Bailu's mind was completely blown blank by fright, her dark, glossy pupils trembling so hard they nearly tangled into a ball of yarn.
Although the mine in her hands showed no sign of detonating at all—both buttons had already been turned off—
Bailu still felt as though the flames inside had already erupted. The ice-cold metal casing burned unbearably hot in her grasp, making her want to fling the tin box away like the summoning talisman earlier—whoever wanted it could have it.
Fortunately, before the little bird of her rationality flew off completely, it still left an egg behind in the nest, allowing her to think.
It hasn't exploded yet. If I throw it away now, then it really will explode! Then everyone's finished!
Under Sylvester's gaze, Bailu silently and slowly lowered her tightly tensed body into a crouch.
Clunk!
The mine was set on the ground. She then slid backward in one swift step, her small body whoosh retreating to the shelf behind her. Her back pressed tightly against a Trash Can, one small hand clutching the wooden lattice of the shelf as she trembled.
Her other hand pounded her chest, still shaken.
That was way too close. I almost became a roasted dragon—and with my current vitality, it'd definitely be slow-roasted over a low flame!
No idea if it'd smell good, but it'd definitely hurt like hell!
Watching her shrink back, too scared to come closer, Sylvester thought the heat was about right—push it any further and she'd probably end up with psychological trauma.
Pointing at the mine, he said flatly, "So? Want me to pack it up and send it to the Alchemy Commission for you?"
Hearing this, Bailu felt as though she'd been granted amnesty.
She had been worrying about how to deal with the thing anyway.
Her little head bobbed like a pecking chick as she said with a trembling voice, "Y-yes, yes, yes, that'd be perfect. Send it to my courtyard—ah, no, just send it straight to Sister Lingsha."
Seeing how resistant she was, Aventurine's eyes lit up as he suggested, "Why not sell it to me instead? Herding one sheep is herding, herding two is the same. I'll add another ten million Credits this time."
But Bailu, who had just treated the purple Curio like worthless trash earlier, shook her head without hesitation now. "N-no, let's forget it."
"Hm… that's really a pity, then."
He said it was a pity, but Aventurine's face clearly showed that he didn't really care.
Being able to buy a purple Curio at all was already extremely lucky. This time, he was just trying his luck under the mindset of "since I'm already here."
Seeing how easily he gave up, Bailu finally let out a sigh of relief.
Honestly speaking, if this had been during her most panicked moment just now, she might have agreed in a muddle-headed daze.
Just like that summoning talisman earlier—only after selling it did she realize she didn't have to use it herself; she could have given it to someone else.
But the money had already been transferred into her account, and she couldn't bring herself to go back on it.
What's more, when she secretly sneaked out to play using an invisibility pill the day before yesterday, she had accidentally overheard that the Xianzhou was secretly researching conceptual power, and for that purpose had even invited a member of the Genius Society from outside.
It was said that a lot of money had been spent on this matter.
If she sold off this hard-won research material, then not only would Sister Lingsha be upset—even she herself would feel like she was being truly wasteful.
So, she might as well just give it to Sister Lingsha.
Maybe if she was happy, she'd forgive her for sneaking out.
Eh? Wouldn't that be what they call solving two problems at once?
Hehe, I'm pretty smart after all.
Thinking that she had narrowly escaped disaster, Bailu's lingering fear eased a little.
Pointing at the mine, she asked Sylvester timidly, "C-can you take it away right now?"
Seeing that she looked like she was about to draw a boundary around herself and refuse to move, Sylvester chuckled. "Of course."
He then raised a finger, and the miniature Lightning-Lord appeared once more, picked up the mine, and went straight out the door to make the delivery.
Turning back, Sylvester smiled at Bailu. "So? Still opening them?"
"Of course!" Bailu answered without hesitation.
Seeing that the Curio had already left the shop, the stone in her heart finally fell completely, and she felt confidence surge back into her.
She said proudly, "The Dragon Lady doesn't flee in the face of battle!"
But she knew very well what the real reason was.
That delivery light-figure had just left—no matter what, she'd have to wait until it delivered the item and Sister Lingsha calmed down before going back, right?
Going back early just to get scolded—she wasn't that stupid.
Counting on her fingers, she calculated that she still had a quota of six Trash Cans.
She didn't bother being picky anymore, choosing the three closest to her and lining them up.
Bailu trotted over, and after three consecutive whoosh whoosh whoosh sounds, the three Trash Cans vanished one after another, multicolored lights filling the room.
When the light faded, Bailu found one item in each hand. One was a pearly white bead, and the other looked like some sort of coupon.
She held them flat in her palms, raising them before her eyes, firmly deciding that she absolutely would not touch them again before Sylvester finished explaining.
Still, confusion flickered in her eyes—why were there only two items? Where was the third one?
Looking at the two items, Sylvester smiled and rubbed his chin.
Seems Bailu really is fated with fire.
[Constant-Temperature Pearl:When held in the user's mouth, it wards off wind and cold, keeping body temperature at the optimal level. Even if the user is frozen into an ice sculpture, it remains effective.]
[Wangsheng Funeral Parlor (Paired Wings Double Ticket):A premium promotional event issued by the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. With this ticket, one may claim at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue one coffin pair printed with a chibi version of the Director, one custom plum-blossom hat made by the Director, and one hand-tailored, body-fitted burial outfit. Complimentary cremation service included, with a guarantee of personal service by Director Hu Tao herself. (Note: This ticket must be used by two people together; invalid for solo use. Additional note: Welcome back—second tombstone at half price~~)]
Sylvester shook his head and said as evenly as he could, "Bailu, your luck this time is actually… pretty good! Even though there was one white empty can, the other two Curios are quite something. Their rank may not be high, but they're both very useful."
He pointed at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor ticket and said, "Especially that ticket—everyone has a day when they'll need something of its kind, and this one is truly top-tier among them."
===BREAK===
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