CA – Chapter 141

Chapter 141

Ever since meeting Rona, Senna, and the others in Masuri Town, the mystique of Mark's Grocery Store had diminished somewhat in Tang Qiu's mind. However, given the organization's resourcefulness, even with that discount, Tang Qiu still held high expectations for it.

Her anticipation grew even more when she learned from Erin that Mark's Grocery Store also had a shop in Edry.

Once again, they twisted and turned through several alleys before arriving at a secluded street. At the end of the street stood a dilapidated shop. Cobwebs clung to the nearly rotting door panel, and a sign with the five words "Mark's Grocery Store" scrawled crookedly on it stood by the entrance.

Erin tucked her hands into her sleeves and tentatively pushed the door with her fingers. The door creaked open, and dust fell from the ceiling. A damp smell drifted into her and Tang Qiu's noses.

Erin coughed, her face scrunching up as she peered into the darkness beyond the door, seriously doubting if anyone was even inside.

"Let's go in and see," Tang Qiu said in a low voice, unfazed by the musty odor hanging in the air. She patted Erin's shoulder.

Erin covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, bent down, and carefully entered the shop, with Tang Qiu following behind her.

After they stepped inside, the door slowly swung shut behind them. The kerosene lamps hanging on the walls suddenly lit up, casting several dim, yellow glows into the darkness. Aside from faintly illuminating their silhouettes, the light was too weak to even make out the items on the shelves.

Erin glanced around before walking to a chair in front of the counter and sitting down. Her eyes scanned the counter until she found a small bell. She reached out, grabbed it, and gave it a shake.

The bell rang a few times and then fell silent. Erin tucked Little Fur Ball into her sleeve and turned to Tang Qiu, whispering, "...I think this place might have closed down due to bad business."

It would be more reliable for them to go to the Gosse Empire. After all, a country like Edry was too small.

Before Tang Qiu could respond, a curvy and gorgeous woman emerged from the darkness. She leaned against the counter, shot them a seductive wink, and drawled, "Long time no see, you two beauties."

Her gaze lingered on Tang Qiu's face for a moment before shifting to Erin. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "What are you buying?"

It was the same proprietress who had dealt with them before. Tang Qiu stared at the woman for a while, her eyes filled with scrutiny. The last time she had come to the grocery store, her power had been too low, so she hadn't noticed the fluctuations of a teleportation array.

But the moment the woman appeared just now, she had felt a change in the surrounding aura.

Erin was also a little surprised to see the proprietress. She leaned forward, looking at the woman with anticipation. "I want E Leaf powder."

Seeing the hopeful look on Erin's face, the proprietress silently straightened up. She rummaged through her Space Gem, casually asking, "How much?"

Erin glanced at Tang Qiu, then whispered a number.

The proprietress's hand, holding the Space Gem, paused. She looked up to meet Erin's gaze and frowned. "That much?"

You probably couldn't gather that much even if you scoured the entire Witch City.

Erin nodded silently. Seeing the proprietress fall silent, she thought for a moment and said, "The payment is negotiable."

The proprietress placed the E Leaf powder she had taken from the Space Gem onto the counter and shrugged. "This is all I have."

Erin glanced at it, then turned to look at Tang Qiu.

Tang Qiu rested her hand on the counter, tapping her fingertips on it twice. She said with a smile, "It's a little less than we need."

Facing her, the proprietress lost the pleasant demeanor she had shown Erin. She leaned against the counter, a smirk on her red lips, and said casually, "You can always choose to buy it somewhere else."

"If there isn't enough E Leaf powder, then the leaves themselves will do," Tang Qiu said, taking out a Space Gem and placing it on the counter. She smiled. "The payment can be doubled."

The proprietress didn't even glance at the Space Gem on the counter. "It's not a matter of payment. The E Leaves..."

Before she could finish, Tang Qiu interrupted her. Tang Qiu blinked at the proprietress and said with utmost sincerity, "Erin needs them urgently. I can provide you with a place to collect E Leaves. For example... Masuri Town?"

Her sudden mention of Masuri Town stunned both Erin and the proprietress. Erin looked at her in confusion, while the proprietress frowned for a second before her expression quickly smoothed over. She picked up the Space Gem from the table, twirling it between her fingers for a moment. She eyed Tang Qiu with a half-smile. "Alright, I'll have someone go look for them."

"I hope you can gather them all within a week."

The proprietress clenched her fist around the Space Gem and pursed her lips. "I'll do my best."

She hated dealing with cunning, clever people.

After setting the time, Tang Qiu and Erin left the shop. The moment they were outside, Erin couldn't help but ask, "What was that about Masuri Town?"

"Didn't you see E Leaves there before?" Tang Qiu pulled up the hood of her cloak and said casually, "Perhaps there are fallen E Leaves there."

Erin paused, frowning. "That's impossible, right?" E Leaves weren't something that could just fall so easily.

After putting on her cloak, Tang Qiu took Erin's hand and started walking toward the manor. "Don't overthink it. Let the grocery store handle the collection."

From the looks of it, Mark's Grocery Store held no ill will toward Erin. It was better to let Erin discover their identities on her own.

After Tang Qiu and Erin left, the proprietress turned and entered a small room in the back. The room was pitch-black, with only an iron pot placed on the floor in the center.

The proprietress touched the pot, tempted to cook a pot of mushroom soup, but ultimately restrained herself. She withdrew her hand from the pot and muttered to herself, "Looks like I'll have to go to the Dark World to pick the E Leaves myself..."

"Tsk, my cover is blown." The proprietress put a hand to her forehead. "Will the boss be angry when he gets back?"

"It's all Senna and Thor's fault, those two idiots."

The proprietress gritted her teeth but finally sighed. With a wave of her hand, a black mist appeared before her. She stepped into the mist, and her figure vanished on the spot.

---

Mark's Grocery Store was highly efficient and fast. The agreed-upon time was one week, but they delivered the items a day early.

And it was already in the form of E Leaf powder.

A fourth-generation vampire with curly silver hair appeared brazenly in Lucille's manor. He wore a black tailcoat and held a red rose. If the moon hadn't been obscured by dark clouds, robbing the night of some of its romantic atmosphere, he would have certainly performed an impromptu dance in the moonlight.

The dark night left the silver-haired vampire uninspired. He handed the Space Gem to Erin, his peripheral vision catching sight of Lucille nearby, which made his eyes narrow.

Lucille looked at him with an indifferent expression. The vampire met her gaze for a moment, then a slight smile touched his lips as he looked away.

"Would you mind telling me what you plan to do with all this powder?"

"It's a very dangerous substance, you know."

Tang Qiu took the Space Gem from Erin's hand. In response to the vampire's question, she smiled and said softly, "We want to give it as a gift to a third-generation vampire."

"Oh?" The vampire raised an eyebrow. He ran a hand through his hair, and as if remembering something, he smirked. "Is it the one in the Gosse Empire?"

"Give me a bottle of Holy Water of Light, and I can sell you an interesting piece of news."

Tang Qiu glanced at him and tossed him a bottle of Holy Water of Light.

The curly-haired vampire caught the holy water, uncorked it, and took a sniff. The aura of light made him frown. "Lord Beverly of the Brujah clan is in the Gosse Empire right now. Her brother has been captured, and she's looking for him."

"Perhaps you two will have some common ground." The vampire put away the Holy Water of Light. He walked over to Kama, holding the rose, and bent down to offer it to her.

Kama, who was hugging Tang Qiu's leg, looked at the vampire for a moment before tentatively reaching out to take the rose.

The vampire smiled at Kama, then turned to leave, his figure quickly disappearing.

After the silver-haired vampire left, Tang Qiu and Lucille exchanged a look because of the words he had left behind. They still remembered the name Beverly.

They had crossed paths with this vampire before in the Shas Principality while trying to save Monica.

Erin didn't know who this Lord Beverly was. She glanced at Tang Qiu and asked curiously, "Who is Beverly?"

"A fourth-generation vampire from the Brujah clan," Tang Qiu said with a slight frown. "We've dealt with her before."

Last time, if Reese hadn't intervened, she and Lucille might not have been able to defeat Beverly.

Of course, if it were now, Beverly would be no match for the two of them.

"Was her brother captured by Evan?" Lucille said calmly.

Since she had tracked him all the way to the Gosse Empire, there was a ninety percent chance he had been captured by Evan and was being held in Rose Manor.

After all, Evan had been capturing vampires for his experiments, so capturing a fourth-generation one wouldn't be strange at all.

"We can find her and ask her personally if Evan was the one who captured him," Tang Qiu said, rubbing her chin with a smile. "Although we were enemies before, in special times, it's not impossible to become allies."

Lucille frowned but said nothing.

Finding a vampire as an ally to kill another vampire? Erin looked at Tang Qiu, then at Lucille. Seeing that they were serious, she quietly walked over to Kama and patted her head.

Kama looked up at her, puzzled.

Erin asked in a low voice, "Have you foreseen any images recently?"

Kama pouted and buried her head against Tang Qiu's waist.

Erin: "..."

Never mind. Not foreseeing any danger was probably good news.

In the Gosse Empire, near Rose Manor, a vampire with silver hair and red eyes stared silently at the white castle. Her eyes were dark, and she tossed a diamond-shaped throwing star in her hand, its silver light glinting in the darkness.

Another vampire appeared at her side, speaking in a low, respectful tone, "Lord Beverly, the other party's defenses are tight. Our people can't get in."

"Whose Blood Domain is this?"

The vampire hesitated, then said uncertainly, "It should be Elder Evan's." There were vampires patrolling outside the castle, making it difficult for them to get close.

Judging by the aura alone, the bloody mist felt a bit weak, not like the power of a third-generation vampire.

But it was also possible that the other party had deliberately projected such a Blood Domain to hide their identity.

Beverly sneered. She clenched the throwing star in her hand, a flash of ferocity crossing her face. Her voice was deep as she said, "Go back to the Blood Domain and call for reinforcements. Let's see if I don't tear down his castle."

How dare he capture her brother? Was he looking down on the Brujah clan?

She was eager to see just what the Tzimisce clan was secretly plotting.

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