"I had originally been checking the accounts in the shop."
"At noon, there weren't many customers in the shop. This bald man wandered around after entering. When he was the only customer left, he suddenly attacked and knocked several of us down with a few spells."
"Then we watched helplessly as he stuffed Ding Dang Ear into a bag. Just then, Ding Dong Ear and several cats, who had been inventorying goods in the back warehouse, returned and scared the robber away."
"Almost at the same time, Doctor broke free of the Binding Spell on him and chased after him..."
Fox Five rapidly described what had happened in the shop to Robert Li. Ding Dong Ear and several cats crowded around Ding Dang Ear, cautiously looking around as if they wanted to leave but did not dare.
Xen Fatty had somehow slipped back again. Squeezed between Zheng Qing and Xiao Xiao, he held his notebook and gripped a Quill Pen, his face alight with the excitement of having stumbled onto a major story.
Zheng Qing shot the fat man a sidelong glance, suppressing the urge to beat him up, then looked at Xiao Xiao. "Why were you in the shop for so long? Weren't you just checking the accounts?"
"The shop was running low on goods."
Xiao Xiao adjusted his glasses. "We originally sold specialties on consignment from the Linzhong Lake fishfolk and the ratfolk, but you all know what happened to the ratfolk. Their shelves have been empty for days... While I was checking the accounts today, I heard that Wander Bar across the street was auctioning off a batch of Xiang Sheep Oil. So I went over and sat there for a while, bought them at auction, and took a bit longer than expected."
The speaker had meant