All the way there, Sephina rested her hand against the carriage window, gazing at the scenery outside.
Lin Shu glanced at her; those beautiful eyes were now filled with heaviness.
Though her gaze was fixed outside, her thoughts must have wandered a thousand miles away.
Liya’s iron fist had struck down, causing great losses to the Drago family.
Repairs for the shops, follow-up operations—everything required money.
Although the Drago family still had some accumulated wealth for now, if they didn’t quickly find new sources of funding, everything would soon grind to a halt.
No money, no power.
Lin Shu sighed inwardly. Whether in the original world or this other one, reality is always this harsh. Capital, you win.
“Master?” Lin Shu gently called out to Sephina.
“Mm?” Sephina returned to herself. “What is it, little cutie?”
“The Teps family has always had poor relations with the tribes to the north of the Demon Realm. Maybe there’s a chance to cooperate with them?” Lin Shu shared what she knew.
“I’ve been thinking about that too, but if we want to cooperate, the family has to put up some capital to show our sincerity.”
“But right now…” Lin Shu’s words were cut off by a loud “gurgle.”
It came from her own stomach.
“S-sorry.” Lin Shu quickly covered her protesting belly.
How could I be hungry so soon? I clearly ate something before coming here.
Could it be, just now in battle, that controlling [Rose Briar] had used up too much energy?
Sephina also noticed, and she smiled warmly. “Just rest for now, little cutie. When we get to the tavern, I’ll have them bring you something to eat.”
Not long after, the carriage reached the other end of the capital.
The tavern was quite large, two stories high, but it had also been trashed by rioters.
The staff were cleaning up the mess, and the manager was directing them to clear the shattered windows.
Sephina went up and spoke with the manager. Soon, she returned with several packets of dried meat.
“Here you go, little cutie.” Sephina handed Lin Shu a few pieces of jerky. “Thanks for your hard work in the battle earlier.”
“Thank you, Master.” Lin Shu accepted the demonfolk’s special jerky, feeling warmth in her heart.
Standing up for her in front of the demonfolk, and now this timely concern—Sephina truly kept her in a special place in her heart.
Lin Shu took a small bite of the jerky. The unique meat aroma slowly spread as she chewed.
Suddenly, she felt that things like “farming wish points” could wait.
Now, she wanted even more to truly do something to help Sephina through this crisis, to repay this kindness.
Just then, the cat tail that had been quietly wrapped around her wrist suddenly moved.
Hm?
Lin Shu raised her hand and saw the tip of the tail abruptly perk up, tracing a circle in the air before pointing in a certain direction.
“What does… this mean?”
Not knowing if the tail could understand, Lin Shu asked it.
Seeing her unmoving, the tail seemed a bit anxious. It gently tugged at the inside of her wrist, then gestured again in that same direction.
Is it telling me to go that way?
Lin Shu hesitantly took a few steps in the direction the tail indicated. The tip of the tail stiffened even more excitedly, as if urging her onward.
Could it be that the tail’s owner is calling it?
Lin Shu glanced back at Sephina and saw she was still talking to the manager.
Alright, I’ll just be away for a little while, and I won’t go too far. Plus, with my combat skills, nothing should go wrong.
She continued forward.
Sephina, still in conversation, caught sight of Lin Shu leaving out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze sharpened, and she quickly gave a couple of instructions.
Guided all the way by the tail, Lin Shu walked along the street.
Luckily, there weren’t many demonfolk on this road.
She noticed the tail growing more and more impatient—it seemed that what it was searching for was very close by.
At the corner at the end of the street, Lin Shu was still focused on the tail when she turned the corner…
“Thud!”
“Yowch!”
Lin Shu collided head-on with a “person,” who yelped in surprise.
“Damn meow-meow! Which blind idiot dares bump into me!” The voice across from her was childish but extremely irritable.
Lin Shu clutched her bumped chest and looked down.
Before her stood a short girl, appearing only about ten years old in human terms.
She wore a lavish puffy dress, with long silver hair tied up in ribbons.
The little loli puffed her cheeks angrily and looked up. Only then did Lin Shu notice her eyes were heterochromatic—her right eye a clear green, her left a bright blue.
But most startling of all, her skin was utterly bloodless, an eerie shade of ashen white.
A… zombie!
The zombie loli cradled a cat in her arms. The cat, too, had heterochromatic eyes, its fur jet black except for the white paws.
And right in the center of the black cat’s forehead was a mark Lin Shu found all too familiar.
Eh? Hakimi, you’re a familiar too?!
The cat in her arms suddenly stood up, sniffed toward Lin Shu, and let out a low “meow~.”
“What is it, Caicai?” The little loli noticed her cat’s behavior. “You smell something? Is your tail with her?”
The tail!
Seeing the cat named “Caicai” had a broken tail, Lin Shu finally confirmed—the tail wrapped around her wrist belonged to this cat!
The black cat let out a “meow,” and the tail around Lin Shu’s wrist loosened, flying back to the cat and flopping gently against its body.
“So it really was! Meow! I’ve searched half the capital and couldn’t find it—how did the tail end up stuck with you?”
The little loli muttered irritably, raising her head to look at Lin Shu. Suddenly, her heterochromatic eyes lit up:
“A human, and you’re actually a familiar?!”
Clearly, she’d noticed the mark on Lin Shu’s forehead.
She darted in close, her chubby cheeks filling Lin Shu’s field of vision. “Wow, ninety-nine percent rare, huh!”
“Little cutie.”
Sephina’s voice came from behind, her hand resting on Lin Shu’s shoulder.
“Master.” Lin Shu stepped aside to give her room.
When Sephina saw who stood before Lin Shu, she paused for a moment, then gracefully bowed:
“Delighted to meet you, Lady Daphne. I am Sephina Drago.”
The little loli lifted her delicate chin and waved her hand. “Hello, hello, no need to be so formal. I don’t care about etiquette.”
“Master, who is she?” Lin Shu asked in confusion.
“She’s a renowned businesswoman among the demonfolk, traveling all over the Demon Continent making deals,” Sephina explained.
Lin Shu was stunned, then quickly bowed as well.
A businesswoman!
No wonder her familiar cat is called “Caicai”—so it really is a lucky cat.
But… Lin Shu couldn’t help glancing again at Daphne’s tiny stature and childish face.
So young, yet handling such big business? If she’s a zombie, could it be…
Noticing Lin Shu’s thoughts, Sephina leaned close and whispered in her ear, “Don’t be fooled by Daphne’s appearance. She’s actually been alive for almost a thousand years now.”
Eh? Eh?!——