Chapter 136 Chapter 137 Jima is the Villain
After receiving the money, Jima felt quite pleased. She opened her personal system and counted her assets, totaling 2,230 gold coins.
She touched the silver ring on her arm that ordinary people couldn’t see. It was a gift from George, covering her horns and wings.
Practical as it was, Jima always felt she should buy an equivalent gift to return for the sake of her dignity.
How much did George spend when he subscribed? Did he lend me a thousand gold coins? It should be two thousand gold coins?
Jima couldn’t recall clearly at the moment and was scared by her own estimated price.
Forget it, becoming a succubus, bearing humiliation and submitting to an enemy… dignity was long gone.
Her level was currently stagnant, she hadn’t fully mastered the powers of a “witch,” and she didn’t even know the potion formula for the next stage; she had no place to spend her money.
Walking alone on the commercial street, Jima considered the usefulness of money in becoming stronger.
At this stage, it seemed really useless.
She grabbed her black hair in distress and began to think about the money-making prospects of a “money luck potion.”
This time, she had gained a lot, but when she shifted her focus away from gold coins, she realized the risks were substantial. She had met the nobleman Is at the risk of getting her legs crushed by a carriage, and she profited from his attentiveness.
Acquiring gold coins came with hidden dangers. Is seemed manageable for now, but if she drank a few more potions and encountered a few more Is, disaster would inevitably follow.
Jima muttered, “I can’t drink them myself for now.”
At that moment, a scent of cake wafted to her nose. She looked up and saw a shop nearby cooking pastries, with various treats visible through the display window. The other shops were filled with all kinds of handmade goods and food from distant lands. Laughter and chatter filled the air, a couple walked past her, smiling as the girl accepted a necklace from her partner, beaming with joy.
Jima spoke to herself, “I should relax a bit.”
Thinking all day about becoming stronger had delayed her enjoyment, and she needed a break.
With her hands behind her back, Jima strolled down the street, clearing her mind as she looked for items that piqued her interest.
In the commercial area, the competition was fierce; some shops were bustling with customers, the thresholds worn down from foot traffic, while others were empty, with the shopkeeper watching passersby from behind their stall, eager for customers.
At this time, the empathetic Jima would pause, her gaze sweeping over the stalls.
The shopkeeper showed delight and quickly asked, “What do you want? Artisan jewelry looks great on you, and we have music boxes…”
Jima remained silent and turned to leave. The shopkeeper’s voice calling her back came from behind: “I can give you a 20% discount…”
Jima turned back, took out her coin pouch, and grabbed a handful of gleaming gold coins.
The shopkeeper’s breath grew heavy again, hope flickering back to his face as he fixed his gaze on the gold coins in Jima’s hand, becoming even more attentive: “Come and look at this necklace.”
Jima frowned and said, “Forget it, I can’t buy it.”
After saying that, she put the coins back in her pouch, ignoring the shopkeeper’s appeals, and directly left.
The shopkeeper’s expression went from hope to disappointment as he sat back down, continuing to watch the ebb and flow of the street.
Very amusing.
Jima couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
In the next two hours, the empathetic Jima visited eighteen businesses with no customers, pulled out gold coins nine times, and spent not a single cent.
Where can one find a customer as sympathetic as me?
She felt cheerful, humming a discordant little tune as she walked along the street.
Before she knew it, she arrived at a half-open stage where several children were handing out black-and-white flyers.
“Kind-hearted big sister,” a boy approached and handed her a poster, “You’re so beautiful, you absolutely must join this event.”
Jima took the rough flyer and glanced at it.
“Held every three years, the Most Beautiful Flower of Marlin City selection will take place in three days… jointly sponsored by the Laborers’ Guild, the Quintus Trading Company, the Blacksmith Guild, and the Cooper Guild… the winner will receive a thousand gold coin prize.”
“What a sum of money.” Jima flicked the paper lightly, “Fortune is rolling in.”
But she felt that being chosen on stage for a beauty contest wasn’t great.
Jima couldn’t help but recall her trip to Shalin City, where she was treated like a commodity for sale.
“Miss Tisnali, Miss Tisnali, wait a minute.”
“Mr. Enlake, do you have any qualities worthy of pursuing me?” a noble lady proudly lifted her chin and said, “I’m leaving, goodbye.”
With that, the proud noble lady, as haughty as a hen that just laid an egg, stepped onto the carriage.
A refined young man with round glasses and a pale face watched the carriage leave with disappointment.
Another simping fool.
Jima sized him up.
He was slender, with a fair face; despite wearing black male attire, he looked like he was dressed as a girl. She stopped and examined the noble boy from head to toe.
If he wore women’s clothing, he’d definitely look quite nice.
Jima’s eyes lit up with interest:
“Hey, sir, your name is Enlake, right?”
Enlake turned his head and gave her a forced smile, “Good afternoon, I don’t think I know you. Certainly, someone as beautiful as you wouldn’t be forgotten.”
“I’m just a kind passerby,” Jima said, “I couldn’t help but want to say that flattering a woman will only make her look down on you from the bottom of her heart. Women prefer men who are stronger than themselves to be conquered. Especially proud women; to pursue them, you must defeat their pride in the areas that matter to them.”
Enlake’s eyes brightened and he said, “That makes sense.”
He thought for a moment, and the light in his eyes dimmed again, “I thought about it, but it seems there’s no way to defeat her pride.”
Jima smiled and said, “Beautiful women usually care about their appearance, and just now when I saw her get into the carriage, she was holding a flyer.”
As she said that, she handed the flyer to Enlake.
Enlake looked down at it once, then raised his head, confused, to look at Jima: “What about the beauty contest?”
Jima couldn’t help but stifle a light laugh as she said, “It’s very… very simple. As long as you wear women’s clothing on stage and outshine her, she will definitely be severely humiliated.”
Enlake immediately shrank his head shyly, his face reddening as he said, “This… this is not possible; I’m a man.”
After saying that, he realized no one was responding, and he found that Jima had already walked far away.
Jima just acted on a whim; she strolled around the commercial area for a few more laps but didn’t come across any convenient fortune. It seemed that meeting Is had exhausted her luck.
Her dinner was lamb offal bread, with hot lamb offal soup poured over fluffy, freshly baked bread, making it extremely delicious.
After finishing dinner, Jima remembered she had a cat maid at home. Thinking she had come this far, she might as well buy something. She ended up purchasing a finely crafted leather collar adorned with a silver bell, which had very suspicious uses.
When Jima mentioned she was buying it for her little cat at home, the shopkeeper smiled mysteriously and took it from a shelf displaying a pile of “not suitable for children” toys.
Originally, there was also a shiny silver chain included, but Jima discarded it.
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Feeling unwell, I will add an extra thousand words tomorrow to make up for it.
