the effects of all components and possess a higher grade. If nothing else, saving slot space alone made it quite valuable.

The other ability was "Coin Toss," which had a purple rarity—higher than he had expected.

Moreover, there was no description at all; much like "Black Magic," it was labeled simply with the word "Taboo."

Just what was so taboo about it? Didn't Dancer Fei frequently use it to slaughter people?

As for Black Magic, even Gilles de Rais had been able to use it casually.

Yet, for the app to display it this way, there had to be a reason. If "Hundred Poisons Immunity" could be considered a set ability, then this one should probably be regarded as a series ability.

Sets, series... Chen Xuan couldn't help but think of a certain game starting with the letter D.

Comparing these six abilities with Lin Qing's intelligence report, one would find that the Authority had only recorded "Innate Charm," "Hundred Poisons Immunity," "Plunder," and "Coin Toss." "Dance Genius" and "Enwreathing Art" did not appear.

Why? Were they deemed unimportant?

At the very least, the Enwreathing Art was quite useful for fulfilling certain special demands, such as assassination and intelligence work.

He found it not too difficult to reach a conclusion: the Dimensional Limitation Authority’s "definition" of abilities did not entirely match that of the Ability Store. Dance Genius was perhaps Dancer Fei's natural talent, while the Enwreathing Art was a learned dual-cultivation technique, and neither of them was regarded as an "ability." This was probably not due to the Authority being picky, but rather because only abilities triggered by intrusion incidents could be detected by them.

The Ability Store was different. It was like an ocean that could encompass everything.

This also served as indirect proof of his earlier guess—the Dimensional Limitation Authority had not won this battle by relying on a coin toss.

...

It was late in the day by the time Chen Xuan returned to the store.

He took out his key and opened the roller shutter, only to find the place dead silent. Previously, Lin Qing would always be lying on the sofa resting her eyes, but now she was nowhere to be seen.

The shop hadn't even been open for the past two days because the wall smashed by the machine gun had yet to be repaired, and her injuries hadn't fully healed; it was impossible for her to have gone out alone.

Coupled with the fact that he had recently snatched a "prey" right out from under the Dimensional Limitation Authority's nose, Chen Xuan's heart tightened instantly.

Could the enemy have tracked her down?

He called out to Lin Qing a few times through his earpiece, but there had long been no response from that end.

Without hesitation, Chen Xuan pulled out the barcode scanner and activated the ability to instantly recall guests. With a whoosh, Lin Qing appeared beside the bar counter, still holding a spatula.

"Eh? What happened?" she asked, looking utterly bewildered.

"Where... where did you go?" Chen Xuan was also somewhat at a loss for the situation.

"I was just upstairs. Why did I suddenly end up down here?" Lin Qing froze, then slapped her forehead. "Oh no, the food is going to burn!"

With that, she turned around and scurried up the stairs.

Seeing that she was in no major danger, Chen Xuan relaxed and curiously followed her up to the third floor. This was the dining floor unlocked after the store manager's upgrade, featuring a private dining room capable of accommodating over a dozen people and a back kitchen equipped for cooking.

The kitchen was brightly lit.

What surprised him even more was that dishes were already laid out on the long table outside—and there was more than one.

There were home-style stir-fried green vegetables, mushroom-crusted pan-seared fish fillets comparable to hotel presentation, and even thick soup and post-meal dessert were prepared.

This luxurious spread left Chen Xuan dumbfounded.

Normally, he either ate takeout or instant noodles, almost never cooking for himself.

At that moment, Lin Qing walked out carrying a plate of braised prawns. "Forgot to say welcome back. Sit down; this is a celebration banquet prepared for you. I don't know if it's to your taste."

Chen Xuan, usually so talkative, opened his mouth, completely at a loss for where to begin.

After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out the silliest question possible.

"Uh... did you make all of this?"

"Not entirely. That chef machine is quite advanced; it can automatically chop, wash, cook, and plate food, feeling like a product from 20 years in the future. I just wrote a program for it to make things according to my specifications," Lin Qing smiled and said.

For a moment, Chen Xuan couldn't tell whether cooking a grand feast by hand or programming a chef machine was more impressive.

Still, was the store's restaurant really this advanced?

He hadn't even bothered to tour the third floor after unlocking this department.

Hesitantly, Chen Xuan picked up a piece of seared fish with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. The umami flavor of the bunashimeji mushrooms, the crispy aroma of the fish skin, the exotic fragrance of black truffles, and the mild spice of pepper bloomed in his mouth one after another. They were deeply layered yet harmonized with each other to absolute perfection. If no one was watching, he would have wanted to moan out loud.

This was a hundred times better than takeout pre-prepared meals.

"How is it?" Lin Qing asked expectantly.

"Quite... delicious," Chen Xuan replied honestly.

"That's good," she said with satisfaction. "It's my first time making these things. It seems those recipe chips are quite reliable."

"What recipe chips?" Chen Xuan pointed to the opposite seat, signaling her to sit down and eat together. "Don't you need practical experience to learn how to cook?"

"When would I have time to learn cooking? These are just minor scraps of knowledge stored in memory chips," Lin Qing picked up her chopsticks. "In our era, people long ago stopped needing to acquire skills through study; they just bought relevant chips. For example, the one in my head... it has all sorts of miscellaneous content."

"So convenient, that's really nice," Chen Xuan sighed with emotion.

"There are pros and cons, I suppose," she said noncommittally. "Basic education has turned into basic chips, while certain knowledge forever remains the exclusive domain of high-ranking figures, impossible to buy no matter how much money you spend."

That was true... it only served to solidify class division. Chen Xuan changed the subject. "What did you mean by the celebration banquet you mentioned earlier?"

"It's a little tradition passed down within the Dimensional Limitation Authority. If a first mission is successfully completed, the team always hosts a banquet like this," Lin Qing blinked. "I saw there were ingredients in the fridge and the kitchen equipment was fully functional, so I thought I'd whip up a table of food. Of course... if you want to eat like this in the future, I can cook every day."

Chen Xuan could tell; she was deliberately trying to curry favor. "...What is your hidden agenda?"

"How can you call it an agenda!" Lin Qing raised her voice in protest. "I should have been fighting side by side with you, but now I can only stay in the rear. I can't just sit around doing nothing all the time!"

"That's fine, intelligence support is also very important."

"Really..." Her voice suddenly dropped by eight decibels. "Then can I keep staying in the store? The other day you told me to go out and find a job. I thought about it carefully—finding a job isn't hard, but it would delay my important matters. I must focus all my energy on the upcoming crisis, and I need to stay in contact with you at all times. The best choice is... is..."

She stammered for a long time without managing to spit out what the best choice was.

Naturally, Chen Xuan knew she was too embarrassed to say she wanted room and board for free, especially since he had previously made it clear that he ran a store, not an ability agency.

"Sure. You can also be considered to have helped me open up a sourcing channel, so you aren't staying for free."

"That was your reward for assisting me against the Dimensional Limitation Authority; those are two different things."

To his surprise, she actually had principles.

Wait a minute... she knew how to cook and needed long-term lodging. Chen Xuan suddenly realized—wasn't he just short of a store clerk? The store manager's code of conduct didn't mention that guests couldn't be recruited as clerks. The most crucial part was that her world had already been destroyed, and she couldn't go back even if she wanted to; there was neither the risk of leaking secrets nor the trouble of her suddenly quitting.

"Well..." He pretended to hesitate for a moment. "How about this? You can work in my store. Nominally managing the restaurant, though you don't actually have to do much aside from occasionally helping me entertain guests. I'll even pay you a salary. How does that sound?"

"Really? I have no problem with that!"

Lin Qing's eyes lit up, and she agreed on the spot, as if afraid he would go back on his word.

Chen Xuan was also beaming inwardly. Guests and clerks were not the same; being too harsh on a guest would look bad if word got out, but a clerk was essentially a subordinate, meaning he could order her around to his heart's content.

"By the way, are there people within the Dimensional Limitation Authority who can read others' abilities?"

"I'm not sure about that," Lin Qing shook her head. "Personnel information is top secret. Even after the Authority split later on, this portion of intelligence was never leaked."

"What's this about a split?" Chen Xuan asked.

"It's nothing much, really. The Authority's financial source had always been funded by large corporations, and nano-worms were products heavily pushed by these companies. After discovering that nano-worms would cause unpredictable disasters, a faction of Authority members broke away from the corporations. This happened roughly forty years from now. Those who were still willing to work for the corporations were regarded as running dogs by the breakaway staff."

And nano-worm technology would be born thirty years from now... Developing rapidly alongside it was prosthesis technology, at which point personal prosthetics would quickly popularize, subsequently triggering an evolutionary revolution in society. If he hadn't personally rescued Lin Qing from the future, he probably would have found it hard to believe that the pace of development over the coming decades could be so astonishing.

"So you aren't certain how many personnel the Dimensional Limitation Authority currently has."

"Yes," Lin Qing said candidly. "Undeniably, the Authority remains a colossal entity lurking beneath the water, and we must proceed with caution. As for your question about whether they possess a certain ability, I can only say that abilities are inherently bizarre and varied. Even if there isn't one that is completely identical, there are always those that can basically substitute for one another. Take Dancer Fei, whom you defeated today, for example: both her 'Plunder' and 'Coin Toss' can be used to seize abilities, and there are many more abilities like that... So the answer to your question is most likely yes."

Chen Xuan asked the sharp question: "Does the Authority also strip others of their abilities?"

Lin Qing wore a helpless smile. "The Dimensional Limitation Authority truly regards protecting the world as its mission... and so they will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. Although this conflicts with the values of many members, until there is a better choice, stripping abilities is considered part of the price to be paid."

Just as he thought. Chen Xuan figured that Dancer Fei's intelligence report probably had nothing to do with the coin toss; she most likely suffered something akin to a soul-searching technique or a grand memory-restoration method right before her death, which was why the report did not mention the side effects of the coin toss or those abilities she had never managed to perceive.

After finishing the meal, Chen Xuan printed out an employment contract from the butler app, had Lin Qing sign her name, and then scanned the contract into the database.

Very soon, an employee profile appeared in the app, and the application requirements for the LV4 store manager were also met. Not only that, he discovered that the number of available ability providers in his inventory had changed to [2].

In other words, as long as someone became an employee of this shop, could he modify and swap the employee's abilities with the inventory's abilities at any time?

To be even more capitalistic, he could even directly package and sell Lin Qing's abilities while she remained completely oblivious.

Chen Xuan suddenly felt that this store might be due for some expansion.