Su Yan sat quietly at the table, his fingers laced together before him. 2B sat beside him, her gaze occasionally sweeping across the piles upon piles of stuff that now occupied the once-spacious room.
Nihilister still lounged lazily atop the mountain of gold, a look of contentment on her face.
Pod floated nearby, a faint line of light slowly sweeping across the coins.
"Reporting: total quantity, four hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and eighty-nine gold soul coins."
The room seemed to still as Su Yan processed the number.
A loud crunch broke it.
"Correction: four hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and eighty-eight gold soul coins present."
Another crunch rang out.
"Correction: four hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and eighty-seven gold soul coins present."
"Nihilister, stop that."
Su Yan stared at her just as she was reaching for another coin. She was hoovering them up like they were chips.
Nihilister huffed before tossing one more into her mouth.
Crunch.
"Correction: four hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and eighty-six gold soul coins present."
Su Yan sighed.
"Look, I get that you like them, but can you stop eating our money for five minutes? We need to figure out what we're actually doing with all of this."
"Half of this is mine. I feel like I'm entitled to do with it as I see fit," Nihilister said as she brought another coin to her mouth and bit down.
"Correction: four hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine—"
"Pod, you can stop updating the count. Go back to your books."
Pod stopped its scan and bobbed once in the air.
"Acknowledged."
It then sped off toward the wall of books covering the bed.
He turned back to Nihilister.
"I do not believe that was ever agreed to."
She shifted on her throne of gold.
"Oooh? You never said no, though."
"I never said yes either."
She glanced to the side, one hand idly stroking the coins.
"Then what do you propose?"
Su Yan thought for a moment before answering.
"I say it should go into group funds, shared between us."
"No."
Su Yan's brows furrowed.
"Why not? You'd still be able to make use of it. We all would."
"It wouldn't be mine then. Try again."
"No, that's the fairest way. We keep it as a central pot and draw from it whenever we need something. As long as you didn't go too far, I wouldn't stop you from using it."
She waved a hand dismissively before sinking back into the gold.
"Still no."
Su Yan continued arguing his case, and the two bickered back and forth over the distribution for a time until a monotone voice cut in.
"Proposal: the current total shall be distributed evenly. One hundred and sixty-six thousand, six hundred and sixty-one gold soul coins shall be allocated to 2B, Su Yan, and Nihilister respectively. The remaining two gold soul coins may be allocated to a shared discretionary fund."
The room fell silent.
Su Yan and Nihilister stared at Pod.
It floated above one of the books, calmly turning another page.
Su Yan and Nihilister shared a look before both turning to 2B.
"2B, what do you think?"
She straightened slightly, then shook her head.
"I have no objections."
"Right, then I think we can lay that one to rest."
Su Yan gave Nihilister one last glance. She had settled back into the gold, apparently content with the arrangement.
His eyes were then drawn to the comparatively small pile of jewellery, the jewels glittering as they caught and refracted the candlelight.
It was still a sizeable haul, but Nihilister barely spared it a glance.
"Shall we go for equal distribution here again?"
"Do what you want. I don't really care for that stuff unless you're selling it. Then I demand a share."
Su Yan shrugged. He was glad they wouldn't have to launch into another negotiation. Once he had examined everything and confirmed it was all mundane jewellery, he would likely just sell it off.
He stood and made his way to the pile of jewellery. As he began sorting through it, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his finger.
He pulled his hand back. A small cut had opened across the tip.
Sticking the injured finger into his mouth, he used his other hand to brush aside the jewellery, revealing a saber buried beneath it.
Its hilt was fashioned from black-and-gold metal, dotted with multicoloured jewels, while a matching casing ran along the spine of the saber. The gleaming blade still carried a thin smear of red from the cut it had inflicted on him.
He picked it up. It was heavier than he expected, and the few cautious swings he gave it produced a low whoosh as the blade cut through the air.
His eyes gleamed as he studied the saber. The gold was still somewhat gaudy, but the black sections balanced it out. It looked like one of those high-level weapons straight out of an RPG.
"2B, come take a look at this. Is this saber any good? Could I use it?"
She stood and made her way over. After briefly studying the saber, she reached out and took it from Su Yan's hands.
She tested its weight before moving through several measured cuts. Her frown deepened with each one.
On the final swing, she put more force behind it. The blade tore through the air with a heavy whoosh, the displaced wind snuffing out several candles along one side of the room.
2B relaxed her stance, the saber still faintly vibrating in her hand.
She shook her head.
"I would not recommend it. This is little more than a showpiece."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded.
"Positive. Its weight distribution is poor. The ornamentation interferes with the blade's movement, and too much of its design prioritizes appearance over function."
She ran a finger along the edge, inspecting it.
"It is sharp, but its construction is poor. The moment it meets significant resistance, it will fail. It would not last a single engagement against a machine lifeform."
Su Yan reached for it.
"Surely it can't be that bad?"
2B moved the saber out of his reach.
"I will prove it."
She held out her free hand.
"Pod. Virtuous Treaty."
A faint flash of light appeared beside her, Virtuous Treaty materialising into her waiting hand.
She lowered the greatsword onto the table, positioning it so part of the blade extended beyond the edge, its cutting edge facing upward. Keeping one hand on the hilt, she pressed it firmly against the tabletop to hold the weapon in place.
Su Yan watched her, wondering what exactly she intended to do.
Then, with her other hand, she raised the ornate saber above her head.
His eyes widened.
"Wait, 2B!"
She brought it down hard against the exposed edge of Virtuous Treaty.
A sharp screech of metal filled the room as sparks burst from the point of impact.
Virtuous Treaty bit into the saber.
And kept going.
Su Yan watched as Virtuous Treaty's white edge bit deeper into the saber. It sheared cleanly through the blade itself before reaching the thick decorative casing running along its spine.
That offered no more resistance.
With another shriek of tortured metal, the casing gave way and the entire section was shorn off. The severed length of blade flew toward the wall while part of the black-and-gold casing tore free, crashing onto the floor.
The broken blade embedded itself in the wall, while the decorative piece bounced across the floor with a heavy crash.
Su Yan stared at Virtuous Treaty.
Not a scratch.
His gaze slowly shifted to the saber still held in 2B's hand, now missing an entire section of its blade.
2B relaxed again as Virtuous Treaty began dissolving into pale-gold motes.
She held the ruined saber out toward him.
"As I said. A showpiece."
Su Yan numbly took the ruined weapon in his hands, the freshly shorn edge of the blade still warm.
He ran his fingers across the cross-section, the exposed metal surprisingly smooth considering how violently it had been severed.
"I guess you were right."
2B gave a short nod before returning to her seat.
A knock suddenly came from the door.
"Dear guest, is everything alright in there?"
A soft female voice called out from beyond the door.
Su Yan's eyes snapped around the room in panic.
"Yes, everything is okay. You don't need to worry, we just knocked something over."
"Oh, I can help clean up any mess," she offered.
The shadow beneath the door shifted closer.
"We're naked in here so you better not, unless you'd like to join us," Nihilister called out loudly.
The servant outside squeaked.
The shadow beneath the door shifted abruptly.
"I… I am sorry for the disturbance."
A moment later, hurried footsteps retreated down the corridor.
Su Yan stared blankly at Nihilister, who wore a massive grin.
"What? I solved your problem, didn't I?"
Su Yan sighed and sat back down, lowering his head onto the cool wooden table. He closed his eyes for a moment to steady himself. If that servant repeated what she had just heard, his reputation was going to take a nosedive before they had even left town.
After a few minutes, he sat back up and took a deep breath.
No point worrying about it now. Nihilister was still watching him, a smug, satisfied smile plastered across her face.
Su Yan looked away. He dropped the ruined saber beside him and pulled one of the boxes on the table closer.
Popping open the lid, he began sorting through the porcelain bottles inside. Unfortunately, none of them were labelled, and with absolutely no medical knowledge of his own, he had no idea what any of them contained.
After several minutes of fruitlessly examining different bottles and boxes, Su Yan finally set the container aside and added it to a growing pile.
Next, he turned his attention to the herbs. Several of the living plants had already been transferred into pots during the earlier sorting, while bundles of dried herbs remained piled to one side.
Finding living herbs inside the storage tool had surprised him. He hadn't expected the necklace itself to be one of the more valuable things they had acquired, but a storage soul tool capable of holding living things was rare.
Best of all, it solved another problem.
Su Yan infused spirit power into the necklace, now wrapped around his wrist like a bracelet. His awareness brushed against the space within, and a moment later Ah Yin's pot appeared on the table.
Her leaves had regained some of their colour, now a pale blue with extremely faint golden lines beginning to show through them. They swayed gently as she settled into the room.
She looked far healthier than when Su Yan had first found her, though she was still a long way from the regal Blue Silver Emperor he remembered.
Leaving her on the table, Su Yan turned his attention toward Pod.
"Pod, you got anything from those books?"
Pod left its book and floated to Su Yan's side.
"Reporting: the books contain information on a wide range of subjects. Several concern cultivation methods, while others cover medical knowledge and production techniques. There are also a number of works covering subjects ranging from brewing and distillation to textiles and blacksmithing."
Pod paused.
"However, many of the books originate from different sources. In several cases, the information they contain is contradictory."
Su Yan frowned.
"That's a strange mix."
His eyes drifted toward the wall of books covering the bed.
"Is there anything in there we can actually use?"
Pod bobbed once in the air.
"Yes. From the information gathered so far, I have been able to identify several of the herbs and their supposed effects."
Su Yan nodded.
"Good. In that case, I'll leave you to your books. Also, was there anything about the porcelain bottles?"
"No information pertaining to the porcelain bottles has been encountered in the books read so far."
Su Yan felt a flicker of disappointment.
"No matter. Hopefully there'll be something like a logbook in there somewhere."
Su Yan settled back into his seat and began storing some of the mess back into the storage tool.
When he pulled the broken section of blade from the wall, a small piece of the wall broke free with it, leaving the damage even worse.
He grimaced. He was definitely going to have to pay for that.
After a little while, some semblance of order had returned to the room.
Once the worst of the clutter had been cleared away, Su Yan sat back down and poured himself and 2B a cup of tea.
For a while, he simply relaxed, basking in the unfamiliar sense of financial security that had suddenly fallen into his lap.
Naturally, Nihilister was the one to disturb it.
"So what happens now? Are we still heading to that Heaven Dou place we were going to before, or are we going somewhere else?"
Su Yan languidly opened his eyes.
"Yes. There's something we need to accomplish there. It should provide the next step toward becoming stronger, and if nothing goes wrong, we may even be able to secure a backer. That would make us significantly safer."
Nihilister hummed.
"Then we should talk transportation. I will not settle for less this time. We are buying the best they have here."
"Why? The last one was fine, and you didn't seem to dislike it."
"That was because our finances did not allow for anything better. Now..."
She scooped up a handful of gold coins and held them out toward Su Yan.
"Now we have options."
"I suppose you're welcome to spend your money on that."
"Now why would I do that?"
Su Yan looked at her in confusion.
"Because you're the one who wants the luxury transport?"
She chuckled and pushed herself off the mound of gold, slowly stalking around the table until she stood behind him.
"What are you—"
Before he could finish, Nihilister scooped him out of the chair.
She dropped into his seat and pulled him into her lap, wrapping both arms around him like he was some oversized doll. Su Yan froze as her embrace closed around him, the warmth and softness of her body pressing against his back while her arms pinned him firmly in place.
"Now, what kind of commander would make his squad pay for their own living expenses?"
She grinned.
"You wouldn't be irresponsible enough to make your squad suffer through less-than-ideal living conditions for weeks on end again, would you? Hmm?"
Her embrace tightened.
"And think of it this way. You keep us comfortable, we stay in better shape, and we're better prepared for whatever fight comes next. You wouldn't call that a bad investment, would you?"
"I do not require luxury."
2B cut in.
Nihilister shot her a glare.
"Shush, you. I'm negotiating here."
She turned back to Su Yan, who had fallen completely silent.
"So, what do you say, little commander?"
Su Yan's body suddenly relaxed in her embrace, his head lolling back against her chest.
"Fine. I give in. I'll pay for our expenses."
Then his expression sharpened.
"Within reason. I'm not going to let us burn through every last coin on frivolous crap. Expensive is fine. Luxurious is fine. Wasteful isn't."
He paused.
"This money fell into our laps once. We don't have any way to replace it quickly."
He twisted his head as far as her hold allowed, only just managing to catch her expression.
"Do you agree?"
A serene smile spread across her face.
"Agreed."
Nihilister stood, without loosening her hold on Su Yan.
"If you agree, then let me go already."
"Nope. It's time to sleep, and with all those books covering your bed, you've got nowhere to sleep anyway. So you're coming with me. Let the bot have its fun."
Su Yan struggled in vain as Nihilister carried him off toward the bedroom, leaving 2B, Pod and Ah Yin behind in the main room.
It took Su Yan quite a while to fall asleep that night. Nihilister had wrapped herself around him like he was an oversized hug pillow, her arms holding him snugly against her with seemingly no intention of letting go.
When morning came, they returned Ah Yin to the necklace, stored away the last of the wealth and checked out of the hotel.
During the checkout, however, Su Yan noticed the clerk giving him a knowing smile.
A little farther away, several of the servant girls were gathered together, occasionally glancing in his group's direction as they whispered amongst themselves.
When Su Yan looked over properly, the girl standing in the middle met his eyes.
Her face instantly turned bright red, the colour spreading all the way to her ears.
She spun around and hurried off, the others quickly following after her.
Su Yan's eye twitched.
He placed another ten gold soul coins on the counter.
"This is for the damage to the room."
The clerk gave him a quizzical look before understanding seemed to dawn on him. An amused grin spread across his face.
"Understood, young master. We thank you for choosing our establishment and would be delighted to welcome you back at any time."
Su Yan turned and left quickly, with as much dignity as he could muster.
When they reached the carriage market, Nihilister wasted no time choosing the most expensive option available.
The carriage she settled on was absurdly spacious, with polished dark wood, thickly padded seats and enough room inside to seat several people comfortably.
The package included two horses that Su Yan was assured were of excellent breed and quality, though he couldn't tell the difference at all.
After the payment was made, however, they ran into a slight problem.
Su Yan looked between Nihilister and 2B.
"Nihilister. 2B. Neither of you would happen to know how to drive a horse and carriage, would you?"
They just stared at him.
Su Yan rubbed a hand over his face.
The salesperson seemed to materialise out of thin air beside them.
"I couldn't help but overhear your predicament, young master, and I would be more than happy to offer a solution."
His face broke into a bright smile.
"Our establishment also provides coachmen for hire. If the young master and his companions require one for their journey, we can arrange that as well."
"How much?"
"The standard rate is two gold soul coins per day, young master. Meals and accommodation would also be your responsibility."
Su Yan thought for a moment.
"Three gold a day, and he handles his own food."
The salesman's smile widened.
"That can certainly be arranged."
It only took a few hours for the shop to arrange a coachman for them, and before long they were on the road.
Trees rolled past outside as Su Yan sank into the plush seat of his new carriage.
He let his mind empty as he closed his eyes, the gentle rocking of the carriage slowly lulling him to sleep.