Chapter 341: Local Specialty

Ling Pingan finished writing a chapter and stretched his back.

He looked at the time. It was almost 10:30 pm.

He moved about and said, “There’s no business today…”

How many days has it been since a customer visited?

He couldn’t recall!

He was numb!

It didn’t matter anymore!

In any case, he didn’t need to rely on this bookstore for his livelihood.

It was just that he felt a little sad.

He had thought of solutions and had changed his store, but there was still no business and it seemed like there was nothing he could do!

It wasn’t his fault that the bookstore industry had become a sunset industry.

Following the rise of the mobile internet, industries like this were unlikely to last very long.

It was already a miracle that Ling Pingan could persist!

“I’ll go to sleep,” the young bookstore owner sighed and walked to the door. He was just about to pull down the shutters when he saw a figure with a flashlight appear out of nowhere. The figure walked towards him in the thick fog.

“A customer?” Ling Pingan perked up immediately.

Some business was always better than no business at all! He would not let any chance go to waste, however small it might be.

The young bookstore owner rubbed his palms excitedly.

The figure in the thick fog walked over slowly.

A tall woman was holding a little girl’s hand.

She walked over. She was dressed in black from head to toe and had the aura of an anime character. Her small face was pink and soft, but there seemed to be a different look in her eyes.

Ling Pingan smiled immediately.

“Ma’am, you’re here yet again.”

She’s the young lady from the Old Empire!

Ling Pingan felt very gratified when he looked at her current appearance.

Her expression and appearance had changed significantly compared to the previous times he had met her. She seemed even more confident and it was obvious that her struggle had yielded results! This made Ling Pingan very happy and he felt that he had accomplished a great deed. After all, he had successfully helped a once timid girl find a way to fight her stubborn and conservative parents and succeed at doing so. He felt that this was very good and was the conduct of a gentleman.

More importantly, Ling Pingan looked at the little girl standing behind the young lady.

He smiled and asked, “This is?”

Han Li looked at the owner of the bookstore in front of her.

After the long period of time that had passed, he seemed stronger.

Shrouded by the fog, the rising flames within the skull were burning like stars.

“Sir,” Han Li held Xiao Ai’s hand and said quickly, “This is my sister.”

“Her name is Xiao Ai…”

Xiao Ai, who was standing behind Han Li, was already trembling and her small face had become extremely pale.

The talent of the Sky-Piercer clan allowed her to clearly sense the greatness and power of the being before her.

Two points of fire rose from the skull that was shrouded in the fog.

The immortal and divine power entwining around the being was a strength Xiao Ai had never encountered before.

As far as Xiao Ai could recall, there was no known god that had such a physical form.

It was even more impossible for such a god to exist!

“Xiao Ai,” Ling Pingan looked at the little girl, who was obviously a little afraid of strangers, and smiled,”Don’t be afraid.”

He revealed a smile, one he thought looked the kindest, “Big Brother likes little girls like you the most.”

He pushed the door open,”Come in.”

He then turned around and shouted to Bastet, “Bastet, come out and entertain the guests!”

“Meow!”

The kitten heard its master’s call, jumped up from the counter and landed on the ground. It then walked to Ling Pingan.

Ling Pingan picked up the cute little kitten and stroked its head lovingly. He then said to Xiao Ai, “Look, I have a cute kitten here.”

“Xiao Ai, do you want to be friends with it?”

Xiao Ai gulped and looked at the cat that the strange man was holding.

The cat’s amber eyes were shining with divine light.

The pure divine power circulating in the cat’s body was clear as crystal.

The cat looked to be a true God, one who had raised his divine kingdom and ignited the divine fire.

The little angel of the Sky-Piercer clan started to tremble and the voice of the strange man Xiao Ai had met echoed in her ears.

“Friend?” Xiao Ai trembled as she stretched out her hand.

Her intuition told her that it was best to listen to the strange person standing before her. There was no telling what could happen otherwise.

Xiao Ai slowly placed her hand on the cat’s body.

The holy cat goddess had soft and clean fur that was comfortable to touch.

As she gingerly touched the cat for the first time, Xiao Ai sensed that the cat goddess belonged to the Order Faction.

Thus, she mustered up her courage and began to stroke the cat.

Strangely enough, although it was a true God, it did not seem to resist her touch.

Ling Pingan watched as Xiao Ai focused on stroking the cat.

He was very happy and said, “Bastet, play with Xiao Ai!”

“Meow!” the little cat answered.

Ling Pingan stood up and looked at the customer in front of him. He had not seen her for a long time and he remembered the various delicacies she had brought previously. Some of the delicacies included sweet tea leaves, delicious and juicy peaches and mushrooms that turned out fragrant regardless of how he roasted them. Ling Pingan almost started to salivate as he thought about the food she’d brought.

Nevertheless, as a gentleman, Ling Pingan knew he had to stay reserved.

Therefore, he asked, “Ma’am, were your younger siblings satisfied with the book you got previously?”

“Very satisfied!” Han Li bowed deeply. “I came here today to pass on their gratitude. If it weren’t for you, they wouldn’t have been able to see that there was still hope. It was all thanks to you!”

Indeed, if it weren’t for the book, ‘Basic Psionic Energy Development and Application’, which recorded the inheritance of the grand arcanists, they wouldn’t have been able to see that there was still hope.

How could humans control their own destiny now?

There was also a chance to walk out of the Safe Zone, breathe the fresh air, and feel the sunshine and this chance was even more important for the children.

Ling Pingan was happy when he heard this.

Hope? Does this mean that after the children had read the book, they had awakened just like their elder sister?

The young lady bringing her sister out could be proof that the children had already touched the hearts of their stubborn parents.

Ling Pingan glanced at the little girl – she was a very cute little girl whose skin was so clear and smooth she looked like she’d been carved from jade. She seemed to bring joy to others.

This was something that Ling Pingan had not expected but one that he probably should have.

After all, no matter how stubborn the old empires were, the attitudes prevalent in the current era were very different from those that existed two to three hundred years ago.

Open-minded thoughts had long silently seeped into the school system and consequently, the hearts of everyone. The most stubborn parent in all of the Old Empire would also probably agree that everyone had their own natural instincts and talents.

As long as children were committed to reasoning with their parents, they would be able to convey their thoughts clearly.

Ling Pingan became happy immediately.

“That’s good! Then why are you here this time Ma’am? Are you here to find something for yourself?”Ling Pingan asked.

Han Li nodded and bowed again. “Please help me again, Sir!”

As she spoke, she took the bag Xiao Ai was holding from her.

She opened the bag and handed it to the strange man in front of her, the ruler of the fog, and said carefully, “Sir, these are some local specialties I brought from home and I hope you will like them.”

Ling Pingan looked at the bag that was handed to him.

The bag had already been opened.

A bag of golden leaves and a gift box made of bamboo strips that contained two palm-sized Dangshen lay inside. Apart from these, there were also a few mushrooms and black fungus.

More importantly, however, there were a few peaches in the bag.

These peaches, while a little small, were all white and ruddy. They looked so delicious that it made one salivate just by looking at them.

Ling Pingan laughed immediately, “How could I let you do that? You’ve spent money on so many other things here.”

Han Li bowed deeply. “Sir, they are all worthless local specialties…”

When compared to the protection and help that Ling Pingan had provided, these products were indeed nothing but worthless local specialties.

Ling Pingan rubbed his hands and smiled, “You’re too polite!”

However, this was to be expected of someone from the Old Empire. The tradition of strict family education in the Old Empire had made its people very rebellious.

Therefore, Ling Pingan stopped declining and accepted the items.

He then asked,” Ma’am, are you going to buy some books for yourself this time?”

“Yes!” Han Li, who was extremely nervous, nodded.

Ling Pingan examined her carefully. Her makeup and dressing were very mature now compared to when they had met for the first time. She would still be a shining star even if she were to participate in the southern state’s reenactment of the Holy Bible’s ‘All Souls Day’.

It was clear that she no longer struggled with makeup and that what she needed now was a more in-depth knowledge of cosplay. Things like the interpretation of a character and an understanding of a background would be helpful to her.

Yes! Ling Pingan finally understood what he needed to do.

He smiled and said to the young lady, “Please wait a moment, I’ll go and look for some books for you.”

“Thank you, Sir!” Han Li bowed deeply.

“Please take a seat,” Ling Pingan said with a smile and instructed Bastet, “Little darling, you stay here and entertain the guests for me!”

“Meow!”

Bastet, who was at the door with the little girl, immediately responded and walked to the coffee table.

It jumped lightly onto the coffee table and called out softly to Xiao Ai.

Hearing this, Xiao Ai immediately followed behind shyly.

Ling Pingan looked at this and nodded in satisfaction. He then bade farewell to the young lady and walked towards the bookshelf, humming a little tune.

Xiao Ai sat next to Han Li in trepidation.

Her eyes were looking at the true God.

She finally believed the things that Han Li had described to her now.

The Great One was indeed an unimaginably great existence and his greatness could only be matched by the legendary God. The cat goddess alone was enough to prove this existence!

Furthermore, Xiao Ai could clearly sense that there were countless true gods that remained hidden and dormant in the mystical bookstore. There was no doubt that they were immensely powerful.

Xiao Ai began to wonder about the origins of this terrifying place in the multiverse.

Legend has it that the gods created the Pantheon Temple. All the gods had their respective places in the Pantheon Temple. In Xiao Ai’s mind, the mystical bookstore was already like the second Pantheon Temple.

She felt her soul, as the angel of the Sky-Piercer clan, tremble involuntarily.

If this place were really the second Pantheon Temple, then why did the master of this place create such a site?

Was he an enemy or a friend of God?

Various questions emerged in Xiao Ai’s heart and this made her nervous and afraid.

She knew she could only ask one person – Han Li.

“Han Li, what is this place exactly?”Xiao Ai asked softly.

“Don’t make a sound,” Han Li said softly, “We have to be careful and respectful!”

She looked at Xiao Ai, touching the hair of the little fellow she had met in the abyss and said, “However, you don’t have to be afraid. The man we just met is very kind and tolerant.”

She looked at Xiao Ai, “Who knows, he might even give you a reward as well!”

Han Li had known for a long time that the owner of this bookstore hidden in the fog was a great being who overlooked the existence of everything.

His greatness was unquestionable even if his servant was capable of destroying the world.

Han Li recalled the terrifying monsters she had met in the abyss.

They included the King of Ghouls, the Demon Dog of Chaos and the Lord of the 471st floor.

The only beings who had helped her then were the slaves of this servant.

Therefore, Han Li understood that she had to be grateful for his mercy and greatness.

Most importantly, she was grateful for his choice.

If it weren’t for him, it would have been impossible for her, given her low social status, to have achieved what she had thus far.

How could the world that she cherished and loved dearly be where it is today?

Ling Pingan hummed a tune as he walked between the bookshelves.

He picked up a book gently.

As he flicked the cover, he laughed.

“The lady will definitely like this book!”

This was a classic that every cosplay enthusiast would definitely be intoxicated by.

‘A Complete Guide to Cosplay’, published by Nanzhou Kingdom Publishing House, was said to be a book that every cosplay enthusiast had to read.

The book summarized the cosplay process and contained detailed explanations of almost all the popular cosplay characters.

Picking up the book, Ling Pingan raised his lips slightly.

“The young lady is really too polite, but it would be impolite for me not to reciprocate!”

Following this, he immediately picked up another book.

‘Analysis of the Old Empire’ – this was a book that focused on social class and had been published by the Federal Empire’s Central Social Science Publishing House.

It analyzed the past and present lives of the people of the Old Empire, as well as their attitudes, thought processes and psychology.

Ling Pingan believed that this book would help the young lady be more flexible and witty in her life in the future. He also believed that it would help her get along with her stubborn parents.

The Old Empire – it had a scary ring to it.

In actual fact, the people of the Old Empire were humans. They also had all the emotions and desires of people.

However, they constantly liked to present themselves as the ‘conscience of the Empire’ and as the ‘Loyal Subjects’.

They claimed to be the shield that defended the Constitution and the Sons of Heaven.

Whenever the conservative nature of the Federal Empire returned, it was almost always linked to the fact that this group of people had been provoked.

The most recent revival of conservatism witnessed the explosion of the mobile internet which gave rise to the various indulgences of young people.

Therefore, the people of the Old Empire chanted ‘etiquette collapse’ and ‘music collapse’. They launched a counterattack through public discourse and called for the return of traditional ideas.

The ironic thing is that the so-called ‘conservatism’ that they pledged their support to is actually a variant of the ‘neoliberalism’ that they were previously opposed to.

To put it simply, the Conservatives today are actually the Progressives of the past!

Moreover, since ‘neoliberalism’ was in existence, then ‘libertarianism’ must be too.

Those were the Progressives of the past. Apart from ‘libertarianism’, there was a school of thought that existed beyond that – the ‘classical’.

These schools of thought made up the Old Empire. The Old Empire was a combination of the stubborn faction, the corrupt scholars, and the feudal intellectuals from three hundred years ago.

Therefore, the Federal Empire’s research on these people was very in-depth.

Holding the book in his hand, Ling Pingan smiled.

“The general trend of history is rolling forward. Those who do not fit in with the times will eventually be buried. Perhaps, in a few years, the young people of today will turn back and become conservatives. They will criticize the younger generation for being more outrageous, more indulgent, and more unruly than us. Why are all of you so depraved?” he muttered to himself.

He continued, “Duke Zhou, Duke Zhao, Confucius – open your eyes and look at these unfilial descendants.”

Ling Pingan laughed. He knew that this was the era where things were going to happen but it would also become a piece of history.

Fortunately, he was a materialist who understood dialectical thinking. Therefore, he knew that all the conservatism and progress that had occurred would in time become the embodiment of the limitations of the era.

As long as one looked at a problem dialectically, one would always find the answer.

Thus, he held the two books and hummed a tune as he walked back.

When he was halfway there, he remembered that there was a child who had also been present in his store! He then turned back to pick up a comic book. ‘Flower Fairy’, it read. This was the favourite of billions of children!