March, You're the Real Stat Monster

March 7th grabbed Bai Luoming by the wrist and jogged all the way down the steps of Kliperburg.

Only after the two rounded a corner and were completely out of Dan Heng and Stelle's sight did Bai Luoming exert a little force and stop.

"Hey, March..." Bai Luoming sounded a little helpless. "Could you let go of my hand first?"

March 7th stopped short. Following Bai Luoming's gaze, she looked down and realized she was still gripping his wrist tightly.

As if her palm had been burned, she let go at once, like she was throwing away a hot potato. Her fingertips curled awkwardly, and a blush quickly spread from her neck to the tips of her ears.

Bai Luoming rubbed his wrist, which had reddened slightly from her grip, and said, "Come on, March, all I said was that I was going back to my room to sleep. Did you have to react so strongly?"

"I was kind enough to show you the local sights and culture of Belobog, so don't complain when you're getting a good deal." March 7th's pretty face was bright red, but she still spoke with confidence.

"Yes, yes." Suppressing a laugh, Bai Luoming solemnly brought his legs together and snapped a rather sloppy salute. "At your command, Leader March 7th! Thank you for rescuing me from the abyss of 'going back to sleep'!"

Bai Luoming's antics drew the attention of people nearby, and passersby stared at them curiously.

March 7th felt as though her cheeks were about to catch fire. Seeing Bai Luoming still holding that goofy pose, she grew both embarrassed and annoyed and clenched her fist to punch him.

Her fist struck Bai Luoming's shoulder with a dull thud. Struck by the heavy blow, he staggered and nearly lost his footing.

"Oh!" Seeing him like that, March 7th instantly forgot her embarrassment and annoyance and hurried forward to steady him. "A-are you okay? I think... I used a little too much force..."

Bai Luoming coughed lightly, placing one hand over March 7th's and waving the other to show he was fine.

Only then did March 7th let the matter drop, breathing a sigh of relief. She twisted her fingers together and apologized to Bai Luoming. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, it's just that..."

"It's fine. If anything, that woke me right up," Bai Luoming said, rubbing his shoulder and grimacing.

March 7th didn't reply. Her eyes were downcast, as if she had done something wrong and was waiting to be punished.

Seeing her like that, Bai Luoming tried to lighten the mood. "By the way, March, you really do hit hard."

He raised a hand and gave her a thumbs-up, his expression solemn. "You're the real stat monster!"

"What do you mean, stat monster? I'm a beautiful girl!" March 7th was both amused and annoyed. She raised her hand as if to hit him, but this time she only touched his arm lightly before pulling it back. "You're asking for it!"

As she complained, she caught sight of passersby glancing their way and whispering among themselves.

The heat that had just faded flared up again, spreading from her neck to her cheeks. March 7th grabbed Bai Luoming's wrist and pulled him briskly along without another word, muttering, "This is all your fault. Everyone's watching! Hurry, hurry!"

The two followed the street toward the attraction Gepard had recommended.

They hadn't gone far when a souvenir shop caught March 7th's attention.

The shop's display window was polished to a shine, and inside were all kinds of plush toys: cute, long-haired animals, chibi Silvermane Guards, and little model charms shaped like Belobog's landmark buildings.

Among the larger plush toys were plenty of small, delicate charms.

She pressed her face almost against the window and looked carefully at everything before turning to Bai Luoming. "Why don't we go in and have a look? The plushies inside are all so cute."

"Sure, whatever you say."

They pushed open the door, and warm air greeted them along with the sound of a wind chime.

As soon as March 7th entered, she headed straight for the shelves. She carefully compared the different plush toys, and soon her gaze settled on a tiny charm.

It was a pink charm shaped like an icicle, made of a translucent material that refracted the light into a soft glow.

A sturdy short cord was tied to the top of the charm. It was just the right size to hang from the side of her camera, decorating it without getting in the way of taking pictures.

Almost holding her breath, she carefully picked up the charm, cradled it in her palm, and held it beside her camera to see how it looked. Bai Luoming saw her eyes light up.

"Look, look," she said excitedly, showing it to Bai Luoming. "Doesn't this go perfectly with my camera?"

Bai Luoming looked at her sparkling eyes, then at the genuinely delicate charm, and nodded seriously. "Mm, a match made in heaven."

Hearing that, March 7th eagerly took the charm to the counter, deciding to buy it right away.

The shopkeeper was a kindly middle-aged woman, and she told her the price. March 7th thought it was reasonable and readily opened her terminal, preparing to pay in Credits.

"I'm sorry, miss." The shopkeeper politely held out a hand to stop her.

"Our shop... doesn't accept Credits right now. We only take Shields."

March 7th froze for two seconds. She looked down at her terminal, then back up at the shopkeeper, thinking there was a problem with the payment device. "Can't I pay directly with Credits?"

"It isn't a problem with the device," the shopkeeper explained patiently. "It's a decree recently issued by the acting Supreme Guardian. To stabilize the flow of goods and currency within Belobog, the use of Credits has been restricted. Right now, the vast majority of businesses in the Administrative District only accept Shields."

She added, "Of course, it's not that Credits can't be used at all. It's just that our shop really does only accept Shields. If you need to, you can go to the bank for identity verification first, then exchange them for local currency at the official rate for the day."

It was the first time March 7th had found herself in the awkward position of having money in her account but being unable to spend a single Credit. Holding the pink charm she couldn't bear to put down, she hesitated.

"Then... could you put it on my tab first? We'll go exchange some money at the bank and come back to pay."

The shopkeeper looked troubled. "I can hold the item for you for a short while, but I'm afraid I really can't reserve it for too long. And unfortunately, this happens to be the last charm of this kind in the shop."

March 7th looked at Bai Luoming, reluctant to give up, a hint of expectation in her eyes, as if she hoped he could pull some local currency out of a strange pocket like a magic trick.

Bai Luoming spread his hands, looking innocent. "Don't look at me. We've been together this whole time. However you look at it, there's no way I could have any Shields."

March 7th could only sigh and reluctantly return the pink icicle charm to the counter, promising the shopkeeper she would come back to buy it as soon as possible.

After leaving the shop, she kept looking back, visibly downcast, though she still put on a brave front. "It's just a little charm. It's not like I care."

Bai Luoming looked at her "I care a lot" expression and sighed inwardly.

He didn't expose her, only saying, "Since you don't care about it, let's look around somewhere else first. We can go to the bank and exchange money later."

March 7th glared at him and urged, "Quit joking around and find out where the bank is."

Just as the two were about to ask someone where the bank was, a familiar voice suddenly called out from a narrow alley stacked with crates by the street.

"Well, well, my two esteemed guests from beyond the stars, it looks like you've run into a little financial problem?"

Sampo straightened his clothes and emerged from the shadows. He was calm and all smiles, as if he hadn't been the one who had thrown a smoke bomb at the city gate and fled in a panic.

Startled by his sudden appearance, March 7th instinctively protected her camera and blurted out, "Where did you pop out from? Isn't Gepard searching the whole city for you?"

"Shh—" Sampo smiled and raised an index finger to his lips. "That's old Sampo's exclusive secret. It's how I make a living; I can't just tell anyone."

Bai Luoming glanced at Sampo, somewhat curious about his purpose. "Then what are you doing here?"

Sampo quickly brought the conversation back on track. "I happened to overhear that you two are short on Shields. As it happens, old Sampo can offer a small-scale Credit exchange service. No waiting in line, no filling out forms, and you get the full service."

He also thumped his chest and assured them, "When old Sampo does business, he always treats young and old fairly."

On hearing that she could exchange money right away, March 7th was visibly tempted.

Bai Luoming didn't agree immediately. He simply asked, "What's the exact exchange rate?"

Sampo raised two fingers and confidently named his price. "Two hundred Credits for one Shield. That's a super bargain price that already includes my connection fee, risk fee, and friendly service fee!"

March 7th knew nothing about the local rates and only thought that two hundred Credits wasn't all that much. She was about to exchange a little first so she could buy the charm.

Bai Luoming rolled his eyes at Sampo's offer. He remembered that in the game, the official exchange rate for Credits and Shields was roughly fifty to one. Although Belobog's policies were different now, Sampo's price was still outrageously high.

He didn't expose him on the spot. Instead, he took March 7th by the wrist and turned to leave, his tone calm. "Forget it. Let's go wait in line at the bank. We can experience the local financial services while we're at it."

Sampo froze. He had imagined that Bai Luoming would haggle, perhaps even slash the price in half, but he hadn't expected him to leave without making a counteroffer.

He hurried after them for a couple of steps and anxiously lowered the price. "Don't be so quick to leave, friend! One hundred fifty to one! Surely that'll do?"

Bai Luoming kept walking.

Sampo gritted his teeth and made another offer. "One hundred twenty! I can't go any lower!"

Seeing that Bai Luoming still wasn't looking back, Sampo finally couldn't hold back and shouted after him, "Come on, friend, at least make a counteroffer! Business is about give and take. If you leave without a word, how am I supposed to make a deal?"

Bai Luoming finally stopped. He turned around and held up one finger.

"Ten to one."

Sampo's smile froze on his face. He felt as though his heart were bleeding. "Ten to one? Friend, that's not doing business. You're trying to make old Sampo lose both his connections and the pants off his back! The bank's official rate is only fifty to one. You're more direct than a robber!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Sampo realized something was wrong.

A knowing smile appeared on Bai Luoming's face. "Oh? So the bank's rate is only fifty to one. Thank you, Mr. Sampo, for giving us the market rate for free."

Only then did March 7th catch on. She folded her arms and glared at Sampo indignantly. "Two hundred to one, and that's your friendly price?"

Sampo slapped his forehead in annoyance, inwardly cursing himself for speaking too quickly. But he immediately put his shrewd merchant's face back on and forced an excuse:

"Come on, the bank has to verify your identity and limit the amount! I'm offering a quick, all-in-one service! How about this: sixty to one. I've got to earn something for my trouble, don't I?"

"Fifty-five to one." Bai Luoming gave his final price. "If you don't agree, we're going straight to the bank."

Sampo stared at Bai Luoming's uncompromising gaze, then looked at March 7th beside him, who was eager to try. Finally, as though cutting off a piece of his own flesh, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

March 7th had thought Bai Luoming would only exchange enough to buy the charm, but he instead brought out a substantial sum of Credits. The Shields he received in return were enough to let them spend freely in Belobog for the short term.

Sampo pulled a bulging money bag from inside his clothes and poured out the full amount of Shields in front of them. Then he looked at his terminal, and seeing the payment notification displayed on it, he gave a sincere smile.

"Thank you for your generous support, boss. Old Sampo won't stay here and bother you any longer." With that, Sampo headed toward the street in the distance.

Bai Luoming said nothing and simply placed the money bag in March 7th's hands.

The weight of the bag made her cry out, and she nearly dropped it.

"All right." Bai Luoming looked at her, his eyes smiling. "Now we can say we've achieved financial freedom in Belobog."