Brain bloom

Sen pretended he couldn't afford it and asked about the price.

The old wildcat replied, "Buying one costs two gold coins, buying two costs three and a half—well, the price is a bit high, so it's quite hard to sell...after all, the price of one can buy ten of the less desirable ones."

"Would these powerful individuals willingly wear shackles?"

“They are all losers in life.” The old wildcat stroked his whiskers, removing the frivolity from his deep voice. “There will always be people like this who have been defeated by themselves, who have fallen to the point of coming here to mooch three meals a day, waiting for the next person who can provide them with three meals a day… They will fight numbly until they die.”

Dandelion sat there silently, listening to everything the old wildcat said, but a faint smile appeared on her lips that no one noticed.

Mori didn't understand the underlying meaning; she simply assumed these people had lost all their money gambling and had no choice but to sell themselves. They now had money, so she looked at Dandelion with a conciliatory glint in her eyes.

"We can't afford it. Even if you look at me so pitifully, it won't help," Dandelion refused in a poor tone.

"Alright." Sen Shi understood that Dandelion didn't want these people, so he didn't say anything more.

Just before Sen Shi left the window to check on the two slaves Dandelion had bought, a blue light appeared in her field of vision—the trajectory of the Salt Sprite flying back, fast and swift.

Mori was not surprised at all, but sighed in his heart, "This pervert even wants to mess with salt."

……

(We didn't meet the bonus chapter requirement today! So this is a bonus chapter for monthly votes!)

Volume 1 #027: Being a pervert isn't worth it

When Fufu saw Sen at the window, she flew over as if she had seen a savior. The azure light fell into Sen's hand. She touched it, and the salt sprite's gem seemed to have become a little damp; perhaps it was the tears Fufu had shed after being bullied.

Were you bullied?

"No... I... I still can't control my emotions."

--"what happens?"

Dandelion also came over, followed by the old wildcat, who was also curious about the sudden appearance of light. However, the old wildcat was clearly much more experienced; it sniffed a few times and had definitely noticed something.

"Is this the little girl who was with you before?" he asked. "She has the same smell. I thought it was sweat... but it doesn't seem to be. How should I put it? It's very close to the salty smell of the sea."

The old stray cat's interest grew even stronger; it pressed one hairy hand against the other, perhaps resisting the instinct to reach out with its claws.

“That’s true—but let’s not talk about that for now. Fu Fu, what happened?”

"Maybe I did something wrong," Fu Fu complained to the two important people who took her in, her voice full of grievance. "I don't understand the rules of this society. That human took me to eat cookies, but I said I couldn't eat them, so he took me to admire the garden."

"That's it?" Mori felt there was more to the story. "You've told me everything, so what happened next?"

"I didn't eat the cookies, and he was probably a little upset. I don't know what he wanted to do to me, he just kept staring at me..."

The somewhat naive Pu Gong, Ying, didn't understand what Sen was worried about and wanted to end this little trouble as soon as possible—"Fu Fu, the key is whether you thanked us or not? We should leave now that we're done."

"No, no, I was scared when he stared at me, so I couldn't control my emotions and ran away."

It had indeed said before that it couldn't maintain its illusions when its emotions were unstable. But Dandelion thought that fleeing like this without explanation would make Sen Shi and Dandelion seem impolite. Perhaps the existence of this salt spirit couldn't be kept secret any longer, but it was better than making enemies with these people.

"This is our partner. I apologize for its rudeness, but it's special and we don't want to explain too much."

The old wildcat patted its head, looking nonchalant: "Oh, I won't interfere. I've seen all sorts of wondrous creatures. Wait, little sister, do you think my son has designs on you? I'll have to go ask him in person."

"I believe this is a misunderstanding. Let's go and apologize for our rudeness. Fufu, you should also thank them properly," Dandelion reassured Salt Elf. "And didn't you leave your clothes there too?"

"Yes, that's right..."

Mori had intended to offer a few words of advice, but the situation quickly became strange. The old stray cat planned to ask his son what was going on, while Dandelion wanted to explain to avoid being seen as rude. Since there were many people around, Mori silently followed along, secretly resolving never to associate with these stray cats again.

Even a fool could guess what that seemingly harmless little wildcat was planning to do to Fufu.

The two were alone, and this was his territory. The seemingly naive little girl was targeted by a stray cat... Sigh.

They went downstairs and, led by the old stray cat, headed towards the back courtyard. The environment was quiet and secluded, with untrimmed and unattended flowers and plants. It provided privacy and blocked out a lot of noise.

"What a spacious courtyard, there's hardly anyone here," Mori said with a sarcastic remark.

"Haha, that's right, so we can play happily." The old wildcat took this as a compliment as it walked along. "I don't come here much, I just smell the scent. My little cub's scent is here, though."

A wall of grass appeared before them, and they could hear strange male noises. They went around the grass wall to see what the little wildcat was doing there—uh…

He was indeed there, but he was the only one.

As Sen Shi had predicted, the other party was indeed a pervert.

Old Wildcat, Mori, and Dandelion all stood there dumbfounded, feeling that... something was wrong with the situation before them.

A handsome, blond nobleman is admiring himself in a mirror—a sight that could charm many common women, if he weren't dressed in women's clothing.

The clothes that Fu Fu had worn before were now almost two sizes too big for this Black Cat III. He was so engrossed in women's clothing that he didn't notice his father's horrified expression and the ashen faces of the other two girls until the old wildcat roared in anger.

It seems the fairy tale about salt spirits has been completely shattered.

……

In the end, the matter ended in a dignified manner.

Although the young nobleman claimed it was the clothes' fault—that he helped Fufu because he wanted to wear them—the old stray cat could understand. But as intelligent beings, they still knew such things were quite shameful.

Fortunately, the clothes were still wearable, and Fufu surprisingly didn't mind and asked for them back. However, Fufu's attitude completely changed. She stopped praising how friendly the noble young master who helped her was, and she never mentioned thanking him again. She transformed into her salt spirit form and hid in Morishi's pocket.

Dandelion, a dignified and noble princess, was at a loss as to how to handle this situation. Mori stepped in, politely but firmly indicating that they could keep it a secret, but the victim's psychological trauma needed to be healed.

The old wildcat knew exactly what she wanted, and could only silently accept it, looking utterly miserable.

"Well... how about you take whatever you want from this house? Slaves or other things are fine with me."

Mori didn't dare ask for anything indiscriminately. Asking for too little would be pointless, while asking for too much would incur resentment—the other party might simply choose another method, such as silencing them. Perhaps the two of them could win, but at a terrible cost.

Seeing Sen hesitate, Dandelion suppressed her secret joy and seriously suggested, "I hope you won't take offense, we're not exactly rolling in money either, so please just pay us some hush money."

"Actually, I also think gold coins would be better; they can solve things quickly and efficiently, but they're really inconvenient..."

The old wildcat, speaking vaguely, scratched its cub, annoyed that it was utterly useless, but the cub just stood there, ashen and lifeless as a stone statue. The old wildcat then had to put on a friendly demeanor towards the two of them and try to explain everything.

“You don’t smell like bad people, so I won’t hide it anymore. There’s a healing spell scroll that’s recently appeared, and I’m preparing the cash for it. After all, these kinds of auctions don’t accept equivalent value… It’s very important to me. So take whatever you want—just don’t tell anyone about my kid.”

From his tone, Mori sensed an urgent need. After a moment's thought, an idea surfaced in her usually calm mind.

……

(Wishing all test takers good luck on their exams. If you don't work hard, you'll be cursed by the perverts and degenerate into a cross-dressing pervert.)

Volume 1 #028 - It Seems a Deal Has Been Reached

"Do you want to buy that magic scroll because someone is seriously ill?" Mori asked unhurriedly.

"Yes, think about it. If everyone is healthy, no one would pay a high price for that kind of thing. Sigh, I heard that healing arts were very common a long time ago. It was an era that didn't need doctors or herbs. It's really unbelievable."

"Well... not really." Senji put his hands in his pockets, his tone tinged with nostalgia, as if his memories had been stirred. "We also have herbs and healing potions. It costs money to hire someone to use healing spells—the advantage of healing spells is that they are convenient and can cure you quickly."

"Wow, little girl, it sounds like you know a lot about that era?" The old wildcat asked with great interest, his eyes fixed on Sen Shi, his neck held high like a cat's.

"Yes, I have read many books and have a deep understanding of healing techniques."

After hearing her say those words, Dandelion, who knew Sen Shi inside and out, already understood his plans.

In fact, they possessed not only the magic scroll they had luckily unearthed, but also healing spells that could be used indefinitely. Given the right conditions, even a casual use could yield substantial profits. Dandelion and Mori's eyes met by chance, and she became even more convinced that Mori was indeed plotting this. So she also put on a businesslike smile and silently stood aside, listening to her ancestor's explanation.

"Perhaps you don't need to bid; the cat probably prefers to sunbathe at home." Her attitude was appropriate; having witnessed the wildcat's unsightly behavior, she could now calmly face this imposing slave trader.

"Oh?"

"What would you think if I told you that the healing spell scroll was consigned to us for sale?"

"Of course I'll contact you immediately... No, it's pointless. Even if I did, what could I do? You all still want the highest bidder to win, and I can only follow the normal procedure... right?"

Although the old wildcat was surprised for a while, its words were still quite shrewd.

“Unless you’re willing to sell to me privately—unfortunately, I suspect there are conditions, right? Making a larger profit is the basis of the negotiation, but I’d like to hear your terms.”

"If you can keep it a secret, it's not out of the question if the price is right."

The old wildcat didn't answer immediately. Instead, it reached out and slapped its cub awake, baring its teeth in a manner that suggested a cat intimidating an enemy: "Go get me some tea and some pastries—the kind for humans."

"……Oh."

After driving away the child who had disappointed him, he adopted the composure he only showed when discussing big business deals, suppressing all his emotions.

“I don’t want to waste time; healing is very important to our Black Wildcat family.”

Are you sick?

“No, it’s my mother.” He remained unfazed.

“The old man probably won’t be delayed for long. We can provide you with a healing spell scroll privately.” Mori’s tone was completely different from his cute face, carrying a strong sense of pressure. “Anyway, we know your son’s secret, so I’m not worried that you will spread this kind of private deal.”

"Your trust is justified, because I am an honest cat."

"Let's cut to the chase. We can sell you an extra copy instead of the one listed on the market."

"...Alright, then I won't say anything else. I can offer a maximum of one hundred gold coins. In addition, you can choose any slaves I have. Just name any other conditions you have."

Sen Shi knew that this was already a very sincere price, meaning low risk and a large extra income. Not only was she tempted, but Dandelion also wanted to shout for her to agree, her gaze constantly piercing her.

"Okay, this price it is. We can discuss the other terms later. The transaction should be completed today. Is that possible?"

"I think it's possible, as long as you give me the real thing."

"of course."

The negotiations concluded smoothly, and both sides breathed a sigh of relief. Dandelion had done her best to suppress her joyful smile, while Mori remained quite calm.

The hundred gold coins she was about to acquire would undoubtedly bear those two mocking letters… letters that belonged to her. She had possessed tens of thousands of times more cash and handled astronomical sums; she couldn't possibly care less about such a small amount.

But the path we're on now requires these small sums of money to pave the way.

"Luckily, I didn't send out my bid. Thank goodness." With that, the old wildcat stretched.

"In that case, let others compete for that auction."

"As expected, you have more than one copy."

"You already guessed it?"

“Healing magic is a monopolized thing, but it is very common in the hands of the monopolists. Even if a prince just scrapes his arm, he will invite the royal magician to perform healing magic... In other words, it can be mass-produced at low cost. You have the channels, so you must have obtained more than one copy... Sigh, we commoners live such a hard life. We have to pay so much money for our health.”

Mori didn't utter a single word in reply, only casting a chilling gaze at him—a silent threat demanding secrecy. Cats are perceptive creatures, and of course, they understood.

"I will not betray the person who saved my mother," the old wildcat promised.