Chapter 176

Lumine was happy, but Paimon was very unhappy.

Because it was bought with her money.

This was equivalent to swiping Paimon's credit card to buy a car.

That was too much!

Paimon looked at Lumine, who was happily studying the car.

She couldn't hold back.

"I have a share in this too!"

Hearing Paimon's words, Lumine nodded solemnly.

"I know, you have a share too! However, you are too short to drive."

"I can't hold it, so I'll do it."

"I'll take you wherever you want to go."

Paimon nodded upon hearing this.

"Then it's settled. You can't go back on your word!"

But after saying that, Paimon felt something was off.

Hmm...

Was it just her imagination?

But she didn't think too much about it.

As long as Lumine agreed, it would be fine.

If she wanted to go somewhere in the future, Lumine would take her.

Wait...

No, hadn't she been following Lumine all the time?

Did that mean wherever Lumine went, she would go too?

So frustrating!

Sure enough, she had been tricked.

"Woooo!\~"

Hearing Paimon's whimper, Lumine turned to look at her but soon ignored her.

Anyway, the car was already hers.

Takumi had run off.

No payment was needed.

As for deducting Paimon's money?

Paimon's money was her money.

Deducting from Paimon was like deducting from herself.

But her money was not equal to Paimon's money.

There was nothing wrong with this logic.

After confirming that the car was fine, Lumine went back to the shop to continue working.

She finished her morning tasks.

After saying a word to Xiangling, she left.

Next, she would go to the Adventurer's Association to pick up a quest.

Make money, buy a house!

Since she was young, she had been working hard for a home.

Lumine sighed, feeling that life was truly difficult.

Time passed day by day.

Takumi remained at the shipyard most of the time.

Meanwhile, Klee stayed at Diona's tavern every day.

Or, if she had nothing else to do, she would go out with Qiqi and Yaoyao to collect medicinal herbs.

And, of course, fry some Hilichurls while at it.

The surrounding Hilichurls were truly unlucky.

If Klee spotted them, she would throw a bomb immediately.

Then, boom!

Hilichurls were rendered useless.

Most encounters with Klee ended in explosions.

If only Hilichurls could be tamed, they could be put to work moving bricks.

Unfortunately, Takumi couldn't make this happen just yet.

Unless, of course, he gained the ability to control them somehow.

On Lumine's side, after working every morning, she would ride her little motorcycle around.

She started capturing slimes and selling them to the Adventurer's Association.

It made her a lot of money.

Her high mobility allowed her to make money much faster than others.

While other adventurers searched for slimes slowly, she could fly around with Paimon and find them quickly.

Upon spotting one, she would swoop down and catch it immediately.

Fire Slimes, Ice Slimes, and more—all of them were valuable.

Especially Electro Slimes, which were the most expensive.

Both the power station and Wangshu Inn purchased them.

Large slimes were worth between ten and twenty thousand Mora.

Smaller ones were worth a few thousand.

The smaller the slime, the cheaper the price.

For Lumine, it was almost like picking up free money.

However, slimes were becoming rare in the wild.

Many people had realized the value of slimes.

A single slime could generate a lot of money every day.

Not to mention, they had various other uses.

The Adventurer's Association not only helped people make money but also assisted in capturing treasure hoarders.

Capturing one earned 10,000 Mora.

But now, there were no more treasure hoarders in Liyue.

They had lost their foothold.

They either had to change their ways or find a different job.

Otherwise, if caught, they would be forced to do hard labor.

The pay was low for those caught and forced into work.

It was better to apply voluntarily.

After all, it was brick-moving either way.

Applying for a job and being caught were two entirely different experiences.

So, many chose to apply for the job themselves.

Who would want to earn only 500 Mora a day and not even get to keep the money?

Keqing was aware of this.

But she didn't care as long as they didn't cause trouble in Liyue.

At noon that day, Takumi finished work at the shipyard and went to Xiangling's restaurant for lunch.

However, he ran into Zhongli, who had just arrived.

Seeing Zhongli now, Takumi couldn't help but laugh.

He was holding a radio, listening to Yun Jin's opera performance.

He looked just like an old man in a park.

However, encountering Zhongli meant there were things to discuss.

Zhongli also saw Takumi.

"Join me for a meal."

He extended an invitation directly.

Takumi understood what he meant.

"Join me for a meal" equaled "Come and pay for my meal."

Takumi's mouth twitched slightly, but he still put his bike away and followed.

The two entered Xiangling's restaurant.

Paimon flew over immediately.

"Welcome! Oh, it's Takumi."

"Serve yourself, I'm busy."

With that, she flew off.

Takumi was speechless.

Zhongli glanced at Paimon before turning his gaze to Lumine, deep in thought.

The two didn't linger and headed directly to a private booth upstairs.

Not long after they sat down, a waiter came in with tea.

They also ordered some dishes for Xiangling to prepare.

After the waiter left, Takumi started chatting with Zhongli.

"Master, how are the school textbooks coming along?"

Zhongli nodded.

"Everything is progressing as expected."

"The elementary-level textbook you requested has been completed."

"The intermediate-level one is in progress."

Of course, textbooks were no issue.

Though he spent his time leisurely, he was still diligent in his duties.

Hearing this, Takumi nodded.

Then, he brought up another topic.

"Master."

"I have an idea I want to discuss with you."

Zhongli was intrigued.

"Go on."

What could be so important that Takumi wanted to discuss it with him?

This piqued Zhongli's curiosity.

Takumi nodded and immediately shared his thoughts.

"It's about Mora."

Hearing this, Zhongli slightly frowned.

"Mora?"

"What about it?"

Mora, as an alchemical material and a product of his power, was flawless.

Was there a problem?

Takumi nodded.

"Mora is fine, but..."

Takumi began explaining his idea.

He wanted to change the shape and density of Mora without altering its fundamental material.