[Nightmare]

"Gaaaaaaah. This tastes so amazing fresh!" Tammy announced.

"Riiiiight!?" Mary affirmed with a refreshed smile.

"Did you try the Sazzerberry flavor?

It tastes similar to lemon-lime soda!" Millie cried.

"No way!" Sarah called out in line.

"I'm getting some!"

Leo chuckled with a warm smile.

"I guess I will too."

The group sat down in Burllow Street Park.

"The music ain't half back, neither." Miskie commented.

"I agree. Helix called that instrument a [Swakie]." Marie replied with a smile.

"It kinda sounds sad. I'm going to buy one." Maze chuckled.

"You've got that whole [self-deprecation as a personality trait] vibe." Charlotte said with a grin.

"I only speak the truth." He shrugged.

"I like it. You wear many of our beliefs on your shoulders and rock'em." She replied.

"Is that so?" Maze replied in a self-reflective daze.

"This is… nice." Millie remarked with a smile.

"You think so? I do too." Marie said in agreement.

Everyone nodded their head and listened to the music for a moment.

"Um… hey, Miskie?" A super-otaku called out.

"Yeah?" Miskie gruffed.

The young man shied away from her but returned with a determined expression.

"I… My name is Luke.

I was wondering if… I could rent your cat ears?" Luke asked hesitantly.

"Sure thing. 200 gold." Miskie replied.

"200!?" Luke cried.

"Helix said you were charging 100!"

"Oh yeah. That bastard did still low expectations knowing I'd price gouge…." Miskie frowned.

"What a prick."

She touched her neck and pulled out the cat ears.

Luke started salivating.

"150. 100 was prick's price, not mine. Take it or leave it."

The young man didn't care about money anymore.

He was thinking about his servant in the cat ears.

Luke touched his neck in a hypnotized state and pulled out 150 gold like a bag of sunflower seeds.

Then he handed it to Miskie without making eye contact.

She handed him the cat ears.

"You have till noon tomorrow. Don't get'em dirty, or I'll force you to cough up 500 to clean'em." Miskie warned.

Luke nodded his head vigorously.

"Pleasure. Now drool and fantasize somewhere else."

Marie was chuckling with a bewildered expression.

As soon as Luke scampered away with a stupid smile on his face, the group burst into laughter.

"How long do you think it'll take to return your investment?" Millie asked.

"Hmmm? I don't know if I'll ever make it back.

They'll get dirty fast, and the price'll drop." Miskie replied.

"But it doesn't matter. I didn't buy'em to turn a profit."

"Hmmm? Then why did you buy them?" Riley asked.

Miskie gave her an evil grin.

"Cuz' everyone's will come to me for their Tarok cards and other goods." She laughed.

"It's advertisin' for the people that don't know me."

"It seems you've got yourself an operation going on." Charlotte replied with a mocking smile.

"Operation? Hah. Try comically lucrative side-hustle." Miskie laughed contemptuously.

"Today was the first time that people understood the value of a gold coin.

Yet someone just paid 150 to rent a pair of cat ears for a night."

Charlotte burst into laughter, and the others followed once they caught up.

"I rake in a hundred for the stupidest things." Miskie chuckled.

"I thought I was the queen until last night."

"About that…." Mary commented while walking over.

"Were you counting how much money Helix pulled in?"

Charlotte and Miskie exchanged evil grins.

"Enough that he sent the money out of the city instantly." Charlotte laughed.

The group burst into giggles and laughter.

"Serious talk. The exclusive auction alone pulled in over a hundo-fifty." Miskie commented in a low voice.

"In total, probably 200k, and it was the [first] auction, and it had half the items being sold to us.

Add in the 70k from the ticket auction, and that man is loaded.

The hype is so insane that I'm sure it'll rake in another 300k tomorrow."

A ripple of shock washed over the area.

She wasn't talking loud, but everyone in the group heard her fine.

"The only reason he wouldn't is that people are saving for that Colossus finger.

God knows how much that'll rake in. He's an insta-business cheat." Miskie chuckled.

"The funny part is that this is all accidental." Marie giggled.

"To be honest, he was designing the clothes for training, and we agreed to sell them to you as a favor.

Samma dropped a business proposal on him, which he tried to refuse because he wasn't doing much."

"Not doing much? What a joke!" Maze cried.

"To Hellie, this is lazy." Charlotte shrugged.

The people in the area gave her wry smiles.

"What? Hellie was selling you Earthian items on Samma's behalf.

He just happened to go ham as always." Charlotte clarified with a confused expression.

"Helix has only involved the nobles in preventing them from rioting." Marie commented with a serious expression.

"Samma's brand name value brought the crowds.

Helix was a great public speaker and needed to keep the nobles from hanging him.

In all honesty, he's extremely bitter he's doing the auction tonight."

Excited eyes met her revelation.

"Wait… you're being serious?" Miskie asked.

"Yes." Marie giggled.

"Hellie goes hard in the paint.

You should see him rile up troops.

He says things like [if you die tonight, you will die an immortal.

There is no defeat on this battlefield because… tonight….

Tonight marks a turning point in human history, and your name will be taught and spoken of for centuries!

The only way you will die a mortal is to fight with fear!

Now kill yourself! We're watching and checking your names off lists]!

I swear to god, people were more excited to die than live!

The Colossus almost shit itself and fled in fear when battle cries drowned out its screams!"

The group burst into laughter.

Everyone was chuckling with perplexed expressions.

"It's true. Helix is fantastic at bringing up morale.

I get excited every time." Riley commented with a smile.

"So do I. Helix had me blast everyone with my Nightmare to prove we were War Goddesses.

He says we earned that title.

But in reality, he gave us that title when he introduced us, and people stuck to it like a fly trap."

More laughter followed.

"Can I join you guys?" Petra asked.

"Woah! Is that a soul beast!?" Mary cried.

"Yes! This is Liza. She's an eagle." Petra replied proudly.

"That's amazing!"

"So cute!"

"It'd be cool if you can fly it!"

The bird was the size of a regular eagle and was perched on her shoulder.

It had bright red and white feathers, making it majestic looking.

"By the way… where's your soul beast, Charlotte?"

Charlotte gave her a bitter smile.

"Tinker…." She began with a solemn voice.

"Is too big and scary to bring out in public." Mary interjected with a smile.

"Yeah. It's lame." Charlotte pouted.

"He was so small and couldn't walk.

After his first evolution, he's too big to even put into our wagon while we travel."

"What!?" Sarah cried.

Her lemon-lime Alka soda concoction almost fell out of her hand.

"Yeah, can you believe that!?" Charlotte cried.

"Tinker is not well trained because we were on the road after he evolved.

He would have eaten Maska, Ronak, Cronk, or whoever if we brought him in with us when we all met.

Tinker would scare the people here.

Ever since my baby bit a Level 19 Liken Wolve in half, Helix won't let him go into public without training."

"H-He what!?" Millie cried in anxious fear.

"Hmmm? He nommed a wolf?" Charlotte reiterated in confusion.

"Charlotte… how big is he?" Leo asked nervously.

"Hmmm. I can ride Tinker, but it looks like I'm a grown woman riding a pony."

Shock and disbelief washed over the group like a title wave.

Marie and Riley giggled.

"Haaaaaah. That punk was lying when he said that Liskaberry wasn't the truth." Miskie laughed.

"Wait, what?" Charlotte asked.

"Oooooooohhh. I see what's going on."

"Um, duh. Look at Liza? She's a normal first-evolution."

Charlotte gave the group an evil grin, but Marie elbowed her.

She looked at her partner contemptuously but realized the issue.

"Soul beasts grow with their owners.

Charlotte's a lot stronger than you, so she got a stronger first evolution."

"Ooooooh." Leo muttered in understanding.

The rest of the group followed.

Except for Miskie and Maze.

"Hmmm. Are you going to casually gloss over that gag order nudge?" Miskie asked with an annoyed expression.

Marie gave her a wry smile and shook her head.

"Helix drew a Level 5 circle designed to increase spirit particle regeneration." She sighed.

"I wanted to hide that most people will never get access to it."

Shocked gasps spread over the crowd.

Marie didn't want to explain the spirit particle transfusions because they could kill people.

"Helix drew a Level 5 circle?" Maze asked in amazement.

"Yeeeeeeep. Helix is a certified Alzerian Circle Master and an honorary Kozen Circle master."

More shock followed.

"Helix is so talented with magic circles, he started creating refrigerators, hair dryers, hot tubs, and other modern conveniences for the people in Lexion." Riley giggled.

An outcry broke out.

The minute the women heard the words [hair dryer], they immediately pounced.

Everyone rushed Helix's partners, trying to acquire magic circles.

Miskie stared at Riley like prey.

She had business opportunities raging in her mind like wildfire.

—

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