"No! This can't be!"
I tried triple-checking all of my pockets, but no matter how much I fiddled around, there was no changing the situation that I am in right now.
Empty.
"I left my wallet somewhere!"
My mind was instantly in a state of panic.
I don't remember putting it out when I visited the town hall earlier, and I had no opportunities of bringing it out while I completed the job requests. The rewards weren't money, so I never thought of checking my wallet at that time.
There was only one place where it could be, and after retracing my steps in my mind, I concluded.
I left it at home.
On top of the coffee table, to be precise.
"Gah! I'm such an airhead!"
Going outside to buy ingredients just to forget to bring money to pay for it, how clumsy am I?!
"Airhead airhead airhead!" I repeated to myself, pounding my forehead against the wall. People were probably watching me make a fool out of myself, but whatever.
What am I supposed to do now?
I could obviously turn back and come back home to fetch it, but from where I'm standing right now, that would take me an hour for a round trip. As much as possible, I prefer to come home with the ingredients before Nola wakes up.
But that was the problem.
Where would I get the money?
I leaned my back against the wall and started thinking.
I was in the middle of a marketplace. Right around the corner, there is a place where I could sell various items to buyers. I could sell the magic stones I earned from my job requests earlier, but judging by the quality of these, it wouldn't be enough for the cost of the ingredients.
But it was better than nothing, so I made my way to the trading area.
Hopefully, I can earn something decent out of these, I thought to myself as I held the stones in my hand.
Alright. All the stones have been sold.
I had to bargain a lot with various buyers, but in the end, it was worth it since I ended up with more gold than expected.
Really, some men are vulnerable to the sweet talks of this beautiful immortal witch.
I'm pretty after all, so why not take advantage of it?
"Heeheehee." I laughed a bit to myself.
Despite that though, it still wasn't enough for all three ingredients.
I've already used the money to buy one of them, Underdwelling Water, but that was all it could afford. One item down, and I'm back to square one.
Dammit.
What am I supposed to sell now?
Obviously, I can't sell the item I just bought for a higher price. I'm not well-versed in the mechanics of this whole trading business, but I'm pretty sure something like that is illegal. I wouldn't want to get arrested at such a crucial moment.
There were fifty minutes before I have to get home, and considering that It takes me twenty to hire a cab straight to my mansion, I only have thirty minutes to earn four times as much as I've gotten from selling those magic stones.
Think Hisami, think!
Use your brain and not your body to solve your problems for once!
".........!"
Wait!
That's it!
I could use my body to solve my problem!
"............."
Okay.
First off, before you get any weird ideas, I would like to say that I am not selling my body.
Doing so would completely disrespect me and the goddess who gave me this figure. I would do no such thing.
It's something more... Mild. If that is the right word.
Just trust me.
I know what I'm doing.
My tale will continue to be family-friendly, don't worry.
I made my way through the crowd until I came across a certain stall, right at the heart of the marketplace.
I've spoken to the stall owner for a brief time to see if he was interested in buying my items, but he explained how despite being in the center of the crowd, his money income wasn't doing well for whatever reason.
"Oh, hey. It's you again." He said, spotting me on my way to the stall. "Look, lass, how many times do I have to explain to you that I don't have money to buy your stupid little rocks?"
"No, I'm not here about the rocks," I said, bringing my face up close to him. He had a youthful face, probably in his late twenties (although I'm still not confident in guessing ages in this world), which honestly made him look handsome if it wasn't for the stress that was evidently covering it right now. "I'm here to strike a deal between us two."
"...What? What do you mean by - "
"What will happen if I told you I can pull customers to your shop in less than thirty minutes?" I said, staring at his eyes.
"...If you manage to pull it off, I'll be surprised for sure."
"How about this. In exchange for pulling customers to your shop, you give me fifty percent of the revenue."
"Hmm..."
He stood there staring at me, deep in thought for a while.
"If you can do that for me, then sure. I'm in a desperate situation right now, so any help would be highly appreciated. If you say that you can do it in less than thirty minutes though, I'll give you a bonus."
"Deal."
We shook hands on it.
"Can I change at the back of your stall?"
"Uhh, sure. Go help yourself. Just don't touch any valuables."
I went to the back of the stall and took off my cloak, the ribbon with the emerald on it, and the vest. What only remained was the white dress I've been wearing underneath. It's not much, but it still emphasizes my body proportions, so this will be enough.
Yes, this is my plan.
I'll act as a promo girl for this man's stall, attracting customers, and in exchange, he gives me money for it. It's an absolute win for both parties involved.
But how will I do this, you may ask?
Well...
It goes something like this.
"Helloooooooo, everyoneeeeeeeeeee!!" I screamed, mustering my cutest voice possible. "There's a stall right next to me that's offering limited-time sales and discounts, so please check it out~!"
I honestly don't know what I'm doing or what I'm supposed to say to get people to visit some random booth in the middle of a very competitive market, but hopefully, my cute appearance and attitude will make up for it.
"See here~?" I picked up one of the items on display. "This item is on a huge discount right now! it's a bargain~!"
I casually approached one of the men that were standing around me, watching me act like a fool.
"Owie!"
I even tripped on myself, landing face-first onto the cobblestone street.
"Oopsies... I tripped..."
"H-Hey, are you okay?" The man I was about to approach asked me.
"How kind of you, monsieur... Thank you for your concern for this little airhead, but I would be happier if you would turn your attention to the stall behind me instead~"
"But... I don't really have that much money on me at the moment - "
"Please... Won't you do it for me, mister~?" I asked him, trying to put on the cutest puppy dog eyes that have been seen in this world.
His face turned bright red. "S-Sure. If you say so."
"Yay, thanksies a bunch~! Everyone, please visit as well~!"
For the next thirty minutes or so I continued this stupid charade. But the effects were starting to show, as more and more people started to gather around the stall.
In the end, I've managed to practically turn the entire market's attention to this man's stall, which he found very amusing.
"You've impressed me. Here, as promised."
He gave me the bag of gold money on top of my two palms. The sound of coins jingling around could never have been sweeter to hear.
"But do you really have to go so soon? It seems like the people are attached to you."
"I've got someone to take care of at home, so unfortunately I can't stay for long," I said while putting on my cloak.
"Ahh okay, that's understandable. Thank you for everything, and have a safe trip."
"Thank you too, mister." I bowed and made my way.
Good. Now that all of the rare ingredients have been bought, it was finally time to go home.
Luckily there were a few extra coins in the bag for me to hire a cab, so I wouldn't have to walk.
It was already about lunchtime by the time the cab was making its way down the busy streets of Sirvaelin.
"Don't worry, Nola. I'll be home soon," I whispered to myself.
