Are you kidding me?! The boss of the Hell Dungeon is a loli!

The contents of the wooden box were dusty and grimy.

Inside was an old box, about the size of a palm, with a thin, light gray thread wrapped around it. The accompanying bone slip was inscribed with the words "For guests to test their skills, do not use it on living creatures."

Jiang Luo looked at it twice, but didn't see the price, which immediately improved her mood.

A shop that lets you use it first and then collects payment is much more appealing than one that makes you open your purse as soon as you walk in.

Han Ya told her that Manager Tao was waiting in the front hall, the samples were taken from his own inventory, and Master Shao's letter was delivered by the deliveryman.

Jiang Luo had someone invite him in, and then, holding the box buckle, he first tried to throw the wooden needle used for demonstration at the soft target.

The wooden needle didn't go in and fell to the ground with a thud.

She pressed the clasp, and the thread tightened, bringing the wooden needle back, but with a loose thread from the edge of the carpet, pulling it all the way to her feet.

Jiang Luo lowered her head and silently pressed the carpet down with the tip of her shoe.

(・_・;)

This little guy has quite a temper; he knows how to find things to do for others.

Stella first removed the wooden needle and straightened the hanging thread before taking the box clasp and trying it again in the direction of the wooden needle.

As she finished stitching, she slightly turned her wrist, and the wooden needle returned to her palm along a path that avoided her sleeve, without catching anything else.

Jiang Luo watched her movements, the corners of her mouth slowly curving upwards. Just as she was about to praise herself for finding something useful, Tao Shun hurriedly waved her hand at the door.

"Lord Jiang, this is just to show you how to retract it. If the Shadow Binding Needle is really caught by something, this thread can't be pulled back. Please don't try to attach it to the end of the needle."

Jiang Luo looked at his hand, which was about to reach for the small needle box, and casually changed direction to touch the teacup on the table.

"Lolo hasn't decided to try yet, so please finish what's important first."

Tao Shun dared not laugh and spread Master Shao's letter on a clean mat.

The letter did not guarantee that it could be done; it only said that I needed to see the needle with my own eyes and test how it behaved under stress in order to know which thread to use and how to place the sewing knot.

If it were just a small, ordinary flying artifact, he would have a usable one on hand. However, the target pinned by the Shadow Binding Needle would struggle, so he couldn't match it to the weight of a single wooden needle.

Jiang Luo read it line by line, then looked up at Stella.

"So, if you make someone too tired to run, then after you've cut the needle, loosen the stitches and pick it up yourself, you won't have to bend over to pick it up, right?"

"Yes, my lord, but if that person is still holding the needle, I cannot just stop and retract it; I must first loosen his grip."

She spoke seriously, clearly having already considered the moment Elizabeth pulled out the needle with her hand.

Tao Shun nodded repeatedly and pointed to the second half of the letter, which stated that the clasp of the needle box did not change the ability of the Binding Shadow Needle itself; things that could not be pinned before could not be pinned even if the box was changed.

Jiang Luo was not disappointed.

If a simple tap could bring all the runaways back, what would be the point of Master Shao's business? He could just squat at the shop entrance and pull out the money bags—it would be so much easier.

She flipped to the very end of the letter and finally saw the price.

How are wages calculated? What types of wires are there? If you can do it, then do it; if you can't, then take it with you as is. Even the most expensive type is listed in the range.

Jiang Luo stared at the cheapest row, slowly moving her finger along the numbers to the side.

(¬‿¬)

"Since he knows you, could you mention your name less often, Lolo?"

Tao Shun smiled somewhat reluctantly, saying that he had asked before, and Master Shao only agreed to look at things for regular customers first, and never gave away materials for free just because he knew someone.

"He'll at most let you bring your own materials, but if you bring something unsuitable, he'll kick you out along with your belongings. I was kicked out by him last year."

Jiang Luo was a little curious and asked him to tell her what he had taken at the time.

Tao Shun took out a copper bell from his sleeve, first covering the clapper with cloth before showing her the repaired handle. Last year, he tried to save money by using ordinary copper sheets, but the handle cracked a little every time the bell rang.

Master Shao removed the layer that had been patched and only replaced the narrowest connection point, costing less than half the amount he would have spent on repeated repairs himself.

The copper bell was taken back and not deliberately rung for everyone in the room to hear.

Seeing how much he cherished her, Jiang Luo didn't try to haggle any further over a few words of compromise, and simply asked when she could see him.

Tao Shun then took out the red paper slip that was hidden behind the letter.

A 100th birthday banquet in Huai'an Town.

Two days later, the town will hold a market to entertain visitors. Master Shao's shop is on East Street. He usually goes out to take on jobs, but that day he will stay in the shop to wait for some regular customers to inspect the goods.

This invitation is just a casual invitation for Jiang Luo to come over for a visit; he doesn't need to do anything for the Shou family or pay any entry fee.

When she saw the first few words, the corners of her mouth, which had been turned up, slowly fell.

(눈_눈)

"Lolo went to deliver money to him, why does she have to give a gift to someone else first?"

Tao Shun quickly explained that the money given on the invitation was voluntary, and that out-of-town merchants did not necessarily have to come to the birthday hall; they could go to Master Shao's shop to find him.

Jiang Luo then placed the post back next to the letter and reached out to touch the clasp.

"Let's go take a look. It'll be a good opportunity for Lolo to see how many other strange things you people selling things can come up with besides putting needles in a cold storage."

Stella looked at her needle case, but didn't immediately ask when they would leave. First, she wrote down the dimensions of the needle tail, needle body, and case opening as required in the letter, and then told Tao Shun about her morning practice.

Tao Shun listened attentively and agreed to take these words with him first, so as not to find out that he was missing the necessary materials when he got to town.

This time, the crow didn't ask if he should go too.

She planned to return to the Bone Manor for one night. When she wrote about what happened to her father last night, she deleted several sentences praising herself. In the end, she felt that it was easier to say it in person than to revise it on paper.

After going out, besides adding a few things to her clothes, she also wanted to show her father what she could do, instead of always waiting for others to stand in front of her.

After listening, Jiang Luo told her to go back without worry. He mentioned the box of pastries Xiao Bai had made that morning and asked her to take some with her on her way, so she wouldn't eat them all in the car before even seeing her father.

The crow readily agreed and reached for his purse, thinking that when he passed through the East Market, he would pick out a tie clip to match his father's suit.

"You earned that bag of money yourself, so buy whatever you want. Lolo won't come to your father's house to find out how much you spent."

After Jiang Luo finished speaking, he stuffed the box of pastries into her arms and didn't decide for her whether to choose the gold or silver one.

After seeing the guests off, Jiang Luo put the samples back into the wooden box, deliberately not handing them to Xiao Bai.

He had already peeked out the door twice, looking at the wooden needle that looked like a thin bone. Jiang Luo knew at a glance that he didn't want to learn how to make a needle case.

She walked past him carrying the box and pointed to the word "borrow" at the top.

"This has to be returned to them exactly as it was. Lolo isn't paying for your teeth this time, understand?"

Xiao Bai nodded, but followed her all the way to the study. Only after she put the box on the high shelf did she quietly ask herself if she could go out this time as well.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Luo stopped and looked down into his eyes.

He didn't try to hug her legs; he just put his hands behind his back and said that all the kitchen supplies were packed away and that the maids who stayed behind wouldn't make a mistake. He could take the things his sister had bought.

Jiang Luo waited deliberately for a while, and seeing that he stood up straighter and his eyes brighter, she finally reached out and touched his head.

"I can take you there, but you're not allowed to go to the kitchen and eat the food before the meal is served, and the table and chairs aren't yours either."

Xiao Bai immediately nodded in agreement, even thinking about where to go to explain things to her family later. She turned around and ran to the kitchen, but then turned back after running out the door, earnestly promising not to eat at anyone's doorstep.

Jiang Luo's smile froze for a moment.

(￣_￣|||)

Luckily I spoke up first.

This guy really did include even the threshold for food in the edible category.

Lin Xiao came to pick up the book in the afternoon, so Jiang Luo put the red paper in front of her and asked her if she would like to go for a walk in town together.

Lin Xiao first checked the departure time, then flipped through the market map on the paper, his gaze lingered on the used book stall for a moment, before closing the book in his hand.

"I want to go, but you have to wait until I've settled things for the next two days. Don't just take Xiaobai and leave in a moment of excitement."

Jiang Luo dragged a chair over and sat down opposite her, then picked up his tea and took a sip.

"Lolo isn't going to rob anything. What's wrong with waiting for you for a while? While you're at it, keep an eye on Xiaobai so he doesn't treat the roadside stalls like a buffet."

As for the Shadow Binding Needles, Stella decided to keep them for now and hand them over to Jiang Luo when she took them to town. She would take the needle box with her and not replace it with another box.

Over the next two days, she will walk through each of the maids' newly assigned guard posts and practice with Elizabeth a few more times. Even if there are no needles available for the time being, she will still have to correct any gaps in her posture.

Hearing this, Jiang Luo stopped dragging her out the door. She made it clear what time she was leaving and promised to come back after checking the items, and that she wouldn't change her needles to other patterns without her permission.

Stella carefully put away the invitation for her, her fingertips pausing on the line "centenary celebration," then smoothing out the corners, without saying she couldn't go.

As the evening breeze blew in through the window, the red paper on the table gently flipped up, revealing several peaches printed on the back.

Jiang Luo glanced at it, then casually picked up the remaining auction catalog and drew a big X next to the candy jar that would bite your hand if opened.

(￣へ￣)

This time I must buy a normal one.

Lolo doesn't have to beat up the shopkeeper every time she buys something before she's willing to go home.