I love time travel the most!

"Aha?!"

"The current amount is 8 gold and 15 silver, but the amount of money here does not match what you said."

Xiaolin's smile widened even more.

Indiscriminate slander, do you really think you're easy to bully?

How can it work if we don't make things difficult for them?

"You can guess how much money it is, and you might just be lucky to guess right. Unless you provide crucial proof, I will not return it to you."

"You guy...!"

The girl glared at Kobayashi through gritted teeth.

She had never met such a shameless person, yet she was powerless to do anything about him, and at one point even had the terrifying thought of 'I really want to blow him up with a cannon!'

But not getting the money back is not an option.

The girl pursed her lips, clenched her fists, and said reluctantly in a low voice, "My name, Mine, is sewn on the inside of the wallet."

Upon opening the money bag, two small characters were indeed sewn onto the inner wall.

Even though it was the first time Xiaolin had ever seen this kind of writing, he inexplicably knew what the characters on it were.

—Mine.

It seems the purse really is hers.

He took the gold coins from his pocket and tossed them to her along with the money bag.

"what?"

Mine was quite surprised, seemingly not expecting that Kobayashi would return the money to her after only making things difficult for her a little.

"Do not want?"

"How can it be!"

Mine clutched the money pouch tightly, fearing it would be stolen again.

Seeing her like this, Kobayashi couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Despite knowing she was making a fool of herself, Mine still pretended to pull up her hem, acting like a demure noblewoman.

"Thank you anyway."

"You're welcome. If you could control your temper a little, I think we could get along even better."

Xiao Lin made a slightly provocative remark to her, as a small act of revenge.

"you……!"

Mine was furious, but having just learned her lesson, she could only mutter, "I understand, thank you for your advice."

"However, if you insist on thanking me, how about treating me to a meal? I'm actually quite hungry."

Kobayashi raised an eyebrow, seemingly hinting at Mine.

"Hmph, it's just a treat, no problem!"

Mine wasn't stingy and readily agreed.

—Inside a small tavern—

"Let's order first."

The three of them sat in a corner, ordered some food, and then began to talk.

Most of the time, Kobayashi was asking questions, and Mine was doing the talking.

According to intelligence, this country is an ancient civilization with thousands of years of history, and also the most powerful country in the world.

The highest ruler of the country is the emperor, and the power structure is divided into civil officials who manage politics and military generals who manage the military. The head of the civil officials is the minister, and the head of the military generals is the general.

Kobayashi is currently in the capital city of the empire, where the emperor and his ministers reside.

Although it was the center of the empire, it was corrupt and decadent, and the people lived in great poverty.

Rumors circulated that the culprit behind the people's poverty was a minister who manipulated the emperor from behind the scenes.

When Mine spoke of the minister, she gritted her teeth, as if she harbored some deep-seated hatred towards him.

However, this is just background information.

What Kobayashi cared about most was the thing Mine mentioned called the "Teigu".

It is said that a thousand years ago, in order to maintain his long-term rule, the founding emperor summoned the best craftsmen from all over the world with the empire’s enormous wealth and power. Using legendary super dangerous species as materials, along with rare metals such as Ohari steel and a large number of long-lost secret techniques, they developed forty-eight weapons that could not be replicated. These weapons were collectively known as Imperial Arms.

Imperial Arms, the Empire, the Imperial Capital, the Minister, Mine, and the darkness hidden beneath the bustling city...

Kobayashi knew which world he had entered.

"You don't even know something this simple?!" Mine's throat was dry from talking, and after drinking a large glass of water, she couldn't help but complain, "It's unbelievable. Are you some kind of country bumpkin?"

"Ah, I am indeed a country bumpkin."

Xiaolin did not deny it, "I came from the village with the ambition to make a name for myself in the capital."

"A country bumpkin?"

Mine gave him a strange look, then looked at Ryuu, who was wearing a dress even more gorgeous than hers.

However, everyone has their own secrets, so she didn't press the matter.

When she saw Liu Zi sitting quietly in her seat without saying a word, she took the initiative to politely say, "Does the dishes you ordered not suit this young lady's taste? Why don't you let her order some more?"

"No, no need."

Kobayashi politely declined her offer of help, saying, "She doesn't need to eat, or even drink water or sleep."

"Huh? Who doesn't need to eat, drink, and sleep... Wait a minute!"

Mine was about to yell back but suddenly stopped herself. She remembered Kobayashi's strong reaction when he heard about the Imperial Arms and seemed to realize something.

"Could it be that she is... a Teigu?"

"……Um."

Under Mine's tense and expectant gaze, Kobayashi remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

Is it really an Imperial Arms?

Mine's eyes widened in excitement; she had actually encountered a wild Teigu user!

As we all know, Imperial Arms are extremely powerful.

If they could have one more Imperial Arms user, they would be even more confident in eliminating the ministers and overthrowing the corrupt rule of the empire!

We absolutely cannot let any Teigu user get away with this!

Mine, recalling her boss's words, coughed lightly and said to Kobayashi, "I remember you said you were from the countryside, that you came from the village wanting to make something of yourself?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Do you need my help? Consider it a thank you for helping me find my wallet."

"Well..."

Stop being so wishy-washy!

Seeing Kobayashi hesitate, Mine slammed her hand on the table and said angrily, "I rarely thank others. Since I said I would help, you should just accept it obediently! Otherwise, how long would it take to rise from a lowly soldier to a captain or general? In the capital, connections are the most important thing!"

"Does having connections guarantee a faster promotion?"

"That's right!"

"...Okay, I accept."

Seeing that Kobayashi accepted her help, Mine felt a surge of secret joy.

—They've taken the bait!

Chapter 34 We are all members of a professional assassin group!

—They've taken the bait!

Kobayashi raised his water glass to hide the smirk playing on his lips.

High-level hunters often appear as prey. It seems that my little tricks just now were not in vain, and all my efforts to play dumb and create openings were worthwhile.

He was acting from the very beginning.

Pretend to be a country bumpkin who came to the capital hoping to make a name for himself and earn a lot of money, but is afraid of being cheated.

Such people are everywhere in the capital; the only difference is that Kobayashi has a Teigu (Imperial Armor).

Of course, if Kobayashi were a bad person, even if he were a Teigu user, Mine, who acts entirely on her own whims, would probably reject him from the bottom of her heart.

But who can blame me when Xiaolin is such a good person, and the kind one who even returned the money I lost!

This is a big plus!

Even though there had been some minor unpleasantness before, Mine believed it was just Kobayashi's personality.

What should I do next?

"Just follow my orders!"

Mine grabbed Kobayashi's arm and rushed out of the tavern.

He thought she would take him directly to the secret base of the night raid, but unexpectedly the two of them would first go on a shopping spree in the capital.

She was happy, but Xiaolin suffered.

Using her delicate and frail condition as an excuse, she semi-forced Xiaolin to help her carry a huge amount of goods.

It wasn't until evening that a satisfied Mine, along with Kobayashi, who was covered in large bags, headed towards the city gate.

Once outside the city, following the official road in the opposite direction from the capital, the surrounding area became increasingly sparsely populated.

Kobayashi realized that she was going to take her to the secret base for the night raid.

To avoid arousing her suspicion halfway through, Kobayashi took the initiative, pretending to be exhausted and complaining, "Hey Mine, how much further? I'm already tired."

"You're already complaining about being tired as soon as you leave the city gates. What a useless man." Mine tossed her twin ponytails, looking at him with some disdain.