Chapter 624: Hunting for Chicken—Starting the Grind

With almost all his problems potentially solved, thanks to Dr. Brief, whose trust Alex managed to win, he follows Panchy out of the workroom and upstairs into the living room.

“Please sit down,” she says in a sweet tone. “I’ll ask one of the robots to give me a card with some money so you can make your preparations.”

“I... am grateful,” Alex replies, a little ashamed of himself. “I’ll do my best and risk my life to protect this planet, I promise this!”

Alex then sits down on a large, comfortable sofa, Jewel jumping next to him, the sofa visibly bulging, Jewel’s weight and size now almost twice what they used to be.

“Oh my, how exciting! A real savior...” Panchy says, raising her hand in front of her mouth. “This is quite the experience.”

She then slowly walks away towards the reception.

Hehe... I like them! They are both surprisingly friendly and helpful.

Satisfied, Alex can’t help but smile at Jewel and pet her back. “Despite your size, you are still kinda cute. Now you’re a big, chunky, but still cute spider.”

Soulmate... don’t call Princess Jewel chunky!

However, Princess Jewel is hungry... very hungry.

“Well... we might visit a restaurant and order some chicken for you. You need to eat so you can grow even chunkier, hehe,” Alex snickers.

!!! Princess Jewel won’t eat then!

“Don’t be silly,” Alex replies. “If you don’t eat, you’ll be weak. Remember, during this mission, your size will be an advantage. The larger you grow, the stronger you’ll be. You need to become large enough so that you can wrap up your enemies in one skilled movement and bite their heads off just as quickly. That way, you won’t have to aim for the neck or weak points, but can simply munch them to death with a single Namtaru Bite.”

While Princess Jewel principally agrees, she doesn’t feel comfortable growing into such a monstrosity.

“Just for the mission!” Alex clarifies. “Come on.”

Princess Jewel is still not convinced... but she must eat to maintain her strength.

A few minutes later, Panchy returns and hands Alex a card with the Capsule Corp. logo on it.

“That should be enough; it’s what I usually spend in a month,” she says, looking innocent. “I don’t have any more on hand and would need to liquidate some assets... it should be enough, right?”

A month of grocery or spending money? That’s too bad... well, better than nothing.

You received 10,000,000 Zeni (Card)

What the?! 10 million?!

“Uhm, that’s...” Alex stutters.

Should I play stupid and demand more?

No... that would destroy my reputation and expose my greed... this is enough; who knows if that money is even worth a thing?! Don’t be greedy, Alex... at least not when taking advantage of the kindness of people who are so helpful and nice.

“Yes, of course,” Alex says. “I just needed some money for my mission; this is quite generous, to tell you the truth... I probably won’t use it all.”

“Hehe,” Panchy laughs, smiling cheekily. “Good! It looks like you’re a good boy and honest. You passed Mama Panchy’s little test. In that case, I have another present for you. Instead of just a single capsule, you can have this. Some capsules, you may use them as you see fit,” she says, handing Alex a medium-sized capsule case. “I remember our company creating a set specifically for adventurers... we tried to market them, but nobody bought them because of the high price, and the demand was practically zero. This one is a leftover.”

“I... thank you,” Alex says, accepting it gracefully.

Jackpot!

You received Capsule Corp. Explorer Line 16A case

[Capsule Corp. Explorer Line 16A case]

World: Dragon Ball

Quality: Deep Purple

Type: Capsule case

Note: A capsule case consisting of 16 capsules. Contains two varieties of homes, various cars, bikes, hovercars, hoverbikes, submarines, planes, and objects you may need for travelling.

Note: Retail Cost: 69,999,999 Zeni

Note: Can’t be taken out of this world. Can’t be sold.

“This is perfect!” Alex exclaims, his eyes widening. “Thank you!”

“I’ll immediately begin my preparations to make sure I succeed,” he continues, feeling motivated.

“You won’t share a drink with me? But you promised...” Panchy says, sulking in disappointment.

Heh... a little drink can’t hurt... but... no... damnit...! But is she serious?

“I... really would like to share a drink with you. I’ll gladly do so later. For now, I need to make sure I can take down the demon,” Alex says honestly, full of regret, his expression unable to be more honest.

“Business before pleasure,” Alex states, sounding unconvinced, hoping to end the discussion with that. “I also need to take care of my cute but chunky Demon Hunter pet. Do you know any chicken restaurants close by?” Alex asks, his face twisting.

Now that I said it, this sounds so stupid...

Chickens are never stupid! They are tasty.

“I’m not sure...” she says, thinking hard. “I only visit luxury restaurants, and they have almost everything. Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.”

“...”

“I’ll be fine,” Alex says, standing up. “Thank you so much for the help. I’ll be back later.”

“The robots will let you back in,” Panchy explains. “I’ll need to look after the pets.”

Excusing himself, Alex quickly leaves Capsule Corp.

He takes a good look at his capsule case; on the way out, each capsule is described with a few lines when opening the case.

“Damn... submarine, house, camping bus, hovercar, off-road car, larger plane for long distances, then a short, maneuverable plane for tight spaces... this case has everything!” Alex notes. “With this, we don’t need to rely on our stolen car and risk getting pulled over. These vehicles are registered with Capsule Corp!”

Soulmate, aside from looking for chickens for Princess Jewel to eat, what is Soulmate intending to do?

Just look for random items, I suppose. We’ve got the money, so why not see if we can find something in West City? This city is so large; if not here... where else?! I know this is grinding, Jewel, but we have to do it. To fund our future missions and not fall behind in equipment and skills, we need to do this. We’re only this successful because we end up leaving with tons of FC after every mission. Without that, we’d fall behind quickly.

Also... usually this wouldn’t even be possible. Only thanks to my CHA, our combined LUK, our knowledge about this world, as well as my [Shepard’s Promise R2], are we this rich so early. Usually, we’d have to fight hard, probably for days, just to earn one million... and even then, we’d need to kill robbers or commit crimes. This is a blessing, and we need to take full advantage of it.

Princess Jewel knows. She agrees, but she does not like this shopping... unlike the Peasant supporters of his.

Why? Didn’t know you disliked shopping.

A true Princess gets everything she needs delivered personally.

“...”

Not gonna comment on that. You spoiled brat.

Approaching another taxi, Alex enters it and asks the driver to take him to the best and most popular chicken restaurant West City has to offer.

“Oh, I know just the place!” he says. “It’s my local restaurant.”

Is he trying to promote his acquaintance’s shop?

“As long as it’s good...” Alex clarifies, his voice stern.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” the driver says, smiling. “My wife works there.”

“...”

Might as well.

Princess Jewel does not like nepotism. Only the finest chicken will suffice!

“...”

A short ride later, Alex and Jewel are standing in a district with far fewer modern buildings and noticeably more old ones.

Exiting the car and entering the building in front of them, Alex and Jewel step inside. The place is completely empty, making Alex instantly regret asking a random driver. Still, he presses on.

As he walks into the restaurant, he immediately announces his presence by warning the waitress, smiling at him, “Don’t be shocked... I am a Demon Hunter, and I have my loyal hunting pet with me. It will stay at my table and won’t cause any problems. I’m a guest of Capsule Corp.”

“No problem. What kind of pet is it? I love dogs and cats,” the woman replies cheerfully, looking at Alex’s feet, not seeing anything.

“It’s... a spider,” Alex says, as Jewel stops using Zetsu, still clinging to his back.

The waitress immediately goes pale and barely remains standing, yet she mutters, “The only customer... need to stay strong... we need the money... just a pet spider... nothing scary.”

“Please... you’ll be fine,” Alex tries to calm her down, sitting down at a table in the back. “Just bring us your most popular chicken dishes, at least enough for 20 people... as much as you can make! I’m not joking.”

Peasant waitress! Princess Jewel causes others to become salty, yet she dislikes becoming salty herself.

“Uhm, I don’t quite understand,” the waitress says, her body shaking as she stands far away.

“Uhm, go light on the salt for the dishes, or just leave it out if you can, except for 3 portions for me,” Alex clarifies. “I like mine extra salty!”

“Okayyy?” the waitress asks, now completely confused. “Uhm... please sit down... I’ll tell the cook to hurry up.”

Just forty-five minutes later, their table is indeed filled with various chicken dishes. Fried chicken, roasted chicken, chicken steak, chicken soup, karaage, and many more dishes. Both Alex and Jewel are quite satisfied with the taste.

Modern gadgets, huh? That was fast... I hope it’s not raw.

Princess Jewel wants to scream fucking raw!

Enough of that... I think we already went through that joke. I didn’t think it was particularly funny last time, either, Jewel. Get some new jokes.

Food critic Jewel is not a joke! She has five stars.

Maybe five stars wanted level, because you would be wanted by the entire earth’s military should you openly criticize food...

Thirty minutes later, the food completely devoured, Alex pays and tips heavily. Jewel has ingested a mountain of food and still looks a little hungry as they walk out of the restaurant. Yet, as she clings to his back, Alex can definitely feel the added weight on his back trying to drag him toward the ground.

Princess Jewel wants more...!

They are out of chicken... anyway, we still have Menchi’s dishes. A lot of them. If you want more, eat those; they taste better anyway.

Princess Jewel needs those for emergencies!

“Look, I said you can grow... but not get fat,” Alex clarifies, causing Jewel to tense up immediately.

Princess Jewel had enough for now, after all.

Alex spots the same driver, still waiting for him, waving at him, his expression carrying a little guilt.

He wants more, huh? Might as well.

Alex approaches him. “I’d like to hire you for the rest of the day... maybe a few more days. Your recommendation was acceptable. I’m interested in traditional and ancient weapons, as well as modern ones. I’m an explorer and collector, so I need various things.”

I also have some trash to sell... but considering my money, selling those bandit weapons might not be worth it, and it will only come across as suspicious. Well, it depends on the store.

“I know a good pawnshop, a traditional weapon shop, an artisan blacksmith, as well as those expensive stores in the Center selling hunting goods... the wilds are dangerous, so powerful weapons are sold to anyone who can afford them,” the driver replies, deep in thought.

“Show us around!” Alex says, satisfied with the driver’s knowledge.