This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 401: The Antique Store

Chapter 401: Chapter 401: The Antique Store

"What are you spacing out for? Get inside," Xu Jing said to Chen Ke, who was standing beside the display window.

Chen Ke gently pushed the door open, and the wind chimes on the corridor tinkled melodically, immediately disrupting the tranquil atmosphere of the antique shop.

The room was somewhat dim, lights were off, and due to the excessive clutter inside, the sunlight from the display windows was obstructed.

He saw a human-sized ceramic piece placed in the corner of the wall, and cabinets were piled high with various unnamed trinkets. Surprisingly, there was even a jade inkstone on a nearby table.

Chen Ke was astonished to find that the emerald-green inkstone constantly changed shape. Whenever his gaze shifted away from it, its color and outline would subtly transform.

The dozing elder, also of Asian heritage, was disturbed by the sound of the chimes and looked up at Chen Ke with a gaze that seemed to rush him out.

"We’re closed for today, please leave," he said in a thick northern accent.

"We’re not here to buy anything, Mr. Pu. Have you finished the clothes I ordered?" Xu Jing walked past Chen Ke and approached the counter.

"Ah, Miss Xu!" Mr. Pu hurriedly stood up and gave a slight bow to Xu Jing.

Chen Ke watched them curiously, unsure of what their prior conversation had been about.

"This person is...?" Mr. Pu looked at Chen Ke.

"Right, I hope the measurements are correct," Xu Jing said.

Chen Ke said nothing, leaning on the counter, while the elder pulled out a large paper bag from underneath.

Without a glance, Xu Jing pushed the paper bag in front of Chen Ke and said, "Put it on."

"What kind of clothes are these?" Chen Ke wondered, peering into the paper bag. Inside, he found a set of deep blue vintage overcoat.

Not only was there an overcoat, but there were also black suit pants, a white shirt, a maroon waistcoat, and dark brown leather shoes, all of an old-fashioned style.

He suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, recalling a Holy Relic he had used before that looked very similar to the clothing in this paper bag...

Chen Ke remembered, it was that old coat of a doctor’s with a Victorian-style cut.

Chen Ke now knew where Xu Jing was taking him.

"By the way, Chen Ke, give me everything you’re carrying," Xu Jing said.

Chen Ke was taken aback. How could this be?

He didn’t have many personal belongings: a custom 67-style handgun, an iPhone 3G, and a small leather wallet filled with cash and a Holy Diamond. He couldn’t just casually hand any of them over to someone else.

"I’m afraid I can’t agree to that," Chen Ke shook his head.

"I hope you understand that I have no interest in your belongings. I just want to ensure that when we go there, you won’t carry anything that shouldn’t exist on that side," Xu Jing said.

"They are very important to me. If you don’t let me take them, then I won’t go," Chen Ke said.

Xu Jing looked at Chen Ke, furrowed her brows, and ultimately had to compromise, saying, "Alright, Chen Ke... but you must not casually take out your phone or gun over there."

"What will happen if I do?" Chen Ke asked.

"The course of an era has its own trajectory. I don’t want you to reveal the creations of the future to them prematurely, bringing unnecessary enlightenment," Xu Jing explained.

"I’ll do my best," Chen Ke said, then glanced at the elder next to him and added, "It looks like he’s with the foundation too?"

"Yes. Did you think I’d talk about this kind of thing in front of just anyone? Now hurry up and change your clothes!" Xu Jing ordered.

Led by the elder, Chen Ke came to an empty room and changed into a full set of clothes. Although he had no idea how they knew his measurements, he had to admit the clothes fit mysteriously well.

As he emerged from the room, Xu Jing was talking to a black cat.

"...Yes, they’ve all gone already? I’ll go find them right away," she told the cat.

"Be careful, Miss Xu. We still don’t know what Chen Ke’s purpose is," the black cat said. Having finished speaking, it looked over at Chen Ke just coming out and meowed, then jumped into the gap between piles of antique jars.

Xu Jing turned around and sized up Chen Ke, "It looks quite good on you, but it feels like something’s still missing."

Mr. Pu, standing nearby, produced a black gentleman’s hat seemingly out of nowhere and handed it to Chen Ke.

Chen Ke took the hat, hesitated for a moment, but then placed it on his head.

"Now it’s complete," Xu Jing said with a smile.

"It’s raining over there. You’ll need to take umbrellas," Mr. Pu reminded them, walking behind the counter and taking out two umbrellas.

Chen Ke accepted the umbrella and noticed the handle was exquisitely made. He instantly discerned the hidden feature, twisted it, and with a pull, extracted a sharp dagger.

"Is this necessary?" Chen Ke asked. He knew Xu Jing was definitely carrying Holy Relics with her, and summoning Holy Relics directly with bare hands was much faster than drawing a hidden weapon from an umbrella handle.

"Chen Ke, the place we’re going to is Langdon City in the year 1859. Before 1910, humans had not discovered the existence of Spiritual Energy or touched upon the Transcendent. Please refrain from using Transcendent powers unnecessarily, okay?" Xu Jing instructed.

"You call it; I hope not to need this thing at all," Chen Ke said, inserting the dagger back into the umbrella.

Langdon City, that’s London, right... The names of the cities in this world are all mixed up like a jumbled puzzle...

1859, the peak of the First Industrial Revolution, the dawn of the Steam Age for humanity, and an important historical stage in the development of capitalism.

Machinery replaced manual labor, and assembly lines in factories created immense productivity while also causing a drastic shift in social relations. From that point, the industrial bourgeoisie and industrial proletariat were born.

The whole world entered an era of urbanization and industrialization, which also brought along severe pollution, extreme exploitation and oppression, and all sorts of absurd cannibalistic tales.

And Langdon City was the center of all these changes.

"Wait a minute... are we... about to travel through time...?" Chen Ke suddenly asked.

"It’s an inter-bead jump... Chen Ke, time doesn’t exist. Are you very nervous? I thought you were used to this by now," Xu Jing remarked.

Chen Ke wasn’t nervous about time traveling itself. Based on his previous experiences jumping from the Great Void with Fan Hede and his travels in the dead world of 2006, he knew that each time he returned to Opportunity City, a lot of time had already passed here...

That used to not bother him, but Diana and Wang Ailin were still on Lin Yaying’s list, and he didn’t want to return only to find he had missed the seventh day memorial for the two ladies...

Moreover, he was weighed down by a multitude of contracts; he had to get his hands on the Symbiotic Stone.

"What’s holding you back, Chen Ke?" Xu Jing noticed Chen Ke’s reluctance.

"When we come back, I hope not much time has passed here..." Chen Ke said, pinching the brim of his hat and looking at Xu Jing.

"Ah... I thought you were afraid to face that Chen Ke," Xu Jing said with a smile.

"I’m not afraid," Chen Ke snorted.

"The date is now June 19th, 2009, 14:22," Xu Jing said, pulling out a silver pocket watch from her pocket.

She showed the face of the watch to Chen Ke, who saw that the second hand on the watch wasn’t moving.