Inside the Gold Coin Supermarket, Lucas and his companions were patrolling the shelf area, making final preparations before the grand opening.
"Lucas, we already have the Market. Why open another shop like this?" Lucy didn't quite understand. She could see that many items here were already sold in the Market and the shops on Commercial Street.
Over the past day or two, she had observed the transformations in Sedona City. It left her in awe; the city changed so much day by day that she believed if she were to return in 1 year, she might not even recognize it.
"If the goods from many different shops are placed here, wouldn't it be easier to buy them? You wouldn't have to wander all over, right?" Lucas reached out and adjusted a perfume bottle on a wooden shelf, straightening a slightly crooked row until it looked orderly and pleasing to the eye.
"I suppose that's true." Lucy blinked, scanning the surroundings before nodding. "Now that you put it that way, it really makes sense."
"Moreover, many merchants don't have the time to go window shopping. Coming here, they can buy many things at once without wasting a lot of time," Lucas said with a smirk.
There was one point he didn't mention: everything here was a premium item or a novelty. There were no cheap goods. This was a place designed for big spenders and nobles to go on a shopping spree—if you didn't have gold coins, you weren't meant to enter. The name itself, Gold Coin Supermarket, served as a filter.
It also served as a test-marketing zone for Lucas. Items would undergo a trial sale here before he decided whether to ramp up production.
"So that's how it is," Lucy said, enlightenment dawning. Looking at Lucas's handsome profile, she marveled internally: How is his brain wired? To have so many ideas... compared to him, I feel like a fool.
"Come, look at this." Lucas walked over to a shelf and pointed at the items displayed there.
"What is it?" Lucy asked, curious. She stepped forward to see a row of books with black-and-white covers adorned with intricate floral patterns of various sizes. The design was exceptionally exquisite.
A second later, her eyes widened in shock. "The title... is this my book?"
The shelf was lined with hardcover, professionally printed copies of Lucy's novel, Noble Girl's Romance.
"How is it? Take a look and see if the printing meets your standards." Lucas took a copy and handed it to her.
"This..." Lucy was at a loss for words. She gracefully took the novel and flipped through it, her joy becoming apparent. "The characters inside are so beautiful. The size is uniform, and the spacing is perfect. This is wonderful!"
Standing behind them, Jones watched the bright smile on Lucy's face and couldn't help but steal a glance at Lucas. In just a few short days in Sedona City, Lucy had become much more lighthearted, no longer spending every waking moment plotting to strip the princes of everything they owned.
Mina stood with one hand on her hip, having just placed a box of spicy dried fish on a shelf. She glanced at Lucy, remembering that last night, Catherine had asked Lucas to take Lucy out to clear her head and keep her from drowning in sorrow and hatred.
Thus, early this morning, the Master had invited Lucy out to this Gold Coin Supermarket, which had been in preparation for a long time.
Tramp, tramp, tramp...
Nicole and Annie approached from the other side, having finished their inspection.
"Master, everything is in order. Shall we open for business?" Annie asked, her eyes shimmering.
"Everything in order?" Lucas turned around. Noticing a faint trace at the corner of the fox girl's mouth, he asked with a half-smile, "Are you sure? You didn't sneak a snack, did you?"
"No! Of course not! Me? How could I possibly sneak a snack?" Annie instantly became defensive, her voice rising. "I'm not a cat-girl; I would never sneak dried pickled fish!"
"Heehee..." Nicole giggled into her hand, looking at the stunned Mina.
"What? I'm the one who sneaks snacks?" Mina turned her head mechanically toward Annie. Was she just a convenient scapegoat?
"Ahem, ahem..." Annie coughed lightly and quickly took two steps back, hiding behind Nicole.
"Nicole, did you take care of the box?" Lucas asked helplessly. If she wanted to eat, she could just do it openly; he wouldn't have said anything.
"It has been handled." Nicole knew the Master was referring to the small box of dried fish the fox girl had finished off.
"Uh..." Annie's cheeks flushed red. With her sharp wit, she knew exactly what they were talking about.
"Good. Prepare to open," Lucas said brightly, heading toward the entrance.
"I'll help too!" Lucy chased after him, followed by a bewildered Jones.
Mina walked ahead, then turned back to Annie, mockingly pointing at the corner of her own mouth. "You sneaky fox girl, you left the evidence right there."
"Who—who sneaked a snack?" Annie frantically wiped the corner of her mouth. Looking down, she saw a light brown stain on the back of her hand—the unmistakable sauce from the pickled fish.
"Ugh..." Annie's face turned beet red. She had just been a little peckish; how did she leave such a glaring mark? Oh heavens! No wonder the Master asked me that. How embarrassing... I couldn't even sneak a snack properly.
"It's alright. It's just eating something from our own home, isn't it? The Master didn't mind," Nicole comforted her, handing the fox girl a tissue.
"Nicole, did you know the whole time that I had a mark on my face?" Annie pouted, looking at the charming Nicole.
"Me? I didn't see a thing." A trace of a mischievous smile appeared on Nicole's face as she walked away. "I'm going to help. You should hurry up too."
Did she know? No, how could she have known? She just happened to know.
"Curse it, Nicole is getting more and more wicked. She's learned all the bad habits from the Master; her heart is turning black!" Annie stomped her foot and hurriedly caught up.
She felt that ever since Nicole had taken that final step with the Master, her boldness had increased significantly, and her personality was gravitating toward his—becoming mischievous and slightly devious.
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
300 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.