Chapter 443 - 346: Where Did the Paladins Go?
Chapter 443: Chapter 346: Where Did the Paladins Go?
"Hello, welco—" Mary looked up the moment she heard the bell on the door ring. She froze for a second before her professional smile snapped back into place. "How can I help you?"
The customer who walked into the Drink Undying Alchemy Workshop wasn’t very tall. They wore a long linen cloak that didn’t seem to fit well, its hem bunched up and creased.
The customer walked slowly, looking rather comical as they struggled to control their steps to keep from treading on the cloak.
"I, uh... I need some Healing Potions," the customer said, their voice a muffled, artificial baritone.
It was clear they were deliberately disguising their voice. The hood of their cloak was pulled low, an obvious attempt to hide their face.
"How many do you need?" Mary asked calmly, her professional smile unwavering.
The Alchemy Workshop was no stranger to odd Adventurers. They all had their own quirks. Some liked to talk to themselves. Others insisted on going shirtless, even in the biting cold of winter. Then there were those who always wore masks, immediately slapping a hand over their face if one ever happened to fall off.
Mary had seen it all and grown used to it. They were just strange people. After all, she’d even met a hard-drinking Vampire and a Werewolf dressed in a sharp, formal suit.
"Five bottles," the customer said, keeping their voice deliberately low. A hand emerged from under the cloak. It was fair-skinned and small—clearly a woman’s. A piece of white metal armor, seemingly of high quality, covered her forearm.
"We have a buy-ten-get-one-free deal on our Healing Potions. I’d recommend stocking up if you need more. It’s a better value," Mary said, the corner of her mouth quirking up as she saw the customer’s hand.
"Buy ten, get one free?" The customer hesitated. "In that case, I... I’ll buy fifteen bottles."
"Very good. I’ll get sixteen bottles ready for you."
"Sixteen?" the customer asked, confused. "I said fifteen. Ten plus five."
"Our deal is buy ten, get one free," Mary explained patiently. "Since you bought ten, you get an extra one."
"Er..." The customer held both hands out from under the cloak, seeming to count on their fingers for a moment before nodding. "I guess that makes sense. Okay."
"Alright, you just need to pay me..." Mary began with a smile, but before she could name the price, the customer slapped three Gold Coins onto the counter.
"Is this enough?" the customer asked, her voice low again, a hint of insecurity in her tone.
"It’s more than enough," Mary said, shaking her head with a smile. She began to make change, pushing the extra Gold Coins back toward the customer.
"Here are your potions, all bundled up for you. The bottles are glass, so please be careful." Soon, Mary had sixteen Healing Potions packed and tied, placing the bundle on the counter. The customer, however, simply reached out and casually picked them up. They didn’t put them in a pack, just carried the bundle nonchalantly by hand.
"Will there be anything else?" Mary asked politely.
The customer just stood there holding the potions, as if they hadn’t heard the question. After a few seconds, they said in a low voice, "That’s it."
Having said that, she stood in place for a few more seconds, then seemed to remember she was the customer. She spun around and strode toward the workshop’s wooden door.
Unfortunately, it seemed she’d forgotten about her ill-fitting cloak. After only a few steps, she trod on the hem. Stumbling forward, the customer struggled to stay upright. She deftly kicked the cloak out of her way to avoid tripping again, and finally, with a SMACK, her hand slapped against the door’s handle.
"Are-are you alright?" Mary asked with concern, looking at the customer, who now stood hunched by the door, head bowed.
"I’m fine," the customer said. This time, she seemed to forget to disguise her voice, revealing her natural female tone.
With that, she yanked the wooden door open and left.
’What a strange customer.’ Mary chuckled and shook her head, replaying the person’s every action in her mind. Her thoughts finally settled on the arm armor she had glimpsed. ’That white material... I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before, just a few days ago.’
After a few more seconds of thought, Mary’s eyes flew open.
’The Holy Order Army.’
......
"This was all your terrible idea!" Diana ducked into an alley, ripped the linen cloak from her body, and slammed it onto the ground. "Making me wear this thing! ’A great disguise,’ you said."
"And look what happened! That shopkeeper obviously noticed something was off." She shot an irritated glance at the three Longswords she wore at her side.
"I know you sensed it—a connection. That this shop is linked to Fourth Uncle, or maybe that Adventurer from Torch City. But we could have just walked right in!"
She paused for a moment before continuing. "I know, I know. Once this is over, we can come back and stake out the shop. That Adventurer is bound to show up eventually."
"What? Go ask her directly now? What if the Adventurer is just a regular customer at the Alchemy Workshop? What if that clerk is just his girlfriend?"
"I don’t want to get chased all over town by the guard again! I... I am the Grand Commander of the Holy Order Army!"
With that, she viciously kicked a small pebble at her feet. It was clear the earlier encounter had left her fuming.
"I don’t care anymore! I’m heading into the Nightmare Forest. We have to find those Paladins first, no matter what. An Evil God... that’s not something you can just take lightly."