Chapter 222
“The pharmacy…” Ling Wu murmured.
"Is Your Highness interested in potions? I have a book on potions, which I can give to you if you are interested."
His favorability rating increased again; Alcipe's cold eyes, which had been cold from being followed, softened.
Unfortunately, before he could calm down for long, a boastful young voice came from behind him—
"Alcipe".
Alcipe, whose name was being called, could sense the little princess beside her trying to turn around to see who was behind her.
He subtly leaned down to meet Ling Wu's gaze, preventing her from encountering the other players.
Alcipe's emerald green eyes held a mysterious allure, like a magic potion. He said, "I will be sending Your Highness back to the castle before the pink and white roses appear. In the meantime, I think you can take a look at the apothecary that interests you."
Ling Wu nodded, her words tinged with doubt: "What about the swindler?"
Alcipe smiled gently. "My clever little princess should have already guessed." A cold glint appeared on his lips. "I need to deal with some annoying tagalongs."
The girl's silhouette was as light and agile as a cat's, while Alcipe remained where he was, gazing at her affectionately with his emerald green eyes.
Seeing her tilt her head curiously after entering the apothecary, wanting to look at both sides, Alcipe couldn't help but rub his fingers together.
So cute.
He withdrew his gaze, turned around, and pointed into the air, canceling the prop that was blocking the boy.
The boy, dressed in a white shirt, looked like a celestial being who had stepped out of a painting—clean and pure.
But coincidentally, his brows also carried a bright and flamboyant air.
Although the props hindered the boy's progress, he could still see everything ahead.
He only turned his gaze away when the graceful figure in the long, dark dress disappeared from the exposed area of the apothecary workshop.
"Eating alone is impolite, whether in the East or the West," the boy said, standing beneath the rose vines, his voice tinged with arrogance.
Alcipe's eyes turned colder, but his tone remained nonchalant and lazy: "Being a tagalong, whether in the East or the West, is a...useless and despicable act."
"There's an old saying in the East: 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.'" The young man retorted with a smug smile.
"Forget the mantis unaware of the oriole, I think it should be changed to—Wen Xing is a piece of trash, that's more like it." Alcipe took off the hood of his cloak, revealing a handsome face.
The boy called Wen Xing yawned, too lazy to argue with him anymore, and cut straight to the point: "Who is she?"
“The princess of the castle,” Alcipe said bluntly.
"..." Wen Xing rarely gave him a second glance.
The castle princess, whom everyone in the apothecary was concerned about, did not hand the potion bottle to the NPC in the apothecary.
Lingwu looked at the pharmacy owner, who was wearing a black cloak that covered his entire body.
The apothecary's figure, frame, and even the skin color of her fingers occasionally revealed when she handled medicine all proved that she was a woman from the East.
"Hello, may I borrow your drug testing device?" The beautiful young woman's smile was pure and gentle, making it easy for people to feel good about her.
The apothecary lazily raised his eyes, but when he saw the small red beauty mark under the corner of the girl's eye through his cloak, he was slightly taken aback.
The medicine bottle in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
She panicked for a moment, then quickly regained her composure: "Of course, beautiful... little girl."
The woman's voice was somewhat hoarse, but unsurprisingly, it was pleasant to listen to.
Her black cloak completely covered her figure and face.
"It's on the second floor, please follow me."
"Thank you for your help," Lingwu said gracefully, lifting her skirt.
The woman leading the way stiffened at those words, but said nothing more, only shaking her head to indicate "You're welcome."
In my memory, the pharmacy only seemed to be open on the first floor; no one ever went up to the second floor.
Lingwu lowered her eyes, lifted her skirt, and followed him upstairs.
Through the second-floor window, Ling Wu saw the boy standing opposite Alcipe.
Black hair, white shirt, an air of unrestrained ethereal beauty.
So, of all the players who left a deep impression on our memories, there's only one more who hasn't appeared yet.
Alcipe successfully won over Celestia once, but the second time Celestia was exceptionally afraid of him, which led to his early elimination.
This allowed Luan Jing, whose identity had always been that of an Eastern female official, to get there first. And the biggest help that enabled Luan Jing to succeed was this young man in a white shirt—Wen Xing.
Wen Xing and Luan Jing, both from the East, one creates danger, and the other saves her from danger.
Therefore, Celestia inevitably became dependent on Luan Jing, who saved her time and time again and was also a woman.
But players are ultimately just players; they stand in the middle of the game, yet they are higher up than the entire game itself.
To them, she was just a communicating electronic pet.
The moment Ling Wu withdrew her gaze, the boy in the white shirt looked past Alcipe and landed on the empty window on the second floor of the apothecary.
"The second floor of the pharmacy?" Wen Xing frowned.
Alcipe raised an eyebrow and looked back; he seemed no different than usual.
"The second floor is a blank area. The blank area is just for show. Players can't bypass the permissions. If your eyes are blurry, just quit the game and protect your eyes," Alcipe mocked.
Wen Xing was certain that he had seen a black figure, but he was unsure whether it was the owner of the apothecary or the castle princess he had only seen from behind.
"What if it's part of the main storyline? Don't forget who just went in," Wen Xing sneered.
If the main storyline is triggered, players can peek into empty areas that are normally inaccessible.
The confidence in Alcipe's emerald green eyes gradually faded. He wanted to retreat and find Ling Wu, but Wen Xing stopped him.
"Alsippe, it's certainly not a pleasant feeling to watch yourself miss the main storyline. But since I've experienced it thanks to you, it wouldn't be polite not to return the favor. Today, Lord Alsippe, how about you taste it too?"
"Get out of here," Alcipe said coldly.
"Sorry, I can't leave." Wen Xing's smile became even more blatant.
On the second floor of the apothecary, Ling Wu did not show any surprise when she received the ingredients for the potion, but the result was different from what Alcipe had said in the first life.
—The detected components indicate that the medicine is safe.
However, this may only apply to the nighttime dose; the daytime dose remains to be investigated.
The pharmacy owner had been silently watching Ling Wu.
If Lingwu were to presumptuously lift the cloak of the medicine shop owner, she would see that his eyes, though hidden, were filled with heartache for her.
It is the heartache of a loved one who discovers that their younger relative has been harmed, yet can only watch her fight alone, and the anger of being unable to help her.
"You..." The pharmacy owner's voice was somewhat low.
Ling Wu carefully put away the medicine bottle, took out some money to pay, and said, "Thank you."
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