Cissia picked up the broom and began cleaning.
Seeing the other’s busy figure, Furina nodded in satisfaction.
Then she carried her daily necessities and bedding up to the second floor.
The second floor consisted of a bedroom, a shower room, and a bathroom.
After spreading out the blue and white cloud-patterned bedding, she began cleaning the bedroom, then tossed towels and other items into the washing machine to be cleaned.
Time passed slowly, and soon it was night.
When Furina went downstairs, she saw Cissia sitting on a chair by the door, looking completely burnt out.
The other had lost her original colors, leaving only black and white.
Slightly surprised for a moment, she then looked at the main hall of the general store.
It must be said that although this little snake was a bit silly, she was still quite efficient at getting things done.
Walking to the front counter, she reached out and rubbed her hand over it.
“Hmm~ It’s very clean.
You’re not bad at cleaning, are you~” Cissia regained her color.
She looked at Furina and said with a grin.
“Hehe, right, right~” “It’s getting late, so you should head back first.
Be safe, okay?” In an instant, Cissia’s expression froze, and she spoke slowly.
“I…
I don’t have a home…
I’ve been wandering all these years~” “Then why don’t you find a job?” “I’m not an adult yet, and nobody will hire me…” Only then did Furina remember that this little snake had only joined Public Security after she came of age.
Although she knew the subsequent circumstances, how should she put it, seeing the other’s silly behavior, she also felt a bit worried about letting the other continue wandering out on her own.
“Then you can stay at the general store for now since you’re not bad at cleaning and things.
You can move out once you’re an adult and find a job.” Quickly raising her head, Cissia stared blankly at the white-haired cat girl in front of her, her lips trembling.
“R-really?” “Hmm, of course~ But I’m only taking you in until you find a job, remember that.
Once you have a job, you can’t stay here with me anymore.” “Mm…
Furina~!
Thank you—” The excited little snake wanted to rush forward and hug Furina, but this time she restrained herself slightly, without dodging.
“Alright, alright!
Let’s hurry and go, while that hot pot restaurant across the street is still open.
Let’s have dinner.” This is it!
Hehe, she’s actually treating me to a meal, how wonderful~!!
And it’s hot pot…
I always saw it on TV while wandering around the Outer Ring, it made my mouth water to death~ Haha…
“Alright, alright~” Inside the hot pot restaurant, the fragrant broth was bubbling away.
Furina held her dipping sauce bowl, staring blankly as she watched the little snake across the table devour dozens of plates of meat.
Her lips twitched.
Good thing this is all-you-can-eat.
Otherwise, my little shop wouldn’t even have opened before you’d driven me bankrupt.
Under the resentful gaze of the restaurant staff, Furina and Cissia returned to the general store.
– Wearing a sky-blue ruffled pajama set, Furina stood at the kitchen doorway, warning Cissia, who was lying in a sleeping bag.
“Behave yourself, and don’t break anything, okay?
Or else I’ll kick you out tomorrow~” “Okay!
Don’t worry, Furina, I’m very well-behaved—” Furina gave her a long, hard look.
“You’d better be.” With that, she yawned and went upstairs to her bedroom, curling into her soft bed and falling asleep.
The next morning, Furina woke up groggily, stretched, and headed to the shower to wash up.
Changing into her signature blue and black formal attire, she tidied herself up in front of the mirror, adjusted her hat, and opened her bedroom door to head downstairs.
She saw a little snake sitting cross-legged on the lounge chair by the bar, holding a bag of cookie biscuits in her hand.
An empty bottle of yogurt sat on the table.
The label on it was clearly marked with Furina’s name.
“Hey!
You little snake, how could you steal my food!” Hearing her voice, Cissia froze instantly, stood up in a panic, and arranged the cookies neatly.
“Ah, Furina~ You’re awake!
Did you sleep well last night?” “I was doing just fine, but after seeing you drink my yogurt and steal my cookies, I’m not doing so well anymore.” Scratching her cheek, Cissia offered a sheepish smile.
“Oh my~ I just couldn’t help myself, sorry…” Slipping over to Furina’s side, she nudged her to sit down on the lounge chair, and then Cissia began to massage Furina’s back and shoulders.
After spending some time together, Furina had become less resistant to her advances, but she still pouted her lips angrily.
“I’ve never met anyone like you.
You sleep under my roof and eat my food, yet you still steal it!
Didn’t I ask you last night if you wanted yogurt?
You said you didn’t!” “The cookies were making me choke, I was just soothing my throat~” “Those cookies were mine too, and you also said you didn’t want them~!” “I couldn’t help myself in the middle of the night.
I’d finished all my snacks, you weren’t waking up anytime soon, and I had no money for breakfast…
I had to have a little something to tide me over.” Seeing her like this, Furina said no more.
After all, she would have to yield to the little snake to plant the fields later, so she might as well let this slide for now.
“Alright, no more of this, understand?” “Uh-huh, understood!
Furina, you’re the best.” “Call me Manager~!” “Yes!
Manager—” Tossing a bag of Dennies to the other girl, Furina waved her hand dismissively.
“Go out and buy some breakfast.
Use the rest of the money to buy whatever food you like.
We have work to do after we eat.” “Yes!
Manager~ Ehehe…” Wagging her tail, Cissia happily went out the door with the bag of Dennies.
Sighing, Furina took out the Guidebook and walked slowly toward the basement.
Pushing open the door, she walked down the stairs and turned on the energy lamp mentioned in the Notice, illuminating the dim space.
The space was divided into neat plots of land, covering an area of about fifty square meters.
As she stepped into the basement, the Guidebook also emitted a blue glow and floated into the air.
Its pages flipped rapidly before opening to the introduction on underground farming.
[This is the Underground Planting Area for growing medicinal herbs.
Occasionally, you may be able to purchase some precious herbs.
The herbs planted here grow rapidly under the illumination of the special energy lamps.
Therefore, the time it takes for the herbs to mature is very short, so please pay attention to the harvest.] [However, even if you forget, it doesn’t matter, because they will continue to accumulate years.
The higher the age of the herbs, the better their medicinal properties (this applies to most, though not all).] [There is an Alchemy Room in the basement for refining medicinal herbs.
Inside, there is a Medicinal Herb Manual that might be of help to you.] [Oh~ Right!
There are also some medicinal herb seeds stored in the Alchemy Room, which might be useful to you.] After reading the Guidebook, Furina began searching for the Alchemy Room.
Crossing this field, she finally found a wooden door in a corner.
She pushed the door open and walked inside.
Within the not-too-crowded space, the lamplight flickered.
In the center sat a massive boiler, its natural chimney extending straight to the roof, eliminating any concerns about ventilation.
Beside it stood an exquisite gray suitcase, upon which rested a cyan-colored book.
As expected, it was the Medicinal Herb Manual.
After flipping through a few pages, Furina stowed the manual and then opened the suitcase.
Inside lay three packets of medicinal herb seeds, each clearly labeled.
[Blood Bead Grass] [Fusion Bloom] [Vitality Leaf] Based on the names of the three packets, Furina searched through the manual in her hand, finally discovering them on one of its pages.
[Life Recovery Potion (Basic): 100-year Blood Bead Grass (2 beads) + 50-year Fusion Bloom (1 bead) + 200-year Vitality Leaf (2 leaves)] [Life Recovery Potion (Intermediate): 500-year Blood Bead Grass (4 beads) + 200-year Fusion Bloom (1 bead) + 400-year Vitality Leaf (6 leaves) + 100-year Beaded Lotus Sap (20ml)] – “The Basic Life Recovery Potion treats simple injuries and restores health quickly after consumption.
The Intermediate version is for more serious injuries.
The Advanced version requires the most materials and is the most complex to make, but it also has the best recovery effect, regenerating bone and flesh.
Even if someone is on their last breath, it can pull them back from the brink.” “Is it really that powerful?!” “So here’s the problem.
I’m no master alchemist.
How am I supposed to know the age of the herbs I grow?” Just as Furina was wondering, the Guidebook circling beside her suddenly provided the answer.
[As a complete novice, it is naturally difficult to distinguish the value of certain medicinal herbs and treasures.
Therefore, the suitcase contains a mysterious little gadget left by the previous general store owner: the Omniscient Analysis Monocle.] “Is this the General Store Guidebook?
It’s so terrifyingly powerful.
I get whatever I want…
Truly amazing!”