Tianmiao walked out of the exchange, shaking the money pouch in her hand. Inside was a full bag of gold, and some gold coins and gems were stored in her own space. Sometimes, a world can be thrown off balance with just a single detail. That’s why Tianmiao went through so much trouble to obtain the gold coins of this world.
After a few steps, Tianmiao stopped and turned to look at the Elven Prince Dean walking beside her. Dean also turned to look at her intently.
"Who are you?" Dean’s voice was somewhat cold, yet carried a hint of confusion. It sounded like he was asking Tianmiao, but it was more as if he was talking to himself.
Tianmiao didn’t answer; instead, she looked toward the end of the street, where there was a shop selling giant lollipops in various colors. Each lollipop was nearly as big as two of Tianmiao’s palms.
Tianmiao started walking in that direction, with Dean following behind in silence.
"Two, please." Tianmiao handed over a gold coin, speaking to the owner of the lollipop store.
The owner took the gold coin and was about to give change when Tianmiao waved a hand: "No need."
The owner beamed and put away the coin, letting Tianmiao choose two lollipops.
Tianmiao picked out two lollipops with beautiful patterns, and the owner handed them to her. Tianmiao held the two lollipops, looked at them, then gave one to Dean: "Do you want one?"
"Thank you." Dean took it but didn’t eat it; he just held it in his hand.
The small white cat on Tianmiao’s shoulder bared its teeth at Dean, its tail fur all standing up.
Tianmiao licked the lollipop twice, then offered it to the small white cat’s mouth: "Want to try it?"
The small white cat happily meowed and licked the lollipop. Now, it no longer bared its teeth or stood its tail fur on end.
"You aren’t human." Dean suddenly remarked.
"I never claimed to be human." Tianmiao stuffed the lollipop into the small white cat’s mouth, "Too sweet, you eat it yourself."
The small white cat held the huge lollipop with its front paws, looking somewhat comical, yet it was overjoyed inside.
Tianmiao and Dean walked side by side in silence until they reached the campus gate. There, they encountered Camille and Xia Chuanyue returning.
"Tianmiao!" Xia Chuanyue ran up happily when she saw Tianmiao, "Eh, why are you two together? Oh, Tianmiao, let me tell you, I’ll take you shopping next time to those stores. The ones Camille took me to today were really affordable. Sorry, I forgot you don’t have money, but never mind, I can lend you some first, and you can pay me back later when you have it."
"Oh no, I have money now; I just took on a job. I’ve got some money now. Next time, I can treat you." Tianmiao took out the money pouch and shook it, and the gold coins inside clinked loudly.
"Wow, Tianmiao, you’ve struck it rich!" Xia Chuanyue said in amazement, "What kind of job was it? How did you earn so much money so quickly?"
"Just a small job," Tianmiao said casually, "Want to have a midnight snack? My treat."
"I’d like to, but I’m afraid of gaining weight." Xia Chuanyue sighed, seeming a bit conflicted, "Though if you want to eat, I’ll go with you."
"No need then."
"Classes start in three days, what should we do these days?" Xia Chuanyue pondered, "Tomorrow I’ll take you to buy some things you might need for school. Also, shortly after school starts, teachers will take us for some field training to learn something during the process."