"The taste really is good," Lin Yi commented as he stepped out of the shop.
But before he even finished speaking, he saw an entire street full of food stalls in the distance.
Rational thought immediately lost.
Instinct won.
"Hey, what's this? One cup please."
He took a sip.
"Ugh—too sweet. Way too sweet."
He casually tossed the cup behind him.
The hot floating goat milk made a sharp turn midair and flew directly into a trash can hidden somewhere nearby.
The trash cans on the Xianzhou were unusual.
They actively pulled in objects identified as garbage.
They were also well hidden.
No wonder the Stellaron gremlin couldn't find a trash can on the Luofu.
Wait…
Lin Yi suddenly wondered.
The Stellaron hadn't even been born yet at this point.
Would it be Stelle or Caelus?
Maybe the reason you could only choose one was because there was only one Stellaron.
His thoughts were cut off when another smell grabbed his attention.
"Ten skewers of that!"
"Looks delicious!"
"I want this, this, this, and that one too."
"Oh this one looks ugly but tastes great."
Then—
"Bleh."
"Looks good but tastes terrible."
He tossed it aside again.
It flew neatly into another hidden trash can.
"What's this? Give me one portion. Extra toppings."
What started as breakfast quickly turned into a half-day eating marathon.
The endless food stalls of Goldsand Alley had completely captured him.
Of course—
Tingyun paid for everything.
Since arriving in this universe, Lin Yi had almost never touched money.
Whatever he needed—
Someone else paid.
Usually the Interastral Peace Corporation.
After eating without restraint for hours, the brilliance of genius seemed to fade from his eyes.
Instead, they looked suspiciously like the pure, innocent gaze of a college student.
He simply couldn't resist good food.
"Alright, I'm full for now."
"No lunch needed."
"Let's find somewhere to walk it off."
He turned around.
"Finally…"
Tingyun sighed internally.
"Are the delicacies of the Luofu to your satisfaction, young master?"
"Though carrying all these items is somewhat inconvenient…"
Tingyun glanced at the three Cloud Knights behind her.
All of them were loaded down with bags of food.
Even though their faces were hidden behind helmets—
Lin Yi somehow sensed their silent suffering.
And on Tingyun's face…
There seemed to be the faintest trace of resentment.
Lin Yi scratched his head awkwardly.
He hadn't been thinking about that earlier.
Whenever he got excited, he just bought everything.
If it tasted bad, he took one bite and threw it away.
If it tasted good, he kept it.
Everything else got handed to the people next to him to carry.
Without realizing it—
They had accumulated a ridiculous amount of food.
Lin Yi flipped his right hand.
A cane appeared instantly.
He tapped it lightly on the ground.
Strange flames spread outward, covering everything nearby—
Including Tingyun and the Cloud Knights.
The next moment—
All the food vanished together with the flames.
"Phase Walker"
One of Lin Yi's creations.
It was built using the Phase Spirit Flame, a rare curio collected by Herta and originally created by Genius Society member #29, Siskar.
The materials and craftsmanship required were extremely expensive.
Even now—
It was still only a half-finished product.
And to obtain the Phase Spirit Flame from Herta—
Lin Yi had owed her a favor.
Ignoring Tingyun's surprised expression—
And the Cloud Knights who nearly drew their weapons, thinking they were under attack—
Lin Yi quickly changed the subject.
"Let's go to Sleepless Marquis Teahouse."
"I want to finish listening to the story we missed last time."
"'The Great Compassionate Glass Vow; Moonlight Illuminates All Beings.'"
"Actually, ask Mr. Xiyan to tell something different today."
He said this very naturally.
Without considering the opinions of the other listeners.
Or the storyteller himself.
Lin Yi had always been like this.
He didn't need to consider other people's opinions.
And nobody complained—
Because generous compensation would always follow.
Of course, Lin Yi didn't personally arrange that compensation either.
Someone else would handle it.
For those whose daily routines were disrupted by his whims—
It was basically like winning the cosmic lottery.
Actually, better.
Lotteries rarely paid out huge prizes.
But opportunities like this?
They were very real.
There was no need to call a taxi skiff.
One was already waiting nearby.
Soon they arrived at Xuanye Avenue in Changletian.
But once they arrived—
Lin Yi slowed down again.
He dragged Tingyun around to browse and shop.
Of course—
Tingyun still paid.
Anything that caught Lin Yi's interest—
He bought.
Useful or not.
Fortunately, the spending wasn't excessive.
Only 4 million Patrol Credits.
Converted to roughly 900 million Credits.
Since he was already here—
Leaving without souvenirs would be a waste.
Worst case, he could distribute everything to his research staff later.
"Hey, what's this shop?"
"Why is it so tightly covered?"
Lin Yi leaned forward curiously.
For the first time in her life—
Tingyun hated shopping.
When she shopped herself, she never got tired.
But accompanying someone else?
Exhausting.
Still, her expression remained calm.
"That shop is a divination shop."
"The owner used to work for the Divination Commission."
"Her readings are quite accurate."
"Business is always good."
"Would you like to try, young master?"
Perhaps sensing that Lin Yi's group wasn't ordinary—
The shop owner didn't use random fortune sticks this time.
Instead, she carefully performed a full I Ching divination using the Six Lines method.
After a long moment, she announced the result.
"The hexagram is Xiao Guo — Minor Excess."
"Prosperity. Beneficial to remain upright."
"Suitable for small matters, but not great undertakings."
"The cry of a flying bird."
"Better to descend than ascend."
"A greatly auspicious hexagram."
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.
"What does that mean exactly?"
"It doesn't sound very auspicious."
The fortune teller smiled.
"You misunderstand."
"This is indeed a very fortunate hexagram."
"The upper and lower trigrams both contain two yin lines, while the center holds two strong yang lines."
"This suggests a person who appears gentle on the outside but possesses great inner strength."
"Someone humble outwardly, yet firm in purpose."
"Such people often receive support from others and encounter few obstacles."
"As long as they maintain integrity, their fortunes continue to grow."
Lin Yi nodded happily.
Yes, yes. Please continue praising me.
Fortune telling and feng shui—
Basically the Xianzhou version of therapy.
If something goes wrong?
It's the table's fault.
The chair's fault.
Someone else's fault.
Never yours.
And the compliments?
Very convincing.
The fortune teller continued.
"The upper trigram Zhen represents movement."
"The lower trigram Gen represents stillness."
"If the hexagram is viewed as a person, the upper body moves easily while the lower body remains still."
"This suggests someone capable of handling small matters nearby, but not easily expanding into greater undertakings."
"Hence the phrase: small matters are favorable, great matters are not."
Lin Yi frowned slightly.
Something felt… off.
Then he suddenly remembered something important.
On the Xianzhou—
Divination wasn't superstition.
It actually worked.
Oops.
Bad habit of thinking it was fake.
The fortune teller continued her explanation.
"The hexagram resembles a bird spreading its wings."
"The two yin lines above and below form the wings."
"The two yang lines in the center form the body."
"When a bird flies downward, it can glide easily using rising air currents."
"But flying upward requires constant effort."
"Thus the phrase:"
'Better to descend than ascend.'
"If you understand your own limits and maintain humility outwardly while remaining firm inside…"
"You will accumulate success step by step."
"Small achievements will grow into great accomplishments."
"And ultimately you will obtain great fortune."
"This hexagram also resembles a great moon, symbolizing light and beauty."
"Thus the final phrase—"
"Great auspiciousness."
For some reason—
Lin Yi felt the hexagram might be hinting at something deeper.
But no sudden inspiration appeared this time.
So he simply set the thought aside for now.