Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

"At least, he has become an AI that can be recognized as a trading object by the trading authority, and he has the ability to cognize and judge. Perhaps he has no emotions compared to humans."

Momo responded to Lingmeng in his mind, and without delay in the game, he activated his trading ability and confirmed the future supply and demand relationship with the Butcher.

50 pieces of wild boar meat a day, each piece costing 25 kol.

Momo had just hunted 18 pieces of wild boar meat, which sold for 450 kol. With these 450 kol, Momo went to the bakery and set up a stall.

"Chef 11 Cole is buying wild boar meat. If you want to sell, hurry up! Only 32 pieces per piece!"

As the first person to set up a stall in the game, Momo immediately attracted everyone's attention, especially when he offered 11 Coles to buy wild boar meat, which was simply unbelievable to all the players!

It's one thing to buy wild boar meat, but to buy it at a higher price!

Why did he buy wild boar meat? Did he trigger some kind of quest? Where did he learn his cooking skills? And where did he get the capital to buy wild boar meat?

A series of questions flooded the players' minds, but they were quick on their feet and immediately stuffed the wild boar meat in their hands into Momo's hands.

It's at least 1 Cole, which is a whole loaf of black bread!

In just a few minutes, Momo had acquired 32 pieces of wild boar meat, then smiled and bid farewell to everyone before entering the inn. This disappointed the players who were following Momo, as they couldn't figure out where he had gotten the quest from.

Momo entered the hotel, but instead of returning to his room, he exited through another door on another street and went back to the butcher who was waiting for him, where he sold the wild boar meat he had on him.

With 800 Coles in his pocket, Momo's assets instantly exceeded 900 Coles.

However, this was only a temporary fortune. After the transaction was completed, Momo went to the blacksmith's shop and saw the dark elf lady with a gloomy face.

"I've already told you, I hate you. If you're not here to buy anything, get out now. You're not welcome here."

"Oh dear, don't say such hurtful things, Master!"

Mo Motian shamelessly moved closer and said, "Actually, I came to deliver Cole to my master."

Upon hearing the name Cole, the dark elf blacksmith paused for a moment, then said, "Speak."

“Master, you have to forge a lot of basic equipment to sell every day, right? Now that you have me as your apprentice, you can leave the basic forging tasks to me. I'll only make weapons with a 100% success rate, guaranteeing no mistakes. That way, Master can finally get some rest.”

The dark elf remained unfazed and said, "So you want to be an apprentice? Apprentices work for free, of course. I've already told you, I hate you, so don't even think about becoming my apprentice!"

"You must be joking, Master. How could I be an apprentice? I admire your superb skills and came to help you on my own initiative. How about this: every time I help you complete a weapon, I'll give you 1 Cole as a fee for your guidance?"

The dark elf's expression was strange. He said, "You want to come here as an apprentice, and you're going to give me Cole?"

"Yes!"

"Strange outsider, alright, it's up to you. If you fail, you'll have to pay double. Since you have plenty of money and want to pay to do the work, go ahead."

"Thank you, Master!"

Momo smiled broadly, picked up the hammer and felt, and worked up a sweat. Every time he forged a LV1 pig iron weapon, he had to pay 1 Cole's worth of skill proficiency, which only increased by a pitiful 1 point.

If you prepare the materials yourself, you can increase your proficiency by 10 points.

However, the accounting isn't like that. If you spend Cole to buy materials, you'll need to spend 100 Cole on materials for those 10 skill points. Therefore, in the early stages, blacksmith players forge weapons for other players for free, using other players' materials to increase their skill level. They only earn money by repairing weapons.

Although this doesn't cost a single kilogram, it requires sitting on the street waiting for business, so the efficiency is questionable.

By this calculation, Mo Mo's efficiency is more than ten or a hundred times that of those blacksmiths who wait for business!

032 Welcome, Kirito-kun! 01

However, this rapid leveling method is only available at level 1.

In this blacksmith shop, all the weapons are below LV10 and can be forged using a level 1 skill. Therefore, Momo can only level up quickly at the LV1 stage.

While LV2 still only requires 100 experience points, it requires crafting 10 LV1 weapons to gain even one experience point. This leveling system is exceptionally demanding, which encourages players to try higher-level recipes rather than using low-level recipes to accumulate experience despite having a high blacksmithing level.

However, high-level recipes mean high-level, rare materials, and therefore extremely high prices. The experience of Lisbeth and Kirito searching for ore in the original work exemplifies this method; clearly, a blacksmith alone could not possibly obtain such materials.

However, the situation might be different for Momo.

Hammer after hammer, Momo had to wield the hammer himself in front of the scorching furnace, instead of simply tapping it lightly as if he were making a weapon.

Perhaps this is the meaning of the word "apprentice" that the dark elf spoke of; it is very likely that this apprenticeship is part of some kind of mission.

However, since Mo Mo had come across it, he used it without hesitation.

The hammer blows, one after another, have no effect on attributes, but they are a test of the player's will and spirit. The flames roar, the arms ache, and the monotonous clanging sounds like a hypnotic prelude, making one feel listless.

However, Momo always wore a smile. To him, the painful pioneering was just the prelude to a symphony. Without the prologue, how could there be a symphonic poem?

Reimu Hakurei lay quietly on top of Momo's head, staring intently at the sparks on the anvil. The dark elf blacksmith beside her also glanced at Momo from time to time, seemingly showing a bit more interest in this outsider who could endure the tedious work.

As the sun set, Mo Mo rubbed his shoulders and nodded in satisfaction.

From noon to sunset, in six hours, Momo's blacksmithing skill gained 36 experience points, completing more than a third of the upgrade in one afternoon, all for only 36 Coles. Such speed would probably make a group of players who are about to embark on the path of blacksmithing weep with envy.

They'll find that blacksmithing skills are hardest to upgrade at the lowest level. Initially, players lack the materials to upgrade their blacksmithing, but as levels increase, no one will craft low-level weapons. Therefore, blacksmithing players must prepare their own materials and at least craft weapons suitable for the mainstream team level to be profitable.

This difficult process is, at least, out of Momo's reach.

After bidding farewell to the still-cold-faced dark elf blacksmith, Momo set off on his way back to the inn.

"Guess how Asuna will greet me today, with what posture and expression?"

"Kicked right in the face and sent flying?"

"You're being tsundere, Reimu! I bet it'll be a warm, gentle hug, then a sweet kiss, and then... ouch, my ears, my ears!"

They entered their private hotel room amidst laughter and playful banter, only to find reality as cold and cruel as steel.

Asuna's door was tightly shut, and she showed no sign of opening it.

"Hmph, you're dumbfounded!"

Momo shrugged, knocked on the door, and said, "Asuna, are you alright?"

A few seconds later, Asuna responded softly, "I'm fine."

There was no sound of Asuna getting out of bed, most likely indicating she wasn't going to move. Under Reimu Hakurei's amused gaze, Momo took out a cake and placed it by the bedside, saying, "I've put dinner here. Remember to eat it when you're in a better mood. The world is vast, but your stomach is the biggest. A hungry person will never be in a good mood."

"OK, all right."

Faced with Asuna's still somewhat indifferent response, Momo did not continue to bother Asuna, but instead chose to return to his room and take out the black bread.

"Hey, Momo, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! Hehe, how about that, are you desperate and heartbroken?"

Looking at Reimu Hakurei's gloating expression, Mo Mo said, "On the contrary, I think that we are only one step away from Asuna opening her heart."

Seeing Mo Mo's confident expression, Reimu Hakurei grabbed Mo Mo's hair and asked, "Are you really not just putting on a brave face? If you want to cry, I, Lady Reimu Hakurei, will mercifully refrain from mocking you and simply offer a kind smile."

"Tsk tsk, you really underestimate me. Everything was expected!"

"Then tell me, what's Asuna's current situation?"

"Just anxiety."

"Anxious?"

Mo Mo counted on her fingers and said, "The fear of death, the anxiety of not being able to get help, the longing for her family, the guilt towards me, the self-loathing for doing nothing... all these emotions are intertwined, and she is already in a state of turmoil."

"Aside from her apology to you, I find her otherwise believable. But hasn't she calmed down now?"

"That's just a self-protective response to the overreaction to the fear of death, a result of physical and mental exhaustion. The root of the anxiety hasn't disappeared, and staying in the room without taking any action will only amplify the anxiety."

"so what?"

“I’ve done quite a lot. Now all we have to do is wait for her to walk out of the room herself. At that time, we’ll know the final outcome.”

Reimu Hakurei pouted, reluctant to admit it, but what Momo said seemed to make a little bit of sense.

"Aren't you afraid that once Asuna leaves the room, someone else will get her? Like Kirito, Kirito, Kirito, NTR or something, hehehe."

"If you keep laughing, your character will be ruined. If I really get NTR'd, I will let you feel my deep love."

Looking at the smile on Mo Mo's lips, Reimu Hakurei suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

……

In the end, Asuna didn't speak to Momo that night. All Momo could hear was Asuna opening the door to eat and taking a bath.

Asuna didn't speak first, and Momo didn't try to please her either; the two seemed to have an unspoken understanding. The next day, Momo still set off before dawn, but this time the brunch he left for Asuna was the most lavish meal available on the first floor, each set costing a hefty 50 Coles.

While 50 Coles is a considerable sum, Momo now earns a steady income of over a thousand Coles daily, so this expense is insignificant. After all, compared to bread, a meal with side dishes and a main course feels more like a proper meal.

Today's schedule is the same as usual. First, I'll fight monsters and level up to keep up with my level and collect some materials. Then, I'll set up a stall to buy wild boar meat and try to sell the white LV2 fang short sword that I just replaced.

By this time, Momo had upgraded to LV3 and equipped himself with the newly acquired LV3 unsold Longfang Short Sword. Although many people were watching and bidding enthusiastically, Momo still did not sell.

After all, the highest price is only 40 Cole. No one would invest a lot of money in a level 2 blank short sword now in exchange for a slight improvement, since the weapon given to newbies can also be used to fight monsters.

Mo Mo didn't mind; this only further proved how difficult it was for a blacksmith to level up during the novice stage. As for the sword, perhaps it would appear someday...

"Oh my, isn't this Kirito-kun!"

"Oh, Momo, I didn't expect you to start leveling up too. Not bad!"

Seeing Momo's equipment, Kirito knew that Momo had voluntarily left the city to level up. As a novice player, even if it meant learning from his experience, such courage was admirable.

After all, Momo was already ahead of at least 9,500 people at this point.

Of course, if Kirito knew that Momo had over a thousand Cole, he would probably kneel down and call her a tycoon.

Even though Kirito has been hunting high-level monsters and has now reached LV5, he only has 200 Cole's worth of savings.

"By the way, Kirito-kun, how about we make a deal?"

"What? That's possible!"

"This exquisitely crafted fanged short sword is unparalleled in attack and unmatched in power. It was dropped from a magical wild boar that inherited the bloodline of the ancient dragon race. Its attributes are three times higher than your current beginner short sword. How about I use it to buy you 5 points of one-handed sword skill proficiency?"

"……make a deal."

Seeing Kirito's almost gritted teeth, Momo revealed a bright smile. Five points of one-handed sword skill proficiency were indeed useless now, while a level two Fang Short Sword could more than double Kirito's attack power and greatly improve his leveling efficiency. Kirito had originally come here to change his sword.

He had prepared 200 Coles to come to the blacksmith's shop, but Momo intercepted them.

Welcome back next time!

Hearing Momo's voice, Kirito vanished without a trace, running at the speed of a thrusting sword technique, with the gait of Usain Bolt.

After saying goodbye to Kirito and selling 50 pieces of wild boar meat, Momo went to the blacksmith shop to continue his blacksmithing career.

The clanging sounds echoed in the blacksmith's shop, and only the occasional glance from the dark elf at Momo could bring about a slight change.

As for Reimu Hakurei? She's already fast asleep, using Momo's hair as a down feather.