With her naturally alluring figure, charming face, and seductive demeanor, along with being the "free wife" available to newcomers, it was hard for anyone not to be attracted to her.
Lisa's lazy and enchanting gaze fixed on Takashi. Takashi nearly lost his composure, raising both hands to show his innocence. "Miss Lisa, we're running a small business here, and there's no discount on the price."
"Hmm?" Lisa pretended not to hear, changing her posture, crossing her legs, and swinging her long, slender legs, captivating everyone's attention.
Jean: -_-
Klee: (⊙o⊙)
Oshawott: (⊙o⊙)
Xerneas: →_→
Takashi: An awkward but polite smile, like an embarrassed emoji.
Takashi thought to himself, "Even if the queen of bargaining came here, I wouldn't give her a single Mora off. I swear."
Seeing that Takashi remained unmoved, Lisa wondered if her big sister's charm had declined.
She frowned slightly, then an idea flashed through her mind. She crooked her finger at Takashi, signaling him to come closer.
Jean cleared her throat. "Lisa, Klee and I are watching. Don't embarrass the Knights of Favonius."
Ignoring Jean, Lisa whispered in Takashi's ear, "You swindled Diluc out of 30 million Mora yesterday, and then 2 million of Jean's dowry. Let me tell you, you're in big trouble now."
Takashi was stunned for a moment. "I run an honest business, so how could I be in trouble?"
Was this girl just trying to extort me?
"Mondstadt's tax issues have always been a mystery, but I'm very good at handling such matters. If you give me a tiny discount on the price, leave the taxes to me. Otherwise, you'll be dealing with those stubborn old men constantly." Lisa used her thumb and index finger to illustrate.
"How much do you want?" Takashi swallowed nervously at the thought of the risk associated with all this income. As tough as he wanted to be, it was best not to mess with money.
"Originally, I only wanted 500,000, but since Jean's my best friend and I can't avoid involving her, I'll need more—1 million." Lisa didn't hold back.
"What kind of discount do I get?"
"At least 600,000."
"Deal." Takashi cleared his throat. Trading 1 million for a tax reduction of 600,000 wasn't a bad deal.
Takashi made up a reason on the spot, "Considering Toxel is a dual-type, it's harder to raise than the average Pokémon, and the future expenses are higher, I can give you a small discount."
Lisa smiled seductively, hugging Toxel. "Alright then, I'll come back tonight to pay."
"I'll be waiting." Takashi nodded slightly, not daring to face her directly any longer. She had completely outmaneuvered him.
Lisa hugged Toxel, carrying the two gifted Pokéblocks, a Pokédex, and a Trainer's Handbook as she left the store with Jean and Klee.
Once everyone had left, Xerneas finally spoke up. "That girl is really good at playing her cards."
"She did trick me, but she's skilled in potion-making. Perhaps in the future, when Mondstadt needs antidotes or potions for Pokémon, we can turn to her. It wouldn't hurt to be on good terms." Takashi said.
"Besides, you don't need to worry about income right now. Your luck with money has been quite good lately," Xerneas added.
"That's my Xerneas." Takashi happily hugged Xerneas's neck, and Xerneas responded with a comforting smile.
Takashi calculated everything carefully. Lumine had paid 1 million Mora in advance in the morning, and Lisa was coming to pay 3 million in the evening. Today's income was at least 4 million Mora.
He had already completed a fifth of the 20 million weekly income goal—a small but exciting progress.
Getting closer to the next ten-pull goal made his heart race with excitement.
"Let's go, Xerneas. Let's have some afternoon tea."
"Sure."
...
After leaving the Pokémon shop, Lisa, holding Toxel, couldn't help but smile. That shopkeeper was quite interesting.
A few simple words, and she had fooled him.
Jean held Klee's hand to prevent her from running around, while Oshawott waddled beside them.
"Osha... (Sad)," Oshawott looked up at Klee.
Klee smiled innocently, "When we get back to the Knights, we'll find your scallop."
"Osha... (Happy)."
Jean couldn't help but ask, "Lisa, were you tricking the new guy again?"
"Hmm? What did you say? I didn't hear you." Lisa pretended not to hear. How could a mutually agreeable deal be called deception?
This best friend of hers wasn't easily fooled. Jean had long grown accustomed to Lisa's antics. "You were secretly reading books on auditing and taxes the other day. Aren't you into potion-making and library management? Why are you interested in taxes?"
Lisa responded nonchalantly, "As a professional librarian, naturally, I need to understand the books in our collection."
"So, you used that to impersonate an inspector and scare merchants?" Jean knew Lisa meant well. Thanks to her actions, Mondstadt's tax issues had lessened considerably.
Especially new merchants—now they kept to the rules, without daring to manipulate the market or raise prices arbitrarily.
Jean remained cautious of Takashi, the new merchant. On his first day, he had already sealed a sky-high deal, taking 30 million Mora from Mr. Lu without even batting an eye.
It wasn't that she had spent 2 million Mora on a Pokémon for Klee out of kindness, but rather an intentional test.
On the surface, she used Klee's care as an excuse to buy a Pokémon, but in reality, she wanted an excuse to observe. If there were any unlawful activities, she could be a witness.
However, something unexpected had happened—the little Oshawott by her side.
It was so endearing that even after spending 2 million Mora, she didn't feel like a fool.
She even felt like saying, "Even if you made a fortune, I certainly haven't lost out."
Lisa had no intention of arguing. Her little trick couldn't escape Jean's sharp eyes.
If Jean hadn't been accustomed to it, she would've exposed her right there in the shop.
Why wait until now?
"I'm saving some money so I can enjoy time at the tavern and afternoon tea. Why don't you join me?" Lisa suggested.
"I don't like your slacker attitude. I'll head back to the Knights instead. There are a lot of documents waiting for my approval." Jean started walking, widening the gap between them.
Lisa shook her head as she watched Jean walk away. "Stubborn one. She carries a heavy burden but never takes the opportunity to relax. Isn't she afraid she'll collapse one day?"
Saying this, Lisa walked under the awning outside the Good Hunter restaurant, ordered a carrot juice, gave Toxel some Pokéblocks, and began reading her Favonius Codex, enjoying the peaceful afternoon.
...
Meanwhile, Diluc and his Bagon had been searching around the lake near Dawn Winery since morning, looking for Magikarp and taking them down one by one.
They were quite successful—Bagon had defeated five Magikarp in a row, becoming a local champion.