Chapter Twenty-Two: The Most Thorough After-Sales Service

"I have a rough understanding of the situation now," Chen Xuan said, dropping the curtain. "The last question is: what price are you willing to pay to save the Holy Maiden?"

"Everything I have, of course!" Gilles de Rais replied without a moment's hesitation.

"Words are cheap. Let me see your resolve." He raised his barcode scanner and pulled the trigger at the man.

The latter wore a look of firm determination, as if undergoing a sacred test.

Upon seeing the other party's abilities, Chen Xuan felt a tinge of disappointment. Gilles de Rais hadn't held back—there were three abilities to choose from, but their rarity was two Whites and one Gray, with lackluster traits. Abilities like "Horsemanship" and "Classical Logistics" were clearly too narrow in scope, and in terms of convenience, they were not even as good as "Deep Sleeper." The last one, called "Dark Magic," had a unique name, but it was of the lowest rarity tier.

"No wonder you're only a three-star card."

Gilles de Rais looked bewildered. "Three-star... what is that?"

"It's nothing. I have felt your resolve to save your savior; it is commendable."

Since a transaction meant performance points, stocking up on inventory wasn't a bad thing. He wasn't in a position to be picky yet. Moreover, his performance score was currently stuck at 9, just one point away from applying for the next level, so this guy had arrived at the perfect moment.

Gilles de Rais was overjoyed. "You agree to help?"

"Not exactly." Chen Xuan’s single sentence turned his smile back into a look of worry. "Give me a few minutes to think it over... wait outside the shop for now. I’ll let you know once I've decided."

He hadn't forgotten the moment Joan of Arc raised her sword and the light pierced the sky, nor had he forgotten that cannons were already in use in this era. Combined with the dark magic on Gilles de Rais, Chen Xuan became increasingly convinced that this world was unusual. Even with a few cultivation abilities he had obtained from Liu Shuyue, it would be too risky to break into a prison alone and take the Holy Maiden away from a group of battle-hardened soldiers.

Even if a customer was a shop's valuable asset, it wasn't worth risking his life to save them.

After all, the manual clearly stated that being a shopkeeper was a high-risk profession.

Unless he could ensure there was no room for error, he didn't want to go claiming disability benefits.

After ushering a hesitant Gilles de Rais out of the shop, Chen Xuan went to the second floor and knocked on the door of Room 201.

He wondered if she was even there.

Unexpectedly, the door opened quickly.

Liu Shuyue stood behind the door in loose, casual attire and asked, "Is something the matter?"

"I want to rescue a customer," Chen Xuan said, cutting straight to the chase. "She has been thrown into prison and will be executed tomorrow. But I’m a businessman, after all, and I'm not really cut out for fighting and killing, so I wanted to ask for your help."

She paused slightly. "A customer? Like me?"

"You could say that."

"Is your service that comprehensive? Not only do you offer returns, but you also cover jailbreaks?" Liu Shuyue found it incredible. If all the merchants in the world ran their shops like him, they wouldn't have such a low reputation.

"I hope every customer who has patronized this shop can live a safe and happy life," Chen Xuan said solemnly.

"That doesn't seem quite right... If this person has committed heinous crimes like murder or arson, then being executed is just retribution."

"You can rest assured on that point. If she were a villain, I wouldn't do business with her." He immediately summarized the legend of Joan of Arc in a few words. "Although it's unclear why she ended up in this situation, dying unjustly in a cage is clearly not the ending she deserves."

"I see. However, this matter is far removed from the purpose of my journey..."

"Of course, I won't ask you to help for free. If you are willing to step in, I can waive half a month of VIP room fees—"

"A full month of room fees!"

Liu Shuyue immediately changed her tune.

So, she wanted more money.

Who was it that said haggling was too mercenary?

"...Fine."

She nodded in satisfaction. "Although this person is not a citizen of the Great Qi, saving an innocent is ultimately not a bad thing. Besides, I happen to want to see what kind of people you have befriended."

"Then let's set off now."

"By the way..." As she walked past Chen Xuan, she suddenly asked, "If one day I find myself in a dungeon, would you come to save me like this?"

Chen Xuan seemed to catch a glimmer of mischief in her expression.

"Of course," he replied without hesitation. "Because you are a valued VIP, after all."

Walking out of the shop, Chen Xuan was finally able to observe his store from the perspective of an outsider. It blended almost perfectly into the street. The plastic curtain was largely hidden by brick walls, leaving only a hole of a standard size. This proved that the shop automatically adapted to its surroundings. If it appeared in the wilderness, it would likely be an independent building; if it appeared in a city, it would become an entrance attached to a house.

But there was something different about it.

It was the light emanating from within.

It was soft and even, forming a sharp contrast with the firelight and candlelight of this era. Especially in this quiet alley, the warm glow was like a lighthouse, noticeable from far away.

"This is not the Great Qi," Liu Shuyue said, glancing around without the surprise he had expected. "Is this a world beyond the Abyss Sea?"

"Yes, it's pretty far from where you are, in any case."

She nodded and asked no more.

Chen Xuan introduced her to the anxious Gilles de Rais. "This is the helper I've brought. You can just call her Ms. Liu."

He couldn't help but be skeptical. "Such a young girl? Envoy, is this really..."

"She is a witch."

Gilles de Rais was first shocked, then showed great respect. "A witch who has converted to the Lord... this is my first time seeing one!"

"What are you two saying?" Liu Shuyue clearly couldn't understand French.

"I'm introducing you to him, telling him you are the most outstanding immortal master from the Great Qi."

"What 'most outstanding'... there aren't even any competitors." Her face flushed slightly, but her tone did not suggest she was offended.

"Can you confirm the location where Joan of Arc is being held?" Chen Xuan looked at Gilles de Rais.

"Of course, I have already investigated it."

He took a scroll of parchment from his robe and unfolded it with both hands. A map was drawn upon it.

"This is the internal structure of the castle. It has three main zones and four levels. I have also roughly figured out the arrangement of the garrison..."

Within a few minutes, Gilles de Rais had laid out all the problems they would face.

Clearly, as anxious as he was, he had put a lot of effort into saving Joan of Arc.

"My men are ready and can act at any moment. As soon as you give the order, they will launch an attack on the Royal Fortress from the east and south of the river valley. Of course... our forces are thin, and we could never defeat the King's guards, but we can at least create enough chaos to cover you as you charge into the fortress—"

"Wait," Chen Xuan interrupted, surprised. "You brought subordinates?"

Gilles de Rais was even more surprised than him. "Yes... how else could we save Lady Joan without enough men?"

"How many did you bring?"

"A battalion, and two cannons. Everyone is willing to fight for Lady Joan!"

Leading troops to ambush the royal palace where the King was staying—this was no different from a coup d'état... Chen Xuan twitched his mouth; this guy had some serious guts!

In history, Gilles de Rais never openly rebelled—after Joan of Arc was killed, he lost all hope and left the army, eventually being arrested and executed for ritual sacrifice.

Well... committing ritual sacrifice and rebelling seemed to be equally outrageous.

Chen Xuan relayed the plan to Liu Shuyue, but she shook her head. "Too reckless, and not worth the cost. Even if we save that heroic commander, she would be disgraced by this act of treason. If the goal is just to save her, it is best not to cause unnecessary casualties."

Having said that, she opened her pouch and took out two talismans. "Wood and fire dissolve, vanish!"

As the words fell, the talismans instantly burst into a ball of flame!

When the smoke cleared, Liu Shuyue's figure had vanished without a trace.

No... not just Liu Shuyue. Chen Xuan looked down and found that he couldn't see his own body either... his perspective seemed to be floating in mid-air.

"There's no need to implicate others. The two of us will just go to the dungeon."

The voice came from in front of him; it was Liu Shuyue.

"Wait... where are you people?" Gilles de Rais asked anxiously. "Please, grant me the ability to turn invisible as well!"

"Can't do it. Only those with the talent can turn invisible, and you don't have it," Chen Xuan explained, trying to help.

"How can that be..." He seemed unable to accept it.

"Tell your troops not to act rashly, just give me the map," Chen Xuan said, patting him on the shoulder to reassure him. "Besides, someone has to look after the shop... you stay here and guard it; we will bring Joan back."