"You want me to choose a mate?" Art finally spoke.
Everyone was shocked, their thoughts racing: "The prince... the prince talked!"
The queen was equally stunned. She sat up straight, a happy smile gradually creeping onto her face. "Art... Art, my son... you finally talked to your mother!" she exclaimed.
"I don't wish to talk to you, but I will ask you to do something for me," Art replied coldly.
"Sure! Just tell me, and I will certainly do it for you!" the queen responded immediately, her excitement uncontainable, entirely unfazed by the chill in Art's voice.
"You find this female for me. She has blue hair, blue eyes, and she's extremely fair and beautiful. Also... she only has one mate whose strength was already at level eight," Art's cold tone dropped.
Everyone was left in stunned silence.
The queen's smile slowly faded, and her happiness slipped away. "Son... son... what... what are you talking about? How can someone like that exist?" the queen was shocked.
Low murmurs began among the crowd.
"The prince's desire is quite unimaginable; with his standards, I can only imagine how beautiful that female must be. A female like that could never exist!"
"What's worse... with her beauty, she only has a mate with the strength of level eight."
"Such a female is completely a dream."
Art's gaze swept over everyone, and they immediately fell silent.
"Art, my son, based on your description, you are undoubtedly calling for the holy goddess, as she's the only fair beauty in the world, you also know that it's impossible to meet her" the queen remarked.
Art frowned in irritation. "If she's the holy goddess, then I want her. If you can't find her for me, then I will go myself!" He stood up, preparing to leave.
"Wait!" The queen stood up. "I will surely find her for you," she promised.
"To identify her immediately, she has a treasure called a gold coin," Art commented.
"Gold coin!" Everyone exclaimed together in unison, clearly surprised by the name.
Art said nothing and left.
The queen sighed but then smiled. "Today, the prince showed his interest in a female... even if she's the holy goddess, it's a blessing for us. Tonight, we will drink like there's no tomorrow!" she shouted, and the crowd erupted into cheers and laughter.
...
Three days later.
The ground was filled with different types of accessories made of ore. Lily, who was covered in mud from head to toe, sat in the middle, looking at everything with a beautiful smile on her face. "Better to store some so that when I get back to my world, I will have things to exchange for money. I will surely get rich immediately, then I will be driving luxurious cars and living in a high-end house," she thought, laughing crazily at the imagination.
Both Liam and Angus exchanged glances but dared not to interrupt her happiness.
"Right... I want to visit Berry. She didn't believe me when I said I would make treasures. I should show off," Lily declared.
"You are truly amazing... to have come up with something like this!" Liam marveled, looking at everything on the ground with glowing eyes.
"Haha, of course I'm awesome," Lily replied proudly, beginning to pack the accessories into a sack.
Soon, after much effort, about twenty sacks were filled with the accessories.
"Done!"
"Ride on my back," Liam suggested, but before Lily could respond, Angus had already swept her up into his arms. "You take one sack of the treasure," he asserted as he made off with her.
Liam could only grit his teeth and carried one of the sacks, running after them at high speed.
...
"Beautiful sister!" Spotting Lily from a distance, Berry shouted, jumping up in excitement.
Lily quickly caught sight of Berry and urged Angus to release her. After being set down, she rushed over and hugged Berry tightly.
"I missed you so much! A day without you is like a punishment," Berry chuckled.
"Ah... I missed you too," Lily laughed. "Wait... you look a little different," she noted, scrutinizing her closely.
Berry looked down in embarrassment. "I'm carrying another children already. The reverse cowgirl style you taught me is very magical. Not only did I enjoy doing it, but I also got pregnant right away! I can't even remember how many times I practiced it with my mates every single day; the babies in my tummy are many," she beamed.
Lily's mouth dropped open. "How could someone enjoy s** so much?!" she screamed inwardly.
"I even taught my friends; they tried it with their mates as well and enjoyed it too. They really wish to see you and learn more from you, but you will have to teach me new styles before you teach them. Is that a deal?"
"Why am I feeling like I'm about to become a sexology teacher? Somebody help, I am transforming into a pervert!" Lily cried inwardly.
"Beautiful sister!"
"Ehn!" Lily blinked twice. "Actually, you can just call me Angel," she remarked.
"Oh... your name is Angel! It's quite strange, but I think it suits you," Berry chuckled.
Lily smiled. "Actually, I'm here to give you a surprise."
"What surprise?"
Lily grinned as she took the sack from Liam, untied it, and revealed a glowing ore-beaded bracelet. "Ta-da!" she proclaimed.
Berry's eyes widened in shock just from looking at the bracelet. "What's this?" she asked. "It looks... it looks like a god's treasure," she exclaimed. "Beautiful sister... no, Angel! You are blessed by the gods!" Her eyes continued to widen.
Lily chuckled. "What gods? I made this by myself! And guess what? It was made from rock, and this too," Lily pulled out a small sack containing gold coins. "These are called coins, gold coins; I made this from the stone we bought the other day," she stated proudly.
"What?!" Berry was utterly dumbfounded, her eyes filled with disbelief. "A stone... turned into this?!"
Lily laughed. "I told you the other day that I would make something unexpected with it, didn't I?"
"You did say that, but... but... isn't this too precious?"
"Take it! These coins are specially for you," Lily offered, passing the sack to Berry.
Berry carefully held it. "An... Angel, this... this is a big treasure!"
"You are my only friend; this is a gift for you," Lily chuckled. "Oh right, you are pregnant," she noted, bringing out more bracelets, pendants, leg bands, and other accessories. "This is a congratulations gift from me to you," she stated, giving everything to Berry.
Berry was completely stunned, and suddenly, tears began to escape her eyes.
"Why... why are you crying?" Lily asked, slightly confused.
"I'm not crying! I'm... I'm just too happy. You are giving so many treasures without a second thought. I feel... I feel very touched," she sniffed.
Lily smiled. "It's not a big deal; I should be the one feeling grateful, besides, this isn't the only sack with treasures. I have more at home, and I plan on selling them," she explained.
Berry quickly rushed inside to put away all the accessories that had been given to her before re-emerging. "Angel, you want to sell all this? If you sell it here, it won't benefit you, as these treasures are too precious. Nothing in the market can equal their worth."
Lily nodded. "I think so too. That's why I thought of exchanging the coins for ores."
"What ores?" Berry asked, confused.
"I mean more stones."
"Angel, I think you should consider getting food as well. The season when food will be scarce will arrive soon."
Lily's brows knitted slightly. "Scarcity of food? With the help of my bag, food shouldn't be a problem. But the trouble lies in whether Liam and Angus can eat it," she thought. "About the food, how long will it take before the season arrives?"
"Seven more white round moons."
"That means seven months," Lily pondered. "It's still better. I'll just use this time to help them familiarize themselves with the food." Determined, she thought, "Food isn't a problem, but... how about you?"
Berry smiled bitterly. "No choice. My mates will go out to hunt," she said in a low voice.
Lily noticed the sadness in her tone. "she must have suffered a heavy blow from the impending food scarcity". She thought. "Berry..."
"It's fine... Only the strongest deserve to live anyway. If they get hunted during their hunting, it's because they are too weak," Berry replied, her spirit noticeably low.
"Looking at her sad expression, she must have had a deep bond with them and didn't want to lose them, even though she said those words I can feel her unwillingness" Lily thought, remembering the story Angus had told her. "If you trust me, then there's no need for your mates to go hunting," she smiled reassuringly.
Berry's eyes widened in shock.
Both Liam and Angus exchanged glances.
"Don't ask me why or how; you will find out when that time comes. For now, let's focus on exchanging the coins. Later, we might even sell food," Lily explained.
"Re... really!" Berry exclaimed.
"Really, I am serious."
Berry fought hard to control her tears and hugged Lily. "You are a blessing, Angel!" she sobbed.
Lily smiled and patted her back.
..... The Market.......
"This spot belongs to me. You can take this place as your market source," Berry declared.
Lily looked at the spot, which was neither too open nor too hidden, and nodded in satisfaction. "Just perfect," she commented.
"Are you starting the business today?" Berry inquired.
"Yeah, we can start today," Lily confirmed.
"Then... I will find some males to gather sticks here," Berry suggested.
"Let me do it!" an unfamiliar voice suddenly interjected, stunning the four.