The MegaGrocers Supermarket's current discount event was even lower than previous ones, attracting many regular customers. The shelves were being restocked every one or two hours.
Amalia had great strength, and within half an hour, she had filled several rows of shelves nearby. The male manager, who had wanted to find fault with them, didn't have a chance to intervene.
"Do you have White Rabbit?"
A deep voice suddenly rang in Amalia's ears. Amalia turned around and almost collided with a handsome face. The man was dressed in black from head to toe, wearing a black cap, exuding a cool aura. The lighting seemed to enhance his features, making him irresistibly attractive to people of all ages and genders.
Amalia looked over and noticed that there were at least ten men and women stealing glances at her. Some even pushed their shopping carts closer, ostensibly to shop, but actually just stealing glimpses of the man.
Of course, Amalia didn't realize she were also the subject of others' curious gazes.
"This is a supermarket; we don't sell White Rabbit," Amalia stepped back a couple of paces, putting some distance between them.
The man chuckled, his curiosity evident as he studied Amalia. "I'm talking about White Rabbit Milk Candy. Do you have any?"
Amalia's ears turned slightly red, and she replied calmly, "Let me check."
The man seemed to have discovered a new world as he stared at Amalia's ears. His intense gaze only vanished when Amalia walked to a nearby shelf and started searching.
Amalia inwardly sighed with relief. To be honest, the gaze of this man made her feel like he could see right through her. As someone who had previously worked underground, she didn't like the feeling of being completely understood.
Suddenly, she noticed that intense gaze landing behind her. When she looked up, she saw the man standing at the other end of the shelf, watching her through a gap between his hands, his eyes as black as coal.
Amalia fell silent for a moment. With extreme composure, she placed the candy back on the shelf, blocking the man's line of sight.
The man walked over and asked her, "Do you have it?"
"No, we don't," Amalia recalled from the original owner's memory. "The White Rabbit Milk Candy was sold out a month ago, and the manufacturer has stopped production. It's unlikely we'll have it again. This other candy is good too; it's just a letter away. Why not give it a try? The taste should be similar."
The man glanced at the Milk Candy in her hand and shook his head with a smile. "No, only White Rabbit Milk Candy will do. Other candies can't satisfy the craving."
Amalia gave him a puzzled look. Low blood... pressure?
The man sighed. "I'll have to search again."
Amalia thought he was leaving after saying that, but he remained in front of her, his gaze sliding over her excessively handsome face. "Is there something else?"
The man laughed again, and for some reason, Amalia felt there was something odd about his smile. Before she could dwell on the thought, he said something that made her heart sink, "Are you a spiritual cultivator?"
Amalia looked up abruptly. His eyes, dark with hints of deep blue, were fixed on her. She realized this man wasn't joking and whispered, "How did you know?" She was wearing a concealment artifact that should have hidden her presence.
"By scent," the man replied.
Amalia's lips twitched, barely stopping herself from saying, 'Are you a dog?' She reminded herself that even though the man hadn't made a purchase, he was still a customer. "So, what do you want?"
The man suddenly grabbed her hand, holding it sincerely. "Let's exchange contact information. If you come across White Rabbit Milk Candy someday, remember to let me know."
Amalia reacted, realizing her hand was already in his grip. Her pupils slightly contracted; this person not only approached her silently, but she also hadn't noticed his movement. To pull or not to pull away...
"You..." she began to say.
The man quickly released her hand and walked away.
Amalia found a note in her hand, with his contact number on it. She tightly held onto the note, passing by a trash bin. As she was about to discard it, the man's face involuntarily flashed in her mind. He truly was an odd person.
When Amalia returned to her apartment, she saw a message from Carlos, asking her why she had suddenly closed her shop. It then occurred to him that she had forgotten to cancel it, and Carlos sent another urgent message.
"Shopkeeper, don't you know your store is quite popular now? My friend wants to buy the defensive artifacts displayed in your store. He's worried they'll be snatched up as soon as the shop opens."
"Was the customer who bought the artifacts this morning someone you recommended?" Amalia thought she was lucky to have another customer who wasn't afraid of rumors.
"He happened to be looking for artifacts, so I introduced him. He has more money than I do."
"Thank you, but you didn't need to do this," Amalia replied. As she checked the feedback on her store's backend, she noticed the person had a high rank on the Red Espiritual Net. When the review came in, it counteracted the negative effects of Héctor's defamation, and her store's traffic went from a dozen to several hundred.
"It was just a small favor he asked for."
"What request did he make?"
"He wants to meet the shopkeeper in person."
Amalia wasn't surprised, but she declined, saying, "Meeting in person is unnecessary. Let him join the Red Espiritual Net, and I'll open the shop."
As expected, Carlos relayed this response to Samuel.
Samuel replied quickly, expressing some regret that the person didn't agree to a meeting. "Since she's not willing, let it be."
As soon as he logged onto the Red Espiritual Net, Amalia's shop, "Number One Artificer in the World", indeed reopened. Without hesitation, he placed an order for the defensive artifact.
Unbeknownst to them, someone had been monitoring Amalia's shop, planning to place an order as soon as it reopened. However, they weren't quick enough.
Not long after Samuel placed the order, his friend Francisco called him.
"Did you place an order at that Ashe store?"
"How did you know?" Samuel was surprised by his friend's speed.
"I just happened to check the Red Espiritual Net and saw that the store had reopened. The defensive artifact is already sold. I guessed it might be you. Did the person agree to meet?"
Samuel replied, "No, and she seemed quite cautious."
Francisco scoffed, "Can she afford not to be cautious? If she really has such a big supply chain backing her, she definitely wants to keep it a secret from others. What do you think? Should we try to find out who she is? She's in Apple City; it's only a matter of time for us."
Samuel shook his head, "Forget it. We still don't know who this person really is. Let's visit her store more often and consider it as making a new friend. It's better than making an enemy."
Cutting off someone's income stream is like holding a grudge as deep as patricide.
Francisco didn't take it seriously. Samuel could tell, so he cautioned him not to have ulterior motives and explained the potential consequences. Francisco nodded repeatedly, but whether he truly heeded the warning remained to be seen.
Amalia placed the defensive artifact in a box in the ground floor lobby and arranged for a courier to pick it up.
Before going to bed, she sorted through her belongings and took out the note. Besides a string of numbers, there was a name with sharp handwriting, different from the man's smiling demeanor. It seemed like this is his true personality.
Should she add his contact number? Amalia couldn't stop replaying the first meeting in her mind. Honestly, she didn't quite understand why a tall man like him wanted to eat milk candy, and only the White Rabbit brand at that. Was there a particular story behind White Rabbit that she didn't know?
Amalia compared the man and the rabbit side by side but still couldn't believe that this man was someone who would care for small animals. She tossed the note aside.
...
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