Han Li cautiously pushed open the glass door and walked in, trembling.
Meow!
As soon as she'd entered, a black kitten stuck its head out from a corner near the counter.
Its amber-colored eyes looked at her maliciously.
Han Li could feel all her hair starting to stand straight up.
"Bastet," the weirdo called out gently to the kitten.
And the kitten obediently hopped up onto the weirdo's shoulders.
In the mist that was everywhere, the streams of fire coming out of his eye sockets seemed to gradually brighten.
Han Li raised her head slowly and confronted the kitten head-on.
Feeling as if she was in a trance, Han Li thought she saw a reflection of a pyramid behind the kitten.
Flecks of starlight hovered around the pyramid. Amid the starlight, there seemed to be many mortals praying, beseeching, and pleading. Their various invocations intertwined around the pyramid, weaving themselves into a sacred epic.
It was an extremely ancient hymn.
That seemed to have been gathered over countless years.
Han Li lowered her head quickly. She didn't dare to look again.
...
Ling PingAn looked at the young girl who was standing before him.
She seemed a little bashful.
The moment that she'd entered the door, she'd become demure. Her eyes seemed to be exuding timidity, or maybe it was fear.
"Is this because of the book she bought the last time?" Ling PingAn was thinking to himself.
He was thinking that during these last few days when he hadn't seen her, this young girl must've been trying her best to digest the knowledge from that book and earnestly trying to learn the techniques within it.
He could tell that from this young girl's attire.
She was still wearing those strange black tights and a thin black veil.
But her temperament and image were very different than last time.
Not only was she less scattered, but she'd also gained some maturity. She was even wearing a charming scent.
This indicated to him that she had read the book.
And had acquired the essence of cosplay.
This made Ling PingAn feel somewhat relieved.
However, perhaps it was precisely because of this that the young girl had gotten into some kind of conflict with her family and thus she was compelled to visit the store again this late at night.
Ling PingAn could imagine that her family might have brought up someone like her in a typical Old Empire style.
The Old Empire people were the most conservative group in the Federal Empire.
They still followed the ancient morals and values. If they could have, they would have written loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, justice, politeness, honesty, and shame into the Federal Magna Carta.
They never would have allowed their children to engage in cosplay.
They would give their children a hard time if the children were ever bold enough to not follow the exact path they had prepared for them.
Didn't this kind of parent often appear on television?
Domineering, arrogant, conservative, and unreasonable.
Fortunately, the emperor who had founded this empire had fought against this kind of conservatism for decades.
He had continued the traditions of Taizong and Gojong.
And, finally, after incessant attempts at education, people had been convinced and had accepted the ethical values of the modern industrial society.
They had been compelled to recognize and obey the Federal Magna Carta and the liberation of women.
Otherwise, these conservative people would still not regard women as human beings just as they hadn't hundreds of years ago and would perhaps still see their sons as mere tools for them to use.
Of course, the Old Empire wasn't entirely useless.
They believed in collective power and were the staunchest supporters of the unified system of the Federal Empire.
They were also the group of people who had sacrificed themselves and shed the most blood in the Federal Empire's wars, domestic development, and infrastructure construction.
Moreover, due to their exceptional unity and power of action that was off the charts, both the Datong Party and the Republicans had to cater to the preferences of these people, lest they vote for the opposite party.
Thinking of this, Ling PingAn felt a little sympathetic.
He was aware of how painful it was to be a child of people of the Old Empire.
When he was in school, several of his classmates came from Old Empire families.
Ling PingAn's impressions of almost all of them were that they were maniacal fully automated humanoid learning machines, terrible bookworms, and workaholics.
Their lives were so boring and dry that they could literally have been burned as firewood.
Almost all their lives were spent in studying, studying, studying, and studying.
The most terrifying thing about them was that after these people grew up, they would impose the lifestyle that they had gone through on their children and start the cycle all over again.
Frightening indeed!
Anyhow, Ling PingAn had always felt that if he had been living in that kind of family, he would have suffocated in a second.
What was the point of living a life in which he couldn't slack off, play games, and write novels?
Therefore, Ling PingAn thought highly of this young girl's rebellious spirit.
Certainly, he understood that even an official would find it hard to settle a family quarrel.
What's more, he wasn't even an official.
After weighing and considering his use of words, Ling PingAn said, "Did the book you took last time help you at all?"
...
As she stood there shaking, Han Li heard the weirdo's question.
"Did the book you took last time help you at all?"
The Lower Abyss Research Report that she was holding had been quiet since she'd entered the fog. But now it became agitated after hearing his question.
Han Li could feel the pages of the book moving as worm-like objects squirmed wildly.
And now she knew how she should answer.
She made a deep bow and thanked him. "Thank you for your generosity. I am fortunate to have been able to read such a profound and mysterious scripture."
The book she was holding seemed very satisfied with her answer.
It immediately quietened.
Even its temperature cooled down.
Han Li breathed a sigh of relief, and she became a little less restless.
She raised her head cautiously and said, "I took the liberty to come again because I wish to buy another book from you...
"I hope you can grant my wish."
As Ling PingAn listened to her speak, he frowned a bit. He really felt that this young lady's childishness was going a little too far. It was just a book. What had she called it? A scripture!
However, he could understand what she was doing.
On the forums, there were always a bunch of grown men addressing 2D characters as their waifus all day every day!
It was just that…cosplaying was something new.
In all honesty, there weren't many books about it in his bookstore.
Aside from the introductory book, Secrets of Cosplay, the only other references were in a few relatively serious multi-volume works.
These multi-volume books not only cost a lot more, but, for amateurs, he was afraid that they might not be what she wanted.
After some thought, he reminded her, with all good intentions, "Miss, in my opinion, I don't think that you will need to go into those books with more advanced content for the time being...
He cautiously reminded her, "For some things, it would be unbeneficial if you came into contact with them too early…
"What do you think?"
...
"Miss, in my opinion, I don't think that you will need to go into those books with more advanced content for the time being...
"For some things, it would be unbeneficial if you came into contact with them too early…
"What do you think?"
The weirdo's voice was gentle and soft.
But to Han Li, it seemed as if he had seen through her with a single glance.
Han Li does know that she can't even control the book in her arms.
If she were to acquire those more advanced books...
For instance…
The Upper Abyss Research Report...
The moment she acquired it, she would probably be instantly driven into insanity by its wild knowledge and taboo contents.
After all, even listening to the Elixir of Ascension had brought her to the brink of collapse.
So she immediately bowed and conceded, "You are right.
"This knowledge is truly too profound for me…
"Coming into contact with it rashly would have too great of an impact on me…"
Ling PingAn listened to the girl's words and looked at her sincere expression.
Once again, he thought to himself, "Perhaps the only thing I can say about her is that she is truly a child who was educated by the Old Empire.
"She's so obedient and polite, even when she's rebellious…"
After thinking for a little while longer, he asked her, "Then why are you here this time?"