Chapter 428 - 427: Taking In

Chapter 428: Chapter 427: Taking In

’First-generation Traveling Merchant?’

Another new term.

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t pause, holding up a second finger. "Second, what will happen if we open this door?"

Faced with this question, 001 was much more decisive. It shook its head. "I don’t know either, but I feel like home is behind the door, and I want to go back."

This brought Seraphina to her third question. "Are you sure you can actually go home after opening that door?"

001’s body stiffened.

"I..." 001 opened its mouth, its voice a little hoarse. "I’m not sure."

It lowered its head to look at its hands—its small, little hands.

"But I hope so," it said. "I’ve waited for 156 cycles. This is the only hope I have. If I can’t go home..."

Seraphina Sinclair said nothing.

The expression on 001’s face changed. It opened its mouth, wanting to refute the possibility, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Because it knew that the paper truly only had a door drawn on it. Although it could sense a familiar aura from the drawing, it couldn’t sense what was behind the door, nor had it ever known what was there.

It had just been wishful thinking on its part that it was the door home.

’But what if... what if it’s not? What if there’s something else behind that door?’

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t offer any comfort, nor did she press it. She simply waited quietly for 001 to think things through.

The cabin fell silent once more.

The Gloom Hatchling had woken up at some point and poked its head out from Luna Jacobs’s arms, watching the scene with curiosity.

After a long time, 001 finally raised its head.

Its eyes were a little red, but its tone was more stable than before.

"I don’t know," it said. "I can’t answer a single one of your questions."

Seraphina Sinclair nodded.

was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Even if home isn’t behind the door, I still want to go see."

"Why?"

"Because..." Its voice was very soft. "I’ve already waited here for 156 cycles. If I wait any longer, I’m afraid I’ll forget the name my mother gave me."

It looked up, tears welling in its eyes.

"I’m afraid that one day, I’ll really become 001, and not Mia Chaney."

Seraphina Sinclair fell silent.

Looking into those eyes, she was suddenly reminded of herself from a long time ago.

Back then, after her grandmother had just passed away, she lived alone in that small house, silently staring at her grandmother’s portrait every night.

She had been afraid back then, too.

Afraid that she would forget her grandmother’s voice, her grandmother’s face, the tone in her grandmother’s voice when she called her April. So she desperately tried to think, desperately tried to remember, engraving every detail into her mind.

Seraphina Sinclair suddenly understood why 001 was so persistent.

It wasn’t because home was definitely behind that door, but because it had no other path to take.

Seraphina Sinclair looked at it and finally said, "Perhaps. I’ll tentatively agree for now, but I reserve the right to refuse you at any time. Do you agree?"

was stunned. ’The right to refuse at any time?’

It blinked, looked at Seraphina Sinclair’s expressionless face, and suddenly smiled.

"Okay," it said. "I agree."

Seraphina Sinclair’s brow twitched. "I have other conditions."

"What are they?"

Seraphina Sinclair stood up. "From now on, if I need a loan, you have to grant it to me unconditionally. Furthermore, the price of anything you sell to me must be your acquisition cost. And for anything I sell to you, you have to give me a fair price."

These were conditions that the rip-off artist Traveling Merchant 001 would never have agreed to, but Mia Chaney, who just wanted to go home, simply smiled.

"Is that all?"

"That’s all."

nodded. "Alright, I promise."

It paused, then added, "Actually, even if you hadn’t said it, I would have done it anyway. You’re the person I’ve waited 156 cycles for. How could I possibly rip you off?"

Seraphina Sinclair shot it a glance. "You’ve ripped me off plenty of times before. If I weren’t so smart, how many Black Fog Coins would I have lost to you?"

001’s smile froze on its face.

"Well..." It scratched its head, its gaze starting to drift. "That was before... before I knew it was you..."

Seraphina Sinclair just stared at it, not saying a word.

Being stared at, 001 grew more and more flustered, its voice getting smaller and smaller. "Besides, I didn’t rip you off by that much... J-just a normal markup..."

"A normal markup?" Seraphina Sinclair repeated.

shrank back.

"Okay, okay," it said in a small voice. "I admit it, I might have earned a tiny bit extra from you before..."

"A tiny bit?"

"A t-tiny bit..."

001’s voice was almost inaudible. It looked at Seraphina Sinclair pitifully. Seeing no reaction from her, it added, "Then... how about I make it up to you? Starting today, everything I sell you will be at my acquisition cost, until you’ve made back everything you lost before?"

"No need."

froze.

"No need?"

Seraphina Sinclair nodded.

"What happened before is in the past," she said. "We’ll start fresh from today."

001’s eyes suddenly lit up again. "Okay!"

It nodded vigorously, its hair bouncing behind it.

Watching its happy expression, Seraphina Sinclair suddenly found it a bit amusing.

’Is this really the same arrogant, rip-off artist Traveling Merchant 001?’

Right now, it looked just like a puppy wagging its tail.

"Alright," Seraphina Sinclair said. "You should be heading back now."

faltered.

"Back? Back where?"

"Wherever you’re supposed to go," Seraphina Sinclair said. "You’re not planning to stay here forever, are you?"

blinked, then said in a small voice, "I... Can I?"

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t understand. "Can you what?"

"Can I stay here?" 001’s voice grew even smaller. "I don’t want to go back to my little shack. Most of the money Traveling Merchants earn has to be turned over; we only get to keep a small portion. My place is even worse than your cabin was before you upgraded it. Besides, there’s no one there to talk to me, and it’s so empty..."

It paused, then added, "I can help you take care of your Sunflower, organize your things, help you with anything. I won’t cause any trouble. I’ve been a Traveling Merchant for so many years, I’m really good at handling this kind of stuff!"

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t quite sure what being a Traveling Merchant had to do with taking care of a Sunflower, but looking at 001’s expectant face and remembering she still had the right to refuse it at any time...

"Where would you sleep?"

froze for a moment, then its eyes lit up.

"The corner! I can sleep in the corner! With your Sunflower!"

It practically skipped over to the corner, crouching down to measure the space with its hands.

"I’m very small! Right here! This is enough room for me!"

It was indeed very small, still just a child. A single corner was all it needed to sleep.

"That little shack of yours," Seraphina Sinclair asked, "how big is it?"

paused, then gestured with its hands. "About this big?"

It was gesturing at the same corner it had just measured.

The place where 001 lived was actually smaller than a single corner of the mobile cabin.