A Sweet Deal and a Salty Situation

The same dessert shop, the same two people.

Outside, Wangcai barked incessantly, clearly having recognized Aya Tone, the villain who had chipped its teeth!

“Don’t be shy, Vice Principal. Whatever you want to eat, it’s on me.”

Honestly, the desserts here were truly exceptional.

Aya Jiu had absolutely loved what she brought back last time.

And with that useless, barking dog outside, Aya Tone had headed straight here after leaving the branch.

Li Jia hummed softly, her gaze fixed on the transfer details on her phone, lost in thought.

It displayed a single transfer notification.

The six digits before the decimal point indicated a substantial sum.

This, undoubtedly, was the income from selling that bag of ore.

She recalled how, not long ago, after encountering Aya Tone at the guild, the girl had pulled her aside and handed her a bag of ore.

Aya Tone had asked her to help sell it.

And now, this was the result.

“Don’t you like it?”

Seeing Li Jia still hesitant, Aya Tone couldn’t help but feel a little confused.

The ice cream here was delicious.

Generous portions, never cloying, and so many toppings—the boss was truly a paragon of integrity in the industry.

….

Li Jia was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice immediately.

Just then, the owner emerged from the kitchen, carrying three neatly packaged desserts.

He gently placed them on the table.

His gaze settled on Aya Tone. “Are you Sister Li’s friend?”

Aya Tone considered this. The other party had done her a huge favor, so it probably counted.

She nodded calmly.

In the owner’s eyes, she saw no hint of surprise.

It seemed he hadn’t paid much attention to adventurer news.

Otherwise, he couldn’t possibly not recognize her.

She wasn’t concealing her identity at all right now.

Seeing the cute young girl nod in affirmation, the owner enthusiastically offered, “Since you’re a friend Sister Li brought, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount.”

With just two sentences, she saved several yuan.

What else could she do?

Even Aya Tone felt a touch of embarrassment, her usual aloof expression softening slightly.

“No need for a discount. Vice Principal Li has helped me a great deal; I can’t let you lose money.”

If Li Jia hadn’t helped her dispose of the ore today, Aya Tone would have struggled to explain its origin to Fire Finch.

If it were deemed dungeon loot, wouldn’t the several hundred thousand yuan plummet to a mere one hundred and fifty thousand?

She would be losing a fortune.

By transferring the money twice, it would no longer be considered dungeon loot.

Wouldn’t that then fall outside the contract’s restrictions?

She truly was a genius.

Seeing her persistent refusal, the owner found it difficult to insist further.

This person was, after all, Sister Li’s friend. If he angered her, it might make things difficult for Sister Li.

After a few brief pleasantries, Aya Tone checked the time and rose to bid farewell.

Having made an extra trip with a few others today, the horizon was already painted with crimson hues.

Vehicles on the street were growing denser; it was already rush hour.

But it didn’t matter.

She wouldn’t have to squeeze onto the high-speed rail.

Soon after Aya Tone departed, Li Jia also rose to return to the stronghold.

Yet, she still couldn’t fathom why Aya Tone had entrusted her to submit that storage bag and sell the ore within.

It seemed like an unnecessary step…

****

“Ah~~mwah~~”

It was another bright, sunny day, perfect weather for sun-drying salted fish.

If no one blocked the sun, the salted fish would surely be delighted.

Right, Li Jia?

Aya Tone lay sprawled on the living room rug, gazing resentfully at Li Jia, who had dropped by bright and early.

“Don’t you need to seclude yourself to control your inner magic?”

With Li Jia here, he felt awkward retreating to his bedroom to play games.

If you were to ask why he didn’t play in front of Li Jia…

Well, frankly…

Not all games were suitable for public viewing…

“Uncle Ao said this isn’t something that can be rushed. Without the Azure Dragon Armor’s assistance, it might take me three months to perfectly control my magic.”

Li Jia sat on the sofa, with Big White perched rigidly beside her.

‘Couldn’t move, dared not move.’

Aya Tone: “…”

“Then why aren’t you hurrying to find your brother? Three months and the food will be cold!”

Time was money; this was practically financial ruin and self-destruction!

Oh, you’re committing suicide?

Then never mind.

Li Jia seemed unconcerned by Aya Tone’s words.

In Ao Yu’s words, he hoped Li Jia could remain hidden for a while.

After the turmoil in the Imperial Capital subsided, all traces would vanish in the storm.

By then, few people would pay attention to the appearance of an S-grade fruit in the Demon Capital, and her identity would officially shift into the shadows.

After all…

At the time, to lure out the spies hidden in the Demon Capital, Ao Yu had essentially leaked the fruit’s information to all suspects.

It was a net-casting strategy.

Bait, naturally, could not be scarce.

The more bait laid out, the higher the chance of fish taking the hook.

And during this period, it was best for her to stay by Aya Tone, the idle witch.

Not only could she protect him, but it also served as a layer of disguise.

—the pigskin covering a tiger.

“So why did you come to me?”

“Uncle Ao told me to come and learn some identity-concealing skills from you.” She deliberately emphasized the word ‘concealing’.

She still held a grudge against Aya Tone for deceiving her for over two years, an unforgettable slight!

To think a friend she had worked with for so long hadn’t been honest.

Hmph!

“…Miss Li, perhaps you could stop petting for a moment and eat something?” Big White, not daring to move an inch, timidly spoke up.

It truly couldn’t handle this Miss Li Jia.

Her gaze was far too blatant, completely undisguised, as if she were looking at a lamb awaiting slaughter.

“I’m not hungry yet, and besides, I’m already enjoying a delicious meal.”

As she spoke, she pulled Big White into her embrace, an impudent hand stealthily reaching for Big White’s waist.

She was enjoying herself, but Big White was suffering.

Having inherited its master’s height, it was utterly powerless before Li Jia; its struggles looked more like playful coyness.

‘My master is right here, so why are you grabbing me?’

‘It shouldn’t have appeared in this room at all.’

Li Jia’s ravenous demeanor made Aya Tone, lying on the floor like a salted fish, freeze rigid with alarm.

His body rigid!

With lingering trepidation, he shrank back into the corner.

This was utterly terrifying.

All he could do was silently pray for Big White.

‘It’s not that your master doesn’t want to save you, it’s mainly that he’s afraid of getting himself dragged in too.’

He understood the principle of ‘better a dead fellow Taoist than a dead poor me’ all too well.

Ultimately, it was Big White who claimed it was getting late and that it needed to go out to buy groceries, only then did Li Jia reluctantly release her grip.

Aya Tone: “???”

“No!”

“It’s still early outside! Big White, what are you trying to do!”

Until a soft sound came from the doorway…

“No! Wait, wait!”

“Big White, if you leave, won’t that leave just Li Jia and me alone?”

“Things are going to go wrong!”

“Aya~”

‘Illusion! No one is speaking!’

Aya Tone closed his eyes and turned away, trying to self-hypnotize himself into not facing Li Jia.

There was no other way…

Ever since he realized something was off about Li Jia, he had become a coward.

Wielding spatial slashes with each hand, she didn’t look like a good person by any stretch.

Now, he suspected she might even be a lolicon, raising her danger level even higher.

“Aya…” Li Jia’s voice grew clearer, tinged with laziness and coquettishness.

So clear… as if she were right behind him??

What the heck?

Aya Tone’s eyes snapped open, meeting a pair of playful, dark eyes.

“Awake now?”

“You, you, you… I’m warning you, don’t get handsy.” Remembering Big White’s recent ordeal, his voice trembled involuntarily.

Still, this was his home; he couldn’t let his resolve waver.

“Don’t think just because I’m a mage that I don’t know a thing or two about martial arts.”