Chapter 16

【Catastrophe section unlocked! 】

【Spring Blight catastrophe detected; corresponding artifact section now available! 】

Rao Ke tapped on the catastrophe section and found it packed with all sorts of artifacts.

She idly scrolled through it, only to discover there was no end in sight. She'd been delighted just a moment ago, but then she noticed that every weapon's purchase button was grayed out—meaning she didn't have purchasing rights.

Rao Ke: ??!! ...

"Sesame Paste, what's going on now?" Rao Ke looked at Sesame Paste.

Sesame Paste immediately cowered. "Don't blame me for this—it's set by the main system."

"So what do I need to do to get restocking rights?" Rao Ke shook her head helplessly.

"Simply put, it's pay-to-play. You spend money to buy the restocking rights," Sesame Paste explained. "See that roulette icon over there?"

Rao Ke looked at the lower left corner and spotted a roulette symbol. She tapped it open and saw a massive spinning wheel filling the entire screen.

Below it were two buttons: one labeled 50,000 points per spin, the other 500,000 points for ten spins.

"I'm broke." Staring at the exorbitant gacha fees, Rao Ke closed the roulette interface in pain.

This was even more outrageous than the limited-time event bundles those big game companies used to squeeze money out of players—and at least those companies made some pretense of generosity. This one didn't even bother to fake it.

Sesame Paste naturally knew that his host's wallet had thickened a bit recently, but she absolutely couldn't withstand this kind of exploitation.

"Let's draw three for now." Rao Ke checked her account balance, her heart aching, but this was money she had to spend.

All told, she could only afford three spins for now, since she still needed to keep funds for restocking.

Rao Ke summoned the roulette page, then had herself, Sesame Paste, and Xue Qiu each take one spin.

【Congratulations! You've obtained "Acid Rain Umbrella," "Blast Pellet," and "Enchanted Iron Sword." 】

"Acid Rain Umbrella?" Rao Ke stared at the artifact she'd drawn. "Does the upgraded Spring Blight catastrophe include acid rain too?"

Rao Ke figured that in this magical world, acid rain capable of hurting mages couldn't possibly be ordinary.

"Hmm, after the Spring Blight catastrophe upgrades, ordinary mages can't withstand the acid rain at all," Sesame Paste said, then added, "I'll add a calendar and weather forecast module to your system panel."

"Alright." Rao Ke paused briefly before agreeing.

【Acid Rain Umbrella: Can be used to ward off acid rain. Consumable item. 】

【Blast Pellet: Light and easy to carry, simple to use—throw the pellet and it explodes for attack effect. 】

【Enchanted Iron Sword: Increases attack power by 5%. 】

After reviewing the brief descriptions of the artifacts, Rao Ke stretched. There really was a lot to do tomorrow.

"Sesame Paste, let's go down for dinner."

After dinner, she brought all the Keke Shop employees—including Sesame Paste and Xue Qiu—over to the shop to start putting up posters and testing the machines.

【Ding! Please fill in the relevant information and pay the corresponding fee. 】

Xue Jiali stepped up to the card machine without hesitation and began operating it according to the machine's prompts.

【Please take your card. Thank you for using our service! 】

A black card was then spat out.

Xue Jiali picked it up and examined it. The card was made of pure metal, paper-thin, embossed with a simple sun symbol, and stamped with the words "Keke Shop" in small characters. In the lower left corner was written "No.1".

After testing the machine, Rao Ke and Xue Jiali pasted the oversized advertising posters in the most conspicuous spots on every floor.

"So what artifacts are being sold here?" Xue Jiali asked, suddenly curious as she put up the posters.

Rao Ke didn't hide anything and briefly introduced them to Xue Jiali.

The two worked through the evening, and then Rao Ke gave a satisfied nod, looking at the eye-catching poster ads and the artifact display case right in the middle of the first floor.

Xue Jiali watched the busy Rao Ke, unsure why the other woman didn't use magic.

But on second thought, she figured it might be some kind of witch trial or a form of cultivation technique, so Xue Jiali didn't use magic either.

And so the two of them toiled away by hand all afternoon.

If Rao Ke had known she could have had Xue Jiali use magic, she would never have chosen to slog through it manually.

"It's raining." Xue Jiali looked at the fine drizzle outside, then turned to Rao Ke.

As expected of a witch—she could even predict this.

The seemingly gentle, harmless raindrops hit the ground and the plants, and immediately let out a piercing hiss as they rapidly corroded a large patch.

"That's basically sulfuric acid falling from the sky..." Watching the forest get eaten away by half right before her eyes, Rao Ke couldn't help but complain.

Looking at the unharmed building—inside and outside the protective barrier were like two different worlds—Rao Ke felt that the barrier was really worth it.

Seeing the look of admiration in Xue Jiali's eyes, Rao Ke knew what she was thinking, but she didn't bother to explain and simply turned her head away.

The sudden acid rain caused great trouble across the Kaqisha Continent. All factions hurriedly organized mages to erect protective barriers against it.

Chrisley finally finished selecting the meeting gift she'd prepared for her future student, carefully picked out an outfit, and dressed herself up meticulously.

Everything was ready. Just as she was about to set off, she noticed acid rain starting to fall from the sky.

"Hmm, don't ruin my clothes."

With a casual wave of her hand, a protective barrier enveloped her.

"Wait for me!" Wenni flapped her wings, flew into the barrier, and perched on Chrisley's shoulder.

The next second, Chrisley vanished with Wenni on the spot.

Not far from the Keke Shop, Chrisley suddenly appeared, looking at the shop shielded by a blue protective barrier.

"Looks like it's closed. Let's come back tomorrow." Wenni looked at the darkened shop.

But Chrisley had a different opinion. "Isn't it perfect that no one's here now?"

As she spoke, she stepped forward, stood before the barrier, rapped lightly on it, and asked, "Is anyone there?"

"Keke, it looks like someone's here." Sesame Paste, who had been playing a game, suddenly raised his head and said to Rao Ke, who was playing with Xue Qiu nearby.

Rao Ke stood up, walked over to the window, and pulled the curtain aside slightly. "A customer?"

Then she saw a witch in an exquisite black long dress, with black hair and green eyes.

That witch seemed to sense something, looked up at Rao Ke's position, and a smile blossomed on her stunning face.

"A witch..." Rao Ke suddenly gripped the curtain tight.

"I apologize for the intrusion. I'm Chrisley. Please treat me well." Chrisley was rarely this gentle—if her rivals ever found out, they'd certainly be astonished.

Rao Ke looked at this unfathomable witch warily. "I'm Rao Ke. What brings you to see me?"

Watching the wary Rao Ke, a hint of amusement unconsciously floated into Chrisley's eyes, and a trace of kindly affection appeared on her face. She's still just a kid.

"You don't need to be nervous. I came because I heard a witch had appeared at the outskirts of the Adventure Forest." Chrisley's expression was gentle.

Even though the other woman didn't seem hostile, Rao Ke still couldn't relax.

"Our Witch Clan hasn't had a new child born in a very long time. You're the only one in the past century." Seeing that the other woman remained cautious, Chrisley decided to try a different approach.

"So what?"

"So I want to take you on as my student." Chrisley stated her purpose bluntly. "I'm the most gifted witch in the entire Witch Clan—becoming my student definitely won't be a loss!"

Before Rao Ke could say anything, Sesame Paste slyly sent her a private message. "See? I told you—the teacher's come knocking~"

Rao Ke was tempted as well.

"By the way, what element affinity do you have?" Chrisley asked.

"Metal and wood."

Chrisley's eyes lit up at once—the exact same affinities as her own. This was practically a disciple sent from heaven, so there was no way she'd let her slip away now.

"Well, that's even better—I'm a wood and metal mage too." Chrisley looked at Rao Ke. "If you still want to keep running the shop, I can stay with you."

Seeing Rao Ke deep in thought, Chrisley decided to up the ante.

"I could even work as your employee!"

Rao Ke's eyes brightened—she hadn't expected such a pleasant bonus. "Deal!"

Wenni covered her face with her wing and let out a sigh. What a naive one.

But then again, the food here was delicious and unique, and Wenni rather liked it. With that thought, she cheered up again.

"Ahem. Now that you're my student, this is the gift I prepared for you." The smile on Chrisley's face was impossible to hide.

Rao Ke looked at the gift before her, and amid her delight, she suddenly realized she had nothing she could offer as a return gift.

"No need to reciprocate. What elder would give gifts to their own child expecting something in return?" Chrisley smiled at Rao Ke.

"Mm. Thank you, teacher." Rao Ke felt a warmth in her heart.

So this was what having family felt like? It was like a kite adrift with no anchor suddenly having its string caught.

"By the way, you can stay in my room for tonight. You can decorate your own room tomorrow." There was no time to fix up another room right now.

"Alright. First, let me get a sense of your magical progress." Chrisley adopted her teacher's responsible attitude.

Rao Ke fell silent for a moment. It was actually zero~

Chrisley hadn't expected that either, but she still comforted Rao Ke. "It's fine. Leave it to me."

Thinking of how her own child had managed to open such a large shop without any magic through sheer hard work, Chrisley felt especially protective.

With nothing else to do, Chrisley began giving Rao Ke a very thorough introduction to the magic system and the basics of magical practice.

The meeting gift Chrisley gave Rao Ke was a very high-grade vine staff, topped with a blue gem the size of a pigeon's egg at its very peak—it looked incredibly impressive.

The two talked late into the night without stopping, until an irritated Sesame Paste put his foot down.

"The shop opens tomorrow!! Go to sleep!!"

"Okay."

Downstairs at that moment, Xue Jiali lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought about something.