NOVEL WEB Chapter 166:
The Phantom Moon
Silver City, Sunset Avenue, Downtown District.
Aiden walked down the road, leaning on his cane while looking around vigilantly.
It had been a while since he had come out of prison, and walking on such expansive streets brought an inexplicable sense of comfort.
This area was known for its black market in the old city, where those familiar with the place could buy various illegal item like magical potions, enchanted items, dark magic remnants, firearms, and ammunition.
However, on the surface, it appeared to be just a bustling commercial street, offering everything from clothing, leather goods, medicines, ingredients, books, to sundries. At both ends of the street corners were restaurants and taverns lined up.
However, Aiden was not strolling the streets aimlessly. His purpose for coming out this time was to visit the mysterious fortune teller.
Information about divine words and divinity, intelligence on the Bountifull Mother Goddess Cult, and the relationship between the other party and Mephilia... There were too many things he wanted to uncover now. Since Mephilia had vouched that there would be no problem with him meeting the other party, Aiden decided to meet them first.
Aiden headed straight to Autumn Leaf alley as directed by Mephilia in the past and found the designated store.
The location indicated by mephilia's address led to a jewelry store named "Phantom Moon."
The sign outside the store mentioned jewelry processing and purchasing... Not a single word about fortune-telling. It appeared that their main business was selling jewelry rather than providing divination services.
This is quite the opposite of what Aiden knew about fortune-telling shops. Ordinary fortune-telling shops would boldly advertise their services and then sell relatively inexpensive trinkets to customers at slightly higher prices, claiming they could bring luck.
In Aiden's previous world, those jewelry stores did market magical effects like luck or health benefits. However, as a staunch atheist in his previous life, Aiden did not believe in any of it. If these things truly brought good fortune, the owners of these jewelry stores would probably be rich just by buying lottery tickets.
In this world, running a jewelry store, even a small one like this, requires a certain level of investment. And it has nothing to do with the low-cost operation of fortune-telling. If someone has the financial means to open a jewelry store, they generally wouldn't bother with such sideline businesses.
However, Mephilia shouldn't resort to such mundane trick on him. After confirming the address repeatedly, Aiden pushed open the door and entered the store.
"Welcome." With the chime of the doorbell as he entered, the clerk behind the counter stood up and greeted him warmly.
Aiden took a closer look and saw a girl who appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen, with a Tan complexion. She definitely didn't look like the owner of this place.
As Aiden scrutinized her, the girl also gave him a once-over.
Soon, the warmth on the girl's face receded like a tide.
"If you're just browsing, feel free,"
the girl casually greeted before returning to her chair and picking up the magazine she had been flipping through, showing no intention of engaging further with Aiden.
Hey, isn't this attitude a bit too blunt? Do I look that shabby? Aiden thought to himself.
"Miss, are you a clerk here?" Aiden inquired.
"Yeah," the girl answered absentmindedly while flipping through the magazine, "Part-time, just watching the store for someone."
"What about your boss—"
"She's out. She's usually not here," the girl rudely interrupted before Aiden could finish.
Aiden suddenly felt this kid lacked manners.
However, he didn't want to waste time on this. His purpose in coming out was to visit the fortune teller.
It sounded like the owner, who seldom appeared in the store, was likely the fortune teller Mephilia had mentioned. The jewelry store was probably just a cover-up...
"Well... I'm actually here for a fortune-telling session," Aiden ventured.
"Fortune-telling?" The girl finally looked up, "Did you... make an appointment beforehand?"
"An appointment?" Aiden was taken aback.
"The shop owner only does three readings a day. And This week is fully booked, so you need to make an appointment. Also, it's one pound per session, and you need to pay half in advance for the booking," the girl furrowed her brow slightly. "You didn't know that?"
How would I know about your intricate rules? Is the fortune-telling business here really that bustling? Aiden listened, feeling A bit puzzled.
With so many clients, they couldn't all be seeking this fortune teller for divine ascension...
It seemed the fortune teller also took commissions from regular clients, and probably had some real skills. If the fees were so high but the predictions inaccurate, the shop would have been shut down by now.
"If you want a reading, you need to pay the deposit first, then leave your questions, name, and contact details," the girl said, taking out a pen and notebook. "When the appointment time comes, you can return to the store, and I will take you to see her."
"Can I meet her beforehand?" Aiden asked. "When will she be back?"
He definitely wouldn't choose the method the girl suggested to meet the fortune teller. It was not only troublesome but also expensive, and ridiculously so.
"No, absolutely not!" the girl replied firmly. "The shop owner specifically stated that clients without appointments will not be seen. If you insist, I will have to kick you out!"
Not even a chance to meet her in person... Aiden felt a bit stuck at the moment.
"Then pass on a message to her for me and tell her 'I'm here to deliver the second gift from White Oak Treehouse'."Aiden said.
This was the password that Mephilia had taught him to connect with that Fortune Teller.
Since he couldn't meet the fortune teller, he could only ask the young girl in front of him to convey it on his behalf.
The young girl was obviously stunned for a moment when she heard his words, then her eyes abruptly became sharp.
Aiden didn't miss the change in the other party's expression - it seemed that the other party knew the password.
He suddenly realized something, and just as he was about to open his mouth, the girl got up, walked around the counter, went straight to the front of the store, hung a "closed" sign on the outside, and locked the door.
"You should have said something earlier, you've made such a big fuss for nothing."The young girl said to Aiden in a mature tone that was very different from the previous one, "I've been waiting for you for a long time, let's talk about it inside."
"After all of this, so you are the fortune teller?"Aiden looked into the other's eyes to confirm.
"Yes, it's me, you can call me Melissa."A light smile appeared on the face of the young girl - Fortune Teller Melissa, "Welcome, Aiden Galord , the Lamb who has come under the guidance of my Lord, the Goddess of Wisdom."