Chapter 316: Chapter 316 Being Followed_1
Aiden turned his head to glance, and the person entering was an ordinary-looking female customer.
Their gazes met, and just like the fleeting awkwardness of strangers accidentally making eye contact, the person quickly looked away.
"Welcome to ’Phantom Moon’, is there any jewelry you wish to purchase?" Melissa greeted the incoming guest with an indifferent, barely enthusiastic tone.
As Aiden’s gaze returned, he noticed that in the brief moment he had made eye contact with the customer, Melissa had already put away the wine bottle and glasses.
"I’ll just have a look on my own," the client responded.
"Alright." Melissa immediately shifted her attention away from the customer, leaving her to browse the jewelry in front of the counter by herself.
Aiden looked at Melissa and communicated via the Heart-communication Technique, "Aren’t you going to play the part of a salesperson?"
He had become used to speaking with Melissa using the Heart-communication Technique — it was very convenient not having to open one’s mouth to talk, and there was no worry of being overheard.
"She’s not here to buy jewelry," Melissa replied lightly.
At that moment, Aiden did not think much of it; since Melissa could read peoples’ intentions, she could naturally determine whether someone had the desire to make a purchase. For those customers who were just browsing and not planning to buy, there was no need for her to approach and recommend products, saving the sales staff time and sparing customers the pressure of being solicited.
"Come to think of it, why did you decide to open a jewelry store?" Aiden asked.
Even though they were conversing, neither of them made a sound. To appear natural, he began browsing the jewelry in the display case like the customer.
"Just a whim to pass the time," Melissa replied, "Boredom is the most dreadful thing for a sovereign."
"Okay... but can you answer the question I asked earlier?" Aiden steered the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"I can’t. If I reveal everything, the game loses its fun," Melissa gave the same response that Melifilia had almost said exactly, "Just as I set a test for that man, I must also set some ’tests’ for you. Even if ’we’ are somewhat biased towards you, there must be some limits."
Indeed, it was the same line of thinking—Aiden found it troublesome.
"If I have completed the tasks you set, shouldn’t I receive some kind of reward?" he tried to bargain with her.
"Part of the reward is in your stomach, and part is in mine, and the majority of it you can take home."
"Just that bottle of wine!?" Aidan was taken aback.
"Don’t be so surprised. How much do you think that wine costs?" Melissa replied indifferently, "Besides, you’ve gained the sole authority and also a reputation; the profit should be quite sufficient. Look, now girls come here admiringly, just to catch a glimpse of you."
Aiden was momentarily taken aback by her words, then quickly understood.
His attention had been fully on Melissa earlier, and he hadn’t really noticed anything else. As soon as he refocused, his peripheral vision clearly caught the glances being cast from his side—the female customer who had just come in, while appearing to browse the jewelry in the display casually, was occasionally peeking this way.
Aiden was certain it wasn’t some kind of narcissistic illusion; after all, the former Aiden had been the ace of the Heretical Judgment Bureau, so this level of judgment had been left to him.
Moreover, since Melissa said so, it could pretty much be confirmed.
Without hesitation, Aiden directed his gaze towards the female customer, staring intently at her.
She seemed somewhat caught off guard by this but managed to maintain her composure outwardly, though her facial features tightened slightly.
This was enough for Aiden; his experience told him that the woman’s reaction was similar to that of criminals who had either been up to something sneaky or were caught with contraband during a surprise inspection.
"Miss," he tried to strike up a conversation with her while mentally planning the interrogation process.
However, in the very next moment, to even his own surprise, the woman twisted her head and dashed towards the door—with a speed that suggested she had just stolen jewelry from the store and was preparing to flee.
Aiden hadn’t really expected her to forgo even the slightest attempt at disguise, and he found himself unable to use his cane to stop her in time.
The female customer was quite agile; in the blink of an eye, she had rushed outside, heading in the direction of the main road, it seemed.
Aiden immediately gave chase, but as soon as he burst through the door, he ran smack into someone.
"Ah!!" The elderly man he bumped into cried out in surprise, but fortunately, Aiden was able to steady him in time.
"I am very sorry, sir!" Aiden said, and was just about to continue the pursuit when he realized that the female customer had already vanished.
Aiden ran to the end of the alley and looked left and right, but the target was nowhere to be found.
"Young man, watch where you’re going!" a reproachful scolding, laced with a lecturing tone, followed from behind.
Turning around, Aiden saw the elderly man he had just bumped into, pointing and gesturing at him with a dissatisfied expression. Aiden could only take off his hat and smile apologetically at the man.
Even with physical enhancements, one couldn’t change their appearance in such a short time, and the old man’s attire was completely different from the woman’s.
The old man walked off grumpily into the depths of the alley, leaving Aiden to return to the "Phantom Moon" jewelry store empty-handed.
"Lost her, huh?" Melissa smiled at Aiden. "Looks like you’re still green."
"Who exactly was that person?" Aiden immediately asked.
"Who knows? Thanks to you, all I could read was their ’intent’ to observe you, not all their thoughts," Melissa said with a shrug of regret. "Otherwise, we might have known right away which power they belonged to."
"Her intent was just to observe?" Aiden asked.
"At least I didn’t sense any particular hostility," Melissa replied.
Aiden realized that he had been followed, perhaps from the moment he left the prison; the carriage that had hastily pulled over that morning might have belonged to his pursuer.
No hostility meant that they weren’t there to harm him—at least not today.
"Is your store compromised with all this?" Aiden asked.
"Apart from your visit early in the day, there isn’t anything else suspicious, and anyway, it’s not your concern even if it had been exposed," she answered.
"That’s true," Aiden nodded, after all, the store owner was a formidable ruler.
"I think with your current level, you should be able to handle ordinary forces on your own. Take your reward and head back today," Melissa said, seemingly unconcerned about the recent female customer, as she brought out the bottle of wine again.
"Had I known this was my reward, I wouldn’t have opened it," Aiden suddenly felt a tinge of regret. "At least I could’ve sold it."
"Now that would not do, I want to taste it as well," Melissa smiled, grinning broadly.
