High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 824: Chapter 172: Pedestrian Street Number 97

Located at number ninety-seven on Beta Town Pedestrian Street, the ’D&K’ shop.

As the most bustling commercial street in Beta Town, or even on Buji Island, Pedestrian Street is home to hundreds of various and differently renowned shops.

The famous ones, such as the Martin Tuo Alchemy Company’s branch in Beta Town or Fitzer Magic Potion Company’s Subdivision at the First University, or even Green Grocery that focuses on wholesale general merchandise—these companies are not only renowned on Buji Island and in the Wizard World but are also well-known across the multiverse.

The less famous include the Meow Meow Dessert Shop located next to Double Tang Note and ’Ding Ding Finance and Pest Control Company’, which was having its grand opening ceremony—either these shops had not been established for long or had not officially opened yet. While they stand on the same street as those renowned shops, the gazes of passersby often slide over their signs and fall on the more famous shops.

It must be admitted that as a newly opened shop, ’Ding Ding Finance and Pest Control Company’ had a somewhat awkward name. Although the ’D&K’ on the sign had greatly simplified the complexity of the original name, it was hard to say that the students from the First University had any profound impression of this new company—if one had to say what kind of impression ’D&K’ could leave, perhaps that impression would mostly come from ’D&K’s neighbor, the Wandering Bar.

Yes, the location of D&K was situated diagonally across from the Wandering Bar.

While decorating the shop, Zheng Qing had tried this: if he stood behind the shop window, he could clearly see each wizard entering and exiting the Wandering Bar, discern the runes embroidered on their robes, and sometimes, he could even spot the pink tongue of the door-watching frog Leaping out of the Wandering Bar.

This was not a good thing.

Because, like other worlds in the multiverse, the more you know in the Wizard World, the more dangerous it becomes.

Originally, Zheng Qing did not want to rent this shop either.

But on the one hand, the hunting team had a very limited budget—after deducting the costs for stock and renovation, the remaining budget for rent was less than fifty jade coins. In the North or South District of Beta Town, fifty jade coins could buy a mansion with a private garden; even in West or East Beta Town, fifty jade coins could rent a spacious shopfront.

But this is Pedestrian Street.

This is the busiest commercial street of the First University.

In this district, tossing fifty jade coins in would barely make a sound.

It was only near the notoriously chaotic gray market of the Wandering Bar, where many unconventional wizards frequently passed by and ’magic runaway incidents’ often occurred, causing rents in a small area around the bar to collapse on this street, that provided the Absolution Hunting Team a not-so-much-a-bargain opportunity.

Another reason Zheng Qing ultimately decided to rent this shop was that it was only one shop away from shop number ninety-nine on Pedestrian Street.

The sign for that shop was San You Bookstore.

Yes, it was the same San You Bookstore where Zheng Qing had copied posts for over a decade, the one Mr. Wu opened in Yunhua Residential Complex. The name was exactly the same.

Because the facade of Ninety-Nine Shop was somewhat recessed and had long been closed, covered in dusty signs, the young sponsored student initially didn’t notice the name of Ninety-Nine Shop.

When the young wizards of the Absolution Hunting Team stood outside the shop discussing whether to rent it, their discussion startled Mu Mingzi—the owner of shop number ninety-eight, located between D&K and San You Bookstore—a store that primarily sold various bizarre amulets, bearing the same name ’Mu Mingzi’ as the shop owner, but it was unclear whether it was because the shop specialized in amber amulets or because the store owner’s Taoist name was Mu Mingzi.

Anyway, as the young wizards and the agent were having a tense and heated negotiation about rent outside shop number ninety-seven, store owner Mu Mingzi pushed open the window of his shop, stuck his head out, and shouted at the sharp-faced and monkey-cheeked agent:

”Crystal Granny has said it, these shops surrounding the Wandering Bar are not suitable for business... After all, you are an old-timer in town, why deceive these young kids?!”

Crystal Granny, known to Zheng Qing, was the shop owner’s nickname from shop ninety-six on Beta Town Pedestrian Street, which was the shop Zheng Qing intended to rent, located to the left of his.

Shop ninety-six was a divination shop, and it was said that the owner was a very skilled medium, excelling in crystal ball divination, attracting many girls who staunchly believed in the old divination practices to spend their weekends at the shop.

Startled by Mu Mingzi’s warning, the young wizards took a step back subconsciously, as if they had already decided to give up the lease.

The agent was instantly panicked.

”Crystal Granny curses enough guests to die every day... But the death rate in Beta Town has never really been that high, haha,” the slightly hunchbacked agent chuckled nervously, glancing at the young wizards and then loosened his tone, ”If you really want to rent, I can reduce the annual rent to sixty-five jade coins.”

Originally, he had planned to demand seventy jade coins for rent, but disrupted by Mu Mingzi, Mr. Agent decided to cut through the chaos and rent out the shop first. It was rare to come across such naive youngsters, and he definitely could not let them slip away.

”If you don’t believe me, take a look at the shop next to me, San You Bookstore.” Noticing the young wizards’ hesitation, Mu Mingzi called out again: ”...since it’s located near the Wandering Bar, its business is so bad that only spiders are willing to patronize it.”

”San You Bookstore?!” Zheng Qing was startled and turned his head with effort to look at the shop sign.

Indeed, through the thick grime and dust, he could still faintly make out the words ’San You Bookstore.’

He walked quickly to the bookstore’s window—and as expected, just like the San You Bookstore at the Great Ming Pavilion, this bookstore was eerily silent. Other than a few empty bookshelves, there was just a crisscross of spider webs and the silhouettes of spiders scurrying about on the webs.

”Forty jade coins.” Zheng Qing turned back to the agent: ”Forty jade coins for the annual rent and we’ll sign a four-year long-term contract!”

”Forty-five jade coins, and I promise the annual rent won’t rise more than five percent!” The agent hesitated for a moment, then immediately offered a new proposal.

”Deal!” Zheng Qing extended his hand and clasped it firmly with the agent’s.

The other wizards of the Absolution Hunting Team noticed the serious expression of the sponsored student and maintained their silence. Only Mu Mingzi muttered ’Grateful for nothing’ under his breath, retracted his head, and shut the shop window with a bang.