Bai Ye was preparing armor for her dungeon raid, though she didn’t expect it to actually do much good.
After all, with her strength at the Tenth Saint Rank, the dungeon’s monsters weren’t much of a threat to her, even without any armor.
The only reason Bai Ye was going out of her way to prepare armor was that she didn’t want to stand out among the other adventurers...
There were plenty of people in the empire who made their living by entering dungeons. They were collectively known as adventurers, and they made up the main force of dungeon raiders.
When Dungeon No. 45 opened, a large number of professional adventurers would gather there. If Bai Ye showed up with nothing prepared, like some amateur, she’d stand out far too much and look like a total oddball.
Bai Ye had escaped from the imperial palace, after all, and who knew how much effort An Jieli was putting into searching for her? It was best to keep a low profile.
“I told you, we only need to pick up some basic armor. Why’d you bring me to such an upscale armor shop?”
Bai Ye looked at the luxurious storefront before them and sighed. She’d thought that as long as the armor fit, it would be fine. There was no need to get anything too fancy.
But Meijie had still brought her to the best armor shop in the center of Maple City. It looked like she’d made up her mind to get Bai Ye the very best.
“Bai Ye, I know you’re strong, but there are a lot of monsters in dungeons, so it’s still best to be careful. Don’t worry about the cost—I’ll cover everything. I’ll make sure you get the best armor.”
As she spoke, Meijie took Bai Ye by the hand and firmly pulled her into the shop.
“Oh, Lady Meijie! What brings you here?”
The shop assistant seemed to know Meijie. The moment she walked in, he came over to greet her.
“I’m here to pick out a set of armor for my friend.”
Meijie pointed to Bai Ye beside her.
“Bring out the best you’ve got. Don’t hold anything back.”
“A friend... I understand. Leave it to me, Lady Meijie. I’ll make sure your ‘friend’ is satisfied!”
After saying that, the shop assistant turned to Bai Ye.
“May I ask what you’re looking for in armor? Would you like a shield and a face guard? Are you looking for something that’s easy to move in, or something with stronger defenses...?”
The shop assistant was exceptionally attentive, carefully asking Bai Ye what she needed. An ordinary person might’ve felt overwhelmed just trying to answer all those questions.
Fortunately, Bai Ye had a clear idea of what she wanted from her armor, and she explained her requirements plainly.
“Defense isn’t important. I’d rather prioritize mobility. A face guard and a hood would be even better. Can you find something that fits those requirements?”
“Of course!”
The shop assistant nodded without hesitation. Bai Ye’s requirements were already quite simple. If he couldn’t meet even those, he might as well quit the business.
“Please make your way to the VIP lounge and relax. I’ll go fetch some items from the storeroom.”
The shop had plenty of armor on display, but the truly good pieces were kept in the storeroom. Meijie was clearly a valued customer here, and the ordinary items on the shop floor wouldn’t do for her. It only made sense for the shop assistant to fetch the armor from the storeroom.
“Hmph. At least he knows better than to try and fob off the stuff on the shop floor.”
Away from home, Meijie was the very picture of a spoiled young noble. She sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, acting about as arrogantly as she could.
Bai Ye had known her for a long time and understood her personality. Meijie’s noble-lady airs weren’t going to change, so Bai Ye didn’t bother telling her to tone it down. She simply chose to ignore her show of arrogance.
“Whatever the shop assistant brings us probably won’t be cheap. I still don’t think there’s any need to buy expensive armor.”
At Bai Ye’s words, Meijie raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t care what you think. I care what I think. You’re going into a dungeon, so could you please take this seriously?”
“...No. I still don’t think it’s necessary.”
While the two of them were talking, a young man walked into the shop. As soon as he came in, he spotted Meijie sitting nearby.
“Sis? What are you doing here?”
The newcomer was dressed in fine clothes, and his face bore some resemblance to Meijie’s. He was, in fact, Meijie’s younger brother.
Though he’d run into his own sister, he didn’t seem very happy about it. His expression even held a trace of distance and disdain.
“Man De? Hah, what a coincidence. Didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Though the siblings had bumped into each other by chance, neither of them looked particularly pleased.
Man De glanced at Bai Ye and spoke with a mocking edge.
“Always hanging around women, I see... Sis, you’re the eldest daughter of the main family. Could you please stop bringing shame on Father?”
“Shut up, Man De! I’m warning you—don’t ruin my good mood, or you’ll regret it!”
They’d barely exchanged a few words, yet the atmosphere had already turned hostile. Still, Man De didn’t seem keen on falling out with Meijie.
When he saw Meijie suddenly flare up, he took a few steps back and said,
“You’ve got company today, so I won’t bother you. But I still want to remind you, Sis: you’d be better off leaving Maple City on your own. If we fall out, it’ll be ugly for everyone, won’t it?”
After saying that, Man De walked straight out. He must have had some other reason for coming here, but now it seemed he didn’t want to stay another second.
He’d only said two or three brief sentences to Meijie before leaving at once.
