Shiki hadn't forgotten that Hana Sanri was residing in a naginata called Wavebreaker's Fin, and its compatibility was certainly not as good as the Hakuchen Ring.
"How about this, Xinyan, I'll give you two options. Which one do you think is suitable, you choose, how about it?"
"I think that's fine. Anyway, I have no concept of billets," Xinyan said, scratching her head a bit naively.
She wasn't afraid of the other party cheating her; after all, that would be too demeaning. It would be like the Liyue Seven Stars swindling a down-and-out singer—too demeaning and unnecessary.
"Alright, the first option is according to the commission I posted at the Adventurers' Guild: I'll give you three million Mora, and it will also add a record to your Adventurer's resume."
"The other option is I give you one million Mora, plus a favor from Shiki. I can help you with something as long as it doesn't cross my bottom line."
Exchange is reciprocal, but if the difference in stakes between the two parties is too great, then it is not an exchange.
"So, Xinyan, what is your choice?"
Thoughts churned in Xinyan's mind. To be honest, whether it was three million or one million, both were huge sums for her. According to her spending habits, she wouldn't spend more than two hundred thousand a year.
Rock and roll was not popular in Liyue, which meant Xinyan was not actually wealthy; simply put, she was very poor.
One side was three million, the other was one million plus a favor. Xinyan quickly made her choice.
"Then... I'll choose the second option, hehe. A favor from a big shot like you must be worth more than two million Mora!"
"Heh heh, you have good foresight. Since that's the case, the contract is made. Those who break their word shall suffer the wrath of the rock."
Shiki chuckled softly, then pulled out a Yumemiru wood tag engraved with a yin-yang fish pattern from her sleeve.
"Take this. It can allow you to exchange one million Mora at the Tenshukaku Treasury, or it can allow the Okuzume to lead you to me."
"However, if you use the token to find me, it means you've used that favor. After it's over, I'll take this token back. Is that clear?"
"Of course!"
Xinyan nodded solemnly, then took the token.
This token was equivalent to representing a favor; once used, it would naturally be gone.
Just like Mora, if you spend money to eat, the Mora you spent will certainly not come back, unless you dine and dash.
"Eh? What are you two talking about?"
The Traveler had returned after picking up the Chaos Core, but why were both of their expressions so serious? Did she miss something again?
"Nothing, just a transaction. Also, Xinyan and I have finished exploring the ruins. As for the things we found, they're all with Xinyan."
"Oh! Really! Your speed is too fast, isn't it? Or is there nothing that needs to be deciphered inside?" the Traveler asked in surprise.
Xinyan shook her head: "No... Originally, those light barriers would have taken a long time to decipher, but in front of Miss Ryougi, they had no effect at all; they broke with just a light poke."
Traveler: "..."
"Ryougi, can I explore ruins with you from now on?"
This is a true master! Imagine, whether exploring a Domain or a ruin in the future, you wouldn't need to decipher mechanisms; you could just poke them lightly with a finger and enter. Wouldn't that be incredibly satisfying?
"From a universally rational perspective, this opportunity is relatively rare, because I rarely explore such ruins."
"However, there are still opportunities. In a few days, I plan to explore Enkanomiya. If you're interested, you can go to Watatsumi Island and wait for me first," Shiki said.
"Enkanomiya?"
Another new place name. Her intuition told the Traveler that this place was not simple and worth visiting.
"Yes, for specific details, you can go to Watatsumi Island and ask the current Human Archon Miko."
As Shiki spoke, she formed steps of golden tomoe patterns under her feet, then walked up out of the ruins. The Traveler and Xinyan followed closely using Thunder Spheres.
"This ruin has been explored. We still need to go to the Ketsuroku Onmyo Bureau, so we'll be leaving first," the Traveler said.
"Mm, go ahead. I've put all those things at the Kamisato Estate. You can go directly to Hyakubee to exchange them."
Shiki didn't have anything like a storage space. There was no way she could carry those things around all the time, so she simply left them at home.
But the Traveler didn't know that! Don't forget, wasn't her purpose in coming to Seirai Island to exchange things with Shiki?
Paimon: "Uh... Traveler, how do I feel like we came all this way for nothing..."
"It's not for nothing... At least we explored the ruins..." Lumine's voice grew softer as she spoke. If only they had asked a question back then, they wouldn't have run all the way to Seirai Island.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"