Chapter 90: A Shopping Trip to North Street

The weekend brought forth splendid weather, with crisp autumn air and bright sunshine, making it an ideal day for an outing.

Wendy Rhine stood quietly by the fountain at the academy’s entrance.

Clad in an off-white trench coat, its hem fluttered gently in the breeze, tracing an elegant curve around her ankles.

Aside from the necklace adorning her neck, Wendy Rhine wore no other extraneous embellishments; the clean, sharp lines of her attire only accentuated her cool and aloof demeanor.

‘Still, isn’t this outfit a bit too formal? Will it seem strange?’

Wendy Rhine’s fingertips unconsciously toyed with her long hair, meticulously styled that morning, as she cast a worried glance at her own attire.

Apart from her mentor, Grant, this marked her first time venturing out shopping with another male.

In truth, one could even omit the word ‘male,’ for she possessed virtually no one she could truly call a friend.

Ever since her mentor’s passing, she had been wholly engrossed in her research, living a monotonous existence of perpetual routine.

Beyond attending academic presentations or discussing collaborations with other institutions, her life offered little in the way of social interaction.

Before the fountain, people came and went, with students occasionally passing by in pairs.

Most of them were young couples, and the boys, in the throes of adolescence, clearly found themselves unable to resist the allure, stealing glances only to be met with a torrent of reprimands from their female companions.

A faint blush crept across Wendy Rhine’s ears.

‘A miscalculation,’ she mused. ‘Had I known, I wouldn’t have chosen the academy gates as our meeting point.’

Glancing around, she noticed that most of the passing girls were adorned in dresses, dressed to the nines.

After all, on such a rare day off, few were inclined to remain in formal attire.

‘Perhaps I should have worn a dress as well?’

Wendy Rhine pondered this silently, but swiftly dismissed the notion.

Others wore dresses for dates; she was not, merely accompanying Yalin to purchase some clothes.

Besides, she was a professor, not some young girl; she had long since passed the age for wearing dresses.

Though, truth be told, she had never worn one, even as a child.

‘Ah, Professor.’

Wendy Rhine lifted her gaze, just in time to see Yalin striding quickly towards her from a distance.

His attire was quite ordinary, consisting only of a shirt.

It was his uniform, simply without the accompanying jacket.

Yet, precisely because both wore formal attire, they appeared rather well-matched.

“Good morning, Professor. Have you been here long?”

Yalin had deliberately arrived several tens of minutes early, yet, to his surprise, Wendy Rhine had preceded him.

‘Such rigorous punctuality is truly formidable.’

“Indeed. I came early, just in case.”

Having prepared herself mentally beforehand, she remained unperturbed this time, maintaining a cool, detached expression.

‘How to describe it? This stern, unyielding demeanor was precisely the Professor he knew from their daily interactions.’

Wendy Rhine stepped forward and began to walk, without so much as a backward glance, prompting Yalin to dutifully fall in behind her.

They found themselves once again on Ailanmia’s most bustling commercial street, a place Yalin had only recently visited with Luluti.

He had, in fact, been “apprehended” by a certain tyrant right then and there.

This time, however, unlike his previous visit, they were not headed to South Street, but North Street.

Though part of the same thoroughfare, South Street and North Street possessed entirely distinct atmospheres.

The most significant difference between the two, despite being on the same street, lay in their differing social strata.

South Street buzzed with lively chatter, its lanes lined with stalls and small shops, offering relatively affordable goods—a frequent haunt for students and ordinary citizens.

North Street, by contrast, presented an entirely different tableau.

Along both sides of the bluestone paved road stood ancient, stately buildings.

The shops here were few in number, yet each was an establishment of the highest caliber, adorned with fine ebony on their exterior walls, while the goods displayed in their showcases exuded a subtle, luxurious gleam under the soft glow of magical lamps.

Most patrons were young nobles or scions of merchant guilds, and even their conversations, when they occurred, were remarkably subdued.

‘Professor… it’s just clothes. Surely we don’t need to come to a place like this?’

Yalin observed the impeccably dressed passersby around him, clicking his tongue in silent dismay.

He, after all, had arrived wearing only a shirt; had Wendy Rhine not been by his side, he likely would have been turned away by the shopkeepers.

Still, it couldn’t be helped; he owned precious few clothes to begin with, and what little money he had left from his living expenses had all been invested in refining his mediums.

Of the few wearable items he possessed, one had been burned by Wendy Rhine, and another had been soaked.

It was, by any measure, a rather pathetic state of affairs.

“It’s fine. You are, after all, the research lab’s only student. Even as a representative, you cannot afford to dress poorly,” Wendy Rhine stated with a placid tone.

Since the Professor had put it that way, Yalin naturally had no objections.

‘Besides, the Professor has so much money they can’t possibly spend it all; it’s hardly up to a pauper like me to worry about it.’

“Does the Professor always come here?”

“Not really. I don’t come often,” Wendy Rhine replied, shaking her head.

She held little interest in clothing, typically wearing either a white jacket or a lab coat in the research facility.

Only when attending important meetings would she make a temporary visit here to casually select a few outfits.

Wendy Rhine led Yalin to a shop she frequented; the moment they stepped inside, a saleswoman greeted them with a beaming smile.

“Oh, welcome! What can I help you find today?”

She would, of course, never mistake her, for Wendy Rhine’s cold yet beautiful face was striking enough to leave an indelible impression.

Moreover, this particular customer never procrastinated with her purchases, nor did she make a fuss with a litany of demanding requests.

On every visit, she simply asked for a few well-fitting garments to be chosen for her, then bought them promptly—truly an ideal client for any sales associate.

This time, however, unlike her previous visits, she had brought someone with her.

“Oh, and who might this be…?”

The saleswoman noticed Yalin standing behind her, a curious glint in her eyes.

“He is my…”

Wendy Rhine had initially intended to say ‘student,’ but something about it felt off, leaving the word caught in her throat.

After a brief pause, she finally uttered, “He is my friend.”

“Ohh~”

Upon seeing the handsome, dark-haired youth, the saleswoman’s smile grew a touch more knowing.

“I’m here to help him buy clothes. Please select two outfits for me.”

“No problem at all! Please leave it to me!”

She declared, patting her chest reassuringly, and promptly led Yalin to the back, quickly retrieving several outfits.

“These are all the latest popular styles. Please try them on!”

“Alright…”

Yalin took the clothes and pushed open the changing room door.

‘It truly is a high-end store; the fabric of these clothes is exquisite, incredibly smooth—one touch confirms their premium quality.’

‘How much does one of these cost?’

Yalin flipped the tag on the back, glanced at it, then quietly tucked it back in.

‘Yes, it was a price he couldn’t even fathom.’

Having swiftly changed, Yalin emerged from the changing room, and the saleswoman’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

She had seen her fair share of beautiful girls, but handsome boys were a rare sight indeed!

“Excellent! It fits perfectly! Miss Wendy Rhine, what do you think?”

“I…”

Wendy Rhine looked at Yalin, and a flicker of surprise crossed her face.

Already inherently handsome and elegant, now clad in this perfectly tailored, high-end attire, his innate clean and refreshing youthful charm was imbued with an undeniable aura of nobility.

Bathed in the warm, yellow light, the black-and-white ensemble appeared exceptionally sharp; at this moment, Yalin truly resembled a young master stepping out from a noble house, possessing an inherent grace and dignity.

“Yes, I’ll take it.”

Wendy Rhine’s heart stirred faintly, and she averted her gaze.

“We have many other styles here. Would you like to see more?”

“Yes, I’ll buy them all.”