The moment Anby said the price, Nicole spat out the water she had just sipped.
"Anby, how much did you say that bird cost?!"
Anby repeated, "Fifty thousand Dennies. Not a Dennies more, not a Dennies less..."
Before she could even finish, Nicole was already in shock.
"Fifty thousand Dennies! Fifty thousand Dennies! Fifty thousand Dennies...!"
The next second—
A piercing scream echoed through Hare's House.
"Sam Li—LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE—!"
Not only had he racked up a debt, but it was a massive 50,000 Dennies!
Hare's House was already running on a deficit, and now there was an even bigger hole in the budget.
Seeing Nicole fuming, Billy quickly rushed over.
"Calm down, Boss Nicole! Sam Li just made 50,000 Dennies yesterday, and now he's spent 50,000 Dennies. That means Hare's House didn't actually lose anything, right?"
Nicole wasn't buying it. "How is that NOT a loss?! That 50,000 Dennies is coming out of my account!"
Sure, the 50,000 Dennies Sam Li earned also went into her account, but spending it all at once still hurt.
Not to mention—
He spent 50,000 Dennies on that tiny, ugly bird.
What a waste!
Billy suggested, "Then… let's just skip out on the debt."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Whack! The bill was slapped right onto his face.
Nicole was furious. "Skip out on the debt?! Easy for you to say! Look at who we owe! This is the Flower, Bird, Fish, and Insect Market—one of the biggest crime syndicates in New Eridu! They're nothing like the small-time Red Fang Gang!"
That's exactly why they dared to just send a bill without any warning—they knewHare's House wouldn't dare to refuse payment.
Nicole clenched her fists and slammed them onto the table—
Ow!
She immediately flinched, waving her hand in pain. "Damn it, that hurt! When Sam Li gets back, I'm firing him! FIRED—!"
The moment she even considered firing Sam Li, she suddenly felt like she was choking on a rock.
She coughed hard. "Billy! Get me a glass of water!"
Billy hurried to bring her some water but didn't forget to add, "Calm down, Boss Nicole! Sam Li just made us 100,000 Dennies yesterday. If we fire him now, we'll barely get any commissions!"
Anby muttered to himself, "Fewer commissions lead to higher debt, higher debt leads to worse reputation, worse reputation leads to fewer commissions, fewer commissions lead to higher debt..."
Just like before Sam Li arrived, Hare's House was right back in its endless debt spiral.
Nicole was speechless.
Of course, she didn't actually want to fire Sam Li. With Hare's House in its current state, they needed him to bring in commissions.
Just moments ago, she had been proudly encouraging Anby and Billy to learn from Sam Li—only for her star employee to suddenly become a financial liability.
This reckless spending had to be stopped.
"Anby! Billy!"
Billy blinked. "Yeah, Boss?"
"Listen up! You two better not follow Sam Li's example. This sloppy bookkeeping habit will bankrupt Hare's House—"
"..."
While Nicole was having a meltdown over the 50,000 Dennies...
At that very moment, on the other side of New Eridu, inside the Security Bureau Headquarters—
As usual, Zhu Yuan had just finished breakfast and was leading a small team on their routine patrol.
Today's patrol squad consisted of four members: Captain Zhu Yuan, team member Qingyi, team member Seth, and one other officer.
Following their usual practice, they split into two teams, each patrolling in opposite directions.
"Seth, be careful out there during the patrol," Zhu Yuan reminded as he watched the other pair head off.
Then, he opened the car door and took the driver's seat. "Senior, let's begin our patrol."
Their route was mostly fixed, covering areas such as Sixth Street, known for its many shops, and the street where Hare's House was located.
As they neared Hare's House, Zhu Yuan asked, "Senior, should we stop and check things out?"
Qingyi shook his head. "We're from the Security Bureau, and they're professional proxies. If we stroll in wearing our uniforms, we'll scare the life out of those folks at Hare's House."
Zhu Yuan nodded. "Good point."
Without hesitation, he drove past the entrance of Hare's House, not slowing down for a second.
Strangely enough—
Just as they passed by, a hysterical scream rang out from inside, and they clearly heard Sam Li's name being shouted.
Zhu Yuan immediately hit the brakes and pulled over. "Senior, did you hear that?"
"I heard it," Qingyi replied.
"It sounds like something's going on in there. Should we check it out?"
"Judging from the voice, it's just that stingy boss losing her temper again. It's not the first time I've heard her yelling like that. Let's just go grab a coffee at Sixth Street instead."
Qingyi casually glanced back at Hare's House as she spoke.
Every time they patrolled past this place, they could hear shouting from inside. Rumor had it that Hare's House was full of lunatics—and from the sound of it, those rumors weren't baseless.
Of course, those lunatics didn't include Sam Li.
...
The patrol car turned onto another street.
Ding-dong.
Zhu Yuan's phone rang. When she checked, she was surprised to see it was Hoshimi Miyabi.
She quickly answered the video call. "Miyabi? What's up with you today? You actually have time to call in broad daylight?"
From the other end of the call, Hoshimi Miyabi's voice came through.
"I found something interesting while on a mission in the Hollows recently. I need you to keep an eye out for something."
Zhu Yuan frowned. "Something? What exactly?"
Miyabi's voice came again.
"It's a new attribute. When we first discovered it, it was attached to a pile of rocks that seemed to be made of Ethereal remains. After purification and research, the Research Department confirmed that it's an entirely new attribute never seen before. Given its characteristics, they've temporarily named it Rock."
Then—
Miyabi went on to describe the discovery in detail.
A radiant meteorite had fallen from the sky, creating a massive crater. Strangely, several Ethereals and Ethereal fragments were found mysteriously dead near the impact site. There were too many unanswered questions surrounding the event.
After listening to Ya's account, Zhu Yuan began to realize the gravity of the situation.
If this new element was real—
It would be a groundbreaking discovery for all of New Eridu.
Zhu Yuan's tone turned serious. "Miyabi, what do you need me to do?"
Miyabi's voice came through the call again.
"We saw the meteorite fall with our own eyes that day, but when we arrived, we found no fragments in the crater. I suspect the missing meteorite is linked to the Hollow Raiders. Keep an eye out during your patrols. If you spot anything suspicious, notify me immediately."
...