Hearing Takashi's long-winded story, Rosaria was skeptical.
After all, she had interrogated many criminals before, and their methods of lying were often the same—fabricating a tragic backstory to gain sympathy and leniency.
"Gru..."
Sealeo waddled carefully towards Rosaria, its round body inching closer to her feet. With its keen sense of smell, it sensed the cold aura around her. Rosaria possessed the Cryo Vision, and Sealeo, accustomed to living on floating ice without natural enemies, instinctively felt a connection with her.
Unused to such warmth from others, Rosaria was momentarily stunned. She wasn't afraid of the cold, but Sealeo's approach made her heart clench just a bit.
She crouched down, gently petting Sealeo's round head, feeling its soft, slippery texture, like a water-soaked leather glove.
Sealeo enjoyed the attention, closing its beady eyes and clapping its little flippers.
"Cute little one, you've had a tough life, haven't you? Are you also alone?" Rosaria muttered to herself.
Sealeo tilted its head curiously, looking at her.
"I see. You must want someone to take care of you," Rosaria said softly, holding Sealeo in her arms. Her rare expression of tenderness appeared briefly before fading away.
Takashi watched, happy to see Sealeo getting along with Rosaria. Still, her gaze toward him remained wary, maybe because that was simply her nature towards Mondstadt's inhabitants—a guard in the shadows.
Rosaria put Sealeo down and, in an instant, released her Cryo Vision's power, causing the temperature around them to plummet.
Yet Sealeo showed no fear, staring up at her with innocence in its eyes.
Sealeo: 0 0
Hmph, it seems we are a match, Rosaria thought. Well, the knights have their own familiars to assist in their work, so I might as well get one.
Standing up and crossing her arms, she said coolly, "Since this Sealeo has no suitable owner, I'll take it. I'll be responsible for its care from now on."
Takashi placed his hand over his heart, offering a knight's salute. "Thank Barbatos! Sealeo has finally found its happiness..."
Rosaria cut him off coldly. "Don't mention the Anemo Archon to me. I don't believe in that nonsense. As for this little one..."
Takashi interrupted her too, "That'll be 4 million Mora."
A glint of confusion flashed in Rosaria's eyes. Four million Mora? That was steep. Based on Jean's salary, it would take an entire year to afford that. And with her own habits of sneaking off to buy dandelion wine and red wine stew, she had little in the way of savings—4 million was astronomical.
She crossed her arms, trying to negotiate. "How about 400,000 Mora?"
Four hundred thousand? What are you, Nami from One Piece? Slashing prices like that?
Even though Takashi wasn't short on money at the moment, charity wasn't done like this—the same rules applied to everyone. Otherwise, how could he continue doing business in Mondstadt? If Rosaria got a huge discount and the word got out, every knight who had paid full price would feel cheated.
This precedent could not be set.
Unless she had something of equal value.
Takashi paused for a moment and shook his head. "Miss Rosaria, we have our own rules here. Several knights have already purchased their own companions from this store, and I assure you that the price I offer is fair and impartial. Sealeo is both Ice and Water type, which makes it 2 million Mora more expensive than a single-type companion."
Rosaria thought for a moment. Water type? A water element?
Interesting. If she could combine her Cryo power with water, it would result in a freezing effect—increasing her odds of victory in the field.
"You said Sealeo has Water type abilities. What does that mean?" she asked.
"It means Sealeo can learn Water-type moves as it grows," Takashi explained.
"Like what?"
"Water Gun."
Rosaria rubbed her chin, still confused.
Seeing her hesitation, Takashi took out the Pokéball containing Feebas and tossed it into the air. He pointed at it and commanded, "Sealeo, use Water Gun."
"Gru..."
With quick precision, Sealeo shot out a small stream of water that perfectly hit the airborne Pokéball, allowing it to fall slowly back into Takashi's palm.
"Seeing is believing, Miss Rosaria. That's a Water Gun." Takashi said.
Rosaria knelt, squeezing Sealeo's chubby cheeks, making it giggle and squint. "Did you hide a toy water gun in Sealeo's mouth? Open up."
"Gru..."
Sealeo obediently opened its mouth.
After inspecting it and finding nothing unusual, Rosaria said calmly, "Alright then."
Takashi continued, "Miss Rosaria, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Sealeo's potential isn't limited to just Water Gun."
"Oh?" Rosaria was becoming more intrigued, leaning in a bit to listen.
"Sealeo lives in the harshest of climates. Even in below-zero temperatures, in icebergs or the sea, it swims freely. Besides Water-type moves, Sealeo can learn Ice-type moves—walking on ice and crossing oceans with ease," Takashi explained.
Rosaria fell silent. Initially, she had thought that familiars were little different from pets—much like the tavern's famous cat bartender, Diona. But now, hearing about these extraordinary abilities, she realized that Sealeo could do things far beyond any pet.
Her understanding of the world was being reshaped.
Walking on ice, crossing oceans—those skills were impressive. With Sealeo, she could cross the wide sea at Windrise and reach a mysterious island. According to rumors, that island held relics of the Anemo Archon.
Seeing that she was wavering, Takashi decided to give her one more push. He picked up a glass of water from the counter. "See this? It's just a glass of water, but Sealeo can turn it into ice instantly. Come, Sealeo, use Powder Snow."
"Gru..."
Sealeo lifted its head and blew out a cold breath—tiny hail mixed with snowflakes hit the glass, instantly freezing it into a solid block of ice.
Still skeptical, Rosaria took Sealeo's head in her hands again, opening its mouth to check for any hidden mechanisms.
Finding none, she finally began to believe in Sealeo's unique capabilities.
Takashi smiled and said, "Sealeo's Powder Snow still needs practice. Judging by the snowflakes it just produced, it's only at the beginner's level—it hasn't fully mastered the technique."
"What happens when it does master it?"
Takashi pointed to the shelves behind him. "Those shelves would probably turn into a thick wall of ice instantly."