“Buy, buy, buy… equipment… isn’t that good… Li Si, I…”
Lili Ya hugged the worn-out staff in her arms, looking at the bustling commercial street, a little flustered.
She never thought someone would be so good to her.
Not only giving her a place to stay, but also bathing her, sleeping with her, and waking up early to make her breakfast.
This feeling was like a goddess descending beside her.
She knew Li Si was a good person, but never imagined she could be this good.
‘Super gentle, super considerate, super… fragrant!’
Last night, when she slept on a bed for the first time, she was very nervous.
The soft mattress made her uncomfortable, and coupled with the noisy broadcast outside, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
She originally wanted to go sleep on the floor, which she was used to, but Li Si heard the commotion.
Not only did she come to check on her, but she also moved into the room to sleep together.
In Li Si’s embrace, Lili Ya felt an unprecedented sense of security, and so she fell asleep.
Lili Ya felt that was the most comfortable sleep of her life.
She was already very satisfied with this and was truly grateful to Li Si.
If Li Si also bought her equipment, she wouldn’t know how to repay her.
Lili Ya didn’t even dare to ask Li Si why she was doing this, afraid of being abrupt with this kindness she had never experienced before.
“Alright, don’t be modest. I should have told you last night, this is a transaction. You don’t need to feel burdened.”
Li Si took Lili Ya’s hand and stepped into the equipment shop.
On the adventurer’s panel, a prompt that had been flashing all night slowly scrolled by.
[Lili Ya Recognition +5%]
[Lili Ya Affection +5%]
The logic for increasing recognition and affection was very clear.
Being good to Lili Ya increased recognition; being close to Lili Ya increased affection.
And the fastest way to get close was through intimate, permitted physical contact.
Li Si glanced at her right hand, which was casually holding Lili Ya’s wrist.
Her long, slender fingers wrapped around Lili Ya’s delicate wrist bones.
Although Lili Ya’s face showed no concern, her body was very honestly bursting with affection.
Li Si had taken the opportunity to farm a lot of affection like this while sleeping last night.
‘I have to say, the Kind Mother’s talent is really easy to farm. In just one night, affection is almost maxed out. And from last night to this morning, just bathing, sleeping, and cooking increased recognition to 50%. At this rate, a few more days with Lili Ya and I can earn back all the Child Coins I owed from those heroines over the past three months.’
In Li Si’s eyes, Lili Ya was no longer a person now, but a gold mine.
Oh no, a Child Coin mountain!
“Hmm? Isn’t that Lili Ya?”
Inside the equipment shop, the clerk immediately recognized Lili Ya.
After all, Border Town wasn’t large, and the commercial street was the only place for stalls.
The incompetent priest Lili Ya often set up a stall here to make a living.
Occasionally, when she was revived at the nearby Holy Hall, adventurers who had been in parties with her and suffered would chase her with swords.
It could be said that Lili Ya was very famous in the commercial street, even in Border Town, surpassing even the recently popular princesses and saintesses.
Oh, and that dictator.
Seeing that Lili Ya was accompanied by a top-tier silver-haired beauty, the clerk kindly warned, “Esteemed adventurer, the one beside you is the famous incompetent priest Lili Ya. Her abilities are very poor. Investing in her will yield nothing.”
Li Si didn’t even look at the clerk.
She only tightened her grip on Lili Ya’s hand.
She quickly scanned the equipment in the shop.
She had already planned what to buy before coming.
The equipment of the Kingdom of Minos was divided into three parts: full body armor, neck talisman, and handheld weapon.
All three parts would wear out depending on usage.
Lili Ya was wearing the novice relief equipment uniformly issued by the church.
It was already so worn it had no practical effect.
Li Si had originally planned to replace her own heavy armor, and since the Kind Mother was bound to Lili Ya, she would inevitably have to fight alongside Lili Ya, just like with the heroine group.
So it was necessary to help Lili Ya get a new set of equipment as well.
There weren’t many Level 1 adventurer equipment options, and the quality was more or less the same.
Due to the update cycle, buying too much equipment would be wasteful.
But Li Si still bought the best Level 1 Priest Holy Light Robe.
No reason, she just liked the clerk’s wide-eyed, grinning face as he addressed Lili Ya with “sir” and “madam.”
After picking out clothes for Lili Ya, she took the best blue-quality Level 10 Warrior Coat in the shop for herself.
The clerk, who had previously looked down on Lili Ya, was now handing her tea and asking if the clothes fit.
Seeing Li Si pick up the coat, he quickly took a battle skirt of the same quality and handed it over.
“Madam, you might be more suited to this.”
Li Si paused for a moment.
The battle skirt added more agility than the coat, but it only worked when worn by a female.
She had been wearing heavy armor to hide her body’s changes.
Now that she could finally get rid of the heavy armor, she was still habitually wearing unisex long clothes and pants, neglecting her female character identity.
‘When I was playing the game, I would analyze female outfits like crazy, but now that I’m actually a female character, I forgot.’
Li Si looked at her protruding chest, which had no protection, and decisively bought the battle skirt with the chest guard.
It was a white silk battle skirt with a crossed collar, black thigh-high stockings, and a very soft inner chest guard.
After putting it on, a small white bow would be left at the back of the neck.
The overall material seemed to be fine spider silk from cave spiders, very form-fitting.
The increases to agility and endurance were the highest among equipment of the same quality, both reaching +3.
Li Si put on the black stockings, her small feet smoothly sliding into the matching white high-heeled boots.
She stood up and hopped a few times.
It looked good.
No matter how she jumped, her chest remained steady and didn’t wobble.
‘No wonder I felt a hard pain in my chest tips while walking earlier. So this is what a chest guard does.’
“Madam, and Lady Lili Ya, please take care~”
The clerk was enthusiastic, holding the hem of Lili Ya’s priest robe as he saw them out.
Lili Ya hugged the new crystal staff, feeling lightheaded as if in a dream.
Hearing the clerk’s “Lady Lili Ya,” she couldn’t help but shiver, remembering her childhood dream.
When she was little, she wanted to become a great priest revered by thousands, to be the light for all believers.
But over the years, she had worked hard and never received a shred of recognition.
Now, just by staying by Li Si’s side, she felt she had touched the threshold of being revered.
“Dictator… Li Si…”
Lili Ya unconsciously muttered this nickname, which was often joked about in taverns and restaurants.
Suddenly snapping back to reality, she realized it wasn’t a compliment.
She cautiously looked at Li Si.
Seeing that Li Si didn’t mind, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Next, Lili Ya, I need your help with something.” Li Si walked out of the shop and said with a smile.
Lili Ya’s heart tightened.
After a night together, she had gradually come to her senses.
As a low-level adventurer who had crawled through countless darknesses in the Beginner Village, she knew well that every gain came at a price.
Although Li Si was a good person, what she had done for her must have a reason.
She just didn’t know if she could bear the price Li Si would ask for next, and what exactly she had that made Li Si go this far for her.
Lili Ya swallowed her saliva and nervously listened attentively.
Then she saw Li Si’s pink, strawberry-colored lips part and utter a strange sentence.
“Become the captain.”
Lili Ya froze for a second.
Her originally nervous eyes gradually became confused.
Then her little head slowly tilted, leaning against the crystal staff, revealing a strange expression with twisted lips, raised eyes, and wide eyes.
“Huh?”
She struggled to form her full of doubt into a question mark.
“Let’s go to the Guild Hall. Create your team and become the captain. I need you as the leader to take me and re-understand the situation outside.”
As Li Si spoke, she took Lili Ya’s hand and naturally interlaced their fingers.
This time, there was no increase in affection.
It seemed Lili Ya’s brain had completely short-circuited.
Li Si didn’t explain.
As she walked, she suddenly furrowed her brows.
A figure was standing in a hidden corner, with amber eyes like cat’s eye gems staring incredulously in this direction.
It looked like the owner of those eyes wanted to come over and talk but was stunned by the scene and forgot to move.
Li Si ignored whatever reaction she had.
She pulled Lili Ya and walked toward the Guild Hall in the center of town.
Passing by a dwarf’s ice cream stall, she bought two ice creams on a whim.
One for Lili Ya, one for herself.
Then…
[Lili Ya Affection +50%]
[Lili Ya Affection 140%]
[Lili Ya Affection LV1. Lili Ya acquired ‘Reading Expressions’]
[‘Reading Expressions’]: Lili Ya is more attentive to your expressions, eyes, and attitude, and can occasionally understand their meaning.
[Lili Ya Child Coin Acquisition +1 (Lili Ya gains Child Coin * 2 per 100% Recognition)]
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