What was the reason that, after a few struggles, Elizabeth still let go?
In truth, Reki had noticed the oddity of their clothing from the very beginning… yes, it was those two outer garments that anyone would assume were matching couple’s outfits.
Because of this “couple’s relationship,” and because it was a gift from an “important person” she cherished as much as herself, Elizabeth was thrown into the dilemma of choosing between her kin and her clothes.
And because Weilin had understood and allowed it, Elizabeth was able to overcome her mental hurdle and let go.
Thinking up to this point, Reki couldn’t help but press her temples with a headache and looked up.
“Identification is unnecessary. Just from that touch, I can value it with certainty. This enchanted crafted piece is worth at least 2000 gold coins…”
Elizabeth’s face first stiffened in shock, then her body suddenly leaned forward heavily. Her two pale palms slammed onto the desk Reki faced as she bounced with excitement, practically leaping up. “—In that case! Th-Then! Then can my kin be returned to me!!?”
Reki’s smile, however, abruptly vanished. She suddenly focused her gaze on Elizabeth, that strange look almost questioning the girl’s wishful thinking. “Little White, do you remember the answer I gave you a month ago?”
“…Lady Reki said that if I brought ten thousand gold coins, you would return my kin to me. Is… is there a problem?”
Elizabeth asked, incredibly apprehensive.
“Yes, but I didn’t say all of them… just one of your kin, right?”
“…”
Elizabeth was dumbfounded. Her gaze at the Boss was one of complete bafflement.
Although playing word games was the most basic skill of a merchant, Elizabeth clearly hadn’t expected Sister Reki—who was willing to condescend and be so approachable, whom she saw as a great and kind person—to deceive her like this…
“Sister really can’t be a good person after all, can she…”
Reki looked somberly at the girl, stunned on the spot. Then, as if unable to bear her inner guilt, she sighed and spoke slowly.
“Do you know the price we paid to buy them from those people? —One hundred thousand gold coins per person.”
“Naturally, with numbers so rare they’re nearly extinct, possessing magic that ‘accelerates the growth of mineral veins simply by being around them,’ and even being strictly forbidden from harm or capture by national law, the Snow Kingdom’s national treasure, the ‘Crystal Companion White Mouse’ — indeed deserves such a price.”
Looking at Elizabeth, whose expression seemed petrified with despair and helplessness, Reki furrowed her slender brows in difficulty, shaking her head with a sigh.
“Forgive your sister for underestimating your determination…”
“I gave you a chance out of pity for your situation. Although I set the difficult demand of ten thousand gold coins, I never expected you would actually achieve it… But, my family also needs to eat, you know.”
“As a reward for meeting the demand… how about this? I will let you take one of your kin with you.”
As Reki spoke, she pushed the bag of gold coins, the jade box containing the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Sand, and the enchanted clothing on the table all back towards Elizabeth. She said softly, “These ten thousand gold coins, Sister doesn’t want them either.”
This was Reki’s greatest concession, allowing the Cloudstride Merchant Guild to suffer a massive loss of one hundred thousand gold coins for nothing.
She was under no obligation to do this.
Because it wasn’t Reki who pushed Elizabeth into the abyss. The real culprits were those humans who disregarded national law and brought a calamity upon the White Mouse Clan that was no less than total annihilation.
Elizabeth still stood there like a lifeless doll, her eyes completely vacant.
“You are her companion… her companion, right?” Reki turned her eyes away, unable to bear it, and said softly to the silent Weilin with a sigh, “Please comfort her well. There are still matters in the guild, so Reki will take her leave first.”
“Mm…”
As Weilin nodded, Reki had already risen. While walking towards the door, she instructed the black-dressed maid beside her without looking back, “Night has fallen, Black Bell. Arrange accommodations for our two guests and see to their care.”
“Yes, Lady Reki.”
——————————————
Weilin had always thought Elizabeth was deceived.
She was indeed deceived, but it was also a white lie Reki couldn’t bear to refuse outright.
And once Elizabeth scraped together the ten thousand gold coins, Reki had immediately fulfilled her promise: allowing Elizabeth to take back… one of her kin.
One hundred thousand gold coins, when converted by purchasing power, is equivalent to ten million in the Celestial Dynasty.
If she were in Reki’s position, Weilin wasn’t even sure she could have done better.
Guided by the maid “Black Bell,” Weilin brought Elizabeth to their resting place for the night.
This was a guest room within (on the top floor of) the Cloudstride Merchant Guild. The space was slightly small, the style refined and elegant, with lavish details showcasing the guild’s wealth visible everywhere. Fortunately, the bed was large… completely usable as a double bed for two people with boundaries to maintain.
Having experienced such a huge letdown and blow, Elizabeth would only have nightmares if she slept early.
“Chat for a bit?”
“Okay.” Sitting with Weilin by the window, Elizabeth forced out a smile.
“If you really can’t smile, don’t.”
“Sorry…”
“Why are you apologizing to me? If you want to apologize, apologize to Reki. Being willing to let the guild suffer a hundred-thousand-gold-coin loss so you can take back one of your kin… didn’t you also say you didn’t know her at all?”
“……” Elizabeth silently lowered her head. After a moment, she gritted her teeth, gathered her courage, and looked up to stare at Weilin. “…Big Sister, you should… be very rich, right?”
Having witnessed Weilin’s terrifying skills and high-grade ore reserves throughout the journey, Elizabeth finally couldn’t help but ask the question she was most curious about.
Weilin rolled her eyes. “Are you thinking of asking me to help you redeem all your kin, and you’d willingly work like an ox or a horse for me for life, or offer yourself in marriage?”
“…How does Big Sister… know…………”
“But what does my having money or not have to do with you? Why should I bankrupt myself to redeem people for you?”
Right…
They had only met today. Weilin had no obligation to help her from the start. Even if she had previously shown generosity that seemed like her family owned a mine, that was Weilin’s personal choice.
Besides, even at the original price of one hundred thousand gold coins per person, buying back all twenty-four would cost at least two million four hundred thousand. That probably really would make Sister go bankrupt (one hair from nine oxen)…
“What are your plans now?” Weilin looked towards the bright silver moon in the snowy night sky and asked.
“……” Elizabeth lowered her head and thought for a bit, then looked up towards that crescent moon as well. “First, bring Little Hong back. Together with Little Hong, we’ll work hard to mine and save money. Once we save enough, we’ll leave the Snow Kingdom and find everyone who was sold off, buying them back one by one… Just… I don’t know how long it will take to save up…”
“Well, don’t be so pessimistic. As long as you can quickly earn enough money, you’ll be able to buy all your kin back one day.”
Abruptly, Weilin’s eyes lit up, and she said with delight, “…Speaking of making money, I have a genius idea!”
Elizabeth asked in shock, “…Is there something more profitable than mining?”
“Tch, how could mere mining compare to the huge profits in this industry?”
Elizabeth was about to ask what the idea was when a familiar-looking black notebook suddenly appeared in mid-air in front of Weilin…
Behind Weilin, the tentacle-monster-like magic substitute coalesced again. Dozens of tentacles, wrapped around various colored brushes and fill pens, drew across the rapidly flipping pages at a speed invisible to the naked eye—a speed of afterimages of afterimages of afterimages, creating phantoms.
It’s a miracle that so many tentacles didn’t get tangled… No, it’s because it’s a magical substitute, so there’s no “physical obstruction.”
Five seconds later, the substitute vanished. Residual magic light held the notebook floating in mid-air.
Elizabeth swiftly snatched the doujinshi, her face flushing as if feverish as she quickly opened it to see what exactly was drawn.
“On the Divine Crystal Continent, male humans alone number in the tens of millions. This doesn’t even include other races like demi-humans, dwarves, and elves. All sapient males combined must be several hundred million, right…” While Elizabeth looked at her doujinshi, Weilin was already animated, speaking eloquently, madly trying to entice her. “Think about it. Suppose one volume sells for 10 gold coins. With a base of several hundred million, let alone one-thousandth, even if only one-ten-thousandth buys it, I could draw one volume in five seconds and earn hundreds of thousands of gold coins. This isn’t even doing business; robbing money isn’t as fast as this!”
“…………”
Elizabeth was blushing furiously reading it by herself, and it was unknown whether she even heard.
Compared to the “Humiliation of the Three Underground Demonic Beasts,” which was essentially an erotic feast, Elizabeth’s doujinshi only had herself performing X-acts with various props in various poses. The stimulation level… was undoubtedly much lower.
But the art skill was simply too amazing. Even Elizabeth’s solo act was filled with sensuality, making one unable to put it down.
Without looking at the doujinshi, Elizabeth wouldn’t have known she had such a “cute” side.
“Hmm… if it’s just you without any male elements, it won’t be a bestseller.” Weilin instructed, “Give the doujinshi back. I need to add male elements to the content.”
“No!” But Elizabeth clutched the doujinshi tightly to her chest, refusing with a face full of defiance. “…Even if this could really make money, even if it’s… just content in a manga, I… I don’t want to be humiliated!”
Weilin wore a playful smile and said slowly, “But if you don’t do this, your wish to buy back all your kin will really be a distant hope, you know?”
“Then replace the other person with you!”
The White Mouse Loli’s words, blurted out without changing expression, made Weilin sway heavily, almost tumbling out the window.
“…Replace… me? But I’m currently a fe……”
“…Only if it’s Big Sister as the target of such acts… Elizabeth… wouldn’t refuse.”
Weilin looked at her, surprised and bewildered.
Elizabeth also pursed her lips, meeting her gaze. Her eyes had a misty gleam but showed no sign of backing down. She was someone who, in order to bring out ten thousand gold coins in a month, dared to risk her life teetering on the edges of blizzard-swept peaks and canyon abysses. Her body and consciousness had collapsed several times, touched death, yet miraculously survived by the belief of redeeming her kin… Now, at this moment, right before her eyes, the determination Elizabeth displayed—and this realization of possibly liking and depending on someone—no one would be clearer or more resolute about it than her.
Perhaps the day she lost her identity as a “tour guide” would be the day she left.
Therefore, she had to be even more so.
So, she’s joined the Lily cult at such a young age? Girls these days, honestly…
In a daze, Weilin felt her eyes slightly stung by the burning light in the girl’s gaze and quickly averted her eyes, murmuring, “I value my reputation greatly. Don’t even think about dragging me into this.”
“Elizabeth… also doesn’t want Big Sister to think I’m that kind of person.”
“I’ve never thought of you that way.” Weilin sighed gently. “But you actually dared to say something like that just now. You must be exhausted today, your mind muddled.”
“I am a little tired, but I’m perfectly clear-headed right now.”
Weilin didn’t listen to her excuses. With a wave of her hand, she summoned a strange crystal stone from her personal space, containing a bewildering color within, floating in mid-air…
The moment Elizabeth saw this stone, her eyes showed wonder. She absolutely recognized it, but couldn’t recall it at the moment. Just as she tried hard to remember… the exhaustion of her entire body and mind surged up all at once. Then her eyes weakly closed, and her small body, drained of strength, slowly slumped down, caught in Weilin’s arms beside her.
[Good Dream Stone]
A fourth-tier ore that can dispel any worry or anxiety, allowing one to peacefully have a good dream.
“Sleep well. Tomorrow, everything will be better.”
She carried Elizabeth onto the bed and tucked her in.
Placing a Good Dream Stone beside Elizabeth’s head could maximize the effect of dispelling fatigue and stress. For a normal person using it sparingly, it could be used thirty times. Using it like Weilin did would deplete the Good Dream Stone’s magic power in just one night. This was something only doable if one’s family owned a mine.
————————
The night was already very deep, but Weilin did not go to rest. She quietly pushed open the door and found the night-shift maid.
“Take me to see Reki.”
The black-dressed maid, adorably and brightly dressed in Gothic Lolita style, was unmoved and refused.
“Sorry, Lady Reki has already retired. Furthermore, Lady Reki did not grant you the right to see her directly… unless Lady Reki wishes to see you.”
“I’ve heard a high-tier membership card allows you to see the Branch Guild Master directly?”
“Correct.” The maid nodded slightly, adding, “But there is one limitation: it must be during working hours. Only the higher-tier ‘Supreme Black Card’ grants the right to see the Branch Guild Master at any time.”
Weilin considered for a moment, then asked directly: “What’s the highest tier card? What are the requirements to obtain it?”
This maid had heard briefly about the two from Black Bell before taking over the night shift.
She clearly didn’t think this girl—who had been silently watching and doing nothing while her “partner” desperately needed help—had any qualification or reason to ask about matters far beyond her reach. But as a maid, she maintained due politeness and dutifully explained:
“The Cloudstride Merchant Guild membership cards have five tiers: ‘Low-Tier Copper Card,’ ‘Mid-Tier Silver Card,’ ‘High-Tier Gold Card,’ ‘Supreme Black Card,’ and ‘Cloudstride Celestial Card.’ Generally speaking, depositing the corresponding amount in the Cloudstride Merchant Guild will earn you the corresponding level of membership card.
Among them, the Cloudstride Celestial Card is the most special. The rule is that one must deposit 100 million gold coins in the Cloudstride Merchant Guild to obtain it—100 times that required for the Supreme Black Card.
As the requirement is truly too… outrageous, the Cloudstride Celestial Card is mostly used for political and diplomatic purposes. Therefore, their few owners are: some are close friends of that elusive Guild Master, some are high-ranking commanders of the Empire, some are Star Gods of the Federation. They are all either powerful beyond measure or standing at the peak of power… In the thousand-year history of the Cloudstride Merchant Guild, there has yet to be a single person who truly obtained a Cloudstride Celestial Card by depositing 100 million gold coins.”
Weilin nodded, slightly surprised.
However, the maid felt that Weilin’s “slight surprise” was more the normal reaction of being dumbfounded with shock, and found nothing amiss.
“Do you know what the most expensive currency on the continent is?” Weilin’s lips curled slightly in a sudden question.
The maid answered thoughtfully, “Pay-to-Win? …Rumor has it that the highest purity Pay-to-Win is worth 100 gold coins per gram.”
“No, it’s the Pay-to-Win Ingot.”
“Pay-to-Win… Ingot?!”
It wasn’t that the maid hadn’t heard of this almost epic-level noun. The reason she was stunned was that, as Weilin’s voice fell, a small rectangular crystal stone—with colors like black gold and glass, unlike anything she’d ever seen—floated before her eyes. It bloomed with a bewitching blue magical light that made one feel as if falling into a starry dream illusion.
“Crafted using the highest purity Pay-to-Win ore, forged into 1000g units, one Pay-to-Win Ingot is worth 100,000 gold coins.”
Weilin gave a light snap of her fingers. That Pay-to-Win Ingot, more stunning than a brief night-blooming cereus, abruptly vanished again. Yet the maid was unable to snap out of the previous shock for a long time.
Weilin leisurely stepped forward, leaning close to the maid’s ear. Her smile was radiant, whispering temptingly like a demon: “I have 1000 more Pay-to-Win Ingots just like that one~… But, the money is with me, and I can deposit it whenever I want. You can continue standing there stunned, and when I find Reki myself… then this matter will have absolutely nothing to do with you.”
“…Or, you could do this favor for me, introduce to the Branch Guild Master a historic tycoon noble using real gold and silver to create a Cloudstride Celestial Card. No need to mention illusory things like resume or future prospects. Just the commission from the performance alone… should be enough to equal a lifetime of hard work for you, right?”
The Gothic maid felt her adrenaline had never surged so fast. She seemed to be a child short on money and full of gratitude, for before leaving, she didn’t forget to hurriedly ask for the maiden’s name, her eyes glistening with emotion. Yet her voice was so agitated and excited that she stuttered incessantly.
“Ben… Benefactor……… I…… I can… know your name?”
“Of course, I’m called Lega Weilin.”
The girl’s smile was warm and approachable, without the slightest airs of a tycoon noble, making the Gothic maid feel like she was falling in love.
“Wei… Sister Weilin… Please wait one minute… No, just 30 seconds! Just 30 seconds, I’ll go pull Lady Reki out right away. Ah, right, a big figure like Sister Weilin probably can’t remember me… but… but, my name is Cailing! Cailing is off!”
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