"You've got to be kidding me! What are you going to do without money to play?"

"Can you blame me? It's always Mimi's responsibility to bring money when we go out!"

On a bustling street, a young couple stood in front of a flower shop, glaring at each other in frustration. Passersby couldn't help but look, and the flower shop owner sighed helplessly, hiding behind the flower stand at the shop entrance.

With these two here, it seemed like there would be no business for tonight...

As for the bickering couple, they were equally frustrated. They had managed to sneak out without Mimi but forgot to bring money. Now they only had two options in front of them.

Option one was to go back and face the wrath of their maid - Miss Mimi, who was an expert maid and the ace tutor of the wealthy, and when she got angry, even the princess wouldn't be spared. This option was practically suicide.

Option two was to find a way to get some money. Since they would be scolded no matter what, they might as well enjoy themselves before going back.

The choice was clear, but the question was how to get the money.

In the quest of exploring Signal City without money, option one was to work honestly and earn money.

"Hey, Aya, why don't you work?"

"No way, we only have one night, and if I work, there won't be any time to play... Besides, how much can you earn in a few hours?" Aya's face was filled with frustration.

"It's fine, we can get the advance payment. You work, and I'll go play. Isn't that a good division of labor?"

"Get lost!"

In the quest of exploring Signal City without money, option two was to resort to extreme measures during extraordinary times.

"Then let's rob someone. Find a dark alley and knock someone out!" Tiran's face filled with excitement, eager to give it a try.

"Princess, do you want to make tomorrow's headlines by robbing people late at night? Miss Mimi, can you please convince your girlfriend? If you keep arguing, my small shop won't have any business tonight." The flower shop owner couldn't take it anymore and approached with a wry smile.

"Uh, sorry..." Aya hesitated, realizing that the environment wasn't suitable for causing a scene.

"Why are you saying such nonsense, shopkeeper? I'm not this guy's girlfriend... Eh, Aya, what are you doing? Your skirt! Your skirt!" Tiran retorted dissatisfied, but she was caught off guard as Aya picked her up, and her short skirt fluttered in the wind, almost revealing everything.

Even the flower shop owner, who had initially hoped they would leave quickly, was taken aback by this guy's behavior. Dude, don't you worry about breaking up?

As if remembering something from the past, the old shop owner sighed and took out a fully bloomed white rose from the flower stand, placing it in Aya's front pocket. He patted his shoulder heavily and returned to the shop under Aya's puzzled gaze.

This must be an old shop owner with a story. Aya blinked and carried Tiran away.

...

"Sorry... It wasn't intentional..."

In a dark alley, Aya apologized while rubbing the back of her head, which was now beginning to resemble a Buddha.

"I'll let it slide this time, but rather than that, let's quickly think of a way to get some money. If all else fails, should we go and do some dirty work?"

"Don't say such terrifying things with a smile! And what were you trying to do by taking off your stockings?"

"To prevent myself from being recognized, of course." Tiran said matter-of-factly, "Isn't that what robbers do?"

"..." Aya was completely defeated and weakly retorted, "So you did it on purpose, didn't you? It doesn't matter if we don't have money; you just think it's fun, don't you? And put the stockings back on!"

"Oh... Was I found out?"

"Dude, seriously! And put the stockings back on!"

In the end, Aya felt a little sorry and took out a small bag from her pocket and threw it to Tiran, solving this problem. "Consider it unlucky for me; use my money."

The bag wasn't tightly sealed, and the golden coins inside were revealed.

"So you did bring money, Aya." Tiran picked up one coin from the bag, surprised. "Babylonian gold coins, these are worth quite a sum. I didn't expect you to be wealthy."

"Yeah, I collected them before. Dragon's interest is collecting shiny things," Aya explained, opening her hand.The Babylonian ancient gold coin was the currency used in a vast empire that dominated the entire continent hundreds of years ago. It had a high gold content and exquisite patterns, which made it a valuable collectible due to its rarity in the market. If exchanged for Milanian gold coins, it would probably be worth several hundred coins.

It was already good for ordinary collectors to obtain one coin, but the bag that Aya threw out actually contained more than ten coins.

If you have a wealthy friend, you can ignore the first two tips mentioned in the strategy guide on conquering Beacon City. Just kneel and beg for money.

So, all those messy strategies are just scams! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

...

After solving their financial problems, the two of them could finally indulge themselves without any worries.

"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel like there are some burning gazes from behind." Aya held Tiran's hand and walked past shops one by one along the street. Aya felt like someone was staring at them.

Actually, it was not just a feeling. There were indeed several people passing by, giving them looks that almost wanted to kill. If Aya guessed correctly, they were probably single dogs, just like other single dogs.

To sum it up, displaying affection in public on the street will make you die quickly.

The combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman is the most fatal to single dogs. That's why Aya suggested that Tiran cover her face.

However, Princess Tiran clearly didn't notice the gazes of the passing single dogs. She was still bargaining with the shopkeeper in front of her for a piece of jewelry.

"Thirty silver coins? It's too expensive, boss. How about making it a little cheaper? Twenty-eight silver coins, what do you think?"

"Miss, that's already the cost price. Any cheaper and I'll be at a loss." The shopkeeper's forehead started to sweat. He thought a pretty girl like this wouldn't bargain, but unexpectedly, she managed to negotiate from forty silver coins all the way down to thirty, and she showed no intention of stopping.

"Please, please, please. Look at how cute I am. Can you make it two silver coins cheaper? Just for my sake, pretty please?"

"Well…" The shopkeeper was almost crying.

"Boss, with this jewelry, how about thirty silver coins?" Aya reached out and grabbed a white fox mask from the nearby shelf, while the other hand counted out thirty silver coins on the counter.

"No problem!" The shopkeeper eagerly agreed with a look of gratitude, even before Tiran had a chance to say anything. He quickly packed the jewelry into a bag and took the money, fearing that Aya might change her mind.

Aya pulled Tiran out of the store. Tiran seemed a bit dissatisfied.

"Aya, what are you doing? We could have negotiated a lower price. That mask you took is worth only a few copper coins."

"It's close enough. We're not short of that little money anyway. Why bother?" Aya shrugged, wearing a pained expression. He put the mask on Tiran's face. "The main reason is that I can't stand the looks from strangers. If you don't cover your face, I might be surrounded by single dogs later."

"It's easily solved. Why don't you change back into female clothing?"

"There are no windows!"

"Well, I think it's a good idea. But if you don't like it, forget it." Tiran casually took off the fox mask from her face, carefully looked at it, and put it back on. "Hmm, it actually looks quite cute. You have good taste, Aya."

"Whatever, even if you praise me more, you won't release me from the master-slave contract, right?" Thinking of that disgusting contract, Aya sighed heavily and asked listlessly, "What's next? Do we continue exploring?"

Rumble...

The barely audible sound of their rumbling stomachs made them both fall into silence. They realized they hadn't eaten dinner before coming out...

Tiran lowered her head slightly, clenched the hem of her skirt with her right hand and said, "Let's... let's go eat something first."

...

"As a princess, you're quite down-to-earth."

Sitting on the steps by a flower bed in a pedestrian square, Aya happily held a half-eaten skewer in his hand. The hot and fragrant grilled meat still emitted steam, which was exceptionally tempting.

He held a greaseproof bag in his arms, containing more than a dozen freshly grilled skewers. Tiran, who was sitting beside him, also held a similar bag, but her bag contained twice as many skewers. They sat on the steps, enjoying their meal.

"By the way, even though you're a princess, why are you able to enjoy food so happily?! Don't you think it's a bit undignified to sit here and eat?" Aya stared at Tiran, whose fingers were covered in grease, as she finished another skewer, feeling incredulous. This princess always seemed to have nothing to do with elegance and nobility..."Because happy, happy, and happy," Tiran casually said, "Ah, if only we had some beer, it would be just like before..."

After being speechless for a moment with her face covered, Aya stood up and walked across the street to a small stall, where she bought a bottle of frozen beer and handed it to Tiran.

Tiran happily pulled out the cork and, with a bold gesture, tilted her head back and took a big gulp, exhaling comfortably, "Hoo, so refreshing! It's been so long since I enjoyed something this much!"

Ah, is this what someone who eats gourmet cuisine cooked by over a dozen professional chefs all day in the castle would say? Apologies to those hardworking chefs!

"Anyway, why did you spend money to buy this? Any item in your jewelry box is more exquisite than this, right?" Aya took out the small ornament she had bought earlier from her pocket and looked at it.

It was a small ruby cross necklace, worth at most twenty silver coins. No wonder Tiran was able to negotiate the price down so low. But it did look pretty with its sparkling clarity.

"Like I said, because it makes me happy," Tiran took another sip of beer and a hint of blush appeared on her face, "Hmm, actually, it's a gift for my mom. She likes it when I buy her little trinkets. And she's a believer in the Church, so I just bought a cross. By the way, Aya, what about your parents?"

"Them?" Aya froze for a moment and wore an expression of deep resentment, "Those two super irresponsible folks... they're probably off somewhere sightseeing or having fun?"

The thought of her own parents enjoying themselves while she was being forcefully brought back home by a human and being subjected to various forms of training made her extremely angry!

"Hey, you're supposed to keep your promises, right? You'll release me from the contract and let me go after one year, right?"

"Hoo... hoo..."

Unbelievable... she fell asleep!

Under the light of the street lamp, the shadows of the two overlapped. Aya looked at the princess, who was sleeping peacefully on her lap, and the half-full bottle of beer in her hand. She tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"She couldn't even finish half a bottle. This girl, if you can't handle alcohol, just don't drink! Now I have to carry you back..."

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Um, can I humbly ask for a favor to bookmark this?