Chapter 80: Mortgage
Ji Ma looked at others’ misfortune in the mirror and felt great joy for herself. After switching to a good mood, she entered her private alchemy workshop in the palace and began to brew potions.
There were no bumps along the way, and as the last drop of shimmering white water fell from the pipette into a large jar of potion, a bottle of “packaged potion” was considered complete, only missing waiting for George or Jenna to come and infuse it with extraordinary abilities.
Ji Ma was not in a hurry to continue brewing potions but made a rough estimate, “Two boxes of raw materials, at most three bottles, can only store three spells.”
The more she calculated and thought, the more Ji Ma craved for more materials.
The legal route was really too slow…
In the cupboard, there were three rows, but only the first row had more than half a row of potions, not even filling one row completely.
She was currently not only lacking in precious alchemical materials containing positive energy but also short on some basic alchemical materials.
Ji Ma closed the door, worried: “At least it should fill a whole cupboard.”
Although many potions were of no immediate use, she could not afford to be without them.
“… I wonder if that kid’s bodily fluids can be used for potions; if so, I could use my mouth every day…”
At this point, Ji Ma felt a tightness in her throat, a choking sensation washed over her again. She couldn’t help but blush, stopped thinking wildly, and began to focus on serious matters.
To seek good materials and earn some money along the way, the best place for her at the moment was Marlin City.
Although she was a wanted dangerous person in Marlin City, it was inconvenient to show her face, and she did not know if the Empire had other means to keep her as tightly under watch as today’s Cathedral. Nevertheless, Marlin City was the most vibrant trading city in the entire Empire.
At the same time, she had one or two acquaintances there. Jenna’s father, Caslan, and a person named Xiya who had benefited from her—transgender. If it were about who to do business with, Ji Ma preferred to negotiate with Xiya; not to mention, she was a good-looking transformed woman.
Caslan certainly had a better background, but he was Jenna’s father, and Jenna was close to George.
If she were to engage in somewhat unscrupulous dealings with Caslan—specifically, things that couldn’t be seen by George—there were still considerable risks.
After considering, Ji Ma decided to look for an opportunity to visit Marlin City.
As for the large box of gold coins still in her dream palace, along with George’s armor, it was not urgent over a day or two, so she would leave it be.
With that in mind, Ji Ma plunged her hands into the pile of gold coins in the chest, lifting her hands up as the coins cascaded down beside her arms.
What fun!
…
…
At night, deep into the silence.
The clock in the mansion ticked, making the night seem even quieter.
Xiya inexplicably opened her eyes on the bed, sat up, and the silk blanket slipped off her shoulder. As she hazily opened her eyes, all she saw was a gray mist around her, and through the fog, a vague beautiful figure was sitting at her window, facing away from her.
It was strange; although the profile was blurry, it firmly seized attention with such beauty, evoking a longing for a dream lover in people’s hearts.
The woman in the mist swayed the goblet in her hand slowly, the liquid inside sloshing around, and Xiya’s heart swayed along with it. She groggily got up from the bed, reached out her hand instinctively toward her “dream lover,” but no matter how she reached, she couldn’t touch her.
A sudden coldness came from her feet, and Xiya snapped back to reality. Looking closely, the beautiful silhouette by the window now had a pair of horns and a swaying tail.
“Miss Ji Ma?”
Suddenly, the outside brightened, and the morning glow spilled over Ji Ma, who was wearing a red gown. Sitting in a computer chair, she turned around, holding a bubbling black liquid in a cup. She drank it in one gulp and tossed the cup aside, reaching out her hand to Xiya, saying:
“Long time no see, Ms. Enlake.”
Xiya happily shook Ji Ma’s hand: “Long time no see, I heard you were wanted and fled the other day. By the way, I’m called Xiya now.”
So her name is Xiya.
Ji Ma decided not to be lazy this time and noted it down in the system, then said: “I easily got rid of the pursuers behind me.”
Xiya examined the more mature Ji Ma, glanced at her prominent chest; the Ji Ma in front of her exuded an enticing charm.
“You’ve changed so much.”
“I’ve gotten bigger and stronger,” Ji Ma said. “Cutting to the chase, I want to discuss something with you today. Do you know anything about the local black market?”
“Black market?” Xiya shook her head, “I’m a legitimate merchant.”
“Is there a market where you can buy whatever you want?”
“There is; in Marlin City’s free market, you can buy crafts from the Far East, high-quality elf ornaments, dark elf poisons, and a pile of miscellaneous potion recipes.”
“Potion recipes? They’re sold too? I thought that stuff wasn’t allowed to be sold publicly?”
“The free market is different; trade is free, goods are free; anything on merchant ships can be sold, except for people.”
“So what’s the difference with a black market?”
“It’s not black.”
“Alright, I have some things I’d like to ask you for help with.” Ji Ma took out a list, “These are some precious alchemical materials. I know that in the black… free market, the variety is vast, and authenticity is hard to discern. Can you use your connections to pre-order the goods, pay a deposit, and notify me when they’re ready? I’ll come to check the authenticity with my own eyes; how does five percent of the deal sound?”
Xiya shook her head: “How can I accept money from you, for you’ve done me a great favor.”
What a kind-hearted kid.
Ji Ma replied, “That’s not how it works.”
“I just hope that Ms. Ji Ma can…” Xiya’s green eyes no longer concealed her envy of Ji Ma’s appearance, “let me have even a fraction of your charm.”
“Charm? You’re being too philosophical.” Ji Ma leaned back in her chair, her straight legs crossed, “Be specific.”
“Eye-catching, irresistible.”
“Give an example.”
“Like when I first saw you, thinking I encountered a dream lover, making me unable to resist wanting to chase after and embrace you.”
Ji Ma took a good look at Xiya. She was indeed a tall beauty with a flat chest. Although more confident now, traces of her former male self could still be seen in her features. Unfortunately, just like Ji Ma, Xiya was once a man, which left Ji Ma unmoved.
“Do you want to become more seductive? Just a lift of the skirt could make men fantasize?”
“No, no, no.” Xiya shook her head, her face reddening, and said: “I want to experience a romantic relationship with a gentleman.”
“Oh.”
“But he seems not interested in me.”
“What’s so hard about it? You were a man too, right?” Ji Ma naturally replied, “You know what men like; a woman with your looks could walk over and say, ‘I want to wake up next to you in the morning, even if I get pregnant, you won’t have to take responsibility.’ He’s definitely going to impatiently want to take off his pants.”
“That’s too… vulgar! I’m sorry, Ms. Ji Ma, but not just me, even normal women cannot cross that line.”
Ji Ma understood that her previous words were hard for most to accept and smiled: “I was joking, but the principle is the same. It’s simple for a woman to have a fling with a man; you just have to be a bit more proactive.”
“But I don’t want to chase after him.”
“Did he pursue you?”
“Mm.”
“Did you reject him?”
“Mm.”
Ji Ma immediately understood the other’s dilemma.
For a transformed woman, suddenly obtaining a beautiful body while facing the lustful gazes of men creates a unique thrilling sensation amidst the disgust, exacerbating internal conflict.
But that’s how it is; excitement is excitement, yet it’s still up to the transformed woman to seek that thrill—the pursuit is inherently difficult; she needs a man to keep attacking.
“I see.” Ji Ma said, “How was the potion I gave you last time? Were you looking for that kind of feeling?” Once a man, yet now the center of everyone’s attention after winning a beauty pageant.
Xiya blushed and nodded, murmuring:
“Mm.”
“It’s possible.” Ji Ma said, “But there are side effects.”
“What side effects?”
Ji Ma smiled and said: “You’ll become increasingly insatiable; you need to prepare some sturdy toys; I believe you’ve carefully explored your own body, right?”
Xiya’s face turned even redder, softly responding: “Mm.”
“It’s possible, but I have another request.” Ji Ma said, “Have you heard of Caslan?”
“Ever since the last chaos, he has received the Empire’s support, and his business has expanded.”
“Did he also open a casino?”
“Yes, he bought out almost all the smokehouses in the city at a low price. These were originally Prince Is’s properties, you know after Prince Is died, his family plummeted.” Xiya said, “He turned some dockside smokehouses into casinos, and there has been quite a protest from many smokers these days.”
I wonder if this is good news for the citizens of Marlin City, but in this era, casinos are legal.
“Nowhere to use drugs, that’s a good thing.” Ji Ma said: “I’m currently short on money and want to invest with him; we had previously agreed, but I’m not in a position to show up.”
“How much does Ms. Ji Ma want to invest?”
“Three hundred gold coins.”
Xiya suspected she misheard but thought about Ji Ma’s strength; perhaps Caslan would give her special treatment, treating a three hundred gold coin investment as if it were three thousand gold coins. She said: “Alright.”
Ji Ma was good at discerning others’ expressions and said: “I know it’s a small amount of money, so I need your help with one more thing. I have a few excellent sets of armor that I want to mortgage to get some money. After earning it back, I’ll buy them again.”
“I have a few banker friends; can you show them to me?”
“Of course.” Ji Ma raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
A lifelike figure clad in heavy Gothic full armor appeared before Xiya. The craftsmanship was exquisite, with grooves on the armor that not only strengthened its durability but also enhanced its beauty.
Xiya couldn’t help but step forward to observe closely. At first glance, she noticed the unusual thickness of the armor. She extended her hand and used her fingers to measure, saying:
“Is this armor prepared for extraordinary beings?”
“Yes.”
“The craftsmanship is extraordinary, truly valuable.” Xiya sighed: “I’ve seen how armorers craft full-plate armor, shaping it slowly with small hammers, pounding out the grooves. Such thick steel can only be processed with magic.”
This was precisely what made this suit of armor expensive—only those with extraordinary forging skills could create it.
“Of course.”
Xiya curiously asked: “How much did you pay for it when you ordered it? May I ask which armorer made it? The craftsmanship is remarkable.”
Ji Ma smiled sheepishly: “It’s a secret.”
Of course, she didn’t know because this was George’s armor. Ji Ma had previously made an excuse to acquire several pieces from George’s personal collection.
Three complete sets of armor in different styles finally made Ji Ma realize where George, living in poverty, spent all his money.
Although feeling somewhat sheepish, Ji Ma thought that since George could only wear one suit of armor, she would let Xiya take two suits of armor to mortgage for money and give her a shopping list for help.
After giving instructions, she hurriedly left.
Both nervous and excited.