Chapter 172: Bella's Recollection

172: Bella’s Recollection

Cherry was still in a bit of a daze after walking out of the bookstore with Bella.

Their first meeting after three years had ended just like that.

Although a bit brief and rushed, she was still very satisfied. This incident had allowed her to get back in touch with Boss Lin, and if things continued to worsen, she would be able to work more closely with the bookstore.

It wasn’t just about working with Lin Jie or the usual giving of a gift, but rather about forming relations with those other extraordinary people who had connections with the bookstore.

Only this way would she be able to maintain her relationship with Boss Lin, because the shared interest amongst them would hold them together.

There were no friends nor enemies that last forever, only eternal interests.

That’s what these three years had taught her.

Although Cherry had still had her feelings towards Lin Jie, she also believed that Boss Lin was not the type of person to casually cast his customers aside. However, she was well aware that she was merely a customer in the eyes of Lin Jie.

A replaceable customer.

If she was just a customer, she could also gain more than enough benefits from Boss Lin. However, Cherry was ambitious. She wanted even more, at least to the extent that Boss Lin would one day remember that he once had a customer named Cherry.

Bella couldn’t help but lower her head and whisper, “Mistress, Mr. Lin could very possibly be…”

Cherry returned to her senses and replied dejectedly, “I know, you wish to say that he could possibly be a long-lived being, and of a different world from me, and that my delusion can never become reality.”

Bella didn’t expect for her seemingly besotted mistress to actually be really sensible at this time, and she suddenly felt bad. “Mistress…”

Cherry did not seem to mind at all as she looked up and flashed a bright smile at Bella. “Mr. Lin is a lot gentler now than he was before.”

Bella nodded in agreement at that point, but shook her head afterwards.

“Mr. Lin indeed looks like he’s more easygoing and sincere than he was three years ago. He doesn’t have that suffocatingly oppressive and detached vibe he had back then, but he seems to have gotten even scarier than before.”

Till this day, Bella still remembered her first time meeting Mr. Lin. It was also at this rundown and dimly lit bookstore back then. At that time, her youthful mistress was engrossed in a book, while the bookstore owner slowly talked about how words could be properly used to achieve goals without bloodshed.

Even after all these years, she could not forget the young man's curious gaze that seemed to isolate entire worlds with indifference.

As well as the shadow behind him that cracked a smile…

Cherry tilted her head. “Scarier?”

Her lips quirked into a smile. “No way, he’s always been a very gentle and good person.”

Mistress' affection was clearly clouding her judgment.

“Mr. Lin got angry just now…”

Bella could only talk about what she had sensed in the bookstore just now and said frankly, “I hope that no one incurs Mr. Lin’s wrath at this point of time.”

Cherry put her hands behind her back and replied nonchalantly, “Under current circumstances, those who would incur Mr. Lin’s wrath can only be scheming fools who aren't up to any good.

“Congreve especially, he's simply trying to ruin the entire Ash Chamber of Commerce. Besides covertly intercepting goods, he also leads clients to make illegal exchanges. I really don’t know how many foolish things he has done.”

Bella whispered, “I’ll immediately send someone to the meeting point to investigate. And since we have someone from the Secret Rite Tower cooperating with us, as long as we can find witnesses and evidence, we can make Congreve suffer for his actions."

Right that moment, the two suddenly stopped in their tracks and gazed into the distance.

At the end of that street, came a young blond, blue-eyed young man. He was handsome with flawless features and had an infectious smile that would disarm most.

However, this smile was far too perfect. Each bit was too measured, and that expression seemed perfectly maintained all the time. Like a perfect statue, strangely out of place.

Despite this, the two ladies couldn't feel any hostility from the young man. On the contrary, he did not look away, only glancing at them slightly before continuing to walk forward.

Cherry and Bella remained alert as the young man passed by them.

He headed towards the bookstore, could he be a customer?

This was the first thought that came to Cherry.

Afterwards, as she glanced back, she noticed a red slender cross on his back that was as red as the color of fresh blood.

——

Lin Jie’s gaze fell on that pale stone heart.

He stood up and pulled the suitcase over. He suddenly felt troubled observing the white fossil that took up the entire suitcase.

Where was he going to keep such a large thing?

The counter could fit smaller objects like the stone gargoyle and rose, but a stone at least half a meter wide would severely block his line of sight.

How would he operate his shop properly then?

Furthermore, the overall furnishings of his bookstore was also discordant. If his store was slightly bigger, he could change the layout again, making a whole display wall just like those antique shops and place the fossil in a glass case there.

The only problem was that this rundown bookstore was lacking in anti-theft measures if such an eye-catching object were coveted.

Previously, Hood and his bunch had broken in, so an incident with a fossil thief didn't seem too far-fetched.

Thinking about it, he could only keep it as a private collection, and showing it off to a few regular customers also seemed a bit foolish…

A private collection it is. In any case, now that I own a fossil, it can be considered quite an achievement. I hope Norzin doesn't have a rule for me to hand it over to the Central District.

Lin Jie then tried to take that fossil out of the suitcase, but when his hands touched the fossilized heart, an accident happened.

The white heart cracked!

Wait! 

What? 

I just barely touched it! 

However, the piece of stone clearly couldn't hear Lin Jie's inner shouts of flabbergast.

With the sound of a crack, the outer shell of the stone split open, revealing a faint white glow from its center that contracted and expanded continuously with what sounded like a faint heartbeat.

Badump!

Badump! 

The outer layers on the surface of the pale stone’s shell peeled off one after the other, revealing a beating heart that was as transparent as glass.

???

Wait a moment. This... it revived?! 

Lin Jie blinked several times as a sense of great intrigue overcame him.

All that he had seen in Candela's memories were from the Second Era. Although he knew otherworldly beings such as elves had existed before, he didn't know there were still others.

Since this Ancient Dragon Heart came from a complete dragon skeleton, it meant that there was something wrong with the skeleton.

Could it be that the dinosaurs of this world are really dragons?