“President, when can I expect the payment for this mission to be deposited?” Aya Tone inquired cautiously, noting that Fire Finch had ceased pressing her about her past mistakes.
Xiao Jiu’s formula seemed to be running perilously low, necessitating an immediate replenishment of their dwindling supply.
However, the particular brand of formula Little Aya Jiu consumed was anything but inexpensive.
Its primary ingredient originated from a species known as the Empress Vine, found exclusively within a particular S-rank dungeon, further enhanced by the addition of numerous rare supplementary materials.
Compounding its exclusivity, the manufacturing process proved exceedingly intricate, plagued by a substantial failure rate, which inevitably led to an extremely limited annual output.
It was solely due to Aya Tone’s status as one of Z Nation’s rare S-rank powerhouses, and her subsequent conferral with the title of General, that she possessed the official channels required to procure it.
This particular formula was prized not only for its ability to provide copious nutrition for a child’s development but also for its subtle yet profound capacity to enhance their physical constitution.
As humanity delved ever deeper into the mysteries of ability awakening, new insights emerged.
Scholars had conducted extensive research, revealing a direct correlation between the potency of an awakened ability and an individual’s innate physical constitution.
Establishing a robust foundation during infancy, therefore, significantly increased the likelihood of manifesting a high-tier ability upon reaching adulthood and undergoing awakening.
This fundamental understanding was precisely why certain influential families would hazard allowing their progeny to enter dungeons prematurely, seeking to absorb the inherent energies.
The ambient energies within dungeons possessed the remarkable capacity to bolster the human physique, a benefit mirrored, albeit more gently, by the effects of the specialized formula.
Moreover, consuming this formula offered an undoubtedly safer and more benign alternative to venturing into a dungeon, granting infants a crucial head start in their development.
Each appearance on the black market invariably incited a maelstrom of contention, with its price often skyrocketing to an astonishing million per box.
The sheer thought of it bordered on the outrageous.
Thankfully, Aya Tone was oblivious to such inflated black-market prices; possessing her own legitimate channels, she would never permit her daughter to be outmatched by others.
‘It’s merely money, after all,’ she mused. ‘This business trip should yield a substantial sum, more than enough to cover the expenses.’ ╭(╯^╰)╮
[Aya Tone, radiating an aura of casual wealth: This time, I’m buying half a year’s supply!]
“What’s the rush?” Fire Finch retorted with an irritable huff. “It will be deposited into your account naturally once everything has been thoroughly tallied.”
‘A man so miserly certainly won’t attract any women,’ she grumbled internally.
Come to think of it, Fire Finch truly couldn’t recall seeing any women around Aya Tone when he was in his male form, Little Aya Jiu naturally excluded.
It appeared this man possessed little to no social circle beyond his own daughter.
His entire social sphere revolved around Little Aya Jiu; indeed, the only female he seemed to interact with was Little Aya Jiu’s class teacher.
‘Tsk, another doting father…’
Fire Finch found herself involuntarily recalling her own father.
“No money…” The mere mention of money caused Aya Tone to turn her face away, her complexion instantly paling to an ashen hue.
‘The formula is simply too exorbitant…’
“…”
“I wonder whose fault that is…” Fire Finch slapped the table, casting an annoyed glare at Aya Tone.
She genuinely felt she had nothing more to say on the matter.
Aya Tone offered a sheepish smile, acknowledging that, in truth, the blame indeed rested squarely upon her shoulders.
Yan’an City, home to the Vermilion Bird Guild’s headquarters, was also one of the rare cities that had once seen the emergence of an S-rank dungeon.
As for why the past tense was necessary? That was a tale fraught with complications.
During the initial commendation ceremony, an individual, blissfully unaware of the profound implications of an S-rank dungeon, had, in a burst of zealous fervor, unilaterally conquered the entire instance.
Consequently, Yan’an City was relegated to the status of a place where an S-rank dungeon had *once* existed, which, incidentally, was also why Aya Tone was permitted to leave Yan’an City at her leisure.
The disappearance of the S-rank dungeon had, at the time, sent shockwaves through countless individuals, encompassing figures from every conceivable sector.
Contemporary reports claimed that a brilliant star had streaked across the heavens, obliterating Yan’an City’s formidable high tower.
While soloing an S-rank dungeon was an extraordinary feat in itself, the true tragedy lay in the fact that S-rank dungeons were meant to be inexhaustible mines of precious materials.
Its unilateral conquest had inflicted immense economic losses upon Yan’an City, both directly and indirectly.
The sole silver lining was that they no longer needed to live in constant dread of potential uprisings emanating from the dungeon.
Furthermore, the one who had cleared the dungeon was, inexplicably, an adorable white-haired loli, which tempered the outrage of Yan’an City’s citizens, preventing them from overly condemning Aya Tone.
With the notable exception of Yan’an City’s higher echelons, of course…
“Or perhaps I just didn’t realize the contract stipulated that half of the S-rank dungeon’s revenue belonged to me…” Aya Tone muttered under her breath.
“…”
Just as Fire Finch prepared to utter another retort, a sudden spatial fluctuation within the room seized the attention of both individuals.
“Tone! I found you…”
The space directly behind Aya Tone shimmered with sudden ripples, from which a pair of slender hands emerged, swiftly encircling her in a tight embrace.
“What the—Li Jia!”
Startled by the abrupt embrace, Aya Tone gasped, her body involuntarily tumbling backward, straight into a plush, ample bosom.
Within the Vermilion Bird Guild, the only individual capable of employing teleportation magic, apart from Aya Tone herself, was Li Jia, the formidable spatial mage.
A single moment of inattention had proven her undoing, allowing Li Jia to catch her utterly unawares.
“Tone… Hahahaha!”
Li Jia’s form fully materialized from the shimmering space, and as she gazed at Aya Tone ensnared in her embrace, an uncontrollable, maniacal laughter erupted from her lips.
That terrifying peal of laughter sent shivers down Aya Tone’s spine, leaving her momentarily paralyzed, unsure whether to move or remain still.
Hesitantly, she ventured, “Li Jia, are you… alright?”
Despite her query, Li Jia’s appearance suggested anything but ‘alright.’
“Am I alright?”
Upon hearing Aya Tone’s question, Li Jia reacted as if she had just heard the most uproarious joke.
Tilting her head, her eyes wide with a disturbing intensity, she mumbled unconsciously, “Am I alright? Am I alright?”
“Of course I’m alright! I’m perfectly fine, thank you very much!”
As Li Jia recalled the previous night, spent ravenously waiting for Aya Tone to return and satiate her hunger, a tremor of indignation involuntarily ran through her.
No, she was perfectly fine, of course.
It was Aya Tone who was about to have problems.
‘This utterly unreliable scoundrel!’
She had waited an entire afternoon, yet this ‘big pig’s trotters’ had vanished after leaving and never returned.
It was only when she finally enlisted someone to track her down that she discovered Aya Tone had already boarded a plane back to Yan’an City at one o’clock that very afternoon.
‘One in the afternoon!!!’
This meant she had been foolishly waiting in the hotel for the entire afternoon.
So enraged was Li Jia that she had immediately booked an overnight flight back, without even a morsel of dinner!!!
“Li Jia, perhaps you could release me first? This embrace is quite uncomfortable,” Aya Tone pleaded in a hushed tone.
She was unaccustomed to such close proximity.
Her transformed female body was not particularly tall, and being held in this manner caused the back of her head to sink directly into Li Jia’s ample chest.
The faint, milky fragrance that enveloped her sent an unsettling jolt through her very soul, feeling almost like a potent toxin.
‘If I lean in any further, I’ll surely perish!’
Aya Tone shuddered at the thought of Li Jia discovering her true male gender in the future; the consequences were simply too terrifying to contemplate.
“Dream on!” Li Jia, having finally succeeded in cornering Aya Tone, had no intention of releasing her so easily.
Subconsciously, she tightened her embrace, pulling Aya Tone even more snugly against her chest.
“What the hell!” Aya Tone’s mind instantly reeled from the unexpected pressure, causing her to miss whatever Li Jia uttered next.
“Unless you introduce Xiao Jiu to me, I won’t release you!”
Li Jia’s reasoning was straightforward: since Fire Finch refused to disclose Aya Tone’s address, she merely needed to befriend Aya Tone’s daughter.
From there, she could naturally follow the trail and uncover Aya Tone’s whereabouts.
‘Heh, one shouldn’t underestimate her resourcefulness.’
“What?”
Before Aya Tone could even voice a refusal, Fire Finch, who had been observing the spectacle with keen interest, interjected on her behalf: “Absolutely not!”
“Absolutely not!!”
****