Coins

"Thank you! Really, I don't know how to thank you," Enatsu replied, bowing slightly in front of Yoichi in gratitude.

"There might be a way, actually..."

"What is it? Tell me, be honest."

"Remembering what happened to me is impossible right now. The only thing I know for sure is that I have to tame a demon. To do that, I need to get that Demon Tooth or whatever and I need a hand to get it. If you help me find that item and support me during my first capture, you will have repaid your debt, Enatsu. Are you in?" Yoichi asked, handing him his hand and continuing to smile.

"Of course, we have a deal! You're coming with me to Goldhaven tomorrow morning. I've never been there and it's a very big city, but I'm sure we will find everything we need at the Old Bazaar!" Enatsu happily replied, shaking his colleague's hand.

"The Old Bazaar? Do you mean... we can buy demon teeth?"

"It seems obvious to me, doesn't it? If they didn't keep producing and selling them, how would novice Tamers like you start their careers? Crimson Lotus camp beyond the walls of the capital is the largest in the nation!" Enatsu explained, approaching the table again and taking a look at his map. "Demon Teeth are quite cheap, but... I'm a little short on cash. You have money, don't you?" the young merchant asked again, looking up.

"Um... I'm afraid I don't!" Yoichi exclaimed, touching his nape embarrassed.

"Screeek!" the dark little Nekage interrupted, biting its tamer's pants on his ankle and trying to pull him backwards.

"Hey, what's going on, buddy? Can't you see I'm talking?" Yoichi chuckled, moving his pet with his foot and starting chatting with Enatsu again.

As soon as the Nekage's teeth came off his pants, the little reptile demon got the running start and grabbed the pants again, trying to communicate something to him.

"What is it? What do you want to tell me?" exclaimed Yoichi aloud, spreading his arms and scolding the Nekage.

"Screek! Screek!" after a rapid movement, the Nekage left the ankle and quickly made its way to the bed, running on its feline paws.

Under the curious gaze of the two boys, it slipped its mouth between the fabric blankets and began to pull something, trying to extract it out of its hiding place.

"What's that?" Enatsu asked, crossing his arms.

Yoichi approached his little friend and, when the Nekage moved to get him through, he slipped a hand into that straw bed ravine and grabbed something, pulling out a black leather bag.

"Screeek!" hopped happily the Nekage, turning on itself and looking at its tamer.

Without adding a word, feeling the weight of that leather bag on his hands, Yoichi slipped the lace that kept it closed and emptied its contents on the bed.

*din*din*

Three gold coins fell on the dirty raw cloth blanket, illuminating Enatsu's eyes, who quickly approached.

"Yoichi! But those... those are three gold coins! Wow! You must have saved your money for a while to raise this nest egg! I mean... living here, I don't think your work brings you much money..." Enatsu marveled, nodding with his head.

"I... I have no idea. I think... I think so," the homeowner thoughtfully replied, looking at the Nekage who kept wagging. "What a good little beast... thank you, dude! You heard we needed money and you remembered I hid it inside the bed!" the young blond-haired boy continued, stroking his demon pet for the first time.

"Eheh! Did you see that? It is definitely your Oracle, there is no more doubt now! A normal demon would never make such a gesture to its master! The Nekage are stubborn and also quite grumpy with the other demons... but they stand out for their loyalty to their Tamer," Enatsu affirmed with conviction, gesticulating, glad that the Nekage and Yoichi finally began to get along.

Judging by Enatsu's reaction, it looks like three gold coins are a lot of money, so... I have to spend it wisely, trying not to squander it all. Yoichi thought, continuing to look at his pet, as his host's Moruba rubbed its long nails against the wooden floor. "In addition to the Demon Teeth, I'm also going to need one of those," he said, pointing to the map on the table.

"No problem, Yoichi. You will see, in the capital, we will find everything we need! Yaawn!" Enatsu replied, yawning and stretching his arms upwards. "Well, I don't know you... but I am so tired... tomorrow will be a long day..."

"Take one of these blankets and set where you want. If you need water, you know where to find it and the fireplace fire will stay on to warm us up," Yoichi said, grabbing one of the thickest blankets and handing it over to his new friend, who thanked him with a head movement, and dragged it toward the fireplace.

"Onnuth!" Enatsu affirmed out of nowhere, recalling his mole-demon.

As had happened just before with Sora, but in a slightly different way, the Moruba disappeared into a dark aura, similar to the color of the earth, and a few seconds later, his Demon Tooth appeared on the floor, stuck in a damp wooden axis.

Enatsu approached it and pulled it out, allowing Yoichi to look at it closely. "As you can see, the outer surface of the spine is intact. That's because my Moruba didn't suffer any damage. If someone had injured it, the plug would have been damaged and it would have taken a few hours for it to be restored."

"Restored? How could you restore it?" Yoichi asked curiously, sitting on the bed with his little Nekage.

"I shouldn't have done anything. Demon Teeth can automatically restore their damaged tissues in a short time. To make it short, if one of your demons is defeated in battle, leaving it inside its Demon Tooth will restore its health and heal its wounds. The more serious and profound they are, the more time it will take to heal them. Got it?" Enatsu asked, explaining to Yoichi one thing at a time, to avoid overloading him with information.