The capital of the Odin Empire was incredibly prosperous.

  ?The nearest commercial street wasn't too far from Valoran Academy; the two of them only had to cross a couple of streets to reach their destination.

  ?After all, the students of Valoran Academy had considerable spending power, so the commercial street was built here partly to serve them.

  ?"Alisa, you came out this time to buy a weapon, right?"

  ?Loren walked beside Alisa, maintaining a perfect distance—neither too close nor too far—while his eyes wandered over the shops lining both sides of the street.

  ?"Mhm, the weapon I had last time broke when we were in the Magic Beast Forest, so I saved up a month's worth of money to buy a new one," Alisa said somewhat shyly, her hands clasped behind her back.

  ?It was her first time going shopping with a boy her age, and her jewel-like eyes carried a hint of bashfulness.

  ?"Was it that time..."

  ?Hearing her words, Loren couldn't help but recall when he met Alisa over a month ago. At the time, she was fighting a giant Fire Ape, and her excellent-grade longsword had been destroyed during that battle.

  ?"But waiting a whole month to buy it, is that okay?" Loren couldn't help but ask. The Battle Aura Department frequently had sparring sessions; not having a handy weapon wouldn't do.

  ?"Because I want to buy a magic weapon this time, I saved up for an extra month. Besides, using the academy's standard weapons is enough for regular training. This is to prepare for the midterm assessment," Alisa explained.

  ?Magic weapons were stronger and more durable than ordinary weapons, and they contained special powers. If Alisa had been wielding a magic weapon when she encountered the Fire Ape, there wouldn't have been any need for Loren to rescue her.

  ?"I couldn't tell you were a little rich lady, Alisa."

  ?Loren teased. There was a magic weapon setting in the game as well, and their prices were exorbitant; even the cheap ones cost tens of thousands of gold coins. Yet Alisa only needed to save for one month to afford one.

  ?"Not really, I still had to withdraw all my previous savings to have enough," Alisa said, a little embarrassed.

  ?Loren looked at the shy Alisa and couldn't help but smile. Having never been in a relationship before, Loren found that spending time with Alisa felt very comfortable.

  ?Even though he had ruthlessly choked Princess Ellie with his words earlier, it didn't mean Loren acted like that in front of every girl. He treated Ellie that way because he knew perfectly well that the girl was trying to use him. Toward people he was close to, Loren generally wouldn't go out of his way to antagonize them.

  ?"Ah, they're selling magic pets here, and they're all babies!" Suddenly spotting a stall selling magic beast cubs on the commercial street, Alisa's eyes lit up. Those fluffy little creatures were far too lethal to girls her age.

  ?As she spoke, Alisa couldn't resist crouching down in front of the stall. Pressing down her short skirt and keeping her knees together, her alluring legs wrapped in black silk stockings made the vendor stare blankly.

  ?Alisa didn't notice the seller's heated gaze; her attention was entirely captivated by the little magic beasts. Loren, on the other hand, shot the vendor a displeased look. After all, Alisa was his friend now.

  ?Stepping forward slightly, Loren blocked the seller's aggressive line of sight. Only then did the seller notice Loren's presence. He was initially about to frown in slight anger, but upon seeing the uniform that only Valoran Academy students could wear, he was immediately startled. Earlier, because he had been mesmerized by Alisa's alluring youthful curves, he hadn't immediately realized that she was also a student of Valoran Academy.

  ?Now that he snapped back to his senses, he didn't dare let his gaze wander over Alisa so brazenly. The name of Valoran Academy rang very loud in the imperial capital, and many of its students were either rich or noble. Ordinary factions absolutely dared not offend them.

  ?At this moment, Alisa was holding a few fluffy little magic beasts, teasing them with a very adorable smile on her face.

  ?A beautiful girl holding cute magic beasts—it was a highly picturesque scene.

  ?"Big Brother Loren, these magic beasts are so cute. What do you think if I buy one to raise at home?" Alisa asked, her face slightly flushed.

  ?"That's up to you. If your family won't say anything, there's no harm in buying one," Loren said nonchalantly. Come to think of it, no matter which world it was, girls simply had no resistance to fluffy things.

  ?"Young man, this pretty little sister must be your girlfriend, right? Look how much she wants one. Why don't you buy one for her to raise? These magic beasts have very strong vitality and are very easy to keep," the seller hurriedly chimed in.

  ?"I-I'm Big Brother Loren's girlfriend?" Hearing the seller's words, Alisa's face instantly turned bright red. Crouching on the ground, she barely dared to look at Loren's expression.

  ?Loren shot a speechless look at this guy who was so good at reading the wind, and asked, "Give me a price first. How much for one?"

  ?Although he wasn't short on money, Loren didn't want to let others take advantage of him so easily.

  ?Sensing that a deal was likely, the seller quickly quoted a price: "Five thousand gold coins!"

  ?Hearing this, Loren almost slapped the seller on the head. Five thousand gold coins? Did this guy think he was a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered?

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  ?"F-five thousand?" Alisa also opened her mouth in surprise, then hurriedly placed the cute magic beasts back on the ground. "Forget it, Big Brother Loren, let's go. These magic beasts are too expensive."

  ?She had only brought fifty thousand gold coins with her to buy magic equipment, and that was enough to buy a decent piece of magic gear. Even five thousand gold coins was enough to buy a very good excellent-grade weapon. Although Alisa was the dean's granddaughter and didn't usually lack money, spending five thousand gold coins on a decorative pet still made her reluctant.

  ?Seeing that Alisa was about to leave, the seller got a bit anxious. "Little sister, we took huge risks going into the Magic Beast Forest to capture these cubs. Those magic beasts don't keep their young by their side; they hide them in secret lairs. To find those lairs, we lost quite a few brothers. Five thousand gold coins for one cub is definitely not expensive."

  ?Alisa shook her head: "Even so, I don't want it. Five thousand gold coins for one is just too expensive. Even a slightly more expensive ordinary pet only costs a few hundred gold coins."

  ?"But these are precious magic beasts! Even the weakest magic beast possesses magic power, completely different from ordinary pets," the seller argued. "Once a low-level magic beast is raised to adulthood, it can have combat power on par with a Level 3 martial artist."

  ?"But..."

  ?Indeed, such a magic beast would be very precious to an ordinary person, but for someone like Alisa—who was destined to become a Level 6, Level 7, or even stronger martial artist in the future—it was practically useless.

  ?Loren, however, upon hearing the seller's words, had a rather strange expression on his face.

  ?"How about this, four thousand five hundred gold coins. Just four thousand five hundred gold coins. Young man, seeing how much your girlfriend likes these magic beasts, do you have the heart to see her sad?" The seller shifted targets, turning to Loren. "Just four thousand five hundred gold coins to make your girlfriend happy—that price should be absolutely worth it, right?"

  ?Loren looked at the seller cheerfully and said, "Five hundred gold coins. If you agree, I'll take it."

  ?The seller instantly refused: "Five hundred gold coins? Are you robbing me? Who knows what price my brothers paid for this litter of magic beast cubs! Five hundred gold coins is absolutely non-negotiable!"

  ?Alisa stood up and quietly tugged at the corner of Loren's shirt: "Big Brother Loren, let's forget it. We should just go."

  ?She also felt Loren had haggled too ruthlessly and felt a bit embarrassed, though she didn't blame him. After all, five thousand gold coins was indeed too expensive.

  ?Loren reached out and patted her soft hair. As Alisa's face burned with heat, he smiled faintly, then looked back at the seller. He said leisurely, "If what you're selling here are genuinely magic beast cubs with the potential to grow into Level 3 magic beasts, I wouldn't have a problem with five thousand gold coins. However..."

  ?Loren suddenly stopped speaking, and the seller seemed to realize something. Faint sweat broke out on his forehead, and he forced a stiff smile: "Little brother, what are you talking about? What I'm selling here is the real deal! Look at these little guys, bouncing around so lively. They'll definitely grow up well and won't die prematurely."

  ?Loren maintained his cheerful demeanor: "It seems I haven't made myself clear enough. In that case, I'll just put it bluntly. These magic beast cubs of yours..."

  ?"Wait, wait, little brother, I understand, I understand. You don't need to say anymore. Five hundred gold coins. Take this magic beast cub, let's just consider it me making a friend out of you," the seller said with an apologetic smile.

  ?He was already cursing up a storm in his heart. This kid was uncanny. Seeing Loren's fearless attitude, how could the seller not know that his trick had been seen through!

  ?There was indeed something wrong with the magic beast cubs he was selling. However, ordinary people couldn't tell, and he hadn't thought Loren and Alisa would be able to either. But now, he had dropped a rock on his own foot.

  ?"To be my friend, how is five hundred gold coins enough? Hand over five thousand gold coins, and I'll be your friend," Loren said with a frown.

  ?Seller: "???"

  ?This kid was truly shameless! The seller's face darkened considerably. If it weren't for the uniform Loren was wearing, he really would have felt like fighting him to the death.

  ?Loren looked at his expression and knew the timing was about right. So, he cleared his throat, preparing to shout. Seeing his posture, the seller panicked internally and could only endure the heartache: "I get it, five thousand gold coins, right? I'll give it to you right now."

  ?In the end, Alisa watched in astonishment as the seller, looking as if he were attending a funeral, handed a magic beast cub directly into her hands.

  ?"Big Brother Loren, how did you do that?" Watching Loren casually pocket the gold coin card, Alisa held the magic beast cub, still looking somewhat in disbelief.

  ?"I just threatened him. If he didn't give you a magic beast, I'd expose his trick to everyone," Loren said very calmly.

  ?"What trick?" Alisa was somewhat confused, while carefully cradling the fluffy magic beast cub.

  ?"What he's selling aren't real magic beast cubs at all, but inferior products artificially created by modifying ordinary beasts with magic power. Even when they reach maturity, they won't possess the combat power of a Level 3 martial artist," Loren explained.

  ?"Ah? You can even do that?" Alisa instantly revealed an expression of having been deceived, then couldn't help but look down at the magic beast cub in her hands.

  ?"Of course you can. But their tampering is quite covert. It takes at least a Level 4 Mage to see through their trick, and they wouldn't pick high-level mages as customers, so it's hard to be exposed," Loren said with a smile. "But my magic perception is passable, and I accidentally discovered their tampering. Although these fake magic beast cubs aren't as precious as real ones, they are still more valuable than ordinary pets. That's why I initially asked if he'd sell for five hundred gold coins. But since that guy refused to give me face, I didn't need to give him any face either."

  ?"Then Big Brother Loren... won't they just keep scamming people there?" Alisa asked hesitantly.

  ?"Yeah," Loren nodded. "But they scammed that money using their own abilities, so why make things difficult for them? Just consider those who got scammed as paying an intelligence tax."

  ?If that seller could hear his words right now, he might have coughed up blood on the spot. If you aren't going to make things difficult for me, then why did you extort five thousand gold coins from me?!

  ?"But..."

  ?Alisa wanted to say something else, but Loren cut her off: "And even if you wanted to do something about it now, it's already too late."

  ?Hearing this, Alisa quickly looked back and soon discovered that the spot where the stall had been was already completely empty...

  ?Thus, there was only silence.

  ?"This kind of thing is very common outside the academy." Seeing Alisa looking a bit down, Loren yawned and remarked. This girl had always been protected by many people and probably had absolutely no idea about the malice of the outside world.

  ?Right at this moment, a small figure wearing a tattered cloak suddenly rushed out from the crowd in a panic and crashed headlong into Loren. The impact wasn't too heavy, and Loren instinctively reached out to steady the little one so she wouldn't fall. In that instant, Loren caught a glimpse of a dirty but beautiful little face under the hood. When his eyes met those beautiful wine-red eyes, Loren was even momentarily distracted. But immediately, the little one shook off his hand and darted past him.

  ?A moment later, several burly men rushed over from that direction, fuming with anger: "Where did that damn thief go?"

  ?"Dammit, a demon thief! Don't let me catch you, or I'll definitely sell you to a brothel!"

  ?The burly men shouted angrily as they flashed past Loren, continuing their pursuit.

  ?Loren snapped back to his senses, suddenly realizing something. He reached into his pocket, only to discover that the gold coin card he had just pocketed had vanished into thin air!