With a single word from Suzy, Ming acted as if he’d been pumped full of adrenaline, his brush flying across the paper—swish, swish, swish—once again.
Talisman after talisman took shape under his hand without a single pause for breath.
Watching him, Yeon began questioning reality all over again.
No... wait?
Is this even reasonable?
Is this actually normal?!
Why on earth does Ming draw talismans completely differently from every other master out there?! Does he not need a break at all?!
Yeon had personally observed other talisman masters at work before. For them, crafting a single charm demanded an immense investment of time and mental energy; churning out five charms in an hour was already considered a remarkable feat. So what in the world was up with this guy Ming???
How was this any different from casting spells with zero cooldown?
Was this a joke?!
In just a fraction of time, ten full talismans were already complete, and Ming didn’t even require a second to rest before plowing right ahead...
Once again, Yeon realized just how freakish—no, how downright genius—Ming truly was.
"Ming, draw some other types of talismans for me too," Suzy requested.
"Sure thing!" Ming agreed without a second thought.
In that brief moment alone, he had already finished the remaining five Earthbind Talismans in his hands and stacked them to the side. Without stopping, he immediately transitioned to crafting a fresh batch of different talismans for Suzy.
Yeon no longer knew how to describe his feelings. It was bizarre. Beyond bizarre.
He turned his head toward Chen, intending to say something, only to discover that Chen’s face was wearing an equally twisted, complex expression. Clearly, Chen had been thoroughly shaken by Ming’s performance as well—his composure had cracked enough for Yeon to spot it immediately.
"Ahem." Noticing Yeon’s stare, Chen lowered his head and cleared his throat awkwardly.
Feeling no embarrassment whatsoever, Yeon leaned closer in Chen’s direction.
"Brother Chen... is Ming always like this?" Yeon asked under his breath, unable to hold back his burning curiosity any longer.
Chen went quiet for a moment before replying, "I... have never seen a talisman master like Ming in my life."
Chen had dealt with plenty of talisman masters and watched countless crafts in his time, but to be completely honest, he had never laid eyes on anyone quite like Ming. His speed completely shattered any normal human expectation.
Terrifying. It was truly terrifying.
A prodigy, indeed. Ming more than lived up to the word "genius."
While the two exchanged dumbfounded glances, Ming was already wrapping up his session. He could have kept going easily, but Suzy called a halt.
"That’s enough for now, let me gather these up," Suzy said, neatly collecting the stack of finished talismans.
Hearing her, Ming set his brush down and stretched his arms above his head with a long yawn. "Phew, a bit tired."
"Want something to drink?" Suzy asked.
Ming looked at her and nodded.
Reaching casually into her spatial storage, Suzy pulled out an ice-cold bottle of Coca-Cola and tossed it over to him.
Catching it, Ming stared at the bottle in confusion, having never seen anything like it before.
Is the water actually black?
How strange.
"It’s a soft drink from back home—give it a try," Suzy explained while sorting through the talismans in her hands.
"Alright."
Ming twisted off the cap and took a big gulp. Instantly, his eyes lit up like bright stars. He chugged down more than half the bottle in one breath before letting out a loud, satisfying burp.
"Ahhh, refreshed!" The word slipped out of Ming’s mouth almost automatically.
Setting the bottle down, he noticed both Yeon and Chen staring at him intently.
Ever since Suzy tossed the Coke to Ming, the two had been fixated on the bottle, deeply curious about what that dark liquid tasted like. Seeing Ming’s dramatic reaction only amplified their curiosity tenfold.
Clearly, that black liquid was delicious. But could it really be that good?
"Is it tasty?" Yeon swallowed his saliva.
Ming nodded emphatically. "Extremely good."
Hearing that endorsement made Yeon practically drool with curiosity.
"You two should try one too."
Overhearing their conversation, Suzy pulled two more bottles of chilled Coke from her spatial domain and handed one to each of them.
Accepting the bottles, the two eagerly twisted off the caps.
They took a sip, both instantly amazed by the bizarre yet delightful fizz on their tongues.
It was impossibly refreshing!
By now, Suzy had neatly stowed all her new talismans away. She could already feel the fabric of this spatial dimension starting to push back against her—it was time to head home.
"I ought to be going now," Suzy said.
Pulling himself away from the mouthwatering taste of the Coca-Cola, Yeon looked over at her. "So soon?"
Ming chimed in as well, "You’re leaving already?"
Suzy gave a firm nod.
Yeon offered, "In that case, let me walk you out!"
"Me too!" Ming immediately scrambled to follow.
Landing a stack of Earthbind Talismans, a mountain of delicious snacks, and securing a long-term trading agreement with Yeon made this trip an absolute win in Suzy’s book. She couldn’t be more satisfied.
"Let’s go then."
Ming packed his newly acquired materials into his storage pouch in three quick shakes of a lamb’s tail. After bidding farewell to Chen, the trio stepped out of the shop and made their way toward the outskirts of town.
The streets were as bustling as ever, packed with a bustling crowd coming and going in an endless stream.
As they walked, Suzy felt the domain’s repulsive force growing stronger by the second. She could vanish from Mountain Town at any given moment.
Realizing this, she quickly reached into her spatial dimension, pulled out two bottles of divine spring water, and thrust them into Ming’s hands.
"These are for you—divine spring water, your payment. The next time I drop by, make sure you have the rest of my talisman order ready!"
With time running out, she had only managed to get Ming to produce Earthbind Talismans and a few Wind-Rider Talismans today. In reality, she had placed a massive advance order with him to collect on her next visit.
"Got it," Ming replied in a daze.
Watching this unfold, Yeon’s eyes turned bright green with envy once again.
Damn it all! This bastard managed to get his hands on divine spring water yet again—and two whole bottles this time! He was practically drooling with jealousy.
Before he could drown in his envy, Suzy turned her gaze onto him.
"And these two are for you," Suzy said, offering Yeon a bright, genuine smile. "One bottle covers the cost of the materials, and the other is a token of gratitude for all your help."
Suzy wanted to say a few more words, but her time was up.
By the time her senses snapped back, she was already standing on the small quiet trail outside Mountain Town.
Suzy blinked. Well, that was certainly abrupt.
It wasn’t just Suzy who found it sudden—Yeon and Ming were equally taken aback. In the blink of an eye, she had vanished into thin air right before their eyes.
Both men stood frozen in place for a beat, then turned to exchange a look.
"When is she coming back?" Ming couldn’t help asking.
"Same day next month," Yeon replied, carefully stowing his two bottles of divine spring water into his storage pouch. "Let me head back too."
"Oh."
Ming gave a casual nod, though his eyes remained fixed on the spot where Suzy had vanished. He only pulled his gaze back when Yeon urged him a second time, still clutching the two bottles she had handed him.
"Is this stuff worth a lot of money?" Ming asked, turning toward Yeon.
Yeon froze mid-step, hesitating to answer immediately.
Holy crap, has this blockhead actually figured it out already?
He had been planning to trick Ming out of his divine spring water later... But if the guy realized its true worth, wouldn’t that make things ten times harder?
"It’s decent," Yeon muttered, breaking into a cold sweat.
Ming didn’t press the matter and quietly slipped the spring water into his own storage pouch.
The two walked together for a distance until they reached a fork in the road.
"Well, I’m heading home then." Ming waved a casual goodbye to Yeon.
"Uh, right."
Yeon stared at his retreating back, frantically racking his brain for ways to coax those bottles out of Ming’s hands.
Out of nowhere, Ming halted in his tracks, glanced back over his shoulder, and began walking right back toward him.
"By the way, there’s something I wanted to ask you."
"What is it?"
"How long have you and Miss Suzy known each other?"