Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

"Haha, you've had a tough time too," Li could only manage a wry smile. "You must have suffered a lot, right?"

"Ah...yeah, I just wanted to go out for a walk and she dragged me somewhere, then she announced that dragon manufacturing plan without my permission, and even asked me to help her. She also blew up the only exit herself. Saying that we have to fly out with the new 'Wright,' it's really enough..."

Looking at Alice's exhausted expression, they could imagine how much suffering she had endured. She had probably finally managed to escape, but they never expected that "Wright" would malfunction and end up here.

goo—

The sound of someone's stomach rumbling caused a brief silence to fall over the scene.

"I'm so sorry," Alice said, blushing. "Because Kana didn't prepare anything, we haven't eaten anything yet..."

Ah... I can imagine that someone like Kana, who doesn't listen to others and does things based on her bravado, must have forgotten to prepare.

So... these two people survived the past few days under the threat of death, upgraded 'Wright', and escaped...? Wow... that's absolutely horrific...

"If you don't mind, please come to my shop and have a seat," Li invited the two of them. "Although I don't have anything fancy to offer you, I do have something to fill your stomachs for now."

"Then... I'll have to trouble you." Alice nodded apologetically.

"What about this?" Ning pointed to the 'Wright' lying on the ground, having died of old age. "Should we just leave it here?"

“Just leave it here,” Alice said, brushing the dust off her clothes. “Someone will definitely come and take care of it later. Even if they don’t, they’ll probably just put up some kind of memorial statue here.”

"Absolutely not!" Kana finally managed to remove Alice's hand. "'Light' can't be left here. We have to take it back. I, the master, will make it even stronger!"

"You still won't give up..." Alice was at her wit's end.

She had dealt with many people and knew how to communicate with them. But this Kana in front of her was someone she simply couldn't handle.

She's incredibly driven and doesn't listen to others, but since her actions aren't malicious, Alice can't really say anything. However, now she truly can't take it anymore.

After final coordination, they decided to dismantle the core of "Light," the original "Light," and take it away. The remaining wreckage would just stay here; someone would probably use it for firewood.

On the way, Li asked Ning why she hadn't stopped her from inviting the two of them. Ning just smiled and didn't answer, which made Li feel uneasy.

"So there's a shop like this here...?"

Upon entering the "miniature garden," Alice was quite surprised.

"Haha, after all, this is a place like this." Li smiled, feeling quite satisfied after seeing her reaction.

That's the kind of reaction she wanted to see—the surprised look on someone's face when they suddenly noticed this mysterious, little-known shop in an inconspicuous place.

“I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t actually come here…” Alice looked at the items in the shop. “This shop is hidden in the shadow of the city wall; you can hardly tell it’s there.”

"Here, a hot towel." Ning thoughtfully brought over a hot towel that had been wrung out.

"Ah, thank you." Alice thanked her, then took the hot towel. "Kana, take this and wipe yourself down."

Alice tossed another hot towel to Kana, who was looking around. Kana grabbed it and wiped herself haphazardly, her attention never leaving the merchandise in the store.

Li knew that someone had taken the bait.

Chapter 32

Ning, feeling helpless, pinched Li's hand, a gesture that almost made Li scream in surprise. She leaned close to Li's ear and whispered.

"You're really a hypocrite, aren't you..."

"...! I didn't!?"

"They say they want to open a shop in a place where there aren't many people, but when no one comes, they act completely different."

"Is it because you're so bored?! Why do you always make fun of me?!"

Because Ning kept bullying her, Li felt wronged and angry, but couldn't find a way to refute her.

One reason was that she was too bored, and another was that she was too naive. Ning just wanted to leave her alone and let her get used to this way of running the business. It would also be fun to tease her and see her frustrated expression.

"Anyway, you did a good job this time." Ning patted her shoulder. "Use your magic eye to see who this Alice is."

After leaving behind a deliberately mysterious remark, Ning waved her hand and went back to her room in the shop. Besides the main hall for business operations, 'The Little Garden' also had some necessary living rooms; Ning went to the kitchen to prepare some convenient food for the two of them.

Alice...?

Li glanced at Alice, who was sitting across the counter. Alice's attention was also on the merchandise, and she didn't notice Li's gaze. Since Ning said so, she decided to take a look...

'Alice, human, Lv.47, titles: "Princess of the Kingdom," "A Talented Woman of One in a Million," "Master of the Sanko Workshop."'

Huh—?

After seeing those three titles, Li Cai remembered this person. Nao had also told her about him; he was one of Nao's close friends. She didn't remember any details about him, but the three titles told her he was an important figure.

The four characters "San Gu Gong Fang" particularly caught Li's eye, and she suddenly understood Ning's meaning.

Sanko Workshop can be considered a representative of high-tech production in this world... Wow, so let's not complain about the high technology or anything like that. The key point is Sanko Workshop's status and role.

Sangu Workshop is a group of forward-thinking individuals led by Alice. Ning had told her about Sangu Workshop, so it's safe to say they are a group of very talented creators.

Who knows, we might be able to use their strength to advance their plans. But... things are going too smoothly, which makes me a little uneasy...

Could it be that that useless goddess has finally come to her senses? No, no, no, I don't need your help anymore. Goodbye.

“You can take it down and take a look,” Li smiled gently. “It’s okay, it doesn’t matter if it breaks.”

"Huh? Is that alright?" Alice asked. "Those are very precious things, aren't they..."

"Actually, I just wrote the prices down randomly," Li said frankly. "Those who want to buy them will buy them, and those who are meant to take them will come and take them away. The price doesn't matter."

"That's quite a casual attitude, but it feels pretty good."

Alice understood, walked over to the item, picked it up, and examined it closely as she held it in her hand.

Seeing that she had taken something down, Kana, who was next to her, also took down an item to examine it. Both of them seemed curious about the items.

"Hey you," Kana waved to Ri, "what's this?"

Li walked over, punched her on the head first, and then explained to her, "This is a knife."

"A knife...?" Kana looked at the small object in her hand in disbelief. Interestingly, it was also quite heavy.

"Yes, a Swiss Army knife."

Li didn't continue explaining to her, but instead snatched the handle from her hand, then casually twisted it to reveal the blade.

"It could be something else."

Rie popped out the other parts: a saw, a screwdriver, a bottle opener, and a series of other components. Every time she changed the Swiss Army knife in her hand, Kana's eyes would light up.

"This! It's amazing!" Kana's mouth was practically watering.

“Well, it’s a Swiss Army knife after all.” Li put the parts back. “It’s more focused on practicality, so it has a variety of tools.”

“Eh… a military knife…” Alice’s attention was also drawn in. “It’s not quite like the military knives I remember. This one is small and easy to carry, and it has many functions. Let me see… three hundred silver coins? It’s definitely worth the price.”

Upon hearing Alice's last words, Kana suddenly froze, stiffly turning her head to look at the price sign, then turning to Alice with a pleading look.

“…You don’t have enough money, right?” Alice asked.

"Mm." Kana nodded honestly.

Alice covered her face in exasperation. This matter was entirely unrelated to her; she could have easily refused. Kana was just a passerby, after all. But…

"Um, excuse me..." Alice said to Li, "It's been so long since I introduced myself. I'm Alice. May I ask your name, shop owner?"

"Rei, the Rei of human reason." Rei used magic to write her name in the air. "I am the owner of this 'Miniature Garden' shop."

“‘Small Garden’…” Alice nodded, noting her name. “I’m sorry, but can we owe you the money for the Swiss Army knife? We’ll definitely pay you back later.”

Alice had a vague premonition that she would often visit this place in the future, and she felt a very familiar feeling in the shop owner—all the gentleness and tranquility of the person who was no longer there.

“That’s fine with you.” Li smiled, then changed the subject, “But in return, could you two stay with me a little longer? There are some things we’d like to discuss with you.”

“…Please speak.” Alice’s expression changed, becoming serious.

"Waaah, wait a minute! This isn't something so serious!" Li quickly broke the serious atmosphere. "I can only tell you when Ning comes back, and I don't know much about this kind of thing either. As for the Swiss Army knife, you can take it, just consider it an opening bonus."

"You're at a disadvantage like this..."

Caught off guard by the logic, Alice could only offer a wry smile and offer her a reminder.

"Here you go." Alice handed the Swiss Army knife to Kana.

"...Partner! I'll definitely pay you back later!"

"So... you should say that to the shop owner."

Kana was as happy as a child who had received a new toy when she received the Swiss Army knife, and seeing her like this, Alice couldn't help but relax.

Chapter 33

"That's just the way it is."

Ning finished explaining the situation, picked up her cup, and took a sip of black tea to moisten her throat. She had been explaining everything to them the whole time, while the manager was just cheering her on from the sidelines, so she was now very angry.

Moreover, why did she unilaterally push forward the topic while she was away, disrupting the original plan?

“I see…” Alice nodded. “You’re related to the Borg Merchant Guild, so can I understand it that way?”

"Think what you want." Ning seemed too lazy to answer, showing absolutely no intention of negotiating. "Even if you don't plan to cooperate with us, we have ways to produce it ourselves."

What they wanted to discuss with Alice was the mass production of the electrical box in the corner.

Sanko Workshop has the capability to reproduce electrical boxes, and we initially planned to collaborate with them. However, according to the plan, Olito should be in charge of the negotiations now.

So Ning is furious now. Li pushed the plan forward without her consent and dumped all the trouble on her. These were things that originally had nothing to do with Ning. All she wanted to do was read books in the shop and at home.

To be honest, she hates anything that disrupts her rhythm, but she tolerates it because it makes sense.

She no longer wanted to concern herself with the aftermath, so she glanced at Li and gestured with her eyes that she would wash her hands of the matter from now on.

"Haha... How about it? Interested?" Li chuckled dryly, then asked.

"Isn't this amazing?!" Kana slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "Chew, chew, chew... gulp. Listen! With this, my 'Light' can fly higher and longer!"

“So you should listen to them properly…” Alice covered her face helplessly. “They asked us to copy this thing called the ‘electric box,’ not for us to use it. Also, don’t talk while eating, it’s very rude…”

"But this is delicious! Don't you want some, partner?"

"Uh... I don't want it, you can have it."

Alice pushed the freshly made potato chips in the basket towards Kana; she wasn't in the mood for food right now. Although they did smell really good, ugh…

Kana grabbed handfuls of potato chips and threw them into her mouth. I really don't know how she managed to stuff so many chips into her cherry-sized mouth.

Okay, let's get back to the main topic.

As the owner of Sanko Workshop, Alice usually handles all the workshop's affairs. However, she only takes on minor repairs and custom orders.

They also tried original creations, but the results were far from satisfactory; either the quality was insufficient or they did not meet their original ideas.

So far, the only things that Sangu Workshop can truly boast about are just a few items.

The two people in front of her, Rin and Ning, were very mysterious to Alice. She had sensed this when they first met that day. It was as if they were guiding Kana, but she did not clearly understand their meaning.

Alice deduced that these two were creators far more skilled than the artisans of the Sanko Workshop, and given that the craftsmanship of the products here was something they could not replicate, she thought it was worthwhile to collaborate with them.

The electrical box is what they suggested that needs to be mass-produced, along with cotton lamps and wires, because these items are complementary, although one of them is practically useless.

But the most important thing is the electrical box. Alice has a premonition that this thing will change the world.

Although I hate to admit it, Alice wants that thing, but it will probably take a long time to research and recreate something like the electrical box.

It's incredibly lucky that they've taken the initiative to come to us. This is undoubtedly an opportunity, and it's hard to say what would happen if we missed it.

"I'm sorry, I can't make a decision right now." After weighing the options for a long time, Alice could only come to this conclusion: "I need to go back and discuss it with the members of the workshop."

"Well... it's a very important matter after all, so it's good to discuss it." Li indicated that he understood.

If she were to witness such a thing, she would also go to Ning for advice, because she wouldn't be able to solve the problem with her limited intelligence.

“Speaking of which… will you two keep your shop here?” Alice asked.

"Yeah, we do, but the opening hours aren't fixed." Rie ate a potato chip. "I opened this kind of shop just out of interest."

"I really don't know who was just hoping someone would come."

"Don't sabotage me."

"I can not understand what you say."

"Don't act stupid!"

The two of them were still the same as always, bickering fiercely in front of others, making everyone think that only these two had a really good relationship.

On the other hand, Kana... she's really hard to talk to, completely disobedient. She'd be fine if she just quieted down. Alice wanted to take her to the workshop, but judging by her behavior, she'd probably corrupt the whole place.

“I’m sorry, I have to go.” Alice stood up. “This matter is very important, and I’m also very glad that you trust our Sanko Workshop, so in order to meet your expectations as soon as possible, I’m going back to Sanko Workshop now.”