Chapter 344 - 306: All of It Went to Raising My Little Wolf

Chapter 344: Chapter 306: All of It Went to Raising My Little Wolf

The reverted Mixed Breed—gray-and-white furred, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, and looking a bit like a husky—grinned and said, "Buddy, need a ticket?"

Gu Ning: "..." ’Are there ticket scalpers in this world too?’

Gu Ning lowered her camera and ducked behind Alex.

The reverted dog didn’t pay her much mind. After a cursory glance in her direction, he sidled up to Alex and whispered, "They’re limited edition."

Gu Ning’s ears perked up.

Alex said, "Let me see."

The reverted Little Ha glanced around warily, then furtively pulled a palm-sized card from his satchel. Before Gu Ning could get a clear look, he snatched it back.

Gu Ning was puzzled. ’A pass or a train ticket?’

Alex asked, "The price?"

"Only five left." Seeing that Alex knew his stuff, the reverted Little Ha thought to himself that this was a done deal. His gaze shifted between Alex and Gu Ning. "I see you’re in a hurry to catch a train? Buy a card, get a ticket free. You want the Wolf Card?"

Alex said, "I’ll take all five."

The reverted Little Ha’s face lit up. "Buddy, you’re in luck! Five cards makes a full set, no duplicates. But the whole set will cost a little extra. These are limited edition, after all."

Alex: "How much?"

The reverted Little Ha held out his palm. "Pay up, and they’re yours. I only take cash and Crystal Coins."

Alex nodded, patting his jacket before pulling a cloth pouch from an inner pocket.

Both Gu Ning and the reverted Little Ha watched as he opened the pouch and pulled out a stack of... crumpled Beast Coins.

Alex first handed Little Ha two hundred-unit Beast Coin bills stamped with a wolf’s head, then unhurriedly began counting out bills in ten, twenty, one, and two-unit denominations.

The reverted Little Ha took each bill, but as he glanced at Alex’s now-empty pouch, the smile on his face froze, and the corner of his mouth began to twitch.

’This wolf looks so distinguished, how can he be so broke?’

Gu Ning was also a little surprised, not because Alex had so little money, but because he didn’t seem like the type to carry his cash that way.

It seemed... very old-fashioned, yet also reliable.

"Count it," Alex said, handing the last ten-unit bill to the reverted Little Ha.

Growing impatient with Alex’s slow pace, the reverted Little Ha scratched his head. "No need. My math is plenty good."

Alex said, "Hand them over."

The reverted Little Ha stuffed the stack of old, crumpled bills into his pocket. "You’re not done yet. Five Crystal Coins."

The moment Gu Ning heard Little Ha’s tone, she knew they’d run into a scammer.

’What kind of train ticket costs five Crystal Coins?’

Back when she was in Zone 19, a ticket to Zone 15 cost only a few hundred Beast Coins in the regular season. The price might double in winter, but even that was nowhere near the exchange rate for Crystal Coins.

A single, ordinary Crystal Coin was worth over a thousand Beast Coins, and a high-quality one was worth more than ten thousand.

She tugged on Alex’s sleeve, trying to warn him not to fall for the scam.

"I don’t have any Crystal Coins." Alex glanced at the ’little Mixed Breed’ behind him, then said to the reverted Little Ha, "I’ve spent all my Crystal Coins raising my little wolf at home."

The reverted Little Ha glanced at the Mixed Breed hiding behind him. He didn’t want to waste time haggling with a broke-ass dog dragging around a Dwarf hybrid, so he waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. Just take a Wolf Card."

With that, he rummaged in his satchel, pulled out the card he’d shown Alex earlier, stuffed it into his hand, and turned to leave.

Alex shot him an indifferent glance.

Gu Ning craned her neck, trying to get a closer look at the card in his hand, but Alex pocketed the card on top, leaving only the train ticket that had been included as a freebie.

Gu Ning saw a wolf head printed on the ticket, along with the words "12th District." ’So it really is a train ticket?’ she thought. ’Do they call tickets Wolf Cards?’

The 12th District was a common region for Cold-resistant Beast Clans. Cook had grown up in the 12th District, and the Icefield Wolf Clan was one of its largest groups. It made sense that a train ticket to the 12th District would be printed with a wolf’s head.

Seeing her curiosity about the ticket, Alex placed it in her hand.

Gu Ning took the ticket, turning it over in her hands before pulling out a pen and paper to write: *Isn’t five hundred for one ticket a bit too expensive?*

Alex put an arm around her, leaning down slightly to read her writing. "It is a little pricey," he said. "A transfer ticket to the 12th District sells for eighty at the station."

Gu Ning lowered her head and continued to write: *Then why did you still buy it?*

Alex smiled. "He gave us a limited-edition seasonal ticket. They’re a bit more expensive. You can collect them. If you assemble a full set, you can trade it in for a mystery gift at the station."

Her curiosity piqued, Gu Ning picked up the ticket and examined it closely again.

"Here." Alex pointed to a reflective silver snowflake and the wolf head on the ticket. "A regular ticket doesn’t have the weather pattern, and the wolf head is just printed with ink, not made from this kind of material. I’ve already collected quite a few. Once we have a full set, we can go trade it in for a gift together."

Gu Ning’s eyes curved into a smile. An item with collector’s value was indeed precious, and meaningful too.

"Do you like it?" Alex asked.

Gu Ning nodded. The ticket was beautifully made, and it shimmered with a silvery light.

Seeing her happy, the corner of Alex’s mouth lifted into a slight smile. He patted her head. "Come on, let’s head into the station."

.

"Buddy, need a ticket?"

The reverted Little Ha weaved through the crowd, carefully avoiding the patrolling security guards. He’d find Beastmen who looked rich or easygoing and hit them with the same sales pitch.

"Limited edition! Buy one and get a free train ticket."

"Wolf Card, Dog Card, or Bear Card? I’ve got Cat Cards, too."

"It’s your lucky day! I’m down to my last five, and they make a complete set."

Before long, Little Ha’s pockets were jingling with coins.

In high spirits, he patted his pockets and, humming a little tune, set off to find his next mark.

A dark figure suddenly appeared before him, blocking his path.

"Got any more of those limited-edition tickets?" a tall, slender Beastman asked.

Little Ha froze, looking the man up and down. He was wearing a hood, half his face hidden in shadow, and he had a dangerous aura. A sense of alarm rose in Little Ha. "All gone," he said.

With that, he turned to leave.

Before he could even take a step, the Beastman grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and dragged him into a corner of the street.

"WOOF! What do you think you’re doing?!" Little Ha struggled in his grasp.

He’d barely finished speaking when the Beastman’s sharp blade slashed open his bulging satchel. Blue-glowing Crystal Stones and several cards, each printed with the photo of a certain female, scattered across the ground.

"Y-y-you... this is a r-r-robbery!" Little Ha was about to scream when the sharp blade was pressed to his throat. "You’ve earned quite a lot."

"You... are you the police? Or from the Security Department?" The reverted Little Ha’s ears drooped as he stared at the man, a mixture of fear and suspicion in his eyes.

"I... I only sold ten cards... I mean, ten sets." Little Ha gritted his teeth and told the truth. "I’ll never sell them again, I swear. I can hand over all these Crystal Coins, too."

’Damn it! Busted again, and I was being so careful this time.’

Wanai released him. "Any more limited-edition tickets?"

Little Ha scrambled to pick up the cards from the ground, ready to hand them over. "This is all of them..."

’Wait a minute,’ he thought, ’limited-edition tickets?’ Holding a pile of cards, he looked up at the dark figure, thinking he must have misheard.

Wanai looked down at the items in Little Ha’s hands, his eyes narrowing. He crouched down, plucked one of the cards from the pile, and asked, "Where did you get this photo?"