At the Curio Trash Cans Shop.
Sushang pinched her chin, staring suspiciously at each trash can.
After carefully thinking it through, she suddenly realized that these trash cans… all looked exactly the same!
And even their condition was identical—not a single dent or scratch on any of them, despite there being so many.
She looked gloomily at Sylvester. Where did this guy find his logistics company? Their work was too precise.
Wasn't this just making things difficult for her?
Guinaifen watched every little movement of her best friend, hiding her laughter behind pursed lips.
Shangshang was always like this—stubborn to the bone when working on something. Even though she had already failed once at identifying the right one, she just didn't believe in bad luck and insisted on trying again herself.
As expected, she repeated the same mistake.
"Aiya, fine." Sushang puffed up her cheeks, giving up on doing pointless work.
Then, imitating Guinaifen's earlier movements, she silently recited a certain little rhyme while her fingers followed the rhythm, tapping along.
Alright, let big sister see what kind of treasure might be inside!
Sushang pulled the chosen trash can off the shelf and yanked it open.
A blue beam of light burst forth.
A glass bottle as thick as a sword hilt dropped into her hand.
Inside the bottle was an extremely thick white liquid.
Sushang turned the bottle upside down—the liquid slid downward very slowly, its viscosity obvious.
She furrowed her brows, searching her memory for something similar.
"Yogurt?"
[Shapeshifting Yogurt (Revenge-or-Gratitude Enhanced Version):When fed to an animal, it transforms the animal into a human form, and based on the owner's past behavior, it deepens the animal's obsession with either repaying kindness or exacting revenge.]
Oh, this Curio was actually pretty interesting.
Sylvester waved a finger while leaning back in his chair, smiling lightly as he waggled his hand: "Yes… and no."
"Hm…" Sushang pondered for a moment, then said, "Shopkeeper Sylvester's words are always quite mysterious."
For the sake of her pride, Sushang intentionally kept her expression wise and contemplative.
Everyone knew that smart people liked to talk in circles. Or so Sushang believed.
"This is a type of pet food that greatly enhances the bond between pet and owner," Sylvester said calmly. "If the owner treats the pet especially well, it will deepen the animal's impression of gratitude, making the two closer. Conversely, if the owner treats the pet poorly, the animal will develop hatred—and it wouldn't be impossible for it to even attack its owner."
"It can deepen my bond with small animals!"
Upon hearing that, Sushang instantly filtered out the entire second half of the explanation.
Please—on the street where she patrolled, who didn't know she was the Cloud Knights' most animal-loving soldier?
Friend of all cute creatures in the Luofu—that title held real weight among the Cloud Knights!
Every day on patrol, several adorable cats and dogs waited by their homes for her to feed them.
Some clever little animals had even learned to recognize her footsteps or count the time. When she appeared around the corner, animals—who knew where they had been roaming—would suddenly pop out from every nook and cranny, posing adorably at doorsteps, waiting for her.
With this thing, wouldn't interacting with them become even easier and happier?
"Not only that!" Sylvester waved his hand, helpless that Miss Big-Pillow was satisfied so quickly.
It was at least a blue Curio—how could it only act like super catnip?
He chuckled. "After the yogurt is drank, the animal will transform into a human form. In that shape, it will repay kindness—or seek revenge!"
Sushang: "?"
Guinaifen: "?"
Hearing Sylvester's words, both of them exchanged blank stares.
Cute little cats and dogs turning into human-sized figures like themselves?
This was… amazing!
"Great!"
After a brief moment of shock, Sushang jumped on the spot, swinging her right hand upward in excitement.
When she landed, her smile grew even brighter. "I don't even dare imagine how nice it'll feel to cuddle with them like that!"
Holding the Shapeshifting Yogurt, Sushang's imagination soared.
She already owned a cat—if she fed it this, then cuddling her cat…
Her thoughts drifted straight back to her room at home.
Huehuehuehue, you little kitty, what can you possibly do now? Can you escape the palm of my hand? You can't! Huehuehue. Huehuehue.
She buried her face into the cat's soft belly, indulging completely.
She interacted with small animals affectionately every day—she couldn't imagine how they'd repay her now!
"Shangshang, Shangshang, get a hold of yourself!"
Guinaifen's voice pulled her back, and Sushang snapped awake.
"Ah—ah—ah?!"
No way. Had she just said her inner thoughts out loud?
Realizing this horrifying possibility, sweat dotted her back and her head flushed hot.
This was way too embarrassing!
"Ahem, ahem. Shopkeeper Sylvester's Curio is very useful. A million Credits is a bit pricey, but it's reasonably priced."
Wiping her mouth, Sushang called upon the same mental fortitude she used back in school—when a teacher woke her from sleep by flicking chalk at her and the whole class burst into laughter. With that composure, she quickly regained her calm.
Though… the tips of her ears were still a little red.
Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing happened earlier!
Sushang understood well that as long as she wasn't embarrassed, the embarrassed ones would be other people. She simply pretended she had suddenly forgotten everything.
Watching the scene, Sylvester only smiled faintly.
Pretty girls encountering cute animals? Having their brains turn to mush was perfectly normal—nothing strange at all.
Guinaifen felt the same.
How could she possibly expose her best friend? She wouldn't shame her friends like that—not even jokingly.
Seeing neither of them react, Sushang sighed in relief.
Standing before the shelf, she was in a great mood. Although there had been a few bumps, she had made a strong start.
Her first Curio was a blue one and perfectly suited her tastes—surely the later ones would only get better.
She repeated the method, chanting the rhyme as she tapped and selected another trash can.
Sushang lifted her hand, opened it—white light burst out like never before.
Sylvester watched as the trash can slowly faded away, letting out a long breath: "Hss~~ this one… tsk, no complaints about your luck."