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Chapter 10
X-X-X-X
Today we're training as usual, but well...I ran out of explosives and poisons so we were pushing through this using our own strength. The Odd Squad sacrificed Prince and forced him to take a few mobs while we tried to dispatch as many of the monsters as possible. I noticed a monster sneaking up on Miwa from behind, but was too slow when I appeared behind it, my sword going through the back of the neck through their throat. The body dropped and I ran my fingers through my hair.
"Miwa, you guys almost done? I'm bored of this place." I said stabbing another monster through the throat.
"Only you would say that!" Miwa shouted at me.
"Three o'clock." Miwa aimed in that direction without looking, blasting a monster in the face with a thunderbolt. I lunged for it, stabbing the heart. "This would be a lot faster if I had more bombs..." I muttered a bit annoyed.
"Shut up! I told you I would go with you to get everything! Yue! Seven!"
"Got it."
Miwa and I fought back to back, him stunning the enemies while I dealt the final blow. Once everything was done, I was about to check out the situation...until I got a message saying someone was attempting to wake me up. I released a groan, knowing it was Lee Xiao Xing. I checked the time...Four in the morning. Great.
"I got to log out now. Sorry about that, Miwa." I said ruffing my bangs.
"Now?" Miwa asked with a raised brow.
"Can't be helped. I need to return to the city today and deal with my new house." I snorted at this. "I'm the only 18 year old that's gets a house as an early graduation gift." I explained with a roll of my eyes.
"Fine, I got it." Miwa muttered clearly mad at this.
"You going to be on later on today?" Merlin asked curled around my neck.
"If I can. By the way, make sure Prince gets this." I tossed a bag to Lolidragon. "It's to create an instant smokescreen. I kept forgetting to pass along some to him. If he get really cornered, tell him to toss one onto the ground then book it. There's only five so tell him to be careful with those. They last about...twenty minutes. Later."
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"Ugh...coffee...now..."
"Yes, young master."
I drank three cups before I was in any condition to move. I went to bed early last night too! I ran my fingers through my hair before heading straight for the bathroom to shower. Lee Xiao Xing already had some clothing prepared for me, another suit...great. I let her handle my hair as I got dressed in only the slacks and dress shirt. I can handle the rest later. The woman styled my hair like before and I finished getting dressed.
"Young master, please use this for your own protection." Lee Xiao Xing helped me put on a shoulder strap...for a gun. "We obtained a proper permit for you, but this gun is ten times more powerful than the original model." Lee Xiao Xing warned me.
"Heh...?" I'd like to get a look at the designs then. "Get me the blueprints for it." I said grinning widely.
"If that is what you want."
"By the way..."
"Yes, young master?"
"Lee Xiao Xing, I am not my father so don't you dare look at me as if I am."
"!"
"I know that look anywhere. It's the same look those disgusting old men gave me when I entered the room. I'm not my father, I'm his daughter." I grabbed the necklace containing my parent's wedding ring. "I want that report...the one containing my parent's death by tomorrow."
"...Yes...young master."
"Also, get me the profile on all the assassins we have along with rival family and freelancers. I want to check something."
"Of course."
I'm unsure if I can even trust this woman. She's loyal to my uncle, yes, but can I trust her myself? I don't know anything about her. I have no idea why she's assigned to me, but I have to prove her loyalty towards myself. Depending on her actions...is what will decide whether or not I can trust her. She's practically my caretaker until we know that my life is safe, not too sure how I feel about that.
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I finally got back into Second Life in time...to find Doll and Miwa fighting for some odd reason. I didn't really care as I walked up to the two and I began hugging Miwa from behind with my face in the crown of his head. The male stuttered and began shouting at me, but I didn't care, I'm too stressed! I began to cry pathetically making him freeze up since my ears are pointed down and my tails are dejectedly laying limp behind me.
"Y-Yue...?" Miwa asked hesitantly.
"Miwaa...! I hate old men the most...!" I cried not moving an inch.
"G-Get off me first!"
"No way...! I'm so stressed out right now..." I lifted my head up only to place my chin on his head instead. "Miwa, do you think I can find a way to kill someone without leaving a trace of evidence?"
"What the hell happened to you?!"
"I almost got attacked by courtesans..." I hugged Miwa tighter as I received more than a few shocked looks. "I wasn't told that when I return to my newly refurbished house that some meddling old men had prepared some women for me...do I look that much like a playboy? I'm not like that stupid thief!"
"Hey!"
"Despite how I look, I'm still a woman...!"
"EH?!"
"NO WAY!"
"YOU'RE A WOMAN?!"
"Doll knew so I figured she told you guys." I pointed at Doll as Prince, Gui, Lolidragon, and Wolf stared at me in shock. Yu Lian was passive so I assumed she figured it out eventually. "I just have a manly face."
"You kill the courtesans?"
"No way! My current caretaker tossed them out, I had to physically stop her from firing her gun at them!"
"That woman who picked you up?"
"She's very protective. After that, the two of us had to sweep the place for bugs. I made enemies within the family by insulting their prides."
"Keh, they deserve it then...also, how long do you intend on hugging me?! Let go!"
"Miwa was the perfect size though." I released him before moving onto Doll. "Doll, remain small and cute forever. Actually, do you want to be my cute little sister?"
"Can I play with your tails whenever I like?"
"Go ahead. Ah, right, the tournament is in two days. Today, is the last day I train you guys. I got business with my usual suppliers tomorrow so I can't help you guys train anymore. That being said, please return all the poisons and bombs I gave to you guys by the end of the day. If you guys use those in the tournament then I'll end up swamped with requests or harassed to give them up to other players."
"Why would they harass you?"
"I'm the only person in the entire game that uses a wide range of bombs and poisons. If they find out that I gave you guys those, do you know how many teams would end up trying to recruit me? I prefer doing things at my own pace and not tied down! I like my freedom, thank you very much!"
It took a while to take everything back once the day ended...mostly because Lolidragon refused to give them up so easily. I was really good at keeping track of how much I gave them and how much they had used. It also helped Merlin kept a list himself so we knew who didn't give up everything. I decided to state the price of the materials and costs of everything...and reminding Yu Lian that I did help them for free so if Lolidragon didn't give them up I'll make the Odd Squad pay for everything they used. The woman was quick to get everything out of Lolidragon upon hearing the price while everyone else was slightly pale with how much money they would have had to pay if I charged them for everything they used.
"I-Is that the actual price...?" Prince asked hesitantly.
"Hm...no, actually that's just the price of the materials themselves. If I was to include the production time spent then it'd easily be four or five times more. Don't get me started on the rarity of my product." I answered checking out the poisons and bombs I took back.
"F-Four or five...!" Prince gasped his soul almost leaving his body.
"Yu Lian, thanks for your help. In return please take this as a token of my gratitude." I placed a small fancy perfume bottle into her hand. "It's a new product I made thanks to your help with gathering materials. It's a new perfume I made. It will help boost your Intelligence and Magical Output for half an hour for just one spray. You can sell it for a pretty penny since it's one of a kind and I have no intent on selling this to anyone I don't trust. The only thing I ask is that you don't use it in the tournament." I said smiling at the woman.
"How much would this cost if we were to sell it?"
"Let me see." I pulled out a pen and paper. I began making calculations based on the materials from the perfume itself to the container. Then production time...and then the effects itself. I showed the woman the piece of paper. "Around this much? Maybe one or two more digits."
"So you trust me enough to give me this?"
"It's more of a business negotiation. You see, once someone has my trust, I'll give them a friend discount. So you'd get this price instead." I cut out some of the production time and material price. "So try not to betray my trust. I'd know instantly if you used my product in the tournament. This nose isn't just for show after all."
"Of course."
"That being said...Miwa! I got one for you too!"
"I don't want those fucking girly perfumes of yours!"
"Come on! I made a super cool bottle for you too!"
"I don't want it! Your perfumes smell like they're meant for women!"
"It's a different type of perfume!"
"No way!"
"Come on! Just one spray!"
"I refuse!"
"Hold still!"
"Gyah!"
"Hm! As I thought, these effects are perfect for you."
"What effects?"
"These are specifically made for mages who uses lightning! You can use this in your training tomorrow. It should last half an hour per spray."
"How long have you been trying to make this?"
"Hm...three days?"
"This kind of shit takes weeks for normal craftsmen, you know this right?!"
"It's not like I meant to make it! I was trying to make a new lure, but I made this perfume instead! That being said, I'll be headed to the closest mountain range for a few days after the tournament. So if you need me, contact me through Miwa or Wicked since I shall be unable to answer any PMs."
"We're both going to end up dead probably a few dozen times." Merlin was stretched out along my neck as usual. "If my fur ends up with static then you better take care of it."
"Yes, yes."
"Where the hell are you going that's going to take a few days?!"
"I'm going to take a few days in the mountain before heading for another continent. I got wind of a rumor how the eastern continent has some interesting plants you can't get in this continent. I need a bulk load of materials to make my bombs and stuff."
"Fine, I get it..."
"Miwa? Something wrong?" I tilted my head looking at his face curiously. "You mad at me or something? Come on, if it's about the time those guys were hitting on you because you looked like a girl and I pretended to be your boyfriend then I'm sorry, but do you seriously want to end up in jail at the-ow!"
"That's not it at all, you idiot!"
"That hurts! Why'd you hit me with your staff?!"
"You...forget it, I'll call you in the morning."
"Okay, okay...sheesh...I got to log out now. I got another meeting with a contractor today."
Miwa was acting weird nowadays. I wonder if it's because we haven't been in a party together. In all the other games we've played, the two of us always played on the same party. Well, I guess that's normal...after all...I need to create some distance between us from now on. I don't want to endanger his life...because he's my best friend.
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Chapter 10 Ends
Yue's a very loyal person to the point she's even willing to break her friendship with someone if it means protecting them. With her being in the underworld, it's somewhat expected she wants to create somewhat of a distance between herself and Miwa, in order to protect him. Yue's also very good at negotiations, something needed in her line as a craftsmen and businesswoman in the gaming world. While she's a big spender some days, Merlin is the one who holds the purse strings to avoid the two going broke. Welp! That's all! Bye-bye~!