It's My Job

West of Heaven Dou City, at a breakfast stall.

Zhongli was leisurely sipping tea, but Paimon was nowhere to be seen. The story began ten minutes earlier, after the two finished their breakfast.

"Paimon, did you bring any money?"

"Zhongli, don't tell me you didn't bring money again?"

The two looked at each other, both feeling awkward. Though they weren't short on money, the previous night, while inventorying "antiques," they had taken everything out of their possession...

"It seems carrying items in a storage tool would be more convenient."

Zhongli had stored all their valuable "antiques" into a space similar to the Serenitea Pot. Notably, even the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye was kept there.

Since the incident at the Seven Treasure Hotel, where the owner had willingly put the bill on a tab without Zhongli even showing a token, he had stopped carrying the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's token altogether. The storeroom only contained gold soul coins and some ordinary jewelry, so even if thieves targeted it, the loss would be minimal.

Paimon's situation was different; she had simply taken everything out and then forgot to put it back. For her, this kind of operation was normal.

Thus, after finishing breakfast, they had no way to pay the bill. In a small place like this, asking to put the bill on a tab was out of the question, and sending the bill to the Crown Prince's Mansion or the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was also unrealistic—the shop owner wouldn't dare collect it. The only option was for Paimon to go back and get the money.

After a while, Paimon returned, accompanied by the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, "Xue Qinghe." Her expression was peculiar, and her gaze at Zhongli and Paimon kept changing.

Well, well, she had given them a storage soul tool, and these two still managed to forget to bring money! What was a storage soul tool for, if not for storing such things? They didn't even bring the storage soul tool!

"Mr. Guest Official Zhongli..."

"Qinghe..."

Zhongli and "Xue Qinghe" exchanged glances. Although Zhongli's expression remained unchanged, he could see the twitching of "Xue Qinghe's" eyelashes.

Paimon slapped her forehead, feeling exasperated as she took out a gold soul coin to pay the shop owner. On her way to get the money, she happened to run into "Xue Qinghe," which is why they came together. "Xue Qinghe" was surprised to see Paimon acting alone for the first time and asked what she was doing. Unexpectedly, it turned out that Zhongli couldn't pay for their meal, so Paimon had to go back for the money.

Well done, dear Guest Guest Official! "Xue Qinghe" had originally planned to visit Zhongli after handling state affairs, but couldn't resist coming earlier after hearing about the situation. On her way to Zhongli's residence, she had met Paimon.

After paying the bill, Paimon gave Zhongli a look of utter disbelief.

"Zhongli, what kind of tea did you drink that cost ten gold soul coins?!"

The shop owner waived the breakfast cost, but the tea alone cost ten gold soul coins! If she had known the shop owner would waive the meal, they wouldn't have ordered the tea.

"What kind of tea is this? I can't really say. The shop owner got it from a store across the street."

"It has a faint fragrance and a sweet aftertaste..."

"Who asked you how the tea tastes!"

Paimon couldn't help but retort, feeling fortunate that she had brought enough gold soul coins; otherwise, she would have had to make another trip.

In no time, the three of them left the breakfast stall under the enthusiastic farewell of the shop owner.

"Zhongli, from the shop owner's smile, I saw at least five gold soul coins!" Paimon exclaimed, surprising Zhongli. Since when did this little fellow become so sharp?

To be fair, the shop owner did make a profit, but not five gold soul coins; it was closer to 1.89 gold soul coins. Without waiving the breakfast cost, he would have made two coins, since he bought the tea from the teahouse across the street for eight gold soul coins and sold it for ten.

"The tea is good and worth the ten gold soul coins," Zhongli said seriously, stroking his chin.

"By the way, Qinghe, is there something you needed?" Zhongli quickly changed the subject. As the Crown Prince of the country, "Xue Qinghe" was incredibly busy and unlikely to spend her time idly chatting. Her visit probably had a purpose.

Paimon was caught off guard by Zhongli's smooth topic change. Wait, she was supposed to be the "Mouth of the Gods"... no, she was Paimon, the best guide! Even in a different world, she had to do her job well to avoid looking clueless.

"Yeah, Qinghe, you mentioned wanting to see Zhongli. Is there something you needed?" Paimon quickly picked up the thread, addressing "Xue Qinghe." She was determined to protect her job and her meal ticket. After all, the Traveler rarely spoke, leaving everything to her.

"???" "Xue Qinghe" was momentarily confused by Paimon's behavior, finding her actions and expressions unfamiliar. After a brief moment of thought, she realized Paimon was hinting at compensation. But how could one repay a life-saving favor?

A life-saving debt was invaluable. Her life, as Qian Renxue, was priceless and couldn't be measured in monetary terms. With these thoughts, "Xue Qinghe" fell into contemplation, unsure of how to respond or what to offer.

After a pause, "Xue Qinghe" hesitated and then said, "A life-saving favor cannot be repaid. No item can fully express my gratitude to Mr. Zhongli."

"Today, at the Heaven Dou City Grand Auction House..."