After what could hardly be called an early breakfast, everyone was finally full.
Nekomata was still clutching the clean, gleaming skeleton of a mackerel, licking at it contentedly even though her small belly was already bulging from all the fish she had eaten.
Billy lounged back in his chair, quietly observing Sol, Nicole, and Anby from the corner of his eye.
At first glance, they seemed no different from before—perhaps even deliberately distant—but from the subtle interactions between them, Billy could tell that something had changed. They'd clearly had an honest conversation, and their relationship was now… unusually close.
He shook his head with a sigh, secretly impressed by Sol's skill.
If he had that kind of talent, maybe he could get Miss Monica and the Starlight Knight to peacefully coexist in his room too.
"Nicole, how much did you and Nekomata make yesterday?"
Sol took a sip of coconut water and asked lazily.
Nicole instantly perked up, pride sparkling in her eyes. "Just one day—and we made thirty million Dennies! Impressive, right?"
"Impressive."
Anby's tone remained calm as she voiced her acknowledgment.
She really wanted to tell Nicole that she and Sol had made two billion Dennies over the past few days—but she held her tongue. Nicole's mood was too good; it wouldn't be fair to ruin it.
"Not bad at all." Sol nodded approvingly, then smiled. "So, what do you plan to do with all that Denny?"
Nicole blinked, puzzled. "The same as always—pay everyone's salaries, donate to the orphanage, and save the rest for investments. What else would I do with it?"
"In that case, why don't you just tell me what you want to buy? I'll give it to you at half price."
Sol's smile was as warm as sunshine.
With the [Reality Marble], anything he understood was essentially free to reproduce—it would be easy to let Nicole earn some extra profit.
He didn't care about the money; this was simply his way of giving her a chance to benefit.
"You mean…" Nicole's eyes widened as she remembered his godlike display from that morning. "You can make goods—and sell them to me for half price?"
Her mind immediately began to race with business ideas. If she bought scarce goods from Sol at half price, then resold them at normal price—or even at a modest discount—she'd make a guaranteed profit.
"Exactly." Sol nodded, chuckling. "The Cunning Hares' reputation has been improving lately, but I've seen you taking all kinds of messy commissions—too much trouble. I'll give you a stable business path instead. That way, you won't have to run around so much."
"Sol, why are you being so nice to me?"
Nicole's eyes grew misty with emotion.
She hadn't expected Sol to sacrifice like this just to take care of her.
Half-price wholesale? That was every merchant's dream.
But given their relationship, she could hardly refuse such kindness.
"Of course I should treat you well," Sol said, gently patting her head. "We're pretty close, after all."
Truth be told, he just didn't like seeing Nicole so busy—it made him worry, and he could hardly find her to chat when she was constantly out working.
If he wanted to build a proper harem, he had to be flawless—someone these girls could truly trust and depend on.
Sure, he could use brute force to conquer anyone he wanted… but what fun would that be? That kind of "harem" would be no better than a bunch of dolls—satisfying for a moment, but ultimately hollow.
"Sol, I'll treat you well from now on. I won't ever let you be wronged."
Nicole gazed at him tenderly, her heart melting completely.
Then she turned to Anby and said solemnly, "Anby, when I'm not home, you have to take good care of Sol, okay?"
The small grudge she'd held from before, about Anby "stealing the house," suddenly felt trivial. She had a business to run now—less time to stay home—so she was more than happy to let Anby cover her shift.
"Got it, Nicole."
Anby nodded, feeling a little lighter inside.
Everything felt like before again—like they were one big, close-knit family.
Sol twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling that Nicole had accidentally used his line.
He reached out to pat her head again, smiling. "Once you've earned more, you can keep buying what you need from me—still half price."
"Mm-hmm! You're the best!"
Nicole nodded so hard her ponytail bounced, her smile curving into a bright arc.
"…"
Nekomata, watching from the side, opened her mouth as if to speak but said nothing. She had a feeling Nicole was being tricked.
Nicole earned the money, and Sol spent it—not a single coin would stay in the house!
But on second thought, it was technically a great deal: she was buying double the goods for the same money.
Once the plan was settled, Nicole wasted no time putting it into action that very afternoon.
Anby, Billy, and Nekomata all took flexible rest days—just like when the Cunning Hares had no active commissions.
Nicole paid five million Dennies to rent a nearby building from the landlord as a warehouse—right next to the Cunning Hares' base—and used the remaining twenty-five million Dennies to purchase stock from Sol.
She focused only on high-demand items: high-energy ether batteries, anti-corrosion serums, drive-disc plating agents, and Type-III life supplements—all essential goods for Hollow Raiders and often sold out everywhere.
These were the same strategic materials that even the Defense Corps needed special clearance for. Out in the open market, they were priceless.
As for things like bullets, kinetic firearms, and mechanical parts—cheap, bulky, and low-margin—Nicole didn't bother with those at all.
"Nicole, you've really got a head for business."
Sol conjured crates of goods one after another, smiling in approval.
In truth, he hadn't analyzed these items before, so he couldn't normally materialize them.
Fortunately, with his newly acquired [Stellar-Grade Cognitive Computer], he could instantly deconstruct their blueprints and materials, then recreate them via the [Reality Marble].
"Of course! The more basic the product, the more space and logistics cost it takes up. The profit from a 200ml Type-III life supplement is equal to a whole ton of bullets!"
Nicole spoke proudly.
Then she handed Sol a card loaded with twenty-five million Dennies—and casually signed an IOU for ten billion more.
She couldn't help it—her order was massive. Just the life supplements alone equaled a month's supply for an entire Defense Corps regiment.
Even at half price, it was still astronomically expensive.
"Work hard," Sol said, patting her shoulder encouragingly. "When the time comes, I'll—"
He stopped himself mid-sentence.
He was about to say, 'When the time comes, I'll get you a few more sisters-in-law.'
Yeah, no—that was something he'd say to Billy, not Nicole.
"What will you do then?" Nicole asked curiously.
"When the time comes… I'll give you a proper reward," Sol replied smoothly, as if that had been his intention all along.
"Then I'll look forward to it!"
Nicole's eyes gleamed with ambition as she gazed over the packed warehouse.
"The day's getting late. Shall we head back to your room?"
Sol smiled playfully.
"You and Anby go on ahead. I'll stay and look over things a bit longer."
Nicole waved him off, wanting to admire her future empire for a while longer.
Sol shrugged and left, returning to help Anby strengthen her power.
Nicole stood there, staring at the stacks of supplies with pride—until a sudden realization struck her.
Her hard-earned thirty million Dennies…
had completely vanished!