Julie lifted her glass and sipped the rainbow-colored cocktail to her red lips.
Her eyes glazed over for a mont, her charm seeming to beco even more captivating.
After a long while, she slowly sighed, "Li Wei, you truly are a genius bartender. Not only have you quickly reproduced ’Pawn’s Desire,’ but you have also enhanced its flavor beyond my expectations..."
"I made so modifications to the ingredients according to my own style..."
Zhong Shenxiu smiled and recited a formula, "This should be the original recipe, right?"
Angel and Alice could no longer contain themselves and exclaid in unison, "Please make us ’Pawn’s Desire’ too—um, both versions!"
"Of course."
Zhong Shenxiu smiled and mixed up four more rainbow cocktails.
Angel took a sip without delay and was imdiately conquered by its distinct layers and rich taste, "This is so delicious, I’ll stick to this one from now on."
Although Alice was also deeply moved, she compared both versions of ’Pawn’s Desire,’ eventually choosing the new version by Zhong Shenxiu, "I think... although the old version is not bad, the new version transitions flavors more smoothly..."
"Thanks for the complint."
Zhong Shenxiu wiped his hands with a towel, smiling at Julie, "So... where’s my surprise?"
"Oh!"
The surrounding people suddenly began to tease.
Julie’s face turned red for a mont, "I... I didn’t expect you to reproduce it so quickly. Next ti, next ti."
"Tsk..."
Disappointed at the lack of excitent, the crowd dispersed.
"I am looking forward to it..."
Zhong Shenxiu’s face showed no concern, yet he felt the premonition of a prey about to be ensnared.
...
Julie walked out of the bar.
On the dark street, heavy footsteps seed to follow her.
The figure behind her moved in sync, clearly a would-be criminal who didn’t dare to cause trouble in Whisperer Bar and thus chose to follow her.
Alcohol, darkness, beauty... these were the breeding grounds for cri.
At that mont, Julie could almost hear the stalker’s heavy breathing and sll the disgusting stench.
"Another ignorant and insignificant insect..."
She sighed and suddenly turned around.
This was a dark alley without streetlights, silent and dim.
A drunk holding a bottle erged before her, his eyes bloodshot, gazing at her beautiful face, filled with intoxication.
"I... I have money!"
The drunk fumbled out so bills, "Na your price... don’t force , don’t force ..."
Julie, as if seeing a repulsive maggot, furrowed her eyebrows and began chanting several complex and cumberso incantations.
Within the darkness, several writhing tentacles seed to appear.
They slithered quietly, binding the man.
"The Naless Technique... Although it’s naless, I still gave it a na—’Darkness Bind!’"
Julie took two elegant steps forward, approaching the man’s face, extending her hand to caress his cheek, "I gave you a chance. Why still embrace the darkness?"
The man’s drunkenness had vanished without a trace, terror filling his eyes as he trembled and stamred pleas for rcy, over and over, "Forgive ... forgive ..."
"I won’t forgive a man who tries to harm ..."
Julie’s expression grew cold, and an enigmatic incantation blood on her palm.
"The Blood and Flesh Dissolving Technique... Although the existence I believe in regards it rely as a prelude to a ritual, a thod for processing sacrificial offerings, I find it quite effective for attacking and disposing of bodies..."
Beneath Julie’s palm, the man’s skin rapidly decayed, exposing the muscles and bones underneath...
Everything was rotting away, and pieces of clothing dropped into a sickening pool of sli.
The cleaning staff who would sweep the streets tomorrow would surely complain about soone leaving such a disgusting ss on the ground, not knowing it once signified a living person.
Having dealt with this trivial matter, Julie returned to the front of a bookstore.
The sowhat weathered sign read ’Traceless Bookstore,’ and beside it was a small blackboard listing new arrivals and bestsellers.
Julie took out a key, opened the bookstore’s door, walked up to the second floor, and lit the gas lamp.
The orange light reflected on the wall, casting two dark shadows.
"Julie, you’re back late."
A deep, hoarse voice complained.
"Even if I practice the Naless Technique, I still need diversions, rest, entertainnt... It’s quite important for maintaining our humanity and sanity."
Julie replied nonchalantly, "And... there was an unexpected gain at the bar tonight."
"An unexpected gain?"
Another shadow questioned.
"Yes, today I discovered a talented bartender. You know, with only a few trials, he restored ’Pawn’s Desire!’"
Julie’s eyes glead faintly, "At the next gathering, I think I’ll recomnd him to beco one of us."
"We must assess him first, as you know, the Special Affairs Bureau is always watching us..." The shadow sighed, "But ’Pawn’s Desire’? It took the ’Doctor’ a full half-month to complete it, right? Although it’s just an ordinary cocktail, it indicates the skill of the bartender..."
"That’s right. Since the ’Doctor’ died, we’ve been lacking him, which is quite inconvenient... but we’ve not found a reliable replacent."
Julie smiled, "I’m thinking now, why not cultivate one ourselves?"
"An interesting idea, at least to make sure he’s not a mole from the Special Affairs Bureau, and new recruits are easier to control..."
The shadow chuckled, "I’ll give you my vote when the ti cos."
"Rest assured, I am confident in his talents; it’s only a matter of ti before he becos one of us. You don’t realize... he’s already showing signs of spirituality overflowing..."
Julie could hardly wait to say, "And... I will only give him one chance. Whether he can get in or not is entirely up to him... Hehe, he’s also the owner of an underground bar, financially very strong, and can bring considerable support to our gatherings."
"After all, practicing the Naless Technique requires a lot of money."
ntioning this subject, both fell silent.
Even as individuals of the mystical world, they did not live on air—food, clothing, lodging, and materials required for various experints and rituals all demanded a great deal of money!
Even extraordinary beings who remained poor and destitute were not unheard of, though they were not everywhere.
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