The Genius Evolution Store

Chapter 102: Unexpected Visitor

"So... what are you doing here?" Eric asked while munching an energy bar.

"Can’t I worry about my best friend?" Auric said with a cheeky smile.

"I’m thankful that you brought me all this, but I don’t think we’re best friends," Eric snorted. "Besides, you’re not someone who will check on me just because of this. So, out with it already."

"..." Auric scratched the back of his head, wondering if discussing the problem with him was a good idea. Eric hadn’t been targeted after all.

But if withholding this information left Eric unprepared, he might regret it later.

So, Auric decided to reveal it. "Simon might come for your life."

Eric’s mouth stopped moving. He stared at Auric for a whole minute before he said, "Has he targeted you?"

"Yeah. I managed to take care of it, but looking back, you were the previous direct competition, so he might come for you. If not for you, he might come for your parents."

Eric frowned. "What about your parents?"

"My father is overseas, while the mayor has sent some agents to protect my parents. He wanted me to focus on my studies. That’s why I’m worried about your parents."

"Well, they can’t touch me on campus. There are rules. Many professors live here as well, so if criminals come, they will probably know. Only a few foolish ones are daring enough to enter the campus. They will most likely wait for me outside, so I’m safe here."

"How about your parents?" Auric asked worriedly. He knew how Eric’s parents had cared for Eric, so he didn’t really want anything bad to happen to them.

Eric thought for a moment. "Thanks to my victory, there are a few teachers offering for me to become their student. I’m thinking about accepting one of them. I will also put a condition that they have to protect my parents as well."

It might actually be the best option for Eric. With this, Eric would get a teacher and a protector.

"For now, everything looks fine. Assuming that you haven’t lied to me..." Eric’s expression darkened. "...we can’t let Simon get away with this, can we?"

"Yes."

Eric looked down, contemplating a way to bring Simon down. He wouldn’t let anyone who wanted to harm him or his family get away with it.

However, he also noticed Auric’s firm expression. "It looks like you have a plan."

"Not exactly a plan, but I’m thinking about discrediting him."

"Discrediting him for what?"

"To get him away from the Lightning Emperor."

"Oh?!" Eric’s face brightened. "I think I can help you with that. No, let me correct that. I’m not helping you. I’m merely trying to protect my parents."

"I know, I know. But how are you going to do that?" Auric asked.

"Never mind that. Just wait until Monday; you will figure it out soon. Don’t make a move yet and mess up my plan."

"Well..." Auric shrugged.

Eric sighed. "Although it makes my sugar level drop again to say this, how about having a truce between us until we take down that self-conscious jerk?"

"There is no fight between us, so there is no need for a truce."

"I’m going to beat you next."

Auric chuckled before getting back to his feet. "All right. I will wait until Monday."

Eric harrumphed. "You wait. You’ll definitely like it."

"Fine. See you on Monday."

"Oh, you’re finally going to class now?" Eric laughed.

Auric just shrugged and walked away. He had done everything he could in this matter. All that was left was for him to wait until he could finally get his revenge.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Lindwurm asked. "It’s a bit of a shame about Milinda and Mr. Popo, but it doesn’t look like they’re going to hate you or stop helping you with the store."

’For now, it’s fine. In case it doesn’t work, I will just post a mission in the Exchange Center. I don’t need points, so I can pay them points if they work part-time. Besides, this way, I can afford several people at once.’

"Fair point. That’s for the worst-case scenario. I’m growing a little fond of the father and daughter pair."

’I can’t deny that.’ Auric thought for a moment. ’Nonetheless, there’s nothing we can do right now other than go back and study the artifacts. We have to wait until Monday to see if Eric’s plan is working. If not, then I will start my own plan.’

Lindwurm looked up, recalling all the matters Auric had. "You’re waiting for the review, aren’t you?"

’No.’

"I bet you won’t be able to sleep today because you’re dying to know the review."

’You’re completely wrong.’ Auric harrumphed.

That was what he said, but that night, Auric completely forgot to sleep as he focused on studying the artifacts. He definitely didn’t stay awake because he was waiting for the review.

Depending on what kind of review he got, he would decide whether to promote it openly or not.

The next day, Auric went back to the store. Milinda had returned to her usual self, so there was nothing for Auric to worry about anymore. Although their relationship was slightly strained by Auric’s sudden outburst, she could understand his decision.

Besides, Mr. Popo seemed to have told her something, so Auric didn’t mention anything about it.

Ultimately, the store operated as usual. No one mentioned the previous incident among the three of them, but the customers kept asking if Auric was all right.

Mr. Popo didn’t say anything, but he was quite concerned. He knew how capable Auric could be, so he didn’t really want him to become a monster.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the position to tell him anything. He could only watch over him and give him a little guidance when necessary.

Once he closed the store, Auric received a call from Ellia.

"Are you all right? I’ve heard about the incident. I’m going to investigate and eliminate all of them." Ellia’s voice was worried at first but immediately turned cold.

Auric was her only hope to evolve, so his safety was her priority. Since someone was trying to kill him, she couldn’t really sit still.

"I’m fine. Thank you for worrying. If possible, I’d like to handle this problem myself. I appreciate the concern."

"..." Ellia wasn’t entirely convinced. "...are you sure?"

"Yeah, I’m sure. If I can’t get the outcome I want, maybe then I will ask for your help. But this time, I’d like to handle this problem myself."

Ellia couldn’t really reject him if that was his position.

"All right. I will be waiting for the news. If you face some trouble, this number is always open."

"Got it. Thanks." Auric smiled and hung up the call. He made sure that the store was locked before nodding in satisfaction.

"Good night. See you next week." Milinda and Mr. Popo waved their hands.

"See you next week. Please be careful on your way home." Auric politely nodded.

As he was about to go home, an old man suddenly walked in front of him. The old man was short, but his back was still straight.

The bald old man used his stick for support, but it didn’t look like his legs were weak.

"Oh my, are you the master of the evolution store two blocks from here?" The old man asked.

"Yes? Are you a patient?" Auric asked carefully. After the incident, he couldn’t help but become a little more careful if a stranger approached him.

"Yes. Has the store closed yet? I wonder if you can accept one more patient?"

"This..." Auric thought for a moment. He was done with the work, but if it were just one more patient, he thought he could handle it. It wouldn’t take too much time either way. "Of course. How may I help you?"

"At this age, I don’t have any desire left to evolve, but my granddaughter wants me to live long, so maybe an evolution will allow me to live the rest of my life without any illness. So, I wonder if you can help me."

"If you are about to evolve, then yes, I can help you. Well, why don’t we go to the store to check your condition?" Auric asked.

"It’s fine. We can just do it here. I don’t really mind." The old man released his energy.

Surprisingly, his energy was already 100%. In theory, he should have evolved.

That was why Auric came to the same conclusion as Lindwurm.

"This guy has evolved. No, looking at the trace of his energy, he has evolved many times."

Auric had reached the same conclusion, but he couldn’t figure out how many times the old man had evolved. It looked like Auric’s sensitivity hadn’t reached Lindwurm’s level yet.

Still, the fact that this old man had evolved many times confused him. Since he had evolved, he wondered why the old man asked him to help him evolve.

Therefore, Auric asked, "May I know if your granddaughter is the one trying to evolve?"

"Why do you ask?" The old man smiled.

"Because even though your energy tells me that you only possess a baby-form avatar, your energy is completely full, which suggests you have evolved. And it’s not just once... You may have evolved approximately four to five times."

The old man became even more intrigued. "You can tell that much?"

"Well..." Auric shrugged as if he didn’t plan to explain how he did it.

However, Auric noticed something else from his energy.

If the old man wanted to kill him, he wouldn’t have to wait and ask all these pointless questions.

It gave Auric the courage to address the problem directly.

"Still, I can’t help but agree with your granddaughter. To live a healthy life, you need to be treated. From what I can see, you are sick. The energy flowing around the right side of your abdomen is a mess.

"Unfortunately, my skill hasn’t reached the level where I can pinpoint the problem, figure out how to solve it, or even treat you. Still, I can see that there is a problem with your body. You may want to get an evolution master to look into your problem."

The old man was stupefied. He never thought Auric would be able to see through this problem.

The assessment was beyond anything he could imagine.

"Interesting. So, you’re telling me that I’m sick. That’s not very nice, young man. Do you know what I can do with a single phone call? I can ruin your whole life, your store, or even your family."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, I’m making a point."

"Well, I can order you takeout with one phone call. Maybe a pizza? Do you want a pizza?"

"Pfft. Hahahaha!" The old man laughed as if he were amused by Auric’s response. "You’re not even scared."

"I don’t think you’re my enemy. If you are, then you don’t even need a threat to do anything. You will do it directly to make your point. May I know the real reason for you to approach me?" Auric’s expression turned solemn.

The old man scoffed. "Well, it looks like our guy here has a sense of humor. However, I haven’t told you a single lie. It’s true that I would like to evolve, but that evolution is impossible due to the hidden injury I have. No one has ever managed to solve that problem for me, so yeah."

"So, why are you here then? I don’t have enough skills to treat you. You must have been treated by high-grade evolution masters..."

The old man smiled. "I came here to meet you out of personal curiosity. As you said, I’m not your enemy."

Auric frowned. If he hadn’t told him a single lie, there were only two people he could think of who would be related to this old man.

Still, he had seen their pictures. None of them showed any resemblance to the old man.

"Looks like I confused our little guy here. I guess I should introduce myself first. My name is Mathias Relesha."

"!!!"