Who says a sickly daughter can’t break through the weirdness?

"It is both a child's toy and a cage for the stars. When the six colors that reveal the truth converge at the same boundary, it reveals incomparable...perfection."

"..."

Can't this guy speak human language?!

Alas, looking at his expression, he definitely won’t be able to explain it clearly, so just agree to it first.

Shen Qiyin sighed inwardly, but agreed calmly on the surface: "Okay, I'll try my best to find it. If I do find it, where should I find you?"

"I like art. I heard there's a good art exhibition hall in Huanglin City." The old gentleman smiled slightly. "I hope I don't see a pile of remains when I go there."

"Art exhibition, okay, I get it."

"Thank you, little girl. Our cooperation is now concluded~"

The old gentleman took off his hat and smiled at Shen Qiyin. Almost at the moment when he finished speaking, the notebook in Shen Qiyin's mind suddenly opened a new page -

[Awakened Soul Resonance: Moon]

[Level: 1 star]

[Ability Acquired: Artist's Mindset (Lv.1)]

[Effect: Minor increase in your mental strength and resistance to mental pollution. Even in a state of severe pollution, you can maintain a certain degree of sanity.]

Almost at the moment these lines of words popped out, an idea immediately popped up in Shen Qiyin's mind:

What the hell?!

Did this old man pass the "certification" of the notebook and become one of my assistants?

Arcana: The moon, symbolizing illusion, fear, and subconsciousness.

The Moon card is often associated with unknown fear, hallucination, and confusion. The notebook "identifies" this old man as the Moon. Could this be a metaphor for his identity to some extent?

Well, but with this level of metaphor, I can't really see anything...

"Then I will wait for your good news."

The old gentleman gracefully took off his hat to Shen Qinyin, then wrapped his body in his robe again, returned to the stream, picked up his heavy travel bag, said goodbye to Shen Qinyin again, and turned to leave.

The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated, and the old gentleman's body seemed to have merged directly with the mist, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

After seeing this scene, Shen Qiyin became more and more certain that this guy was definitely not an ordinary human being, and he must be a qualified person.

Shen Qiyin even felt that he might not even be a human being.

After fetching water and returning to the B&B, after some consideration, Shen Qinyin finally told Lin Qiutang and the others the news about the old man.

After hearing this, the women all thought that the other party's attitude was very suspicious, especially in the end times. It was too weird for an Englishman to travel thousands of miles across the entire continent to do business in this place.

What's even more outrageous is that the things he sells are all very strange.

The only thing to be thankful for is that the other party did not show any malicious intent. If he really just wanted to play the role of a businessman, then Shen Qiyin and the others could indeed try to establish a trading relationship with him.

Lin Qiutang couldn't help but complain, "It feels like everyone we meet everywhere wants to make a deal with us. Qiyin, do you have any idea?"

"Maybe they think we're easy to talk to, we're all fat sheep."

Shen Qiyin shrugged casually.

Although it is still unclear at the moment, Shen Qiyin has a hunch that the things on the old man may look like some groceries, but for the notebook, many of them are probably valuable materials that can be used to upgrade items.

As for the trading items that the other party needed, based on the riddle-like metaphor, Shen Qiyin really couldn't figure out what it was for a while.

But as the saying goes, the wisdom of the team is infinite.

She tried to tell the other person's puzzle to others. After a few people discussed it, Tang Miao suddenly had an idea:

"A child's toy, with six-colored borders and all... Could it be a Rubik's Cube?"

"rubik's cube?"

"A six-color boundary means six colored faces, right? If they all gather at the same boundary, wouldn't that be like restoring a scrambled Rubik's Cube to its original shape?"

Shen Qiyin's expression changed slightly. It's not that she hadn't thought about this before, but due to her habitual thinking, she didn't think the puzzle was that simple. Moreover, there was a sentence that she couldn't explain:

"How should we understand the phrase 'the prison of the stars'?"

"I don't know," Tang Miao shrugged innocently and grumbled softly, "I think this sentence is meaningless. It's just nonsense made up by that old man pretending to be a riddler..."

"Oh, I can't rule out this possibility."

Shen Qiyin lowered her head. No matter whether the answer was a Rubik's Cube or not, she could give it a try, but right now she had something more special to do.

She returned to the room, closed the doors and windows, then took out the parchment and the pocket watch the old man had given her from her pocket.

The originally plain pocket watch, after Shen Qiyin had the idea of ​​upgrading it, suddenly opened a new page in her notebook:

[Do you want to spend 50 Desire Stones to upgrade the "Parchment and Bronze Pocket Watch" to "Guidance of the Ancients"?]

The moment she saw the last few words, no matter how calm Shen Qinyin was, she couldn't help but shrink her pupils and breathe faster.

Guidance from the past?

Wait, what does this mean?

The Old Ones? What were they guiding? Evil Gods? Or the Great Old Ones?

With this doubt in mind, Shen Qinyin decisively chose to upgrade.

With a flash of light, the original parchment disappeared, and the originally damaged bronze pocket watch suddenly turned into a brand new pocket watch with a gorgeous appearance and exquisite patterns engraved on it.

This pocket watch is a traditional mechanical clock that relies on a spring device to provide power for the rotation of the hands.

However, the focus is not on the horology of the pocket watch, but on the pattern of the case and the overall outline.

She didn't know if it was her illusion, but Shen Qinyin always felt that the design of this pocket watch was like a key that could open a door.

I can't figure it out, so I'll keep it for now. It will definitely be useful later.

The Rubik's Cube is not a difficult item to find and can be found in almost any toy store or daily necessities store.

After finding the Rubik's Cube, Shen Qinyin immediately went to the art exhibition hall in Huanglin City before it got dark.

Shen Qiyin walked through the sculpture exhibition hall holding the Rubik's Cube. She didn't know if it was because the strange beasts and entities had no interest in the artworks, but compared to the messy supermarkets and daily necessities stores, the exhibition hall was unusually clean.

Near the center of the exhibition hall, the old gentleman was busy bending over to examine a bronze statue.

He noticed Shen Qiyin's slow approach and immediately stood up. He brushed the dust off his yellow robe with his sleeve and gave her his signature elegant smile: "Ah, you're here? Girls who keep their promises are the most lovable."

"I'm not sure if this is what you want, but I guess it's pretty close."

As she spoke, Shen Qiyin handed over the Rubik's Cube.

The old gentleman took the Rubik's Cube, wiped the surface of the little thing with his sleeve, and examined it carefully as if it were a work of art. He nodded and said, "It's in good condition. There's no scratch on the plastic shell."

Appearance......

Did this old man mistake the Rubik's Cube for gold and gems...

"If it's okay..." Shen Qiyin asked tentatively, "Where's the holy water?"

The old man didn't respond, but his fingers suddenly started to move rapidly. The Rubik's Cube made a fine "clicking" sound in his hand, and the six color blocks seemed to come alive and flipped and reorganized at a very fast speed. In less than half a minute, a complete solid color surface was formed.

"This is a very interesting little gadget. It embodies people's desire for exploration and knowledge. It is not only a mentor for children's wisdom, but also contains the mysteries of the universe and stars..."

He took the restored Rubik's Cube in his hand and weighed it. "Whoever came up with this little gadget is very smart. Whether it's a perfect six-sided puzzle or it's taken apart, it's fun."

Shen Qiyin tilted her head and said calmly, "Hello, I don't understand. What about the deal you agreed to?"

"Of course, of course! I haven't forgotten."

The old gentleman took out a small silver bottle like a magic trick, shook it in front of Shen Qiyin, and said jokingly: "The shelf life of the holy water is fifty years. Remember to keep it in a cool place."

The label on the bottle specifically has the English words "Holy Water" written on it, and a smiley face is scribbled on the back in pencil.

Just as Shen Qiyin was about to reach out, the old man suddenly retracted the bottle and asked mysteriously, "By the way, do you know how many solutions there are to the Rubik's Cube?"

"Four."

Shen Qinyin frowned slightly, stared at the other person shaking the bottle, and made an excuse casually.

"Wrong, just one way."

The old gentleman suddenly broke the Rubik's Cube in half, and the plastic parts fell to the tile floor with a crackling sound.

“The best solution is to disassemble and rebuild.”

He stepped over the scattered parts and smiled as he patted the holy water into her hand.

"If you need anything else, come and see me. I'll be here for the time being."

Shen Qinyin stared at the Rubik's Cube fragments that rolled under the display cabinet. When she looked up again, the old gentleman had already disappeared into the sculpture exhibition hall humming an off-tune song. Only the remains of the Rubik's Cube were shining in the inexplicably bright yellow light.

"Weird guy..."

Shen Qinyin couldn't help but complain in a low voice, took the holy water and left the art exhibition hall, quickly returning to the B&B.

The first thing she did when she returned to the B&B was naturally to verify her guess.

She called over Mona, who was lying on the blanket and wagging her tail boredly, and took out the Holy Demon-Repelling Flame from the independent space provided by her.

To upgrade the Holy Flame of Demon Repelling to "Holy Judgment", silver and holy water are needed. Now the holy water is already available. As for silver, it is not rare. There are some tableware made of silver inside the B&B.

After collecting the materials, Shen Qiyin placed her hand on it. After waiting for about three seconds, a familiar prompt from the notebook came from her mind -

[Do you want to spend 50 Desire Stones to upgrade the "Demon Repelling Holy Flame Material Set" to "Holy Judgment"?]

[Holy Judgment: A large-caliber sniper rifle specifically designed to counter monsters. It has a 10-round ammunition capacity and can automatically reload 1 bullet per minute.]

Although her speculation was confirmed, Shen Qinyin did not feel too happy. Instead, she was full of confusion and worry about the future.

There are more and more things that I can't figure out, whether it's these strange materials or that strange old man.

If the old man had not also been "certified" by the notebook, Shen Qiyin would really not be willing to continue to contact such a weird guy.

She picked up the newly upgraded Holy Judgment and looked at it carefully.

This sniper rifle is snow-white all over and looks like a horizontal white cross. The handguard and receiver are formed as one piece, the edges are inlaid with silver-gray alloy edging, the sides are engraved with bas-relief cross patterns, and the cheek pad is engraved with a winding thorn pattern. The overall look is quite gorgeous.

The sight is neat and narrow, and the edge of the hole is coated with a light gold anti-corrosion coating. The lens not only has auxiliary data and ballistic calculations, but also automatically adjusts the imaging mode according to the surrounding light, so that it can accurately find the target even at night.

Compared with the "Eye of Death" that she gave to Tang Miao, I wonder if this sniper rifle has any special advantages. Although the "price" of the two is not much different, the "Holy Judgment" is upgraded by adding special materials after all, so it should have some style, right?

Just as Shen Qiyin was thinking this, another line of words appeared in the notebook under the description of the Holy Judgment:

[Note: The user can infuse their own mental power into the bullet to increase its destructive power. The degree of increase is proportional to the amount of mental power injected.]

Wow, there really is a special bonus!

I told you, even if the name is so childish, it should at least have some unique features!

Shen Qiyin fiddled with the Holy Judgment with a look of joy on her face. It was a pity that this thing couldn't inject mental power into the bullets in advance. Otherwise, when she had nothing to do, she would inject mental power into the bullets as soon as she had it, and keep stacking the combat power boxes.

Maybe if she piles up to the back, she can kill even a level 4 or 5 monster with one shot.

Afterwards, Shen Qiyin and others set up traps around the B&B and cultivated black soil.

After doing all this, it was almost dark.

After dinner, Shen Qinyin went to bed early.

In her hand was an antique bronze pocket watch that she had made from upgraded parchment during the day. The hands on the dial ticked slowly, like a lullaby, urging Shen Qinyin to sleep.

Is it that familiar feeling again?

Perhaps, the so-called "guidance from the past" is to allow oneself to "predict the future" through dreams?

With this thought in mind, Shen Qinyin closed her eyes and fell asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, she woke up from her sleep again.

Due to her previous sleepwalking experiences, the first thing Shen Qinyin did when she woke up this time was to confirm whether she was in a dream country.

However, after repeated confirmation, she found that she had simply woken up this time and was not led to another place by the dream.

Just as she sighed and was about to go back to bed to sleep...

She suddenly noticed that the door of her room had been opened a crack at some point.

Almost instantly, Shen Qinyin's perception network spread out across the sky.

Within the perception network, the activities of all living things cannot escape her eyes.

She could "hear" the even breathing of Tang Miao and Lin Qiutang, and could also sense the mechanical footsteps of Xiaoxiang patrolling back and forth in the lobby of the B&B.

And Kana, she was lying on the sofa in the lobby of the B&B, not yet asleep.