Chapter 10: The Mysterious Conch
"I'll handle the dishwashing. You go rest," Quicksilver offered.
Before Han Yu could utter a single word, there was a flash before his eyes. In the blink of an eye, the dishes were gone, and the table was wiped spotless.
"With that speed, you'd make an excellent waiter," Han Yu said with a chuckle. "You two can take the rooms on the second floor, left side. Room and board are included, utilities are free, and you'll get $5,000 a month. My room is the first one on the left on the third floor. If you need anything, feel free to find me. Does that work for you?"
Quicksilver and Wanda stared at him, stunned. After a few moments, they scrutinized his expression, as if trying to discern if he was joking.
Five or six minutes passed before Han Yu, feeling a bit uncomfortable under their intense gaze, asked, "What is it? Too little?"
Quicksilver quickly waved his hands. "No, no! I just wanted to see if you were some kind of scammer. This is more than enough. We really appreciate it!"
Five thousand dollars a month, free meals, and no utility bills—if Han Yu weren't a superpowered individual himself, they'd have thought it was too good to be true.
Overjoyed, the siblings went to check out their rooms. Han Yu even paid their wages in advance so they could buy some essentials. While he could have provided those himself, he didn't want to bother. Giving them the money to handle it themselves was much easier, and they were happy to do so.
Late at Night
Back in his room, Han Yu let out a deep sigh and said,
"System, calculate the results for the first mission."
"Ding! Mission complete: [Recruit two employees from any world]!""Mission reward: 30 upgrade points!"
"Current total: 50 upgrade points. You meet the requirements for a rank upgrade. Would you like to proceed?"
Hearing the familiar voice in his head, Han Yu couldn't suppress a wide grin.
Why had he offered Wanda and Quicksilver such great benefits? The reason was simple: the mission!
Previously, the system had assigned him two tasks: one to collect S-rank ninja techniques from the Naruto world, and this one, to "recruit two employees."
Although this task seemed straightforward, every recruited employee would be bound to the system. They couldn't leave unless the shopkeeper allowed it.
However, even Han Yu, as the system's user, hadn't yet advanced to the "shopkeeper" rank.
This meant the employees he recruited had to be free of worldly attachments and possess significant combat abilities.
For Wanda and Quicksilver, aside from their bond with each other, they had no attachments to the world. Wanda also possessed immense magical potential, perfectly fitting Han Yu's requirements.
Although her true powers hadn't awakened yet, Han Yu fully intended to help her unlock them in the future.
"Upgrade now!"
Han Yu's current position in the shop hierarchy was "Senior Junior Clerk." With this upgrade, he'd become an "Entry-Level Senior Clerk." Each major rank upgrade granted him a fundamental ability.
When he first became an "Entry-Level Junior Clerk," he received the immensely powerful "Undying God's Mark," an ability so potent it bordered on the supernatural. He couldn't help but wonder what he'd gain this time.
The system responded immediately, and within half a second, its emotionless voice echoed in his mind:
"Upgrade successful. Current position: 'Entry-Level Senior Clerk'!"
"Upgrade reward obtained!"
In Han Yu's hand, a few strands of light gathered, forming a purple conch shell slightly larger than his palm.
"Ha! A tool this time? What is this... a magic conch? A conch, huh? Not bad... Wait, what?"
Han Yu froze, staring blankly at the purple shell in his hand. It wasn't some cleverly named item—it was literally just a conch. The only noticeable difference was that it seemed a bit thicker than usual.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Fuming, Han Yu threw the conch to the ground. "This is straight out of SpongeBob! How is this supposed to be an upgrade reward?"
The conch hit the floor with a crisp clatter but remained completely intact.
Han Yu was on the verge of tears. After all his effort to level up, this was his reward? It was like grinding endlessly in a game only to craft a weapon that downgraded from orange-tier to basic white-tier. Who wouldn't feel like losing it?
"The Magic Conch possesses the ability to access all knowledge of past and present. By injecting your spiritual energy and asking it questions, you can obtain the answers you seek, regardless of whether it pertains to this world or another."
The system's detached voice sounded again. In a flash, Han Yu snatched up the Magic Conch at lightning speed. A normal person's eyelid wouldn't have even halfway blinked before he had the conch securely in his grasp.
"Why does this system always pause dramatically? It could've mentioned that earlier! Good thing it didn't break."
Han Yu carefully brushed the dust off the Magic Conch, checking to see if it had been damaged from the fall.
Knock, knock, knock.
A light tapping came from the door. Han Yu quickly stored the Magic Conch back in the system and called out,
"The door's open, come in!"
The door creaked open, revealing Wanda standing in the doorway.
She wore a white nightgown, her hair gently tousled by the breeze after a fresh wash, carrying a faint, soothing fragrance. The sheer fabric of the nightgown accentuated her stunning figure.
"What's the matter? Do you need something?"
Although Han Yu was momentarily stunned by Wanda's appearance, he quickly composed himself. Having faced far greater challenges in life, the initial flash of admiration in his eyes faded as he returned to his usual demeanor.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to thank you—for taking us in," Wanda said softly, her hands clasped behind her back as she stepped into the room. Her voice was gentle and melodic.
The faint scent of her presence wafted toward Han Yu, but his expression remained calm. He smiled and replied,
"Taking you in? That's not how I see it. You're working for me. I pay you, provide room and board—if anything, you should call me a responsible boss."
Wanda approached, looking closely at Han Yu's young and handsome face. Even with her attire tonight, his gaze remained as clear as it had been when they first met.
Wanda knew that the "working" arrangement was just a pretext. She didn't fully understand Han Yu's intentions yet, but so far, he hadn't shown any ill will.
He seemed to have genuinely helped them—something she had never encountered before.
As Wanda continued to observe him without speaking, Han Yu, feeling a bit awkward even with his usual composure, cleared his throat and shifted the topic abruptly.
"By the way, you're still not familiar with your abilities, right? I could help you develop them."
"Develop? How?"
Wanda noticed the abrupt shift in the conversation but didn't mind. She wasn't in a rush to delve deeper into Han Yu's motives, so she followed his lead.
"Heh, I just got my hands on something useful. Let's test it out!"
Han Yu retrieved the Magic Conch and, holding it in front of Wanda, asked,
"How can Wanda fully master her abilities?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Magic Conch began to glow brilliantly. The light gathered in mid-air, forming lines of text that floated before them.
"Regarding the question, 'How can Wanda fully master her abilities?': The most effective method at present is to create a Green Lantern Ring, link it to Wanda's Chaos Magic, and use the ring's willpower to stabilize the inherent instability of Chaos Magic."
"Usage Notes: The instability of Chaos Magic will first affect the bearer of the primary Green Lantern Ring. If the bearer cannot withstand the backlash, the resulting effects will transfer equally to the wearer of the secondary ring."
Wanda stepped closer to Han Yu, reading the glowing text with him. She sighed and asked,
"What is a Green Lantern Ring? I don't have anything like that. Also, what's Chaos Magic? Isn't this just a superpower?"
Han Yu waved his hand, dismissing the floating text, and stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Your 'superpower' is called Chaos Magic. It's not just an ordinary ability—it's an immensely powerful magic capable of affecting the entire universe and even the multiverse."
"My magic... is that powerful?"
Wanda was incredulous. She had heard of the multiverse before—the idea that there were alternate universes identical to their own.
But given that all she could currently do was levitate objects and unleash energy blasts, she found it hard to believe she had the potential to influence entire universes, let alone the multiverse.
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