Chapter 683: Shock

"Kotori, you said you wanted to go to the Mysterious Shop with me?" Hearing Kotori's words, there was a trace of surprise in Itsuka Shido's tone.

"That's right, Shido. I'm also very interested in that Mysterious Shop. Whether it's the fact that the other party possesses the ability to complete high-difficulty commissions, or that they might be a Swordsman, it's worth a visit!" Itsuka Kotori said, biting on a lollipop.

"But, haven't we not yet found the location of the Mysterious Shop?" Itsuka Shido asked with a frown.

"No, no, no. I think that if Shido and Tohka are here, we will definitely be able to find that Mysterious Shop!" Itsuka Kotori was full of confidence regarding this matter.

"Eh, why are you so confident?" Itsuka Shido was somewhat puzzled.

"I believe that as long as you and Tohka are here, we will definitely be able to find that Mysterious Shop!" Itsuka Kotori said. "By the way, Reine, I have a mission to entrust to you."

"Commander, what are your orders?" Murasame Reine asked.

"While I am not here, the affairs of the Fraxinus will be left to you to handle. We will maintain contact at all times, and if any situation arises, you can also support us using the aerial warship," Itsuka Kotori said.

Murasame Reine was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Understood!"

"Past that corner ahead is the place we arrived at before," Itsuka Shido stopped at an alley entrance and said to Itsuka Kotori.

"Everyone, are you ready?" Itsuka Kotori nodded, then reached out and pressed the earpiece hidden in her ear.

"Ready!"

Tens of thousands of meters above, a massive sky battleship was using technology surpassing the general capabilities of this world to conceal its form. The crew on the Fraxinus were all full of confidence, wanting to uncover the secrets of this Mysterious Shop.

"Then, operation start!" At Itsuka Kotori's command, all the instruments on the Fraxinus operated simultaneously, locking firmly onto the three of them.

"Hmm, what is this feeling?" As they turned the corner of the alley, Itsuka Kotori's expression changed; she seemed to feel that the Spirit power within her, which had long been dormant, had suddenly fluctuated.

"This, is this the Mysterious Shop?" Looking at the small shop that had suddenly appeared before her, Itsuka Kotori could not help but frown.

She had seen pictures of this place more than once, but she had never seen this peculiar little shop exist in this location.

At the same time, Itsuka Kotori also discovered something that terrified her: the earpiece hidden in her ear had completely fallen into a silent state. In other words, she had lost contact with the Fraxinus and could not receive their support.

"How could this be?" There was a trace of disbelief in Itsuka Kotori's eyes.

Although Ratatoskr was not as powerful as the DEM company in researching combat-use Realizers, in other aspects, their technology was superior to the DEM company's. Their communication devices should have had no problem penetrating barriers formed by Spirit power. But now, she had still lost contact with the Fraxinus, and the implications of this were somewhat different.

When the earpiece in Itsuka Kotori's ear lost its function, the people on the Fraxinus also fell into chaos. Just as Itsuka Shido's group turned that alley corner, they discovered that Itsuka Shido's group had vanished into thin air. Most seriously, they had even lost contact with Itsuka Kotori.

"Is there no way to contact the Commander?" The playfulness on Kannazuki Kyouhei's face was gone, replaced by extreme seriousness.

The crew member in front of him was sweating profusely while typing on the keyboard before him; command after command was output from his hands, but he was unable to receive any information at all.

"No, I'm going down there to take a look!" Looking at the screen that remained devoid of information, Kannazuki Kyouhei stood up abruptly and said.

"Wait!" Just at this moment, Murasame Reine spoke up suddenly.

"The Commander's whereabouts are currently unknown; are we just going to sit here?" Kannazuki Kyouhei slammed his hands heavily onto the table.

"We must trust the Commander!" Murasame Reine's tone remained very calm.

"Fine. I heard the Commander say before that she would stay in that shop for at most one hour. If there is still no information after one hour, you cannot stop me!" Kannazuki Kyouhei said.

"If there is no information from the Commander after one hour, I will go with you!" Murasame Reine said.

"Shopkeeper, shopkeeper, we're back again!"

Seeing the Mysterious Shop appear, a smile appeared on Yatogami Tohka's face, and she strode toward the shop.

"Oh, it's you again!" Just at this moment, a soft exclamation sounded from the shop entrance.

Itsuka Kotori looked up, and a trace of surprise could not help but appear on her face; Senju Kayo, dressed in casual clothes, reached out and blocked Yatogami Tohka, who was lunging forward.

"Xia Shi, we meet again!" Yatogami Tohka greeted Xia Shi with a smile, but her eyes kept glancing into the shop.

"I know, Asuna-nee is not here!" Seeing Yatogami Tohka like this, Senju Kayo knew what Yatogami Tohka was looking for.

"Asuna isn't here!" Yatogami Tohka's tone dropped a little.

"This, Tohka, what is going on?" Itsuka Kotori asked with some confusion.

"Tohka, she must be missing the snacks from Ms. Yuuki..." Itsuka Shido said with some helplessness.

"Why do I feel like Tohka seems very familiar with the people here?"

"Actually, I'm also a bit surprised. Tohka has only been here once, but she has become friends with many people here," Shido said.

"H-hello..." Just at this moment, a weak voice sounded before them.

"Hello, Yoshino," Itsuka Shido greeted the little girl in front of him with a smile.

Itsuka Kotori looked down and was taken aback: "Hermit?"

"Eek—" Hearing Itsuka Kotori say this, a trace of surprise appeared on Yoshino's face, and she couldn't help but take a small step back.

"Hey, who is this young lady, actually using such an unpleasant codename to call my cute Yoshino!" Just at this moment, Yoshinon on Yoshino's hand suddenly shouted, giving Itsuka Kotori a big fright.

"Hee hee hee, I was wondering who had come that made Lingyun value them so much; so it's the famous Efreet!" A light laugh sounded from behind Itsuka Kotori.

Itsuka Kotori turned her head and saw a girl revealing half her body from the shadows on the wall, looking at her with a grin.

"Nightmare?!" Seeing Tokisaki Kurumi appear, a trace of gravity could not help but appear on Itsuka Kotori's face, and she pulled Itsuka Shido back several steps.

"Calling a lady by such an unpleasant name is truly rude!" Looking at the vigilant Itsuka Kotori, a smile appeared on Tokisaki Kurumi's face as she stepped out of the shadows. "My name is Tokisaki Kurumi, Miss Efreet, please don't misremember it!"

"The Hermit has appeared here, and the Nightmare has also appeared here. It seems that the fact that this shopkeeper is a Swordsman is practically set in stone!" Itsuka Kotori suddenly felt caught in a dilemma; it seemed she had come to an incredible place.

"Alright, Lingyun is already waiting for you inside. If you have any business, go find him. I have some other matters, so I will excuse myself first." Tokisaki Kurumi performed an elegant curtsy to the two of them, then sank back into the shadows.

"Ah, Lingyun, when can you take me to Aincrad again? I really didn't expect that things from the 2D world could actually appear in reality!"

Upon walking into the shop, Itsuka Kotori heard a female voice coming from inside.

She turned her head and saw a girl who looked somewhat disheveled rolling around on the sofa.

Seeing this person, another flash of shock appeared in Itsuka Kotori's eyes. Because this girl had no concealment at all, she could feel that this girl also possessed faint Spirit power. In other words, this girl was also a Spirit!

"This, this shop actually has four Spirits. What is going on? Could this place be a secret base for Spirits?" This thought could not help but arise in Itsuka Kotori's heart.