[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-240":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269886,4431,"Chapter 240: Secretary General","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-240",240,"\u003Cp>Among all the Spirit Inheritors, Victoria had always considered herself the most ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From ordinary to special.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among her contemporaries—the ancient, revived mechanical race, the goddess favored by the gods, the telepath with multiple personalities and noble lineage, the magic girl who broke free from beast control and looked like a heroine, the mushroom king striving to escape his species’ limits—aside from the male alchemist she never had the chance to meet, she was probably the most ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That orc alchemist? He’s definitely not ordinary either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had always harbored subtle feelings of inferiority and unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when she saw others advancing visibly: the dark elf who had become a goddess and high priestess, the mechanical race achieving absurd evolution, even the mushroom king securing his own underground territory and starting his own business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Welcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden ring of the doorbell didn’t initially catch her attention—her little shop had always been poorly attended; customers who wandered in would glance around and leave. Opening an alchemy shop in the docks was like selling cars in a slum—it had always been a bit of a foolish idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those discounted, then further discounted potions had helped many people, and she still felt genuinely happy about it. Some needs and ailments never vanished—if no help ever came, the only ones who disappeared silently were those with needs and ailments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past days, she’d been trying to repeatedly “downgrade” her painkillers, cure-all potions, and antidotes—keeping their effects as much as possible while cutting costs, i.e., price. Surprisingly, with the aid of certain special forces, she actually succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those copper-coin-per-bottle “diluted potions” were wildly popular here—even Dimon came twice to complain, urging her to be careful about who she sold to, to avoid these potions falling into the hands of the wicked—but clearly, this was beyond Victoria’s capacity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want healing potions, they’re on the left shelf, with signs. If you need small trinkets, write your request on the right desk and leave a deposit. Wait—how is it you? What a rare visit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En looked up at the “doorbell boy” smiling above him, and the “broom lady” cheerfully sweeping the floor, and felt a bit dizzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this modest hall, apart from the shopkeeper dozing behind the counter, everywhere was bustling activity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the bookshelf, two magical books with wings fluttered as they organized the shelves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the cauldron, a large pot with two arms stirred vigorously the pale yellow potion within its own body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, in the sink on the other side, a homemade faucet sprayed water while washing bottles and bowls in the basin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she first entered, Victoria, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, had been slumped over the desk, yawning—and her chair was even massaging her, extending one arm to make a shushing gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have something to discuss with you—don’t you think your shop is a little strange?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, even if it’s you, mocking my empty shop will make me angry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dark elf girl sighed. Her business had been terrible lately—she couldn’t even afford to hire an employee, let alone recoup her renovation costs, not even under near-zero rent. Though Dimon was nagging, he’d genuinely supported local businesses, even waiving many required fees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En looked around; the “little guys” all greeted him, but each made a silent gesture, making him sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course—Kuku’s disciples are all abnormal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li En ultimately said nothing. He vaguely sensed that Victoria’s condition resembled Salliman’s back then—her “newly formed self” was rapidly growing, while her main consciousness ignored it subconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like being half-asleep, a state ideal for the rapid growth of a “newborn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since this was Victoria’s own power, Li En naturally wouldn’t expose or disrupt her normal hatching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A soul-splitting ability? Kind of like material activation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it also resembled schizophrenia shifting from manic to multiplicity—she felt great about herself, yet was the last to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For transcenders, abnormality isn’t necessarily bad, especially under Spirit Blessing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This power’s upper limit might involve creation; its lower bound is at least summoning a legion of puppets.\u003C\u002Fp>",676,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","db9fe76432722ed60bdc01d40939abbb87c19ef3ef7cc51279d0ce52030de52e","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-241","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-239",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]