Chapter 46: Selling the Body?

“Little lady, there’s something wrong with this currency of yours.
The stinking copper coins of the Holy Nation don’t circulate in Woodson, nor are they welcome.”

“Ah… is, is that so… haha, ha…”

I scratched my head with an awkward laugh, and at the same time, I pulled down the brim of my hat to escape the gazes of the surrounding crowd.
The bright red fruit in my hand, which I had taken a bite of, now felt like a hot potato.

Admittedly, the fruit tasted very good, sweet and sour.
It would have been even better if I had money.

The ox-horned uncle behind the stall squinted his eyes, his two thick eyebrows furrowed together.
Seeing me frozen in place with an awkward laugh, his expression gradually turned sour.

“I say, little lady, from your appearance and dress, you don’t look like someone who’s hard up for money.
It’s better not to play dumb in the future.
If you’re worried that my fruit isn’t ripe, it’s no problem for me to give you one to try.
But to deceive people, that’s your fault, little lady.”

“Sister doesn’t lie!”

Little Nia suddenly poked her small head out from behind me and retorted to the ox-horned uncle, her small face puffed up in support of me.
The child’s intention was good, but in this situation, it felt like she was trying to cover something up, which made the ox-horned uncle sigh.

“Look at you, you’re not even setting a good example for your little sister when you bring her out, and you’re even teaching her bad things!
Is this how a sister should be!”

“It’s… not what you think…” I said, while discreetly pushing the small, light blue head back behind me.

The ox-horned uncle’s voice was not quiet just now.
The continuous rise in his tone attracted more curious gazes from the pedestrians.
I’m turning red, I’m about to overheat.

Recalling my confident look when I first arrived at the fruit stall and asked the boss, “Is your fruit ripe?”, a strong sense of shame welled up in me.

And the culprit of this whole affair, it had to be Elvira.

No wonder that little female dragon had such a meaningful expression on her face when I asked her for money.
And then when we got to the commercial district, she said there were too many people and she didn’t want to go.
In the end, she only let me and Little Nia go.
Well, well, so this is what she had in store for me!
You should have told me earlier that the currency doesn’t circulate!
We just made up, and you’re treating me like this?

‘Sisters are heart to heart with you.’

‘You play games with your sisters.’

“Boss, how about… you wait a moment, and I’ll go back and get the money?
I promise I’ll be back!”
Even I didn’t believe what I was saying.

“Hmm?! Little lady, are you playing me for a fool?” the ox-horned uncle glared, his mustache bristling.
“Given your behavior just now, I’m afraid I can’t trust you.
Now, either you take out the money, or I’ll need you to go to the disciplinary office and talk to the law enforcement officers.”

What should I do?
Forget money, I don’t even have anything of value on me right now.
I can’t just turn into a little flower for the boss, can I?

I’m going to be thrown in jail right after getting off the ship.
When Nadiesse bails me out, she’ll definitely laugh her head off.
The Holy Nation sent so many people and couldn’t even catch me, but I was easily arrested by the other-race law enforcement officers.

And the reason?
For eating and not paying!

How ironic.

The more I thought about it, the darker my face became.
Just as I was at my wit’s end, a voice that I was all too familiar with came from beside my ear.

“I’ll pay for her,” a slender finger reached out and placed a glittering gold coin on the stall.
“One hundred Stedes. Keep the change.”

Then, without waiting for the boss to respond, that person grabbed my arm and walked to the side.
And I, holding Little Nia, said unhappily to the black back in front of me.

“Hey! Why didn’t you tell me the currency of the Holy Nation and this place aren’t interchangeable!
What kind of act are you putting on now?”

The one who had just shown off her wealth in front of me was none other than Elvira.
But her appearance was slightly different.

Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with a red ribbon, and she wore a translucent black silk veil on her face, obscuring her devastatingly beautiful face.
If I weren’t so familiar with her voice, her figure, and those unforgettable golden eyes, I probably wouldn’t have recognized her for a while.

“I was just making some preparations, and I was in a hurry, so I forgot to tell you.”

“Forget your snake-skin mama’s kiss!” I retorted angrily.
She almost made me make a fool of myself.
How despicable!

Elvira, who was holding my hand in front of me, turned back and chuckled nonchalantly, then explained the basic common sense of this place to me.

“The entire Freistadt Federation only circulates one currency—the Stede coin.
The currencies of other countries are almost useless except for being stored and exchanged for Stede coins at the currency exchange.
And the foreign trade of the City of the Sea of Trees is mostly barter.”

“Tell me this kind of thing earlier next time!”

Seeing Elvira’s sincere and earnest explanation, I didn’t pursue the matter further.
Anyway, she can only trick me this once.

Speaking of which… what kind of work does Elvira do?
Why is she so rich?
In the Holy Nation, she could casually throw out fifty thousand Holy Grace, and just now, she threw out a hundred Stedes for a fruit.

To put it nicely, this is called being generous.

To put it bluntly, this is called being a spendthrift.

What kind of source of funds can support her habit of squandering money like this?

“Elvira, how are you so rich?” I asked.

“By myself,” Elvira’s answer was brief.

“I mean, what kind of work do you do? How do you make money??”

“With my body.”

“What?!”

“Ouch!”

My steps came to a sudden halt.
The sudden change caused Little Nia’s head to hit my back, and she let out a cry of “ouch.”
With the speed of lightning, I covered the little one’s ears, my face a mixture of tears and anger as I looked at Elvira and questioned her.

“You, you use your body?? To make money??
I knew you knew so much!
I didn’t expect that you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, would actually… actually…”
I stammered, unable to say the rest of the words, and didn’t dare to.
My face was bright red, and I was like a rooster with its neck stuck out, not moving for a long time.

“What’s wrong?” Elvira tilted her head and asked.
“Some of a dragon’s body tissues are very valuable to other races.
So I would collect the scales that naturally fall off.
It just so happens that the blacksmith’s workshop of the Scythe Blade Merchant Guild buys them at a high price, so I sell them…
Is there a problem with that?”

Hearing this, my expression froze.

“So that’s how it is…”

“Otherwise? …Verona, what were you thinking?”

“Er… I thought you were doing some, rough and tiring work.
You scared me.
I was just afraid you’d tire yourself out.”

“Are you concerned about me?” Elvira’s eyes were playful, a smile on her lips.
Then she lifted my hand and glanced at the fruit I had taken a bite of.

“This kind of fruit is called a Sudel red fruit.
It’s a specialty of the City of the Sea of Trees.
It tastes very good.”

After saying that, Elvira’s crimson lips slowly approached my palm.
After gently touching the fruit, she took a bite from the spot where I had bitten it and chewed it in her mouth.
Then, her tongue licked her lips, removing the juice that was stuck to them.

“You have good taste, Verona. This one tastes very good too.”

“Um… I’ve already taken a bite of that fruit.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

“But I do! How am I supposed to eat it after you’ve gnawed on it?
It’s so unhygienic!”

I shoved the fruit into Elvira’s hand and pulled Little Nia’s hand, striding forward.

“It’s almost noon. Let’s go to the dining platform and find a restaurant for lunch.
I’m about to throw up from all that seafood on the ship.
Now I can finally have a change of taste.
Elvira, you’re treating!”

I adjusted the hat on my head and played with my snow-white hair as I walked ahead without looking back.
I seemed to be in a hurry to eat, but in reality, my cheeks were a little warm.

Elvira is too good at flirting… I can’t handle it…