"Unless you're willing to pay more Dennies…"
Nicole raised a hand to hide her smirk and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Sam Li is my prized subordinate, the ace of the Hare's House, and the future of New Eridu's agents. His services don't come cheap. Just recently, he played the role of a treasure appraisal master for half a day and earned 50,000 Dennies from the Criminal Investigation Task Force. Are you sure you can afford him?"
Billy's eyes widened in shock.
"Huh? Boss Nicole, since when did Sam Li become our ace? Isn't he just our clerical guy who reels in clients—"
Before he could finish, Nicole's foot had already shot out, kicking him aside.
Anby added, "Sam Li really is just a clerical worker."
Nicole sighed in exasperation. "Anby, Billy, could you two learn from Sam Li and stop spouting nonsense?"
Just like the forum said.
Not only had the Hare's House made plenty of enemies outside, but they were also a chaotic mess internally—quick to resort to kicks and punches over the smallest argument.
That would make things much easier.
Nekomata smiled. "Dennies isn't a problem. If you help me retrieve the heirloom, I'm willing to pay up to 80% of its value. And if you still don't trust me, I can even pay an advance right now… meow!"
With some reluctance, she reached into her chest pocket and pulled out a pink, paw-shaped wallet. Inside was a neat stack of 50,000 Dennies.
This much Dennies could buy so many mackerel.
But Nekomata understood—if she wasn't willing to let go of the mackerel, she wouldn't be able to catch her prey.
For the sake of avenging White Boss, for the sake of ridding New Eridu of criminals… this was a worthy sacrifice.
The moment Nicole saw the cash, her entire demeanor changed.
With a bright smile, she reassured Nekomata, "No worries, no worries! Of course we trust you. A true professional agent always has complete confidence in their client."
Snatching the money from Nekomata's hands, Nicole beamed. "Alright, negotiations are over! Let's all get ready. We'll meet near the Hollows in a bit."
Nekomata grinned. "It's a deal, meow!"
With that, she left, satisfied. Her plan was more than halfway to success.
Nicole, meanwhile, watched her leave with equal satisfaction—she had just negotiated a fantastic deal.
Both of them were pleased with themselves.
Once Nekomata was out of sight, Anby spoke up.
Billy blinked. "Huh?"
"I don't think her motives are pure," Anby continued. "This is supposed to be a simple lost item retrieval, so why does she insist on dragging the entire Hare's House—including Sam Li—into it? It doesn't make sense. And I felt something off about her… a strange hostility I can't quite explain."
Billy sighed. "Anby, have you been watching too many spy thrillers again?"
"This isn't a movie. I mean it. There's malice there."
"But how can you sense malice—"
"With rigorous training and enough experience, it's not that difficult to detect. Robots excluded, of course."
Nicole ignored them, stuffing the newly acquired 50,000 Dennies into her wallet before turning to the group.
"Enough talking. Get ready to head out at any time."
Then, she looked at Sam Li.
"You've got Ether resistance, sure, but your combat ability is too low. You barely have any means of self-defense. Before we leave, we need to gear you up—boost your resistance to Ether corrosion and improve your defenses."
By gear up, she meant it quite literally.
Nicole dragged Sam Li straight to a toy shop on Sixth Street, where she spent a long time rummaging through old stock before finally pulling out a dusty, armor-like A-Rank W-Engine.
She grinned, holding it up.
"Most W-Engines are balanced in their attributes, but this one? Every single enhancement went into defense. You're no fighter, so offensive boosts would just be wasted on you. This is perfect."
There were two reasons she chose this W-Engine.
First, it suited Sam Li. In Nicole's opinion, all he needed was defense, defense, and more defense. The rest of the fighting could be left to her and the others.
Second, it was dirt cheap—only a third of the price of other A-Rank W-Engines.
Judging by the thick layer of dust, no one had touched it in years.
After making the purchase, Nicole handed the W-Engine to Sam Li.
"Give it a try. With this and our protection, you've got nothing to fear."
The moment Sam Li took it, the Geo energy within him responded instinctively, wrapping around the W-Engine.
At the same time, a system notification sounded in his mind, displaying its details.
[W-Engine Name]: Guardian Angel
[Attribute]: +60% Defense
[Skill]: Block Everything (Passive) – When the wearer suffers an otherwise unpreventable attack, Guardian Angel will use 100% of its power to completely block the hit. (Note: One-time skill. Once activated, the W-Engine becomes useless.)
[Weapon Lore]: Once, a monstrous Ether entity appeared before me. I failed to block its strike. If I had another chance, I'd pour everything into defense.
There had to be some untold story behind this seemingly bizarre W-Engine.
Judging by its attributes, the Guardian Angel W-Engine only boosted defense, but its value far exceeded that of other A-Rank defensive W-Engines, reaching an absurd +60% Defense.
Its skill was even more extreme—completely blocking any otherwise unavoidable attack.
Unfortunately, the skill could only be used once.
Once triggered, the W-Engine would be destroyed.
Professional fighters had no shortage of good W-Engines. They wouldn't bother with something that only offered defense when they could get a more balanced option instead.
Ordinary folks, on the other hand, couldn't afford to spend a fortune on a single-use disposable W-Engine.
In other words—it was useless to everyone.
That was why it had been left to gather dust in a toy shop's bargain bin for years.
Even at a discount, no one wanted it.
Sam Li shook his head. "I don't need this."
The moment his fingers brushed the W-Engine, he had already confirmed that it could enhance his defenses even further.
He didn't lack defense to begin with.
With his Jade Shield activated, what attack could possibly break through?
Sam Li standing in the middle of a swarm of Ethereals, his Jade Shield shimmering around him, their attacks bouncing off harmlessly.
That was the confidence of the Geo element.
If anything, he was more interested in offensive W-Engines.
Of course, Nicole had no idea.
She shoved the W-Engine into his hands, unfazed.
"Who says you don't need it? W-Engines aren't just useful in the Hollows—you can use them outside, too. The Red Fang Gang's lackeys have been keeping an eye on us these past few days. Anby, Billy, and I can't always be around to protect you, right? With this, at least you'll have some way to defend yourself."
After forcing the W-Engine into his hands, she added,
"And you definitely can't let those Red Fang thugs hack you to pieces. If that happens, the Hare's House won't be getting any more commissions."
It wasn't hard to imagine—
If Sam Li really did get taken out by the Red Fang Gang, the New Eridu Forum would be flooded with slander and rumors about the Hare's House.
People would spread claims that they were cursed with bad luck, that they couldn't even protect their own employees, and that anyone who got involved with them was doomed to misfortune.
Nicole had seen too many smear campaigns like that before—so many, in fact, that she could recite them all by heart.