Chapter 19: Thank Goodness, She's a Fool

Chapter 19: Thank Goodness, She's a Fool

Lei Cang's room,

"Ding ding ding."

The phone vibrated a few times.

[Grasshopper]: Yes, yes, yes! I'm running out of money! By the way, can you teach me that skill of throwing out the twin guns? I can pay for it!

This time, [Grasshopper] replied quite quickly, indicating that the phone was nearby.

Lei Cang pondered for a moment and typed his response:

[All-Purpose Assistant]: I can't teach you that skill for now, but if there's a chance in the future, I can try to figure out a practice method for you.

[Grasshopper]: Really? Yay! Thank you so much. I was worried you might be a bad person and try to charge me a high price, but I don't have that much money, you know.

Lei Cang, seeing the message from [Grasshopper] about being a "bad person," couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye. "Is your brain not wired properly? Why do you blurt out anything that comes to mind, regardless of good or bad?"

...But never mind. She's already called [Grasshopper]. What more can you expect from her?

[Grasshopper]: Right, right! About the discount you mentioned... hehe... can you give me a bigger discount?

Lei Cang thought for a moment and replied:

[All-Purpose Assistant]: Considering that we have dealt several times, I'll give you a 30% discount!

The [Bargain] function can increase the price up to three times or decrease it to one-tenth of the original. To get higher discounts or price increases, you need to upgrade the shop and buy the function [Pricing Power].

The reason Lei Cang didn't give [Grasshopper] a larger discount wasn't because he cared about the money from the service. Mainly, he worried that if the discount was too significant, it might scare her off. It was like the image he had seen online once, where someone scared a cat away by putting too much cat food. A big discount might make her suspect he had some malicious intentions, even though Lei Cang had nothing bad in mind.

So it's better to be cautious.

Lei Cang planned to wait until they were more familiar, then gradually guide [Grasshopper] and increase the discount step by step, using her own words to nudge her in that direction.

[Grasshopper]: What? Only 30%? That's too little! Hey, hey... We've known each other for a while, and you even used my body, so we're good friends, right?

[Grasshopper]: If we're friends, how about... how about 120% off?

Lei Cang: "..."

One can only say that this time their interaction was going well, leaving Lei Cang silent.

Noticing Lei Cang's lack of response for some time, [Grasshopper] on the other side of the screen grew a little anxious.

[Grasshopper]: Hey, hey? Why aren't you saying anything? Is it because my request was too high? Okay then, I'll lower my demand a bit. How about 70% off? I won't go any lower! The ranking battles are approaching, and the battles will be frequent. My little stash of money won't hold up... even delivering takeout won't earn me enough... I'll have to work with Bronya to earn money by practicing characters...

[Grasshopper]: Answer me, don't stay silent... I'm really out of money! Sob...

[Grasshopper]: Reply to me, I'm getting angry!

[Grasshopper]: Answer me! Hello, are you there?

[Grasshopper]: ...

Before Lei Cang could type a response, his screen was flooded with messages from [Grasshopper].

It was clear that she was quite anxious.

[All-Purpose Assistant]: Let me explain, do you really know what "discount" means?

[Grasshopper]: I don't know!

Her answer was quite self-assured.

[Grasshopper]: But numbers should be larger for better deals, right? For example, five yuan chips are definitely more than three yuan chips... So, 120% off must be better than 70% off!

...What kind of logic was that?

Lei Cang pondered for a while but couldn't make sense of [Grasshopper]'s reasoning.

[All-Purpose Assistant]: It's like this. Let me rephrase it. 70% off means you only pay 70% of the original price. For example, if it was 100 yuan originally, with a 70% discount, you'd pay 70 yuan.

He never expected that one day he'd have to explain kindergarten-level concepts to a seventeen-eighteen-year-old beauty. Life was full of surprises...

[Grasshopper]: Ah, what? So you mean if I get a 120% discount, I'll have to pay 20 yuan more?

[All-Purpose Assistant]: Not 20 yuan, it's 2% of the original price added on top.

[Grasshopper]: It's a multiplier! Who came up with this sneaky algorithm? It must be a swindler!

[All-Purpose Assistant]: ...You never fail to surprise me with your thoughts.

[Grasshopper]: Hehehe... thanks for the praise. But my heart only belongs to Mei, and even if you fall for me, there's no room for you in my heart! By the way, um, can I still get a 70% discount? I'm really broke... but I can place many orders! The annual ranking battles are coming up, and if I suddenly become weak, Aunt Theresa will suspect something, and I don't want to be poked by Aunt Theresa with the Oath of Judah!

[Grasshopper]: According to the idioms Auntie Himeko taught me, um... riding a pig is easy but it will be tough to get off!

Lei Cang: ...

Although he had anticipated it, it was still beyond his imagination to hear such words from a human's intelligence.

However, on the other side with Kiana's voice chat, they would have frequent battles during the upcoming ranking battles, which saved him the trouble of coaxing [Grasshopper] to place orders frequently for practicing combat skills.

Lei Cang was originally thinking about what excuses he could use to deceive [Grasshopper] into placing more orders and practice her combat skills.

[All-Purpose Assistant]: Since you'll be placing many orders, how about... I'll give you a 40% discount.

[Grasshopper]: 40%... So, 100 yuan will be only 60 yuan. Thank you! You're a good person! I'll be your loyal customer!

[All-Purpose Assistant]: Haha, you're good at flattery. You've put me in a good mood. How about another discount?

[All-Purpose Assistant]: 60% off! I'll give you 60% off!

[Grasshopper]: Yay! Thank you so much! But, won't you lose money like this? How about I work a bit harder and go for 50% off? I'm really desperate... but I can't risk being found out by Aunt Theresa during the battles.

[All-Purpose Assistant]: Don't worry! I'm not earning money from this, and besides, seeing how much you care about others, you've really moved me! I've decided that you'll be the supreme VIP customer of this shop! I'll give you the highest discount! 90% off!

[Grasshopper]: Really? That's awesome! Now I can place orders in every battle without worrying about being discovered by Mei Aunties... By the way, what's your name? When you come to St. Freya Academy, can I treat you to a meal? Mei's cooking is delicious.

[All-Purpose Assistant]: ...A hero leaves no name. I'm leaving now, young lady. Remember, whenever you have a battle, place an order and call for me.

Looking at the smiling emoticon sent by [Grasshopper], (???), Lei Cang closed his phone and leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh.

"Fortunately, she's a fool."

Sometimes, being a bit foolish was rather cute.

At least it made it easier to fool her.