Miss Witch, even if we're poor, we can't sell ourselves!

Miya patted the dust off her hands with satisfaction and was about to continue walking down to the second basement level when she suddenly remembered something.

The description of the Fortune Forge is: "[A drop triggered by consumption within a 10-meter radius]".

A radius of ten meters?

Does this limitation not specify the z-axis?

She stopped and looked up.

The Ambrosia Central Department Store has seven floors in total, plus two underground floors, making a total of nine floors.

At this moment, she was standing in the center of the first-floor lobby, with the atrium corridor on the second floor above her head.

The third, fourth, and fifth floors extend all the way to the top floor, which is inlaid with a stained glass dome.

There are witches making purchases on each floor.

If this radius of ten meters is a sphere rather than a flat circle, then the floors above and below are also within the range.

Miya quickly calculated in her mind.

Doesn't this mean we're including all the expenses for the entire building?

"...That's awesome!"

She took a deep breath, but couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. Finally, she gave up trying to control her expression and stood next to the cosmetics counter, grinning foolishly at the air.

The witch next to her, who was trying on lipstick, glanced at her and moved half a step to the side.

The dome of the Ambrosian Central Department Store is dozens of meters above her head, and the star pattern made of stained glass casts hazy patches of light onto the ground under the sunlight.

The design of the wraparound atrium makes the corridors on each floor look like overlapping rings. Looking up from the first floor, you can see the edges of all the railings on the seven floors. The witches lean on the railings, chatting, drinking coffee, and walking around with shopping bags.

Miya patted her cheeks, took a deep breath, and then turned and entered the sightseeing elevator.

The elevator car, made of transparent glass, slowly rose on one side of the building's atrium. Miya leaned against the glass, watching the mall floor by floor pass by.

On the second floor, in the clothing section, two witches were taking out their wallets at the cashier.

Ding--

A notification popped up on the panel: white fragments fell from the third-floor furniture area.

On the third floor, in the magic item shop, a witch wearing a wide-brimmed hat swiped her card to buy a magic wand decorated with feathers; the price tag read 3,600.

Ding, ding—

With two consecutive sounds, a white fragment and a gold fragment fell simultaneously onto the edge of the sphere within a ten-meter radius of her.

Miya stood on tiptoe in the elevator, pressed her fingers against the glass, and watched the two fragments drift through the void between the floors, melting into her fingertips through the glass.

[Agility +3]

Constitution +6

The food court on the fourth floor is where the density of fragmented items is the highest.

It was lunchtime, and almost every table was full of people, with long queues forming to order food.

Miya stepped out of the elevator, pretending to be choosing a restaurant, and strolled slowly around the corridor.

Her steps may seem leisurely, but in reality, every route she takes is precisely calculated.

Take two steps to the left and you'll be able to see the six-person table by the window. Turn the corner and pass the milk tea shop to spot the seven or eight people queuing up. When you stop to look at the menu in front of the dessert station, the cashier for the buffet restaurant is right behind you.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

The notification sounds kept playing in her mind, almost turning into a chaotic but strangely pleasant little tune.

As she walked over, her fingers hung naturally at her sides. With a gentle flick of her fingertips through the air, a white fragment melted into her index finger.

She stopped to tie her shoelaces, pressing her palm to the ground, and two white shards seeped into her palm from the cracks in the tiles.

She bought the cheapest lemonade at the bubble tea shop, which triggered a purchase, moving the wishing well counter forward by one step. Then she sat on a bench next to the courtyard, crossed her legs, and drank her beverage.

A meter above her head, a golden fragment drifted slowly down from the edge of the fourth-floor railing, like a glowing ginkgo leaf, and landed right on her knees.

[Body Condition 18]

【Agility 22】

[Intelligence Level 25]

【Charm 105】

By the time Miya finished the last sip of lemonade, her status panel had already turned into a two-digit number.

With all attributes surpassing twenty, although apart from charm, the other attributes were still far from the average level of a witch, Miya could clearly feel some kind of change taking place in her body.

Previously, when I took a deep breath, I could only inhale to my chest before getting stuck. Now, the airflow can smoothly flow all the way to the bottom of my lungs.

Before, when I looked at things in the distance, it always seemed like there was a thin layer of mist behind me, but now that mist has been wiped away.

Miya tried jumping on the spot. When she landed, her knees didn't make the usual creaking sound. Instead, they caught her weight steadily, as if they were springs.

Miya was very satisfied.

She threw the empty cup into the trash can, clapped her hands, and finally, satisfied, took the escalator down to the second basement level.

My old computer was so crappy it even lagged when watching live stream comments, so I might as well just get rid of it. Now that I've made my first fortune, I'll upgrade my equipment first.

Upon arriving at the electronics and digital products section, Miya stood in front of a shop filled with live streaming equipment. The shop window displayed the latest laptops, curved monitors, ring lights, microphones, and a complete set of motion capture equipment specifically for Vtuber.

Eight cameras were fixed on the black bracket, capturing the action from eight angles. She counted the zeros following the price tag twice.

A female shop assistant wearing round-framed glasses and with a small mole on the corner of her mouth greeted us with a professional smile.

"Welcome! What can I do for you?"

"Laptop".

Miya said.

"I'm looking for a live streaming software that can run smoothly, with a limited budget. Are there any recommendations for good value for money?"

The optician looked her up and down; she looked like a student shopping.

So she probably mentally labeled Miya as "limited budget", but still maintained a polite smile and led her to a row of display machines.

"These are all entry-level models, priced between three and five thousand Loren, which are perfectly adequate for daily use and basic live streaming."

Miya leaned over to look at the parameters.

The numbers on the screen danced before her eyes.

Processor clock speed, memory size, solid-state drive capacity, cooling module specifications, and battery life.

She swiped her finger across the touchpad a few times to bring up the system information interface, and then touched the heat vents on the device to feel the build quality.

"This one."

She pointed to the silver-white ultrabook on the far left. The body was very thin, and the frame was made of matte metallic silver.

"With only 8GB of RAM, and OBS and motion capture software running simultaneously during a live stream, plus a browser for viewing comments, won't it lag like a slideshow?"

"Well--"

The optician pushed up the glasses frame, clearly not expecting a young girl who looked like a student to talk about OBS and motion capture so readily.

"If your budget allows, I would recommend this one; it has 16GB of RAM and a dedicated graphics card, so its performance will be a notch above..."

Her hand moved toward a black laptop priced at four thousand two.

Mi Ye shook her head and patted the silver-white car.

"How much is this one priced? Three thousand two? Can you make it cheaper?"

"This is our best-selling model, and the price is already very reasonable—"

"But look here."

Miya pointed to a barely visible, tiny scratch on the right edge of the notebook, about half the length of a fingernail, which was barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

"This is a demo unit, right? The kind that many customers have touched and tried? I haven't checked the hard drive's power-on time yet, but demo unit batteries are usually used for a long time while plugged in. You need to tell me how much wear and tear they have."

The optician's smile froze for a moment.

Before she could organize her thoughts, Mi Ye took another half step forward, clasped her hands together, tilted her head back, and unconsciously added a touch of the [Inducement] skill to her voice.

She herself didn't realize it, but when she spoke, every syllable seemed to gently pluck a string in the other person's heart.

"Can you sell me this demo unit at a discount? I'll add some accessories, and you can give me a package price."

"My budget is only two thousand, I can't afford a penny more."

"Look at me, a young girl who just started working, I really don't have much money. You're the best, sister—"

After she finished speaking, she blinked her honey-colored eyes. Her light-colored pupils sparkled under the cool white lights of the digital electronics area, like two amber beads just pulled from the water.

The effects of Charm 105 are immediate.

[Inducement] The Brilliant level passive effect has also been activated, making people unable to help but want to believe what she says.

With both benefits combined, the optician remained silent for a long while.

Her lips moved, as if she wanted to say that this was against the rules, but looking at Mi Ye's face, the words stuck in her throat and she couldn't get them out. In the end, she could only sigh resignedly and slump her shoulders.

"...Let me ask the store manager for you."

Ten minutes later, Miya walked out of the store carrying three shopping bags.

A 14-inch ultra-thin laptop, a wireless silent mouse, a pair of in-ear monitoring headphones, and a mini desktop fill light, all for a total of 1,980 Loren, plus a mouse pad with a cat paw pattern.

The store manager muttered that this order really wouldn't make any money, but he still signed it.

Miya waved to the shop assistant at the store entrance, smiling sweetly.

"Thank you, sister! I'll recommend it to my friends!"

Then she turned around, switched the shopping bag to her left hand, and took out her phone with her right hand to check her bank card balance.

There are still three thousand left.

Enough to live on.

You can even save some money.

She put her phone back in her pocket, picked up the three bags, and walked back the way she came.

With toes touching the floor, my steps were lighter than when I came, each step carrying a pleasant feeling of having just gained an advantage.

With a new computer and a bunch of data fragments, this trip was a total rip-off.

Once I get back, I'll draw the costume and record an opening video. We should be able to resume broadcasting by next week at the latest.

She's already brainstorming a new persona for herself.

This time, I'm definitely not going to go for the silver-haired, aloof male god look; it's too easy to mess up.

Cute girls?

Or a more neutral, girlish voice?

In short, we absolutely cannot use Miya's previous voice again.

Lost in thought, she turned out of the mall and onto Seventh Avenue.

The afternoon sun was brighter than when she entered the mall. The glowing plants on both sides of the street appeared somewhat dim in the sunlight, but the tram tracks overhead reflected the light, like two silver ribbons running between the buildings.

There were many more pedestrians on the street than in the morning.

The witches, carrying shopping bags, holding magical items, and leading glowing pets, strolled along the roadside.

Mi Ye's steps suddenly paused.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up slightly, as if there were eyes peering down her back from some unseen corner.

She didn't turn around and continued walking forward, maintaining the same pace as before, but the fingers gripping the shopping bag slowly tightened.

The window display in front of us is that of a bookstore.

The glass was spotless, and the angle was perfect for reflecting the street scene behind me.

Miya's gaze swept over the beautifully bound magic books displayed in the shop window, then stopped on the reflection in the glass.

Across the street, next to a streetlamp, stood two witches.

They were all around twenty years old.

A man wearing a black baseball cap with the brim pulled low, covering most of his face except for a sliver of his pointed chin.

Another woman had her sunglasses pushed up to her forehead and was looking down at her phone, but her posture was a bit off; her weight wasn't fully on her feet, but rather in a slightly tilted position as if she were about to start moving at any moment.

Mi Ye took two steps forward, then glanced up. The angle of the phone screen never changed.

Mi Ye immediately realized that she was being followed.

So he quickened his pace, and the footsteps behind him quickened in sync.

She suddenly turned right at the next intersection and entered a narrow alley.

This wasn't the way back to Nightingale's Nest. She deliberately took a detour. The alley was narrow, with old-fashioned buildings and high gray walls on both sides, covered with glowing vines that were beginning to dim.

There were no pedestrians in the alley, only a stray cat crouching next to a trash can, which jumped onto the wall in fright at the sound of her footsteps.

Mi Ye's little leather shoes made a crisp clattering sound on the stone floor, and behind her, two more footsteps followed without any attempt to conceal their presence.

She started jogging.

At the end of the alley is a three-way intersection.

Without a second thought, Miya turned left and entered an even narrower alley, so narrow that she could touch both walls at the same time with her arms outstretched.

She ran a few steps, then turned right, then left, relying entirely on her intuition to navigate the maze-like alleyways of the old town.

The footsteps behind me began to become disordered.

The one wearing the baseball cap was obviously running faster, while the one in sunglasses was already a little out of breath.

The distance between the two people kept widening until only the baseball cap was still barely keeping up.

Miya suddenly squatted down at a corner, shrinking herself into the gap between a row of rusty trash cans and several stacked old wooden crates at the base of the wall.

She curled up her knees, hugged the shopping bag to her chest, buried her chin between her knees, and held her breath.

The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer, paused briefly at the corner, and then continued running, clattering away into the distance.

Miya did not get up immediately.

She counted to sixty in silence before squeezing out through the gap.

A small patch of dust rubbed off her knee, and there was a bit of rust on the cuff of her white hoodie. She casually patted it off, then peeked out in the direction where the footsteps had disappeared.

The alley was deserted, and the vines on the wall swayed gently in the wind.

She turned around and walked quickly back the way she came, this time choosing a completely different direction.

Just outside the alley was a main road, and a tram rumbled past overhead, its carriages packed with witches heading home from get off work.

The shops on both sides of the street were still bustling with people, and there were queues in front of the crepe stalls. The magical streetlights along the roadside had begun to automatically turn on a warm yellow light.

Everything was bustling and normal, as if the dark alley and the relentless footsteps following behind were just figments of her imagination.

Miya walked until she saw the familiar carved wooden door of the Nightingale's Nest before finally stopping, bending over and supporting herself on her knees, panting heavily.

The shopping bag dangled on her wrist, and the laptop box bumped against her calf.

She straightened up and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

He glanced back at the direction she had left behind, his brows furrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line.