Filly fed her friend with a smile on her face. Seeing Bel eat with 'relish,' she became more satisfied with her decision to bring the new dish from their restaurant.
Bel looked like a child as red sauce painted her lips.
After taking a sip of water, Bel stared at Filly and Gail. "I'm going… to… pass… out… thank you."
As soon as she said those words, her eyes closed, and she fell asleep once more.
Filly and Gail exchanged a bitter glance. "Seems like we'll have to come back another time," Filly chuckled.
After a moment, they left the room, and the maid guided them toward the mansion's exit.
"By the way, where are the Family Head and June?" Filly asked the maid.
Knowing the visitors' close relationship with Bel and the family, the maid answered honestly. "We don't know where they went, but they're searching for a cure for Madam Bel."
"A cure?" Filly tilted her head. "But she can move now, right? I think that's a good sign that the medicine is working."
The maid sighed. "That's what we thought as well. But the Family Head thinks otherwise. I believe in him."
"The poison that Arke used… It must be something even the Alchemy House doesn't have a cure for," Gail commented, a frown forming on her face.
"I don't understand why the Headmasters didn't disqualify that shitty guy," Filly muttered, gritting her teeth.
"The Mayor intervened, and the examination is a joint event held by the city and the martial schools. The Great Serpent, Fire Shrine, and Sword and Shield Martial School aren't the only cultivation schools in the city," Gail explained.
Soon, they arrived outside the mansion and entered the carriage that would take them home. It was nearing midnight, and the restaurant had already closed.
Looking out the window, Filly let out a heavy sigh, her thoughts weighed down by sadness over Bel.
"Why don't we…" Gail hesitated.
"What?" Filly asked, turning toward her.
"Why don't we ask for his help?" Gail suggested.
"Ask for whose help?" Filly asked.
"Mr. Beggar. Yoma," Gail said.
Hearing this, Filly's eyes widened. Right! Mr. Beggar is a Wanderer, someone even the Headmaster of the Great Serpent personally visits. And as a Wanderer, he must be knowledgeable about many things! The recipes he provided for the restaurant were proof of that!
"We can try," Filly nodded. "The worst that can happen is he rejects us."
"This is good," Apollo muttered in the dark universe, with the Qi around him acting as stars.
He was focusing inside himself, specifically his Dantian, where a small ball of Qi resided. It had become smaller compared to when he had just reached the Half-Step Qi Condensation Stage.
Although he had made great progress, Apollo felt like he needed one more week before he could achieve a breakthrough.
Opening his eyes after a night of deep cultivation, he saw that the sun was already casting its brilliance on the streets.
It was calm. There weren't many people walking around, and there was no noise or footsteps to irritate the beggar's ears.
Apollo felt it was strange but not strange enough to dwell on, as he preferred it this way.
Status Screen, the beggar thought, and a translucent screen materialized before him.
Spirit Cultivation: None.
Physique Cultivation: Half-Step Qi Condensation Stage.
Attributes: Lightning."
Forty-three Alm Points... Better than I expected, Apollo smiled. A few days of grinding the people with Alms had earned him at least ten Alm Points.
If I keep this momentum, I'll be able to buy that item in just two weeks, or maybe a month, Apollo thought.
Passerby Shadow—that's what he wanted. It was an item that would make his beggar spot invisible, or at least appear invisible, as people would need deep concentration to see through it unless the beggar allowed it. It only hid his spot and himself when inside, and while it couldn't completely protect him from an attack, it was better than people discovering his hideaway.
Out of boredom, he brought up the System Store and began browsing the items.
Then, an item caught his eye.
It was the Wish Me Luck that he had used previously. He had decided not to use it again, as it felt like gambling.
Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, he scrolled down through the items, but quickly scrolled back up and immediately bought it.
The moment his Alm Points were deducted by five, regret overwhelmed him.
"Ah, why did I do that?!" Apollo scratched his head in frustration.
Gambling is bad! Gambling is bad!
But deep down, he hoped he would get lucky.
"You used Wish Me Luck!"
"Luck Increase Randomizing..."
"Luck Increase! 10%!"
Seeing this, Apollo's eyes widened. Ten percent?! This is good!
He stood up and moved in front of his beggar spot, where people could see him. He noticed the basket of his breakfast sitting to the side, but he didn't want to waste the luck item, as it only lasted an hour before expiring.
Raising both hands above his forehead and sitting cross-legged, Apollo waited in anticipation. The only reason he bought the item was to increase his Alm Points.
Apollo wasn't good at saving. In his previous life, he hadn't needed to—his business talent kept money flowing in, so he never had to worry about what he wanted to buy or whether his funds would run out.
Expecting a great return, the beggar waited. However, a few minutes passed, and nothing happened. His Alm Points didn't move at all.
Confused, he opened his eyes and looked around, but no good Samaritan had come forward to give him money. Is it because the morning is still young? The street was quiet, with only a few people walking by.
I don't believe I won't at least get a return on my Alm Points! Gritting his teeth, he resumed begging.
Twenty minutes later.
Apollo finally sensed someone approaching. He opened his eyes excitedly and saw black-brown shoes.
"Thank you! You are good! I greatly appre—" Apollo couldn't finish his words as he recognized the person in front of him.
He realized something. Why is the street so quiet? It was the silence before the storm, and the storm had arrived right in front of his face.
"I finally found you! You training ground wrecker!" Sir Guo shouted angrily, pointing a finger at the beggar.