Mu'en had specially installed a clock in the new bookstore, allowing her to feel the passage of time clearly.

The crisp ticks echoed throughout the bookstore, making the large space feel empty and bringing about an indescribable sense of eerie chill. However, that wasn't the reason why there weren't any customers in the store.

The branch in the Central District had been open for more than ten days, but unfortunately, it was rather deserted.

This situation was different from what Mu'en and Vincent had guessed. They originally imagined that there would be a large number of customers, and via the dissemination of the bookstore, they would select a group of high-level followers of Boss Lin.

Unfortunately, there weren't any customers at all.

Mu'en, who possessed the power of the moon, naturally knew why.

But it didn't matter because their goal wasn't here. Seeds had already been planted amongst the true upper echelons of Norzin, and they were just waiting for everything to begin.

"Seems like Ji Zhixiu has completely become a chosen of Boss Lin," muttered Mu'en, her voice echoing in the quiet bookstore.

As the Witch of the Night, possessing the power of 'Eyes of the Moon,' there was hardly anything in Norzin that could escape her gaze, including Ji Zhixiu's movements.

"Becoming a race... I still imagined that she would increase the number of Boss Lin's followers by disseminating those books. However, I never expected her to actually gather everyone through the auction and select suitable followers, taking advantage of when the spirit of those transcendents was weakened to take control of them."

Suddenly, a resonant and familiar voice echoed in the bookstore, voicing aloud all of Mu'en's thoughts. Right away, Mu'en knew who it was without even turning around.

Vincent, with his golden hair and cheek-length sideburns, looked just like a kindly priest.

"In a way, Ji Zhixiu has chosen the most qualified and suitable followers for Boss Lin and sorted enough substitutes for herself, which is truly clever."

"Of course." Mu'en smiled ever so slightly and said, "She's one of those chosen by Boss Lin."

"Most of the nobles have already become Ji Zhixiu, so it's not a surprise you don't have any customers." Vincent chuckled as he sat beside Mu'en. "In that case, the Ji father and daughter pair are completely devoted servants of Boss Lin."

"It is their honor," replied Mu'en matter-of-factly.

In Mu'en's opinion, becoming the lackeys of Boss Lin was probably the luckiest thing to happen for the Ji pair.

And that was indeed the truth. Without Boss Lin, Ji Zhixiu would have long been dead.

"Now that Ji Zhixiu is doing well, it's time to make a move," Mu'en said. As the owner of the branch store, she represented Boss Lin's will in a certain sense.

"The Central District...?" Vincent asked with some hesitation.

"It's just Fraxinus, the Witch of Trees, nothing to fear," said Mu'en as she glanced out toward the window, where a beautiful emerald bird perched outside.

"Witch of Trees... is it really the Witch of Trees?" Vincent murmured in slight surprise.

The emerald bird chirped twice and disappeared from the window ledge.

Ji Zhixiu, who was far away, put down her pen and retrieved the memories from her puppet, the emerald bird."Witch of Trees..." Ji Zhixiu muttered under her breath. Then she turned to Ji Bonong. "Let's get started. This is Lady Mu'en's command, and her will is Boss Lin's."

Ji Bonong raised an eyebrow. He had gained transcendent abilities from Boss Lin's book, , which gave him the power to manipulate the economy and commerce. All it took for the collapse of the monetary and commercial economy was for Ji Bonong to give it a mere thought.

Sabona Palachi was the youngest daughter of the Central District's noble Palachi Family.

Born and raised in luxury since she was young meant that Sabona had developed occasional haughtiness, but she was smart—as long as she paid attention to her behavior, a little arrogance could show others that she was not one to be trifled with, making those shallow people she looked down on stayed away from her.

Due to her haughtiness, she didn't have many friends... But Young Miss Ji of Rolle Resource could be considered one.

In Sabona's eyes, though Ji Zhixiu was born ordinary, she was talented and knowledgeable, with a mysterious background and a great vision for a new era.

Unfortunately, ever since her parents made her learn to dance, Sibona gradually drifted apart from Ji Zhixiu. The governess of the Palachi family often reminded her that the Jis of Rolle Resources were mere merchants with cheap blood and to be used as nothing more than tools. She also said that the good relations between Ji Zhixiu and Sabona was also just to maintain their family position.

However, Sabona didn't care. She just felt that Ji Zhixiu had exceptional intelligence and was superior to the typical aristocratic girl that only thought about makeup and luxuries. Being friends with Ji Zhixiu made her feel superior.

For a long time, no, till today, Ji Zhixiu had been like her idol. Sabona wasn't interested in dancing or all other such noble pastimes. Her real dream was to become a transcendent being and not a tool for future marriages.

According to her own investigations, her good friend Ji Zhixiu seemed to have become a powerful transcendent being in recent years. Thus, Sabona thought that she could probably contact her and gain an opportunity to become a transcendent being.

This made her admire Ji Zhixiu even more, and Sabona would occasionally carve Ji Zhixiu's name on the corner of her desk in secret to inspire herself.

After training for several days at the dance academy in the outskirts of the Central District, Sabona finally returned home.

"Father! Mother!" Clutching her leather suitcase, Sabona pushed open the door and called out. Then she stood still in surprise.

Her father, mother, elder brother, and elder sister were all sitting still around the dinner table, but it wasn't mealtime.

"Father, Mother, I'm home," Sabona said softly, but there wasn't any response.

She turned around and saw the driver who had driven her home sit in place, unmoving like a machine, just like her parents and siblings around the table.

Confused, Sabona raised an eyebrow as she pulled out a chair and sat down carefully at the table as well.

Her parents and siblings had identical smiles on their unblinking faces.

"Father, Mother, what's wrong with you guys?"

"We're fine, my dear Sabona," her parents answered simultaneously using the same voice.

Sabona: "..."

A vague sense of unease came over Sabona as she glanced all around. The housemaids, the driver, even the black cat and hunting dog, all seemed to have the same gaze and the same expression as they blinked simultaneously and focused on Sabona.

Their mouths had the same slight upward curvature... Even the black family cat.

Sabona sucked in a deep breath and nearly fell off her chair from anxiousness. She stood up quickly and walked toward the door—

Sabona had never received any transcendent training; she was ordinary. She quickly rushed toward the door to leave."Where are you going, my dear Sabona?" Voices echoed throughout the entire mansion, seemingly coming from everyone. Every voice from every mouth had the same tone.

"Aaah!" Sabona screamed as she tumbled over the carpet.

"Where are you going, my dear Sabona?" Her mother approached her, the curvature of her lips so precise as if it were measured by a ruler. Suddenly, her mother's face cracked open like a blooming bud—revealing several pieces of flesh—and turned into a disgusting bloody flower.

Before Sabona could even cry out, spores started to build up in the center of the flower.

"Where are you going, my dear sister?" Sabona's older sister stood behind their mother with the same expression.

"I-I-I'm going to Sis Ji Zhixiu!" Sabona sat on the ground, her legs completely numb, and she mentioned the name of the only transcendent being she knew.

To Sabona's surprise, her mother's head then turned upward. Upon hearing Ji Zhixiu's name, the flesh petals gradually closed up, and her original stiff face remerged.

In an instant, the face began to loosen up and become lifelike again, like caked dust falling off a cement wall. And as her mother's mouth opened once more, the words she said were, "What do you want to find me for, Sabona?" Ji Zhixiu's cheery voice resonated from Sabona's mother's mouth.

"Ji-Ji—Aahhhhh!" Sabona's eyes widen in shock and she covered her mouth in surprise. Still screaming, she got up from the ground and dashed out of the house.

Ji Zhixiu, donning the shell of Sabona's mother, tilted her head as she watched the stumbling girl in bafflement.

Sabona rushed out of the gates. As an aristocratic daughter, she rarely set foot on dirt, yet now, she was stumbling and falling every few steps. Her knees and elbows were bleeding, but the fear had made her impervious to the pain.

She wanted to head to the Central Police Unit, the place where her father worked. The Palachis were the undisputed overlords of the Central Police Unit.

"Help me, help me!" she cried out as she ran.

It wasn't until she was far away from home that she caught her breath and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Father, Mother!" She stood on the street in a daze, but what she witnessed on the streets was even more unbelievable—

Those usually obedient and docile laborers were smashing factories and shops as if possessed. They raised flags high like lunatics, and the rumbling of multiple explosions could be faintly heard in the distance.

The once orderly Central District was now in chaos, like a scene from hell.

Sabona held her head in her arms. All of what had unfolded had instantly shattered her view of the world.

"What is happening..." she murmured to herself as she watched a leading laborer drag a noblewoman out and brutally throw her on the ground.

Sabona's eyes widened as she recognized that somewhat familiar noblewoman, and she wanted to stop it, but then the leader of those laborers raised his head, revealing a rough face with a delicate smile, the exact smile she had witnessed at her own home.

Ji Zhixiu...

"Aahhh! Aahhh! Aaahhhhh!!!" Sabona shrieked as she kept running.

Sabona ran like a madwoman, but that smile seemed to be everywhere and on the faces of everyone.

Fleeing haphazardly like a headless fly, Sabona ran straight into a burly man.

She looked up and saw the face of a kindly priest. The priest's smile was gentle, completely different from Ji Zhixiu's. He held a book titled in his hands.