Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

Asuna blushed, lowered her head, said thank you, and then coldly closed the door.

"Haha, got thwarted, huh! You upgraded the hotel for 50 Coles, booked an entire floor, bought the most expensive cake for 50 Coles, spent 100 Coles, which is all the savings an average player would have, and what did you get in return? You were turned away!"

Reimu Hakurei laughed so hard she almost fell over on Momo's head, while Momo smiled and returned to her room. She took out a piece of black bread from her inventory, tore it off with difficulty, and put it in her mouth.

The bitter, hard black bread was so difficult to chew that it was utterly tasteless. The only pleasure of eating black bread was probably seeing the satiety bar slowly increase.

"Hey, are you angry? Feeling hopeless? Failed to pick up a girl?"

In her dream, Bo Li Ling saw Mo Mo silent and made sarcastic remarks, but her actions became much more restrained, as if she was paying attention to Mo Mo's expression and trying to determine if Mo Mo was truly sad.

"...23, 24..."

However, upon closer listening, Reimu Hakurei was speechless. Momo was counting, counting what? How many bites had she chewed?

"It's over, I've really gone crazy."

"Don't talk nonsense, Reimu. I'm calculating when Asuna will come to apologize to me. The longer it takes, the higher her feelings for me are!"

"Ha, what kind of strange theory is this?"

"Well, if you don't believe me, go and see for yourself."

Reimu Hakurei floated out of the room, then was startled to find Asuna actually standing at Momo's door. Turning around, she saw that Asuna had devoured a cake that provided 100 satiety points.

Does this person have a natural appetite?

Just as Momo had predicted, Asuna stood blushing at the door. She reached out to knock, but hesitated, muttering to herself.

"...What should I do...I can't see Mo Mo at all..."

Asuna hesitated, then remained silent for a few minutes before finally turning around and going back to her room.

Asuna.

Momo's voice suddenly came from Momo's room, startling Asuna. She quickly ran back to her own room, and after catching her breath, said, "I'm here."

"I've upgraded our room, and now it has a bathroom. You can take a shower anytime you want."

"bathroom!"

Asuna immediately stood up, her eyes sparkling, then her face flushed red, and she stammered, "I...I..."

"Ah, I understand. I'll take you shopping for clothes when you're in a better mood. But for now, you'll have to keep wearing the outfit you're wearing. Also, there's a lock on the bathroom door; if you lock it, no one can get in."

"Ah, okay, I understand."

Asuna answered quickly, but her face darkened considerably after she finished.

"I hope I'm not disliked."

Asuna wasn't in high spirits; she felt that Momo's words suddenly seemed to have become distant.

However, looking at Mo Mo's door, she still couldn't muster the courage to meet Mo Mo.

"That's really... terrible."

Seeing this, Xiao Lingmeng felt it wasn't very interesting anymore, so she flew back to Mo Mo's room, crossed her arms, and pondered, saying, "It's different from what you said. She hasn't even come in yet, so how does that work?"

Momo, who was reviewing his skills, said, "This is the best possible outcome."

"Huh? I don't understand, and I don't believe it either."

"Well, the more Asuna struggles with this, the more important I am to her. For now, I don't need to do anything. What I need to consider most is how our relationship will develop."

Reimu looked at him with suspicion and said, "You guy who plays with girls' hearts! Just watch, I bet she'll be taken away by Kirito sooner or later, and you'll just have to wait to be NTR'd, hahaha!"

"Don't worry, if I really get NTR'd, I'll make a deal with the gods and buy you ownership... Ouch, don't bite me!"

Asuna was completely unaware of Momo and Reimu's playful antics. She entered the bathroom and stared blankly at the bathroom door.

The bathroom door was not locked.

Although she was still a little nervous and uneasy, Asuna still didn't lock the door, which she saw as a sign of mutual trust.

"Can't I trust Momo even for something this small? He's already done so much for me, and I'm still doubting him! Even if he can't help, at least..."

Countless thoughts swirled in Asuna's mind. The warm water was not much different from the water in reality. The water temperature warmed her heart and relaxed her tense and uneasy mood.

"At least...tomorrow...I'll thank Momo in person tomorrow..."

The entire bath was incredibly peaceful, and Momo didn't make a sound. Asuna, wrapped in a towel, paused for a few seconds in front of Momo's door before blushing and returning to her own room.

It was a peaceful night. Even without Momo's hand, Asuna finally slept soundly, thanks in no small part to the hot bath and the comfortable cotton bed.

The next day, Asuna woke up early. The scenery outside was still a bit dim. She got dressed and opened the door, only to find her food for the day neatly laid out in front of the door.

Mo Mo had already left the hotel early.

031 Development Start

On the dimly lit street, groups of players still huddled together.

The light was dim, but the weariness on their faces was still visible. Despite having black bread and dried fruit and being able to sleep on the street, the attempt to mimic the real Sword Art Online meant that such makeshift rest would not provide enough restorative energy.

Even if it doesn't appear in the status bar, there's no doubt that this makeshift rest cannot alleviate the player's mental stress.

Or rather, players' own mental stress also needs to be released through various forms of mental pleasure. For example, taking a bath or enjoying good food; simply surviving on the streets is definitely not a source of pleasure.

Of course, perverts are an exception.

With a smile on his face, Momo walked alone down the street, leaving Torbana to begin his hunting day.

On the second day of the game, very few players dared to leave the city, let alone at this time. At night, the monsters in the wild become more powerful, and elites and bosses will appear; a slight mistake could result in death in the wilderness.

This is a death game; who would dare to risk such a hunt?

Mo Mo naturally wouldn't either. Despite having Kirito's combat experience, and knowing that dying in the game wouldn't actually mean dying in real life, Mo Mo couldn't allow himself to just die and be kicked out of the game.

As Momo entered the wilderness, the sun rose in the distance, its rays bathing the earth, marking the official end of the night.

Momo had already calculated the time.

Momo's current level is still LV1, but he's not far from LV2. Plus, he has a full set of LV2 Wild Boar armor. Even though the equipment's stats are terrible, once Momo puts it on, it's enough to boost his stats several times over.

Therefore, Momo did not stay at a monster spawn point, but instead headed further away, clearing away wild boars along the way.

Finally, Momo leveled up to LV2, put on the Wild Boar Set, and the monsters around him also changed to LV2 long-haired wild boars.

Compared to regular wild boars, long-haired wild boars only offer improved attributes and also drop a new item called bristles, which are essential for basic crafting skills, making them quite valuable.

This is also the characteristic of the first and second floors of Aincrad. It can be considered a beginner level. The monsters have basically no skills, and the drops are very generous.

Momo twirled the tusk-shaped short sword in his hand, looked at a long-haired wild boar with its tail swaying in the distance, and assumed the starting stance for his sword technique.

"The hunt begins!"

……

The morning's hunt yielded Momo a considerable harvest of wild boar hides and meat, as well as about ten bundles of bristles. Unfortunately, he only had one piece of equipment: a thick-skinned small shield.

Level 3 equipment is still blank.

However, Mo Mo was already quite satisfied with all of this. He was still far from reaching LV3, and since he had learned Kirito's swordsmanship, Mo Mo planned to sell the shield depending on the situation.

As the morning passed, Momo had no intention of continuing the hunt and chose to return. Along the way, he could already see a few scattered groups of players hunting wild boar.

Several people were ganging up on a wild boar. Everyone was clearly nervous, fearing danger. However, even if the wild boar ran over a person for three minutes, it wouldn't kill them.

It will obviously take a long time before players truly muster the courage to leave the starting street.

……

"Hey, boss lady, I'm here again!"

"Oh, it's you, young man! Welcome, but the money you spent on bread yesterday is non-refundable under any circumstances. Young man, take this as a lesson and don't spend money recklessly."

The round bakery owner spoke with righteous indignation, but she couldn't hide the cunning in her eyes and the fact that she had cheated Momo9 Cole.

"Don't mention it!"

Momo bought a few jam-filled breads and a 50-coke strawberry cake, which finally made the shopkeeper smile.

"Boss lady, how about we make a deal? You teach me cooking skills, and I'll trade you 50 Coles. I promise I'll never use my cooking skills for business on the first floor."

Mo Mo submitted a transaction request, which was a condition he had tentatively obtained after many conversations with the landlady.

"Transaction successful."

"Well, alright. Since you're honest enough to have done business with me several times, unlike other outsiders who are stingy, I'll reluctantly teach you. But my skill level is also limited; I can only teach you LV1 skills."

"That's enough, thank you!"

Mo Mo bowed respectfully to the proprietress, like an elegant nobleman. The players around him pointed and whispered, and several of them sneered.

"Look at you, why are you being so polite? Oh dear, this is the first time I've ever been treated with such respect. Alright, now that I'm your master, I can't leave without showing some appreciation. Here's a dozen pumpkin candies for you."

Momo smiled and accepted. A dozen pumpkin candies cost 12 pieces and 10 kol. However, they did not provide any filling; they were merely a snack to satisfy one's appetite.

The players who had been mocking Mo Mo were dumbfounded. After Mo Mo left, they rushed into the bakery, awkwardly displaying various styles of etiquette, which made the round old lady's face turn black.

"Guards! Guards! Someone is causing trouble here!"

……

"Alright, kid, you actually came. Not bad. Remember, don't let anyone find out. If you can provide a stable supply, we can make an agreement."

In a corner of an alley, a burly butcher with a triangular cleaver tucked into his waistband exuded a certain air of authority.

"Okay, okay, I will absolutely not tell anyone that you are selling wild boar meat as domestic pork."

"How...how did you know!"

Having learned about pork prices today, Momo understood the butcher's mission and shady dealings. While wild boar meat is more expensive in reality, the opposite was true here.

Wild boars have thick, rough skin and tough, dry meat, but this butcher seems to have a way of making wild boar meat taste like domestic pork.

Wild boar meat costs 20 kol per serving, while domestic pork costs as much as 40 kol per serving. The butcher secretly buys wild boar meat from players for 20 kol, making a profit from the price difference.

Presumably, there must be some way to trigger his hidden quest, after which one could either expose him or accept his bribe—that's the normal course of action for any quest. However, Momo possessed the authority to trade, so he directly chose to maintain a deal with him.

"Brother... let's talk this over. I'll buy your wild boar meat for 23... no, 25 kor a day, 50 servings a day. That's the limit I can do! I don't think you're the kind of person who's inflexible. Let's just let each other off the hook and make it a win-win situation, how about it?"

The two-meter-tall giant butcher put his arm around Momo's slender shoulder, bent over, and revealed a mercenary smile, which left Reimu Hakurei dumbfounded.

"Is this kind of thing really an AI?"