Master Of Astral Summoner

'Click-ding.'

"Thank you, sir." Shaan stepped out of the shop, letting the door close behind him before he checked the contents of his bag again. "Good. At least now I have almost all the ingredients I need." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the note Dr. Marshal had given him. "Let's see… is there anything left—ah, here it is." His finger stopped on the very last item on the list. "Steam-Core Pistons. I should get these as soon as possible."

He quickened his pace, heading toward the second store the courier recommended in case the first shop lacked a few materials. The sign above the door read Twilight Spare Parts, and the place wasn't far from the previous store.

From the outside, the building looked almost identical to the first one. The same dark brown paint, the same slightly old-fashioned architecture. The only real difference was its size—this shop looked much smaller, almost cramped, compared to the first.

"Well, I should head in and find the last thing on the list," Shaan murmured as he pushed the door open. "Hopefully I can find it here."

But just as Shaan tried to enter the shop, someone dashed toward him from the opposite direction and bumped. Both of them crashed to the floor.

"Ouch!"

"I'm so..sorry, sir. I didn't mean to do that," said the guy in the black hat as he quickly picked up his belongings scattered on the floor and left the place.

'Strange… what's wrong with that guy?' Shaan frowned while watching the man run off as if something chased him. 'Why did he look like—'

Shaan froze for a moment. His eyes locked onto a small black pocketbook lying on the floor—the one the man in the hat clearly dropped. Without hesitation, Shaan picked it up and tried to call out to him.

"Hey! You—!"

But the street was empty. The stranger was long gone.

'I should keep this pocketbook. Maybe I'll meet him again someday.'

With a sigh, Shaan tucked the book into his pocket and walked deeper into the shop. A tall brown cabinet filled with assorted tools stood nearby. He scanned each nameplate, each label, hoping to find the final item he needed.

'Damn it. I…I can't find the pistons at all.' Frustration tightened his expression. 'How am I supposed to— '

"Hello, welcome to the Twilight spare parts store."

Shaan turned toward the voice. A man in a dark brown shirt—its color matching the gloves he wore—approached him with a calm, polite smile.

"My name is Seven—a Homunculus servant ready to assist you," greeted the servant, placing a hand over his heart. "How may I help you today?"

"Yes, I need about 10 Steam-Core pistons. Do you have any in stock?"

"Ten Steam-Core Pistons. Understood. I will check the inventory in the back. Please wait a moment."

"Oh, okay."

Seven disappeared behind a curtain, and it only took a short time before the servant reappeared carrying a medium-sized brown box in his hands. He slowly placed the box on one of the tables there, then opened it in front of Shaan.

"Here you go. The 10 Steam-Core pistons you needed. Please check their condition first before going to payment."

Shaan stepped closer and peered into the box. Rows of unfamiliar metal cylinders lay neatly inside. He stared at them, trying to look knowledgeable, but truthfully, he had no idea what separated a good piston from a faulty one. Dr. Marshal gave him a list—but no instructions. Still, Shaan nodded with feigned confidence and closed the box.

"Ehm… I checked them and…" Shaan opened the box once again, pretending to inspect again. "Y-Yeah, they look good.… Probably. I think."

"Alright, I'll take this to the payment counter right away, Sir."

"Shaan Devansh, but just call me Shaan. It sounds simpler."

"Understood, Mr. Shaan. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, that's all."

"All right, then please follow me—"

"But hold on," Shaan said, stopping the servant's steps. "I want to ask something first."

"What would you like to ask, Mr. Shaan?" The servant blinked his eye.

"When I entered this store, I passed by a man wearing a black hat." Shaan slowly took out a small memo book from his pocket. "He looked extremely rushed and left this behind. Do you know him?"

Hearing Shaan's brief explanation, the servant nodded confidently. I know him. His name is Mr Sebastian," he said. "He belongs to the Twilight Codex faction, and he visits this shop quite often."

'Someone from the Twilight Codex?' Shaan paused for a moment. 'Wait—that's the same faction Miss Daisy belongs to. That means he should have some connection to her.'

"Mr. Shaan, you can leave this little memo here," said the servant. "I will give it to Mr. Sebastian when he comes here."

Shaan shook his head. "No… I think I should return it myself. It looks important, and I should get it back to him as soon as possible." He slipped the memo book back into his pocket. "Do you know where he lives?"

The servant shook his head slowly. "Unfortunately, not. Mr. Sebastian never gave me his address."

"Oh... I see."

"But he did mention that he spends most of his time at the Twilight Codex headquarters lately. "He said he has several important meetings with the faction leaders. "You might find him there."

Shaan nodded. "All right, I understand. Thank you for the information."

"You're welcome, Mr. Shaan," said the waiter with a smile. "Now, come with me. I'll take you to the payment section.

***

"Dr. Marshal, I have obtained all the materials you need," Shaan slowly walked towards Dr. Marshal, who happened to be outside the house.

"Good. This means all the materials are complete," said Dr. Marshal with a satisfied smile. "Chelsie and Nalira have also just returned."

"So, where are they?" Shaan looked around. "I don't see them anywhere."

"Chelsie and Nalira are in the lab downstairs helping Courier 020," explained Dr. Marshal. "Oh, I just remembered something. Actually, there's something I want to tell you. But first, I need to finish sorting all of this."

'Oh no… something important. What could it be?'