"A perfect date?" Yarrow thought, his mind briefly boggled. What would even count as perfect?
He glanced at the excited Peach Fox walking beside him. Her wide-eyed curiosity seemed to give him the answer. I guess it means making her feel satisfied and happy?
With that thought in mind, they entered the royal city. For Peach Fox, it was her first time in such a bustling metropolis, and her gaze darted around, taking in the sights. The contrast between this city's vibrancy and the quiet, humble towns she'd known was stark. She was like a child seeing a world of wonders. Along the way, she fired off question after question.
"Yarrow, why are those people holding brooms?" she asked, pointing at a group of passersby gliding through the air.
"Those are their transportation," Yarrow explained. "Riding brooms is a kind of fashion here."
"Oh, oh! Just like our sword flight," she mused, nodding in understanding.
Her curiosity didn't stop there. "Yarrow, is that group of people performing a ritual?"
"No, those are street performers doing magic tricks," Yarrow chuckled. "Some people still find stage magic entertaining, even in a world full of real magic."
Peach Fox's eyes widened again as she pointed at a person on the street. "Yarrow, look! That chimpanzee is wearing clothes!"
Yarrow's face froze. "Shh! That's not a chimpanzee, that's a person… just with a dark complexion."
The man glanced at them with a frown, and Yarrow quickly pulled Peach Fox away, hoping she hadn't caused offense.
After a short while, Peach Fox's nose twitched, detecting a sweet scent in the air. "There's a sweet smell," she remarked.
Yarrow followed her nose and spotted an ice cream stand on the corner. "That's ice cream," he said with a small grin. "Would you like to try some?"
"Ice cream?" Peach Fox's eyes lit up. "Is it like sherbet? I've only ever heard about it from the inner disciples of the Daoist temple."
Seeing her eager expression, Yarrow smiled and led her to the stand. He ordered a double scoop of ice cream for her.
When the vendor handed over the cone, Peach Fox hesitated for a moment, then released Yarrow's hand to take it, holding it carefully with both hands. She stuck out her little pink tongue and licked it. Her face immediately scrunched up in surprise, and her fox ears twitched as though struck by a chill.
"So cold!" she squealed, her voice muffled in shock.
"I did warn you," Yarrow teased, chuckling.
Peach Fox took another tentative lick, her gaze flicking over to him. Without hesitation, she handed the ice cream back to him. "Yarrow, do you want some?"
"I'm okay," Yarrow said, declining with a smile. He'd never been fond of sweet things.
As they continued toward the alchemy workshop, Peach Fox finished the ice cream, leaving behind a small trail of melted cream on her fingers.
Inside the workshop, Yarrow quickly signed the order for Serena's alchemy supplies and pushed it across the counter to White, who had been watching them with an amused expression.
"Hey, Yarrow," White said, leaning on the counter with a sly grin. "Have you been attracting romantic trouble lately? You're always bringing a different girl back."
Peach Fox was busy examining the shelves of magical materials on the other side of the room, looking for the items she needed for her charm.
"They're all beastkin girls, too. Did you hit it big with some powerful beastkin family? If you did, hook me up with a beastkin milf! A cat girl, preferably a D cup... and if she's a sadist, even better."
"You really aren't picky, are you?" Yarrow rolled his eyes. "I can't find you a sadistic cat lady, but if you're interested, I can beat you up for a thrill."
White stared at him, unamused. "Stop playing coy, man. Tell me the truth. Did you get involved with some big family or something?"
Yarrow shrugged. "Would you believe me if I said I just stumbled upon them while walking?"
White let out an exaggerated sigh. "You're such a terrible friend. Fine, next time you're in trouble, don't come crying to me for a discount."
Peach Fox, holding several small glass bottles filled with alchemical ingredients, interrupted their banter. She beamed at Yarrow. "I'll take these."
Yarrow glanced over the materials she'd gathered: red scale armor stone powder, pine oil, deep sleep grass ash, and yellow cloud flower juice. He recognized the red scale armor stone powder—it was a decent substitute for cinnabar. But he had doubts. Using materials and coins from another world to craft a lucky charm seemed a little unreliable.
"Are you sure these will work?" Yarrow asked as he gathered the items and paid.
Peach Fox smiled. "They'll work fine. I've made a few charms before based on my memories. I'm just a little short on copper coins, though. Preferably ancient coins."
Yarrow's mind flicked to a place where antique lovers gathered. "If it's ancient coins you're after, we'll need to go to the antique market," he said. "There's a place in the capital, the Liu Jin Antique Exchange. They specialize in old relics, and they might have what you need."
Peach Fox's eyes brightened at the mention of the antique market, and Yarrow led her there.
The exchange was a sprawling space, divided into two floors. The upper level housed priceless cultural relics, while the lower level featured more common antiques. A handful of appraisers worked in the background, examining the items brought in for sale.
Ancient coins were plentiful, scattered across a row of counters on the first floor, priced from a few Daka to more than ten gold Lang. Peach Fox immediately began sorting through the coins with care, her eyes scanning each one.
"How about this one?" Yarrow asked, holding up a copper coin with an elegant design. It depicted a white thistle flower on one side and a lion's head on the other.
Peach Fox shook her head, her face scrunching in mild disappointment. "No, Yarrow. That one's a modern imitation. It's no good."
Yarrow looked at her in surprise. "You can tell? Oh, right, you can appraise treasures."
He remembered now that Peach Fox had an ability to appraise treasures from another world, but he didn't expect her to be able to discern the year of origin.
"This is a special ability of my family," Peach Fox explained, blinking her striking purple eyes at him. "I can see the information of certain objects—no treasure escapes my eyes."
"That's pretty convenient. Can you see the information of people or creatures?" Yarrow asked, intrigued.
Peach Fox shook her head. "No, it's limited to valuable objects. I also have a special sense of smell for real treasures. Good things always attract me."
As she spoke, she picked up a coin with a crown seal from a pile of coins, waving it triumphantly at him.
Yarrow's mind started to work. Since Peach Fox had this special ability, maybe there was a chance to find something truly valuable—just like the previous time.
"Peach Fox, take a look around here. Are there any treasures that are obviously valuable but haven't been recognized by others?" Yarrow asked quietly.
Peach Fox shook her head thoughtfully. "I haven't seen any here. In formal stores like this, there are always professional appraisers, so it's harder to find a bargain."
Yarrow sighed. "I guess so. Maybe we should try the night market later. There's a chance we could find something interesting there."
After picking up the few copper coins she had chosen, they went to the counter to pay. While they were paying, a conversation from the next counter caught their attention. A bald uncle was chattering non-stop, while an appraiser carefully examined a finely crafted long sword.
"This is the sword Emperor Sosa carried when he personally led the troops in the Jinshi battle! The inscriptions on the blade were personally engraved by Emperor Sosa himself! This is an undisputed treasure with more than a thousand years of history!" The uncle sounded quite proud.
The appraiser, dressed in white gloves, scrutinized the sword through a cylindrical magnifying glass. She hesitated before speaking. "It seems to be old, but…"
"Then give me the certificate! Don't waste my time! I need to send it to the auction house this afternoon!" The uncle was getting impatient.
Peach Fox suddenly pointed at the sword and declared loudly, "That sword is new."
Both the uncle and the appraiser turned to look at her, clearly taken aback.
"What did you say?" The uncle glared at her.
"I said your sword is new. It's a replica from a few years ago. While the imitation is very realistic, it's not an antique," Peach Fox explained confidently.
The uncle sized her up. Seeing her beastkin features, he softened his tone a little. "Young lady, don't think that just because you've read a few books, you can comment so casually. This sword was deemed authentic by Master Feli, the renowned archaeologist of the royal capital!"
"But it's new." Peach Fox stepped forward, pointing at the hilt of the sword. "If this was Emperor Sosa's sword, it would have been made by his royal craftsman, Kaisworth. This craftsman wouldn't use a duck-billed knife for carving. But there are clear marks from that kind of tool on the blade."
The appraiser looked at the sword again with a magnifying mirror. "You're right. It does seem like it was carved with a duck-billed knife."
Yarrow was amazed. "Wait… Your ability can even identify the carving habits of a craftsman from a thousand years ago?"
Peach Fox gave him a proud look. "Impressive, right?"
The uncle gritted his teeth. "This sword has been in my family for over a hundred years! How can you say it's new?"
Peach Fox's expression turned serious. "It couldn't be more than a hundred years old, at most ten. It's a very well-done imitation, but it's still a modern piece."
"No way!" The uncle barked, "This sword was examined by Master Feli himself. How dare you question it?"
Peach Fox remained calm. "I'm not questioning, I'm just telling you the truth. The patterns, the polish, it all points to it being new."
The uncle shook his head, practically foaming at the mouth. "You're wrong! You're absolutely wrong!"
Peach Fox held her ground. "I'm sure it's new. The patina, the rust, the details—they're all too modern to be from Emperor Sosa's time."
Yarrow watched in amusement as the argument escalated, a mix of disbelief and admiration for Tao Hu's sharp instincts.
... patreon Seasay