Maybe because she arrived earlier than before, Syl saw from outside the window that there were still quite a few pastries left, and even a few customers were buying their dinner.
"Welcome."
The sound of the bell at the door attracted the Old Woman sitting by the cash register. She stood up, took off her reading glasses, and looked at the customer entering.
"Oh, isn't this that cute young lady from last time?" After seeing the visitor clearly, the Old Granny's face wrinkled with a smile. She slowly walked to Syl's side and asked, "Are you thirsty? Sweetheart."
The Old Granny's voice was very gentle, making one feel at ease involuntarily.
"I'm here to pay for the bread from last time, old sweetheart." Syl, behind her mask, chuckled and asked jokingly, "Can I get a discount?"
"Oh... hoho, that bread was going to be cleared out anyway, no charge." The Old Granny's eyes crinkled into slits. Syl's behavior seemed to make her very happy.
Before entering, Syl had already taken out the 5 and 10 denomination bills and put them in her coat pocket.
Even facing this Old Granny, Syl didn't want to reveal her wallet.
Syl pulled out the bill with a face value of 5 from her pocket and handed it to the Old Granny.
"Thank you for the night before last." Syl solemnly thanked the kind Old Granny in front of her.
"This is too much... a loaf of bread only costs a few pence."
"And I don't have enough change to give back to you right now. Oh... wait a moment, these gentlemen wanting to pay are getting impatient." Following the urging of the customers waiting by the register, the Old Granny finished her sentence and walked back to the counter.
After finishing the checkout for the customers, there were no more people in the shop. To save the Old Granny the trouble of walking back and forth, Syl took the initiative to walk to the register.
Unbeknownst to her, this small detail made the corners of the Old Granny's mouth curl up slightly.
"Young lady... Lucy, right?" The Old Granny said while putting on her reading glasses.
"Yes, my name is Lucy." Syl nodded honestly.
"My name is Kaili, Kaili Eugene. You can call me Granny Kaili. Do you mind chatting with me for a bit?" For some reason, the Old Granny didn't continue the previous topic but introduced herself instead.
"Of course, Granny Kaili." Knowing that Granny Kaili was trying to get closer and not being in a hurry, Syl was happy to stop and chat for a while.
Chatting with locals was much more convenient than exploring this unfamiliar city on her own.
"I've always been curious about one thing, little Lucy," the Old Granny asked curiously, "why do you always wear this mask?"
Syl saw there was no one around, so she unfastened the buckle at the back and took off the mask, smiling. "Because the air here makes me feel very uncomfortable, so I like to wear this—of course, the bakery smells wonderful."
"Hohoho..." Kaili covered her mouth and laughed softly. "You certainly have a way with words."
However, as she said this, the way she looked at Syl changed completely.
"Then which church does little Lucy belong to? Don't mind me, I just don't want to violate any of your church's rules." Kaili asked seemingly casually while lowering her head to write in the ledger.
"Church? I haven't joined a church. If I had to say which church I have a good impression of, it would be the Church of the Goddess of Hope."
The physician card was a brand new character; she didn't want to be associated with the Church of the Goddess of Hope again, so she directly said she was unaffiliated.
"Oh? A good impression? Why?" When she asked this, Kaili's tone was clearly a bit hurried, and her movements stopped.
"Why? Hmm... because the Saintess is very beautiful? Because I went to see her today." Syl made up a reason on the fly, praising herself in the process.
"The Saintess of Hope? It's been spreading like crazy this afternoon... every customer is talking about it." Syl's answer made Kaili relax. Kaili smiled again and continued, "I saw the photos too; she really is a rare and beautiful child."
"Rarely seen? How rare?" Syl suddenly asked.
Although Kaili didn't understand why Syl asked that, she still answered: "...How rare? Let me think... Anyway, in all my years, I've never seen such a beautiful girl. She can only be described as stunning. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say she's a once-in-a-century beauty."
Yes, exactly! I, Syl, have no other hobbies except for listening to the honest truth.
Syl took a deep breath, suppressing her joyful mood a bit, her eyes smiling. "I think so too."
"Little Lucy, you probably aren't a Suramar local, right?" After asking, Kaili suddenly sighed, "The air problem from the factories has been getting worse in recent years. I wonder if breathing it for too long will lead to some strange disease."
"That's right, I only arrived in Suramar City not long ago." Syl nodded and responded to Kaili's sigh. "The river water is so dirty too. These factories haven't taken any measures to reduce pollution at all."
As Syl said this, she shook her head, looking very disdainful of the factories' practices.
Seeing this, Kaili's eyes gradually brightened.
"Not attached to any church, not standing on the side of any nobles..." Kaili sighed softly. Looking at Syl, she found her more and more pleasing to the eye.
"Uh... Granny Kaili, what did you just say? I didn't hear clearly." Syl, slightly distracted, hadn't caught what Kaili was whispering.
"It's nothing, little Lucy."
"Little Lucy, are you interested in... abilities beyond the imagination of ordinary people?"
"Just like the magic in plays and novels."
As Kaili spoke, her originally cloudy eyes were gradually covered by a hazy blue mist.
"Huh? What?" Syl suspected she had misheard.
Moreover, the feeling of being watched by something grew stronger. It was the same feeling as being looked at by Aishala with Spiritual Sight active.
What exactly was happening? Wasn't the person in front of her just an ordinary Old Granny?
Syl really wanted the system to activate Spiritual Sight for her, but no matter how she called it, this body simply couldn't activate it.
"She can't use Spiritual Sight yet..." This information was keenly captured by Kaili. She thought to herself, "What a wonderful prospect..."
Instantly, Syl felt the sensation of being watched disappear. When the startled Syl came to her senses, she saw Kaili handing her a pale purple openwork card.
"If you are interested in unknown, mysterious things and abilities, you can take this card to the address written on it." Kaili chuckled at this point.
The purple card in her hand was surrounded by purple flames and burned to ashes in an instant. The purple fire transformed into a purple butterfly that flew to Syl's hand, turning back into a card and landing gently on her palm.
"Perhaps you will see another magical world, completely different from the ordinary."
Syl stared at the scene before her, dumbfounded.
What is this? A mage recruiting me?
And just when she was planning to investigate the organization behind Andaman, the mage who attacked her?
"Welcome right in, sir?"
Syl gripped the card in her hand and said excitedly, "I will go."
In Kaili's eyes, this was just the excitement of a young girl after seeing magic. She smiled happily.
Both had their own thoughts as they looked at each other and smiled. Both were very happy.
It was just that when the time came, one side was destined to regret today's events.