Chương 27: Chapter 26

Nina opened the rustic wooden door, and the moment she stepped inside, a young child waiting on the other side immediately noticed her presence. The little boy's eyes widened. Then, without hesitation, he rushed toward her, his face filled with anticipation.

"Were you able to get it?" Nina looked at him. Then she deliberately lowered her expression, putting on a disappointed face. The child's sparkling eyes dimmed slightly. For a brief moment, Jake looked as though he had already prepared himself for bad news. Then— Cling. Nina placed a bag filled with silver coins directly in front of him.

"Here you go." Jake froze.

"This is the salary, as well as the compensation for your mother." The boy stared at the bag. Then he looked up at Nina.

"Thank you so much!" The next second, he threw his arms around her. Nina stiffened slightly from the sudden hug.

"Jake," a weak voice called from deeper inside the room. The child immediately turned his head.

"Jake... who is at the door?"

"Mama, it's Nina."

"Oh." The woman inside immediately attempted to move.

"I should…come greet the guest, then." The moment she tried to stand, both Nina and Jake moved at the same time.

"No, no, no!"

"Mom, don't move!" They hurried over to stop her. Her leg was still wrapped in a cast. The injury had not fully healed, and standing unnecessarily would only make things worse.

"You really don't need to get up," Nina said. The woman looked embarrassed.

"But you came all this way…"

"It's fine," Nina replied. After making sure the woman was comfortable and sitting properly again, Nina finally relaxed. This entire situation had only been possible because, over the past month, Nina had slowly established herself with help from Master Hemmingway. Using her abilities, she had created a small business where people could request assistance with things they could not accomplish themselves. At first, it was difficult.

After all, a strange service run by an unknown person was not something people immediately trusted. But with Master Hemmingway's reputation, along with the effects of word of mouth, her name slowly began spreading. A month. That was all it had taken. A single month was enough for her to earn one thousand silver coins. To ordinary people, that amount was already a decent sum. To Nina, however, it was simply another number that the system immediately reminded her could be used toward her debt.

The woman looked at the bag in her hands. Her eyes trembled.

"I don't even know how to thank you."

"It's nothing."

"No, it isn't." The woman shook her head.

"That old man was absolutely unreasonable." Nina tilted her head.

"What?"

"The boss." The woman frowned.

"He said compensation would only be given if the person who was directly injured came personally to receive it. And then he tried taking away the salary because I couldn't work while injured." A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. She sighed.

"What kind of rule is that?" Jake immediately nodded.

"He's a big meanie." Nina almost laughed. The child's serious expression made the complaint seem much more dramatic than it actually was.

"Anyways," Nina said, placing the money properly into the woman's hands, "this belongs to you."

"Nina…" The woman looked down.

"Please take care of yourself." Nina stood up.

"And Jake, make sure your mother rests properly. If you need my services again, you know where to find me."

"Of course!" Jake replied happily. Nina nodded and turned toward the door.

"Oh, wait." She stopped. A strange sound reached her ears. A faint wavering noise. The woman's voice. Nina instinctively flinched. She hated that she was not faster. The system immediately responded. [That is why you should have taken payment beforehand.]"Ah…" Nina turned back awkwardly.

"Well, you see…" She looked toward Jake.

"Jake already paid me." The child blinked.

"No, I didn't." Nina froze.

"I didn't pay you anything, Miss. You said that after we got the money, we could pay you." Nina stared at him. Then she mentally sighed. Jake. Why did you have to be honest? Why did he have to be such a good child?

"Jake," Nina whispered internally.

"You know, sometimes lying is useful." The woman looked at her. Not with anger, nor suspicion, only with a little sadness and a bit of hurt.

"Is it because we are too poor?" Nina immediately panicked.

"What?"

"Do you not want to touch a commoner's money?"

"No, no, no." Nina waved her hands.

"That is not it." She looked around desperately. Anything. Is there anything that could become a payment? Then she saw it. A flower vase sitting quietly in the corner. Nina pointed.

"Well…" She walked over.

"I suppose, since I am here already." The woman watched nervously. Was Nina about to take all of her money? Was she going to demand compensation? Instead, Nina reached toward the flower. She picked up one. Examined it. Then she smelled it lightly. After a moment, she picked up several more. Ten flowers in total.

"Perfect." She turned around.

"I have received my payment." The woman stared. Nina smiled.

"I am leaving now. You may do whatever you wish." She headed toward the door. Jake waved enthusiastically.

"Bye-bye! I'm glad you liked the flowers and that they were good payment!" Nina paused. Then she reached over and lightly ruffled his hair.

"Take care." She left. The door closed. For several seconds, silence remained. Then—"Jake."

"Yes, Mama?"

"Go get Nina." The child blinked.

"Why?"

"Because flowers cannot possibly be payment for what she did." Jake looked toward the door. But Nina was already gone. Because the moment she heard that, she knew one thing. She needed to run.

"System." [I am already ahead of you.] The system immediately calculated the optimal escape route. A location where Jake would be unable to find her. And just as expected, several minutes later, the child came outside, searched around, and eventually returned.

"She's not here, have to tell mama." Nina, hidden safely away, sighed in relief. Crisis avoided. Barely. Only after he disappeared did Nina cautiously peek out.

"... Do you think she'll eventually find the letter?" [You mean the one explaining that you secretly spent five thousand silver pieces hiring a healer for her while still owing me an astronomical debt?]"... Yes." [Your decision was highly inefficient.]"I know." [You should not prioritize immediate assistance over long-term financial stability.]"... I know." [If you die because of this pattern, the situation will become highly inconvenient.] Nina smiled sheepishly.

"I'll stay alive." A familiar notification appeared. Will to Live +2 Current Value: 6 Over the past month, the number had steadily climbed. Although there had been occasional drops, none had approached the terrifying lows she once reached, and the value had gradually stabilized to the point where even particularly difficult days rarely pushed her below three. Because of that stability, Nina herself had become the personality appearing most often. The others had gradually faded into the background. Well...

Almost all of them. Lily still emerged with remarkable consistency whenever Nina returned home. After observing the pattern for several days, the System finally reached a conclusion. Lily did not enjoy books. More accurately, Lily seemed to despise bookshelves filled with books. After quietly adding shelves throughout the house and replacing duplicated volumes with books gathered from outside the world, Lily's appearances noticeably declined.

According to the System, the relationship between Lily and a properly stocked bookshelf was roughly equivalent to the relationship between a vampire and garlic. The system had no scientific explanation for this phenomenon whatsoever, but the results spoke for themselves.