Seeing the ground covered in Dennies, Nicole's eyes went wide as she burst out laughing.
"Ten million Dennies... Ten million Dennies... Sam Li, Billy, Anby, Nekomata, Soldier 11—we're rich!"
Nicole had never seen this much Denny in her life.
And she wasn't alone.
Billy, Anby, and Nekomata all stared in disbelief. Even Soldier 11, who was just an intern, looked completely stunned.
As for Piper and Caesar of the Sons of Calydon, they were speechless, overwhelmed by the sea of Dennies.
Only Sam Li and Lucy stayed calm.
Sam Li had no interest in Dennies.
Lucy, on the other hand, had seen far more in her time. When she was little, she'd seen ten, even a hundred times this amount—piles of Dennies stacked like mountains. To her, a mere ten million was nothing special.
Just like with Golden Bangboo earlier...
Platinum Bangboo suddenly dove onto the gear coins. "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (Wait! Some of these Dennies aren't for you)..."
He rummaged through the pile and pulled out several unusual Dennies—just like the gear coins from before, they were engraved with tiny numbers.
Platinum Bangboo said earnestly, "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (These Dennies are important. I can't give them to you)..."
Nicole, in a rare moment of generosity, waved her hand. "Go ahead, keep them. Consider it a gift."
Anby: "..."
Nekomata: "..."
"Billy, stop standing there—get over here and help."
Nicole and Billy quickly gathered the remaining Dennies and loaded them into the suitcase until it was packed full.
Nicole gave it a lift—it was heavy, very heavy.
Even after setting aside the numbered coins, there had to be at least ten million left—maybe even twenty million in total.
As Nicole smiled in satisfaction...
Golden Bangboo said seriously, "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (We gave you the gear coins and Dennies, so no take-backs)..."
Platinum Bangboo followed up, "Mm-hmm-da, mm-hmm (Whoever goes back on their word is a bad guy. And an idiot)..."
Nicole hugged the loaded suitcase, clearly pleased.
"Of course we won't go back on our word. You're free to go. Until next time."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm (Let's never meet again)..."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm (Golden, let's get out of here)..."
Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo staggered toward the exit of the abandoned mall.
Just then...
Belle, still controlling Eous, walked up to Nicole and whispered something in her ear.
Nicole suddenly called out, "Hold on."
Golden Bangboo froze. "Mm-hmm-da (You're not going back on your word, are you?)..."
Nicole smiled calmly. "Of course not. But we got word that several other groups are out there looking for you. At Hare's House, we believe in taking the client's money and delivering results—we're not about to let you walk out only to get nabbed by someone else."
Technically, the Bangboos weren't clients of Hare's House.
But after getting this much Denny out of them, Nicole wasn't about to let someone else swoop in. She was planning on finding them again next time for another payday.
She smiled. "Relax. There's a Hollow rift nearby. We'll get you out safely."
Golden Bangboo: "Mm-hmm-da (Really)?"
Platinum Bangboo: "Mm-hmm (You're... actually pretty nice)…"
Nicole was delighted—rare praise, especially from a Bangboo.
"Billy, Sam Li, Anby, Nekomata—let's roll!"
Nicole's plan was simple.
Drive the Bangboos to the Hollow rift nearby and send them back through it to Hollow Zero. That way, no one could touch them.
...
On the way, the two Bangboos even struck up a conversation.
Golden Bangboo said seriously, "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (Humans are bad. Hollows are dangerous. There's no place where Bangboos truly belong)..."
Platinum Bangboo added, "Mm-hmm-da, mm-hmm, mm-hmm (Someday, I'll build a Bangboo kingdom. Or at least a Bangboo gang)..."
Nicole paused, then said, "A Bangboo gang? You don't know? There already is one."
Golden Bangboo looked shocked. "Mm-hmm (Really)?"
Platinum Bangboo was stunned too. "Mm-hmm-da, mm-hmm, mm-hmm (Which badass Bangboo pulled that off)?"
Nicole explained everything she knew. "It's a massive Geo Bangboo, over a hundred meters tall—like a moving mountain. One stomp could flatten a truck. No one in the outer ring dares mess with it…"
As a member of the outer-ring gang Sons of Calydon, Piper knew just how powerful the Bangboo Gang really was.
Piper said seriously, "Just two days ago, a gang boss tried to storm the Bangboo Gang solo—wanted to wipe them out all by himself. Never made it back…"
After hearing that, Golden and Platinum Bangboo looked at each other, stunned.
There were Bangboos like that out there?
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (We're not going back to Hollow Zero. We're going to the outer ring to collect gear coins and Dennies)..."
"Mm-hmm-da, mm-hmm (We're heading for the Bangboo Gang)..."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm (Here—take this Denny. Please send us to the Bangboo Gang)..."
As he spoke, Platinum Bangboo unzipped his pouch again and handed Nicole another pile of Dennies—at least two or three million.
No way Nicole was turning down a deal like that.
"No problem. I'll make sure you get safely to Bangboo Town."
They didn't even need Hare's House to handle this.
She could just hand the job over to the Sons of Calydon—easy millions.
Without wasting time, Nicole entrusted the two Bangboos to the Sons of Calydon and made sure they understood: safe delivery to Bangboo Town was non-negotiable.
To ensure nothing went wrong on the way, she sent Billy and Anby—her two heavy-hitters—to accompany them to the outer ring.
Nicole stayed behind to handle the money and exchange the gear coins into Dennies.
...
After parting with the Sons of Calydon, Nicole sat in the SUV's passenger seat, hugging the suitcase full of coins, grinning ear to ear.
"Soldier 11, you drive. Go slow, alright?"
But before Soldier 11 could even start the engine...
A voice rang out from the roof of the car.
"Heading out already? After all the help I gave you, you're not even going to thank me? That really hurts, you know—"
Nicole jumped in fright and clutched the suitcase tighter. "Who's on the roof?!"
Sam Li frowned.
He'd sensed the thick Anemo energy nearby for a while now. He already knew Barbatos—the Anemo Archon—was close.
He just hadn't expected Venti to be quietly lounging on top of their car.
Trying not to give anything away, Sam Li mimicked Zhongli's voice and tone as best he could.
"Venti. Long time no see."
"It really has been a while. I even went to Liyue looking for you, and you weren't there. Who would've thought you'd be hiding out here, living it up."
As soon as he finished speaking...
A green-clad boy gently leapt down from the roof.
He wore a hat, a small braid hanging behind him. Young, with strikingly handsome features.
And in his hand—a very conspicuous wine bottle.
Nicole's eyes lit up with realization.
"You're the drunkard Golden Bangboo was talking about?"
...