Sword art online: Aincrad's Flash

"I wish you the best of luck, Master Filing. If you ever need help in any future endeavours, don't hesitate to send word to me."

"But of course, m'lady." The merchant bowed low before pivoting smartly and heading off again. "Farewell!"

After only a few seconds, the big man disappeared, swallowed up within the shadows of the bustling city.

"Seems you have an admirer," Toyo noted in amusement.

Naomi smiled as she opened the pouch. "He probably just thinks his tongue is smoother than it really is." Emptying out half of the coins in her hand, she tossed him the other half still in the pouch. "Here you go."

You have received:

500 Col

Toyo's jaw dropped in amazement. In an instant, he had just been given what he and Jae had to fight nonstop nearly an entire day to scrape together.

"Half, as agreed," Naomi said with a nod. "I can count out my share for you if you want."

"What? No, no." He waved a dismissive hand at once. "It's fine, I trust you." He scratched his head as he stared at all the Col now in his hand. "Um, can I ask you something?"

Naomi nodded curiously for him to continue.

"This is far more money than we- my brother and I- usually get for quests. We've been struggling to keep our finances up since the first day, but no matter how many quests we take on here in the city, the most we get is twenty to thirty Col in reward. Was this a special quest or something?"

She shook her head. "It was just unavailable to you, is all. Same with the other quests offering higher amounts of Col."

"Unavailable?"

"Yes. If you want to make money quickly, you have to know where to look. Have you or your brother been to the city of Tolbana yet?"

Toyo slowly shook his head. "We haven't even made it to the next town over yet."

"Well, Tolbana is a good distance away, and the monsters are a bit stronger, but there's a Trader's Union there that makes it worth the trip. If you join them, several quests throughout the bigger towns and cities are unlocked automatically. None of them offers much in terms of EXP or items, but they tend to pay exceptionally well if you go by beginner standards. If you want, I could escort you-"

Toyo raised a hand at once, cutting her off. As much as he found he enjoyed the woman's company, he wasn't about to say yes to that kind of arrangement.

"I appreciate it, really I do, but I don't want anyone risking their lives for me. I don't have to ask my brother to know he feels the same way. You've already helped me more than you think. Believe me. So, Tolbana, Trader's Union." He nodded at her. "I'll remember. Thank you."

Naomi nodded back and offered a smile. "Alright, if you're sure."

"I am."

She hooked a skein of her messy black hair back behind an ear and glanced down. It looked like she was struggling for the right words to say. Finally, she met his eyes again and extended a hand.

"Well, it was very nice meeting you. Thank you again for helping me with the chickens. I won't forget it. Oh, and if I find any information about the cellar door and it's missing key, I'll message you."

Toyo took the hand and cleared his throat, also looking for the right words. It proved a difficult task; while he had only known her for around half an hour, and thus couldn't exactly call her a friend, she did feel like one. Her optimistic attitude and playful personality had lifted him out of the constant drudgery of fear, discomfort, and exhaustion, if only for a little while. His own humour seemed to bounce off of hers easily, making banter and conversation between them easy and comfortable.

And on top of all that, she was kind of a badass and far more knowledgeable about the world they were now in.

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Well, she is a beta-tester after all.

"Sounds good. When I have some free time, I'll try to see if I can find anything about the warehouse as well."

*****

as u read in the previous chapter, it's 2-3 update from this week but having a competition with friends and i few chapters stocked so i will do a daily update for few days

Happy Chinese new yea