Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

"So you should trust me even more. We'll definitely get out of this game; all we need is a little time. Trust me, okay?"

Looking into Momo's determined eyes, Asuna slowly nodded, then shrank into the blankets, leaving only the upper half of her face exposed.

"I believe you... um, Momo..."

"what happened?"

"You don't... think I'm... a little... too..."

Having understood Momo's meaning, Asuna became somewhat nervous again, worried that Momo might misunderstand her character...

Momo responded with a long kiss.

"You see, I was the one who took the initiative, wasn't I? Actually, I almost couldn't resist Asuna's beauty either."

"Hmph... Haven't you already managed to hold them off?"

Asuna puffed out her cheeks, pretending to be angry, and how could Momo not understand that this was Asuna's modesty? But Momo had no intention of going along with Asuna's modesty now.

"Or, Asuna, you could try tempting me again; maybe I won't be able to resist?"

"I do not want it!"

Asuna shrank back, her heartbeat calming down considerably. Just now, she had been overwhelmed with emotion, but now she couldn't bring herself to back down.

"When will you beg me..."

"How about I beg you now?"

"Ugh... If you keep teasing me, I'm really going to get angry!"

Mo Mo smiled slightly and pinched Asuna's nose. Asuna opened her mouth and tried to bite Mo Mo's finger, but Mo Mo wouldn't let her have her way. He flicked Asuna's forehead with his other hand.

"Alright, get some rest. You said you'd be working with me starting tomorrow, right?"

After saying that, Mo Mo was about to get up and leave. Fortunately, the NPCs at the inn were on duty day and night, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to change rooms.

"and many more!"

However, Momo's hand was once again grabbed by Asuna.

"Anything else?"

Asuna smiled and remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Um...we need to save Cole...so...so since it's already been changed...let's not waste it."

"But let me make this clear beforehand! It's just about being together. You can't do anything without my permission."

Asuna reluctantly voiced her opinion, and Momo had no reason to refuse. Saving money was one thing, but another was the allure of a lifelike Asuna body pillow – how could Momo resist such temptation?

"Alright, since that's the case..."

Momo took off her clothes.

Asuna glanced at Momo's well-proportioned muscles, instantly bursting with embarrassment, screaming, and then slapping Momo across the face.

……

Despite being overly shy, Asuna slapped Momo, giving Momo a perfectly symmetrical treatment, but Momo still ended up sleeping with Asuna.

Both of them were exhausted and soon fell into a deep sleep. When Asuna woke up the next day, her unease and shyness had almost completely disappeared.

This is the power of habit. Asuna, who was used to Momo being by her side, didn't even want to leave him. In the end, it was the hunger in their stomachs that made them get up.

Momo only had jam bread that he had prepared beforehand. When Asuna learned the price of the food Momo had prepared for her, she strictly forbade Momo from spending money extravagantly. If Momo hadn't persuaded her and let Asuna taste a piece of black bread herself, Asuna would have already chosen black bread as their staple food.

"Alright, Asuna, this isn't a waste! Food is an essential part of relieving stress, and besides, we have a stable source of income!"

Momo had nothing to hide from Asuna. He told her about the several missions he had encountered, and Asuna, amazed, quickly pulled Momo out of the inn to try her luck.

However, when Asuna pulled Momo out of the hotel, she froze. Hundreds of eyes swept over them, staring at the two of them as they walked out of the hotel, instantly turning Asuna's face pale.

Compared to the countless players waiting for rescue in exhaustion, she and Momo seemed so out of place.

Mo Mo smiled slightly, stepped forward, and stood in front of Asuna, saying, "Alright everyone, please look away, you're scaring my girlfriend!"

Momo's words surprised everyone slightly, but after a moment of surprise, all the players looked away. Regardless of their thoughts on Momo and Asuna staying at an inn, all the players maintained the same conduct and manners as in real life.

"Yo, Asuna, who is this...?"

Lisbeth pulled Silica over. She had originally wanted to help Asuna out of the predicament, but seeing Momo and Asuna's hands clasped tightly together, she realized that she was no longer needed.

"I see. Oh well—"

Lisbeth squinted and said, "So Asuna cried because of you yesterday? Well, young man, while it's true that you care about Asuna by letting her stay in a hotel, making a girl cry is an even more unforgivable act!"

Momo looked at Lisbeth with some surprise. He naturally knew who Lisbeth was, but he didn't expect to see her here.

Afterwards, the group introduced themselves, and Momo learned about Asuna's experience from the previous day.

"Stop talking, Lisbeth, Momo..."

"Hehe, what's wrong with him? You should let him know how much you love him, otherwise how can he be willing to do more for you?"

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen again."

Compared to Asuna's shyness, Momo's open and honest expression almost made Lisbeth and Silica scream.

"Haha, what a great man! Why haven't I met one... Well, I won't bother you anymore, let's chat again later. Since Asuna has Momo to take care of her, staying in a hotel is fine!"

Although Lisbeth's smile remained unchanged, Asuna could already sense a subtle distance between them. After all, Asuna was staying at a hotel while Lisbeth was staying on the street, and Lisbeth had extended an invitation to her. This made Lisbeth's initial thought of helping Asuna seem like a waste of time.

Asuna glanced at Mo Mo with some difficulty. Mo Mo stroked his chin and thought for a few seconds before saying, "You two, are you interested in making a deal with me?"

……

The transaction was completed quickly. Momo used up three transaction attempts to fulfill his promise to Lisbeth and Silica.

First, you need to team up with two people. Momo guarantees the safety of the two people and their life and combat in the game. In return, the two people join Momo's team and obey Momo's commands.

The third transaction involved Momo teaching Lisbeth the Dark Elf Enhanced Blacksmithing Technique. In return, Lisbeth would provide Momo and any future teammates with free services.

The first point is manageable; Momo made the deal with the two to find obedient teammates. The second point involves Momo teaching Lisbeth enhancement skills. Lisbeth can quickly pass the beginner stage through Momo's apprenticeship quest, and Lisbeth can also help Momo improve his blacksmithing skills when he's busy with his main story.

Momo wouldn't take advantage of Lisbeth, as high-level blacksmiths would definitely be in demand in the future. However, if Momo were to focus on fighting, he could provide Lisbeth with enough materials for her upgrades.

With two trustworthy teammates, Momo suddenly had a lot less to do. Since neither of them had the courage to go hunting outside the city, Momo handed over the task of buying and selling wild boar meat to them.

044 It's time to unleash the power (Part 1)

A week has passed.

These days, Asuna and Momo's lives have gotten back on track. Momo handed over the two quests to Lisbeth and Silica, allowing her to devote all her time to leveling up.

Momo originally wanted to teach Silica her cooking skills and Asuna her handicraft skills, so that everyone would have their own side profession and be able to help each other to the greatest extent.

However, Momo underestimated Asuna's dedication to cooking, especially after learning that everyone was eating black bread, she became even more aware of the importance of cooking skills.

Because Momo has said more than once that what the entire Sword Art Online community lacks most right now is something to sustain the spirits of all the players. It's likely that only after breaking through the first level and giving players hope for advancement will most of them step forward and take action.

In addition to this, stress management is also a crucial aspect for all players right now. Thousands of players are exposed to the elements on the streets of the starting area, subsisting on a single loaf of black bread and dried fruit each day—it seems like the best way to survive. However, this approach completely ignores the issue of mental stress.

Mental stress is invisible and immeasurable, yet it is undeniably present. When the players' mental stress reaches its limit and Cole runs out of resources, reality forces them to go hunting in the wild. However, their extremely unstable mental state makes them highly likely to experience an emotional breakdown when faced with danger.

This was Mo Mo's guess, but he felt his deduction made a lot of sense. In the original work, nearly a month after SAO's launch, there was a surge in player deaths, which was very likely the result of this collective mental pressure.

But now there's no need to worry. Thanks to the deal between Momo and Kayaba Akihiko, players who die in the game can survive.

However, Momo was pondering another question: in order to complete the game as soon as possible, should he try to minimize player casualties during this period?

In the end, Momo chose to let it go. On the one hand, he didn't have any good solutions, as even using his trading powers every day wouldn't save the two thousand people who left during this period. On the other hand, only players who survived this period could become warriors in the future.

Well, letting them leave early is for their own good, it's just a pity that Mo Mo can't reveal the truth.

During this week, the two of them mainly focused on leveling up, with little improvement in equipment. Momo simply changed to the most suitable equipment as she leveled up, while Asuna didn't need to worry at all. She had a superior weapon that surpassed all other players, and after a few days of enhancement, it wouldn't be a problem to use this sword even at level three or higher.

half a month later.

More and more players are starting to try to leave the starting street. After all, not every player can stand eating black bread every day. After trying other foods, how can they stand the taste of black bread?

They were caught in an economic crisis, and the virtual yet real feeling of hunger forced them, who were mentally volatile and weak, to leave the starting street and begin their first battle.

However, during this time, Momo had already led Asuna, Lisbeth, and Silica out of the Starting Street. Encouraged by Asuna, the other two girls also overcame their fear and began to fight.

After all, since following Momo, although he had taken care of their food, clothing, and shelter, they didn't want to become a complete burden. As they learned swordsmanship and slew monsters, their courage gradually developed.

Of course, Momo didn't expect the two to become top-tier warriors. After all, their talents and personalities were what they were—one preferred secondary professions, and the other was too young to handle the pressure of combat. All Momo needed was for them to be able to hunt monsters lower than themselves, complete normal quests, and collect materials.

As for the two quests in the starting street, Momo's blacksmithing skill has been upgraded to LV2. LV2 is enough to forge LV10 weapons, including even the excellent series of dark elf weapons. However, the materials required are also astonishing, and Momo is far from having collected them all.

After reaching LV2, Momo did not choose to upgrade her skills because the conditions were already met.

Next, Momo did the following.

First, Momo taught Lisbeth her LV2 blacksmithing skill, making her LV2. Then, he purchased LV1 blacksmithing skills from Lisbeth, bringing Momo's blacksmithing level to LV3. Finally, Momo taught Lisbeth her LV3 blacksmithing skills.

In this way, a cycle was completed in just one day, and two LV3 blacksmiths were painstakingly created!

As for the other players, it seems that two very lucky players learned the most basic blacksmithing skill from an NPC in a remote valley, a skill that has bankrupted them.

congratulations!

Kayaba Akihiko burst into tears instantly...

Momo's unique method of improvement was something she naturally wouldn't tell anyone, and Lisbeth also kept it a secret with shining eyes. Outsiders couldn't see their levels; only the two of them knew their own abilities.

Next, if Momo wanted, he could use three transactions to make the two of them level 5 blacksmiths, but that was unnecessary, since they weren't needed now and the weapons they forged were subject to level restrictions.

However, this level is more than enough to meet the current needs of all players for blacksmithing. Repairing and crafting go without saying, and weapon enhancement from LV1 to LV4 has a 100% success rate for blacksmithing skill level 3.

So...

The amazing blacksmith Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop, which has shocked the entire Aincrad, has opened!

Although Lisbeth is currently just setting up a stall on the street with a hammer and anvil, there are always countless people queuing up in front of her stall, making Lisbeth numb from holding the hammer used to strike weapons and equipment.

Following Momo, Lisbeth became another huge source of income for the team, even surpassing Momo's daily income from selling pork.

Momo's method of leveling up (and upgrading) skills can naturally be applied to other abilities. However, all other skills have a sword skill proficiency system, and the initial sword skill proficiency is too low. Starting from 1 point of proficiency, even if it doubles every day, it is difficult to make much progress.

For the past ten days or so, Momo and Asuna have been exchanging skill proficiency levels whenever they have time, but to their shame, the efficiency has been low.

The two of them only had maxed-out skill proficiency in one-handed straight sword and 81 in skill proficiency in rapier; neither of them had reached max level.

Kayaba Akihiko continues to weep...

However, it's no easy feat for two people to max out all their skills. Even if they only train with one weapon, there are still various skills that need to be upgraded, such as target acquisition and stealth.