Menedelia looked at the newcomer, he is not an ordinary person.

The moment he entered the door, he made his extraordinary presence felt all over the room. ​​

She knew his kind too well!

Her brows knitted together in curiosity. She was wondering why she suddenly attracted the attention of his kind? Is this guy going to have his palm read by her? She highly doubted that. He's probably here for something else.

A handsome young man who looks to be in his 20's came forward and settled on the chair. "I'm sorry about the candle," he said and lighted it with the fire that came out from his finger. He looked at her. "I saw your shop offering a unique service around this area. It says you do palm reading and can also see a glimpse of the future and also the past, am I right?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Menedelia threw the young man a curious look. "It depends on the person who is asking for my services. As for you, I think you don't need to be here because you can do a lot of impossible things without my help," she said calmly.

The young man smiled. "So...what do you think of me? What kind of person I am?" he asked, wanting to test the ability of the woman.

Menedelia smirked.

"I will drop ten gold coins in your donation box if you can guess my true nature correctly. That is how loaded I am! And if you can help me to find and locate someone, I'll give you 1000 gold coins, including a huge bonus after you completed my request!" he said.

Menedelia's smile broadened. "Sure, I know who you are!" she said confidently.

"Really? Then tell me!" he said and fished out ten gold coins from the pocket of his pants and put it on the table in front of the old woman.

Menedelia's eyes twinkled in amusement while looking at the gold coins. She knows that the guy was testing her ability at the moment.

She went silent for a few seconds.

"Why? It seemed you're having a hard time guessing my true identity, grandma!" he said.

Menedelia smiled brightly. "What does a good-looking shapeshifter doing in my shop?" she asked.

The young man's eyes widened for a few seconds, then he smiled and clapped his hands in glee. "Wow! You're indeed one of a kind! You guess my true nature correctly. Congratulation, these ten gold coins are now yours!" he said.

"Put it in the donation box, please," Menedelia commanded gently.

"Sure!" the guy scooped the gold coins and dropped them on the donation box. "Done!"

He went back to the table and looked at the old woman in the eyes. "Now, let's talk about business! Let me tell you the main reason why I'm here in your shop!" he said.

"Okay, let me hear about it, but I can't promise you anything because I'm not God. I'm just an old woman with limited capabilities," Menedelia said.

"All I'm asking from you is to help me find a baby that went missing twenty years ago," he said.

"What-? A baby that went missing? Missing for twenty years already?" she repeated.

"Yeah... I want to locate the baby's whereabouts," he said.

"Do you have a photo or anything related to the baby? A blanket or any object that the baby owned or wear when she went missing?" she asked.

"I have nothing, no blanket or anything except this..." The guy took something from the pocket of his jacket and put the amethyst ring in the center of the table.

Suddenly the amethyst ring glowed brightly, illuminating the entire room.

Menedelia stared at the ring intensely.

The guy's brows furrowed, huh? Why does the ring react right now, unless it detected another being of their kind?

He looked at the palm reader. Is she one of them, or she's an enemy in disguise?

"Old woman, who are you? What kind of being are you? Are you even human?" he asked suspiciously and snatched the amethyst ring before the old woman can take it. He quickly put it back inside the pocket of his leather jacket.

Menedelia sighed. She was about to hold the ring in her hand, but the young man got it first. "I was supposed to inspect the ring, but you took it back before I can start inspecting it. How am I supposed to help you find the baby who went missing twenty years ago if you don't give me enough time to see the ring?" she chastised him.

The guy pondered for a moment. The amethyst ring is valuable to him, and it's the Helix Vanguard Clan's property. It's the only missing link to what happened twenty years ago. He doesn't know yet if the old woman can be trusted or not? What if she will steal the ring? What if she is an enemy in disguise?

Menedelia took a deep breath. "What are you thinking?" she asked him.

"I'm just thinking... if you are an enemy or someone who is in disguise? Can you tell me your origin? The true nature of yourself? Can I trust you?" he asked.

Menedelia released a deep sigh. "It doesn't matter who I am. The only thing I can say to you is that I might be able to help you find that missing baby if you let me take a look at the ring closely. One thing I can assure you, I'm not going to steal the ring. I'm not your enemy. I'm just an old woman who wants to earn money for a living with my not-so-impressive skill," she explained earnestly.

The young man was shaking his head. There's something about the woman's aura that is not right. He's getting suspicious because she won't tell him who she is and her true origin. He can't define her as well.

He stood up, preparing to leave.

Menedelia looked at the young man. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'll come back some other time. I still have to decide if you can be trusted or not," he said and moved towards the door.

"Wait... what is your name?" she asked.

The young man looked at her. "My name is Zero!" he said and exited the door.

Menedelia sighed. There it goes! Her 1000 gold coins!

Damn!

She just lost her most generous client ever!

Why does that young man have to ask her so many questions? She's not obligated to reveal her true identity to him. Even the closest person to her, Rebecca, doesn't know about her true identity.

Why would she reveal her true self to that young man? How dare he!

She felt annoyed.

So far, she only earns... 5 Silver Coins+10 Gold Coins, not bad.

She can already buy enough food supply for her and Rebecca that can last up to ten days.

She released a deep sigh. It's always better if they have extra money to spare, especially that Rebecca is pregnant with twins and eats ravenously. She needs to constantly feed her nutritious food and milk to make sure the babies grow healthy inside her tummy.

One hour passed.

No one entered the shop.

Menedelia went outside to inhale fresh air. She looked left and right and glanced at the other stalls nearby. Morning is always been a slow start for her and the other stores. Usually, the business picked up speed after lunch and until early evening.

She went back inside the shop to get some money from the donation box. For every service she provided to her client, she doesn't demand a specific amount as payment. She let her client drop any amount they can afford in the donation box. She designs it that way because not all people are born equal. Some people don't have much money to spare but want to obtain her services.

After getting some money from the donation box, she went outside to buy ready-to-eat food from the eatery nearby since it's already lunchtime.

She went to the nearest eatery and bought two servings of rice, vegetables mixed with bits and pieces of chicken, fish soup, and five ripe bananas. Rebecca loves eating a banana, especially the yellow ones. The eatery staff put the dishes on the wooden food box, along with the spoon, fork, and plates.

She will return the food box after she and Rebecca finished eating.

She went back to her shop and brought the food to the room.

Rebecca was already awake.

"Good thing you're already awake!" Menedelia said. She placed the food in the bed. "Let's eat!" she said.

"Okay..." Rebecca replied and began putting food on her plate. She picked up the ripe banana and munched on it first. "Granny, did you have a customer the whole morning?" she inquired.

"Only two people entered the shop in the morning. Maybe there'll be more later in the afternoon," Menedelia replied.

"Do you need assistance?" Rebecca asked.

Menedelia shook her head. "No need. All you need to do is take care of yourself and the twins inside your tummy. I'll take care of everything, especially when it comes to earning money to sustain our living," she said.

"Thank you so much, Granny!" Rebecca said, feeling grateful for her help and affection.

"Don't mention it. You're my only family. Just eat!" Menedelia said and began eating.

One hour later, they finished eating lunch. Menedelia returned the food box to the eatery.

Unknown to her, Zero stood beside a store that sells bags, located on the left side of the shop.

Zero watched as the palm reader walked towards her shop. The woman's identity is questionable, but the fact that she was able to guess his true character is already impressive!

He will go back to her shop when the evening comes. For now, he will observe the surroundings first.