Over the past few days, aside from visiting some rather unusual shops, Sam Li spent most of his time sitting in Master Tingman's café.
On one hand, he was simply enjoying life.
On the other, he was waiting for clients to come to him.
And as it turned out, this method worked quite well—on average, he received a new commission every one and a half days.
One commission involved helping a creditor collect a debt. To get the job done, Billy went all out with his disguise, donning a thick, fake gold chain around his neck and dressing up like a fearless thug.
Nicole, on the other hand, took on the role of a gangster boss.
To prevent Anby from saying something that might jeopardize the mission, Nicole left her behind at the Hare's House to watch over things. Instead, Sam Li took Anby's place, and his mere presence scared the debtor into paying up immediately…
Mission accomplished.
The Hare's House made a hefty profit, earning a sizable amount of Dennies, which significantly eased their financial woes.
Another commission involved helping a young boy fulfill his wish—to win a jackpot at the Woof Lottery newsstand.
Nicole called in the siblings from the video store, the old man from the modification shop… she gathered a whole crew to help. But no matter what they did, they couldn't win.
Nicole finally ran back to the Hare's House and dragged Sam Li over. And with just one attempt, he hit the jackpot, successfully earning them the commission fee.
But before Nicole could celebrate—
Belle, the younger sister from the video store, started stirring things up, loudly insisting that Nicole should treat everyone who helped to a ramen feast.
Nicole, of course, wasn't keen on the idea. She hadn't even thought of an excuse to refuse when Belle had already dragged her straight to the ramen shop's entrance, forcing her to go along with it.
And when the bill arrived—
Not only had they failed to make any money from the commission, but they actually ended up paying 5,000 Dennies out of pocket just to cover the meal.
"We took a huge loss, Sam Li! A huge loss!" Nicole finally realized, but it was already too late.
"Nicole, relax. Let's just pretend that commission never happened. If you think about it, the four of us got a full meal for just 5,000 Dennies—not a bad deal."
"Correction, three of us. Billy is a robot—he doesn't eat human food."
"We still lost big, Sam Li! No more jobs in the future—only ones that pay well!"
As she lectured Sam Li, Nicole meticulously counted the remaining Dennies in her wallet.
Billy sidled up to her again. "Boss Nicole, how much cash do we have left?"
Nicole immediately clutched her wallet protectively. "Why? There's not much left."
Billy gave her a pitiful look. "You guys just had a meal, so isn't it time for me to change my lubricant? Boss Nicole, just 5,000 Dennies… that's all I need…"
As soon as he finished speaking,
Billy looked up—only to meet Nicole's sharp, warning gaze.
"Okay, okay! 4,000 Dennies… no, 3,000 is fine too…"
"Billy, didn't you just change your lubricant a few days ago?"
"Boss Nicole, that was ten days ago…"
Before he could say another word, Nicole handed him a wad of Dennies.
Billy quickly took it and counted—10,000 Dennies in total.
"Boss Nicole, why so much?"
"That's all we have left. Spend it wisely. If you blow it all at once, we'll be stuck drinking air tomorrow."
"Understood, Boss Nicole! You're the best!"
Before she could change her mind, Billy bolted, dashing toward the maintenance shop on the next street.
Sam Li stopped in his tracks. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to grab a coffee."
Once Nicole, Anby, and Billy had left, Sam Li made his way to Master Tingman's café. He ordered a New Eridu special blend and enjoyed a quiet moment to himself.
There was good coffee, music of all kinds, and people freely singing on the streets.
If Mondstadt's Wind God ever traveled here, he would surely love this place.
Sam Li opened his system and checked his character status panel.
[System]: The Ultimate Role-Playing System
[System Points]: 17,500
[Current World]: Zenless Zone Zero
[Current Role]: Geo Archon – Morax (Zhongli)
[Abilities]: Rock Rain Spearmanship, Jade Shield
[Weapon]: Vortex Vanquisher
[Items]: Teyvat Fried Egg x1
[Store]: Seven Statues of the Seven, Jade Chamber, Ruin Serpent (Bangboo), Serenitea Pot…
On the continent of Teyvat, the Statues of The Seven represent the elemental power of the region's deity and provide rapid healing and teleportation.
Sam Li wondered—once he had enough system points, what would happen if he exchanged for a Statue of The Seven and placed it in the world of Absolute Zero?
Would it enhance his Geo power even further?
Or could it directly suppress a high-level Hollow?
He had never tried it before, so he had no idea what the outcome would be. But once he saved up enough points, he definitely wanted to test it out.
Just as he was checking his system details…
He sensed something and immediately turned his head toward the alley behind him. Sure enough, a petite figure flickered past in a flash.
Fortunately, Sam Li's perception was sharp. If it had been an ordinary person, they wouldn't have noticed a thing.
Watching the figure disappear into the alley, Sam Li didn't rush after them. Instead, he acted as if he hadn't seen anything, casually sipping his coffee as if nothing had happened.
By the time the sun began to set, he had Master Tingman send the bill to the Hare's House. Then, picking up his birdcage, he started making his way back.
Not far behind him, in the alley, a small figure cautiously peeked out—then quickly ducked back.
"Scared me to death… That was close! I almost got caught. Is he not a pushover after all?"
A girl with black hair, furry cat ears, and a bell hanging around her neck leaned against the wall.
She gripped two short daggers tightly, her eyes filled with wariness.
It was clear at a glance—she was no ordinary person.
"One, two, three, four… one more than the rumors said. But it doesn't matter. They're all bad guys anyway."
She had been tailing them for half the day, keeping tabs on Nicole, Anby, Billy, and Sam Li.
In the end, she decided to target the easiest one—Sam Li.
Of course, it wasn't just because he seemed like the softest target. There was another reason—he was the one in charge of accepting commissions.
Taking a deep breath, she cautiously peeked out from the alley again, preparing to continue tailing him.
The best approach would be to orchestrate a "coincidental" encounter and naturally hand over her commission to the Hare's House, ensuring that the so-called "bad guys" didn't get suspicious.
She stuck her head out, scanning carefully—only to find that Sam Li had vanished.
She looked left and right, still trying to figure out what had happened when—
A voice sounded from behind her.
"Are you looking for me?"
The moment she heard it, the girl jolted like a startled kitten, her fur practically standing on end.
"Ahhh—y-you…! How are you behind me?! You scared me to death—!"