"Why did you come to the capital? It's quite far from the Hesse family's territory."

In a maid cafe, Tiran sat in a chair, stirring the coffee in his cup with a small spoon, while curiously looking at the legal loli sitting in front of him.

"It's not just far, it took me a whole half month to get to the capital. I almost died from exhaustion," Little Mo complained, biting the straw of her drink.

"Wait... are you saying you walked to the capital?"

"Yeah, because running is faster than taking a carriage," Little Mo answered matter-of-factly. "I had actually given up on coming to this trade fair, but then I made some money from buying information, so I decided to come last minute. I was in a rush."

Well, for someone like Little Mo, who used to be an assassin, running was indeed a faster mode of transportation than carriages or horses. But running continuously for over ten days... just thinking about it was terrifying.

"Actually, it was mainly because I didn't have money..." Little Mo added weakly, two strands of hair hanging down on her head.

"..." Tirian felt a little sorry for her and reached out to touch Little Mo's head. Oh my, maybe it was because he had been with Jiu Jiu for too long, and now he preferred girls with a petite figure. What should he do?

"By the way, how much money did you bring here? You bought so many things," Tirian glanced at the huge backpack occupying half of the aisle next to them, somewhat impressed.

"I brought 16,000 gold, that's all my fortune!" Little Mo proudly raised her thumb.

"Oh, impressive! No wonder you're a senior! You're so bold! But what could you spend so much money on? Even with such a big bag..." Tirian was a little puzzled.

"Hehe, it's actually not that much. The main thing I bought is this..." Little Mo forcefully pulled out a huge package from her bag. How did she manage to fit this person-sized box inside? Was it a fourth-dimensional backpack?!

"Is this...?"

"Yes, it's a cutting-edge technology product from the Sains Kingdom, a custom-made silicone doll! It's not only life-sized, but the material is also skin-friendly and the craftsmanship is super fine. It even has a special voice-recording magic array, which can perfectly replicate all body details. And most importantly, it has a basic fire magic array inside, so it can also be used as a bed warmer in winter..." Little Mo explained excitedly.

"Oh my..." Tirian couldn't help but facepalm. This time she even wanted to know what the Sains Kingdom was doing, to come up with such a weird thing. "How much did this thing cost?"

"It was originally 12,000 gold, but I got a discount when I ordered it, so it was 11,998 gold," Little Mo's expression also showed a hint of regret. "Although it was a bit expensive, it's no problem at all for my beloved Flash-sama!"

"Sorry, who did you say?" Tirian was taken aback, and her expression suddenly became strange.

"Flash-sama, don't tell me you, Little Tiran, don't recognize him? He's a superstar in the circle!" Little Mo said, a little surprised.

Damn superstar...

"No, no, it's just that I thought of something not so nice," Tirian shook her head, trying to focus. "By the way, Little Mo, why don't you take me around later? It's my first time at such a grand event in the capital!"

...

"Ah-choo!" Walking through rows of stalls, Aya suddenly sneezed and rubbed her nose. "Weird, I feel like someone was talking about me behind my back."

"Aya, are you okay?" The Elf girl asked with concern, bringing her head closer, her voice soft and gentle. "Did you catch a cold? Hmm, Flash-sama's costume does expose the shoulders, it might get cold at night."

As she spoke, Coco took off her thin veil shawl and draped it over Aya.

"It's not necessary... umm, it is indeed a bit cold," Aya wanted to decline, but when she felt the warmth of the girl's body and the scent of orchids coming from the shawl, she immediately closed her mouth and tightly wrapped the shawl, pretending to shiver.

Hey, is the police officer here? There's a pervert here who dressed as a man and deceived innocent Elf girls.

"By the way, why were those people so enthusiastic just now? Is it because...?" Aya pointed at herself and asked, "Is this character really popular?"

"Huh? Aya, you don't know? This is Flash-sama! He's a very popular character and a superstar in the community," the Elf girl asked curiously.

"That's why..." Aya paused and asked, "Um, what does 'superstar' mean?"

"Well..." Coco subconsciously wanted to explain, but then realized it wasn't appropriate and covered her mouth, blushing. "Aya, you're so naughty! To make me explain something like that!"

"Ah? But I really didn't know..." Aya didn't understand why the Elf girl suddenly blushed and sighed. "Actually, I didn't know anything about this before. I was dragged here by a friend today."

"Uh... is that so?" The Elf girl tilted her head cutely, her golden hair falling to one side.

"Yeah, so what kind of place is this exactly?" Aya asked.

"Um... you could say it's part of the black market? It's a gathering of anime fans, but the organizers are pretty amazing to be able to set up a place like this unnoticed in the capital."

...

"It's an event organized by a very powerful organization. They hold it once a year on New Year's Eve and during the summer festival. It lasts for three days each time, and both newcomers and veterans bring their works to sell. Many well-known brands also participate, like this high-tech doll." Mo held up a huge package with a picture of a knight girl on it.

"So that's how it is?" Tiran took a sip of coffee and nodded repeatedly.

"Thanks to the power of that organization, the scale of the gathering gets bigger every year. In fact, it's already in a semi-public state now. Soon, it will be able to break away from its identity as a black market event and become a regular gathering. Hmph, that so-called Light Bureau from Milenia's official department used to always interfere under the pretext of preserving decency, but they've changed department heads multiple times now."

"Ack!" Tiran couldn't hold it in and coffee spurted out of her mouth.

...

"Besides buying and selling works, there are also many activities like otaku dance and cosplay contests. Oh, speaking of which, today's schedule includes a performance by MNC!" The Elf girl suddenly got excited.

"MNC... what's that?" Aya asked.

"Midnight Cat! They're a girl idol group from the P.E.T.S Academy in the Northern Orc Kingdom, and the most important thing is that all the members are genuine cat girls!"

"Really?!" Aya's eyes lit up. "I have to go!"

...

"Ah, this trip is really worth it. Not only did I buy what I wanted, but I also get to see MNC's performance." In the central main stage of the venue, most of the seats set up in rows were already occupied by the audience. Tiran sat in the front row near the stage with a paper bag of snacks and Moros.

"The only regret is that the signing event by Cold Clothes Master is tomorrow evening." Mo sighed and aggressively nibbled on the grilled squid on a stick. The poor squid made crunchy noises as she bit into it.

"Why don't you come back tomorrow evening?" Tiran asked curiously.

"I bought a one-time entry ticket. If I buy another one for tomorrow, I won't have enough money to rent a carriage home." Mo regretfully muttered, "Besides, it's better not to stay in the capital for too long these days."

"How much did you spend?" Tiran raised an eyebrow. "And why shouldn't we stay in the capital for too long?"

"Ah, ahem? Did I... did I say something just now?" Mo trembled and almost dropped the box of chicken nuggets in her arms. She quickly pretended nothing happened and took a sip of her drink.

"Hey, hey, I heard you." Tiran kept a firm gaze on her.

"I... I was actually saying... um... oh right, lately, the cost of living in the capital has been rising. It's getting harder for us common folks to make a living. You capitalists wouldn't understand the hardships of the poor..."

Stare--

"Alright, alright." Under Tiran's intense gaze, Mo finally gave in. "Fine, as an information merchant, I can't reveal information without money. But since I'm kind of friends with Lady Tiran, I'll make an exception this time."

She cleared her throat and lowered her voice, saying, "A few days ago, I got some information from a friend on the street. Recently, many underground organizations in the capital, like illegal mercenary groups, thieves, and assassins, have been wiped out. And all of those who cleared them out were members of the Iron Shield Corps."

"Iron Shield Corps? Isn't this something Dad shouldn't have let Corian do recently?" Tiran whispered.

"The new general in charge of the city's defense has been working hard lately." Mo looked annoyed for a moment, but quickly shrugged it off. "But it doesn't matter to me anymore. I've already retired from that business, and no matter how much they investigate, they won't find anything on me."

"Yeah, you're right..." Tiran said in a low voice, her expression thoughtful.

Just then, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Aya, over here! There are two seats available over here!"

"Oh, coming, coming."

Xiao Mo noticed the surprise on Tiran's face and also looked in that direction. "Wow, that coser of the shining lord has a really high accuracy... but looks kind of familiar, isn't she your maid?"

"Hold these for me, I'll be right back!" Tiran stuffed all the snacks in Xiao Mo's arms and stood up decisively, walking towards that direction.

Aya was oblivious to all this, happily sitting next to the elf girl, eating snacks and looking forward to the performance.

"I'm so excited, Cat Miss." Aya was in a great mood. It's said that fortune and misfortune go hand in hand, and the ancients were not deceiving me. Just as I was tossed aside by Tiran, I met a beautiful elf girl who not only took me around to play but also helped me buy things... although the contents of the novels recommended by Coco in my arms seem a bit strange.

Slap.

A familiar touch suddenly came on her exposed shoulder. Aya mechanically turned her head stiffly and saw a familiar hand resting on her shoulder.

"Oh, Aya, haven't seen you for a moment, are you having a good time?"