Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

Five minutes later, she came out of the bathroom, wiping her hands, and stood in the middle of the living room, panting heavily.

Then she started changing her clothes.

She took off her white dress, changed into a dark coat and trousers she had prepared beforehand, tucked her hair into a hat, slung a small bag over her shoulder, walked to the door, and placed her hand on the doorknob:

"Whoever that guy is, we have to escape now!"

Where to escape to?

"I'll go find Professor Felix!" Freya made up her mind. "Now I can only rely on my teacher... She can definitely help me get rid of this guy who's controlling me!"

She flung open the door and rushed out.

…………

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Sylvia is at the market.

Mr. Mambo hasn't come for a day... but her life can't come to a standstill because of this. She already has goals, and she can't rely on Mr. Mambo for everything. Even though she's not good at fighting, she has things she can do herself.

Now that the Silvershine City branch of the Primordial God's Cult is under her jurisdiction, she can continue to maintain good relations with the believers and win their hearts—something she is still capable of doing.

And his father was right—he had been too well protected.

A few days ago, Mr. Mambo asked, "Do you know how many credits a loaf of bread costs?"

she does not know.

She should get closer to the lives of ordinary people, learn about the prices of daily necessities, and experience the hardships of ordinary people before she can say that she is fighting for the lives of ordinary people.

So today, she came to the market alone, intending to bring some food for the parishioners at 13 Mink Street.

Sylvia, carrying her shopping basket, weaved through the bustling crowd, stopping at one stall after another. She imitated the older women next to her, picking and choosing, haggling over prices. Although she was still a novice, she was slowly getting the hang of it.

After buying some vegetables, she walked to a roadside stall.

It was a small cart, on which sat a huge, golden pastry, glistening enticingly in the sunlight.

This food, called "Qiegao," is a dessert from the Elf Empire. It's made by pressing honey, nuts, and glutinous rice together and then slicing it into thin pieces. It has a soft, sweet, and fragrant texture, and is quite expensive. It's one of Sylvia's favorite afternoon tea treats.

She thought of the believers at 13 Mink Street—Luke, and the other homeless believers—who had never eaten anything like this in their lives.

Buy some and take it with you, so they can try it.

Sylvia walked up to the stall.

The stall owner is a catgirl.

She had short, grey hair, fluffy cat ears standing upright on her head, and a pair of languidly half-closed, light blue eyes. She wore a loose linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her fair forearm. The shirt hem was casually tucked into her waistband, outlining her slender waist and full curves.

She leaned against the cart, holding a blade of grass in her mouth, her posture as leisurely as if she were sunbathing.

Seeing Sylvia approach, her eyes lit up for a moment, but she quickly returned to her lazy demeanor: "Oh dear, boss, would you like some cut cake?"

Sylvia nodded: "Okay, I'll buy some."

The catgirl straightened up from the stroller, brushed the crumbs off her hands, and began to introduce:

"Our cut cake is a genuine product from the Elf Empire. The honey is from wild bees in the mountains, the nuts are freshly picked this year, and the glutinous rice is carefully selected—look at the aroma... the craftsmanship is absolutely top-notch..."

She became more and more animated as she spoke, her tongue seemingly coated with honey:

"I'm not bragging, but you won't find another place in the entire Silver Glow City that makes the most authentic cut cake. The cut cakes from those big shops are either too sweet, too hard, or the nuts aren't fresh—ours are different. This is an ancestral craft, passed down for three generations. Every single piece is handmade, absolutely authentic..."

Sylvia couldn't help but laugh at her blatant boasting: "Alright, alright. How much?"

The catgirl blinked: "Don't worry, it'll only cost 50 credits!"

"Is this 50 a pound or an ounce?"

"It's clearly priced at 50 yuan per jin, would I lie about that?" The cat-girl shopkeeper pointed to the sign on her stall. "How much do you want, boss?"

Sylvia thought for a moment: "I'll only buy... um, enough for twenty people."

The catgirl's mouth stretched from ear to ear: "Boss, you're so generous! Here! Let me cut it for you!"

She picked up the gleaming long knife, brandished it at the piece of cake a few times, and then swiftly brought it down.

"Swish—swish—swish—"

With a flash of the knife, pieces of cake were neatly sliced ​​off.

Sylvia learned a lot at the market today and nervously watched the cat girl cut the food—thankfully, there was no shady cutting method as rumored; the food was enough for about twenty people, which wasn't excessive.

"That's all," she said.

"Alright!" The catgirl put the cut cake into a paper bag and placed it on the electronic scale. "Let me weigh it for you—ten pounds, exactly 500 yuan, not a penny less!"

Ten pounds, enough for twenty people, the price is indeed fair.

Just as Sylvia was about to nod, the catgirl shopkeeper continued, "Then, miss, please show me your membership card!"

"Membership card?" Sylvia was taken aback. "I don't have one!"

"That won't do, 50 yuan per jin is the member price!" The catgirl shopkeeper wiped the cake-cutting knife on her hands.

"But there's nothing about 'member price' on the sign!"

The catgirl silently took out a portable microscope: "Here, use this to look."

Sylvia: "..."

Sylvia: "You can't see it even with a microscope!"

"You'll see it if you just move that paramecium away," the catgirl reminded her. "See it?"

"...I see, how much does a normal pound cost?"

"It's on the sign, but I recommend getting a membership."

Sylvia's gaze followed the direction: "1350...234, isn't that a phone number?"

"This is the normal unit price. I wrote it at the end because I couldn't fit it in the 'jin' (斤)." The catgirl shopkeeper smiled, then revealed a hint of gold-level aura. "Once the cut cake is cut, it can't be returned, okay? Want to become a member?"

"...I'll take care of it."

After being tricked into spending 50,000 credits to become a member, Sylvia carried the cut cake and sighed inwardly, "I've learned something new... I've been protected too much."

I never imagined that even a dignified Gold-rank expert would be forced to become a swindler in the market... Without relying on nobles, even Gold-rank experts can only make a living by deception?

What is happening to our world? What will become of our country?

Thinking about this, Sylvia felt somewhat lost.

Just as I was about to leave, I saw a petite pink figure rush towards me like the wind. I quickly dodged and then realized that it was a little girl who was about nine years old.

The little girl suddenly rushed into the arms of the cunning catwoman who was still counting her money, and immediately began to cry and scream:

"Professor Felix, save me!!! I've been controlled by a superhuman!!!"

Sylvia: "???"

Chapter 41. Girls fall into two categories: childhood sweethearts and philanderers.

Sylvia stopped in her tracks.

The little girl just said... that she was being controlled by a god?

Could it be that...?

No, no, no! You must have misheard, right?

After all, Mr. Mambo's goal is to "find geniuses and help them become Genshin Impact and defeat the Mingchao," so how could he possibly control a little girl who is not yet old enough to cultivate?

Yes, there must be a mistake!

With that thought in mind, Sylvia took a deep breath and walked a few steps closer to the cake stand, deciding to listen to what had happened first.

While it certainly wasn't Mr. Mambo who did it, it would be terrible if some other being—like a demon—had targeted such a cute little girl.

At that moment, the little girl clung to the catgirl's leg, crying, "Felix! Felix! Listen to me! This morning, my body was suddenly controlled by a god who called himself 'Hakimi Mambo'!"

It really is Mr. Mambo!!!

No, no, no! I must be mistaken! Or this little brat is mistaken!

Given Mr. Mambo's moral standards, how could he possibly enter the body of such a young girl?

No way, hahaha, hahaha, haha—

Yes, it will!!!

Mr. Mambo is a completely immoral and monstrous person!!

Sylvia stared quietly at the scene, holding the cake bag in her left hand, and unconsciously drawing the Sword of Benevolence from the void with her right hand. Drawing weapons from the void was a skill that Mr. Mambo could only use when he was in control of her, and she could never learn it when she was alone, but now she found it very easy to use.

Just then, the cunning catgirl whose leg Freya was clinging to frowned: "You mean... there's an unknown being who can bypass our barrier and the legendary kingdom's blessing ritual on you, and forcibly control you?"

“Yes!” Freya nodded vigorously. “Help me, Professor Felix!”

"I see..." the catgirl said, tidying up the cake stand. "What did he do to you? Did he take you home?"

"He didn't..." Freya said, puzzled. "He was using my body... to play games."

"Oh, I see. Did he explain his identity, meow?" The cat girl carried the stool and electronic scale back to the cart selling cut cakes.

"He claimed to be a god from the 'Teyvat world,' and asked me to help him defeat his enemies after I had cultivated enough power." Freya shook her head. "It's obviously a lie. Where in the Three Realms and Six Paths is there Teyvat?"

"Hmm, I see." The cunning catgirl nodded, one hand on the cart, the other fumbling for gold coins in her pocket. "So how did you regain your freedom?"

"I told him I needed to use the restroom, and he said he'd only give me half an hour at most." Freya was very nervous. "What should I do, teacher? Can you use your powers to 'trick' him out of his abilities?"

"Too bad, I can't help you, meow!"

The catgirl finally pulled out a gold coin and placed it on the tip of her right thumb. "What a short-lived master-disciple relationship, meow. I'll remember the wonderful time we spent together, meow. It's a pity I just remembered that I left the gas on at home. I have to go back first... meow!"

"Don't run away!"

Freya jumped up, grabbed the catgirl's arm, and clutched the gold coin tightly: "What will I do if you run away! I don't want to die, teacher!"

"Let go, meow! I don't want to die either, meow!" The catgirl swung her arm violently, trying to throw Freya off. "My life is very precious, meow!"

"But you promised me! You said you'd help me if I was in danger!"

"If I'd known saving you would cause this much trouble, I shouldn't have taken your apprenticeship fee in the first place, meow!" The catgirl was on the verge of tears. "Let go! It'll be bad if others think we're on good terms, meow!"

Felix had no idea who Mambo, whom Freya was talking about, was, or whether he even existed.