Imperial Capital, underground black market.
"Hahaha… Welcome, esteemed guests! Welcome!"
Sora and Leone hurried along, afraid of being beaten to it by others. Before long, they arrived at the underground black market of the Imperial Capital. As soon as they entered the antique shop Leone had mentioned, a fat man with a big belly and a greasy face greeted them.
"Ahem… Boss, we'd like to see some antiques. I wonder if you have any good quality items?"
Seeing the fat man, Sora immediately thought of the Minister constantly gnawing on meat, and felt a sense of disgust. He took a step back, but still asked politely.
However, Leone didn't have such good patience. Being from the streets, she didn't care about such things and immediately shouted:
"Fatso, quickly take out that belt, the one I saw last time. I want it!"
Although Sora liked Leone's bold personality, he was quite speechless at her rogue-like behavior. Who calls someone a "fatso" upon meeting them?!
Moreover, she immediately revealed their purpose. Wasn't she just waiting to be ripped off?!
"Hahaha… This young master, this young lady, please wait a moment. I'll go get the item for you right away."
"Waiter, bring tea for our esteemed guests!"
A merchant is a merchant, and a merchant is cunning. The boss didn't seem angry at all at Leone's tone, and greeted Sora and Leone very enthusiastically.
Watching Leone, who had already sat down on a chair and started gulping down tea, and then looking at the boss walking towards the counter, Sora shook his head helplessly. The boss was probably already figuring out how to rip them off!
Well, rip them off then, as long as they got the item, Sora didn't really care.
"Hehehe, please take a look, is this the item you're looking for?"
Before long, the boss reappeared in front of them, holding an ancient belt. It looked old, but didn't seem damaged at all.
"Hahaha… This is it, little brother, this is it!"
Leone snatched the belt from the boss's hand, looking extremely excited and fond of it. From her expression, Sora could tell that this belt was indeed the Teigu, Beast King Transformation [Lionel].
Thinking that he would soon have a cat-eared girl, Sora felt a little excited, and a smile appeared on his face. He said to the boss:
"Boss, how much does this belt cost?"
With a slight smile, the boss replied:
"Hehehe, since you two are esteemed guests, I'll give you a discount. 1,000 gold coins."
The fat boss held up one finger, a merchant's unique look flashing in his eyes.
Having been in this world for many years, Sora naturally understood the economic system of this world. If the other party knew that this was a Teigu with powerful abilities, they wouldn't sell it for 1,000 gold coins, probably not even for 10,000 gold coins. But since the other party didn't know and only considered it an ordinary antique, 1,000 gold coins was indeed a bit high.
"Huh? 1,000 gold coins! Fatso, are you trying to rob us? 1 gold coin, and I'll buy it!"
For a girl like Leone who grew up in the slums, 1,000 gold coins was an astronomical figure. She immediately became unhappy, stuffing the Beast King Transformation [Lionel] into her pocket while shouting at the boss without any politeness.
It was as if she was already being generous by offering 1 gold coin!
"Pfft…"
Hearing Leone's voice, Sora, who was still drinking tea, spat it out. The fat boss also looked embarrassed and couldn't help but turn his head to the side. She wasn't here to buy things at all, she was just acting like a hooligan!
After a long while, Sora finally recovered. He finally understood that Leone's Teigu in the original story was definitely not obtained by bargaining, but by acting like a hooligan and forcing the purchase!
Neither Sora nor the fat boss bothered to pay attention to this rogue woman. Without a certain level of skill, you couldn't communicate with her.
"Boss, 1,000 gold coins is still too high. How about 100 gold coins?"
Putting down his teacup, Sora gave his price.
"This young master is indeed an expert, 900 gold coins!"
"200 gold coins!"
"800 gold coins!"
…
After a lot of bargaining, Sora finally bought the belt from the boss for 500 gold coins.
"Hmph, you spendthrift brat, if I had made a move, I could have gotten it for 10 gold coins at most!"
Walking out of the store, Leone still looked unhappy, as if Sora had lost a lot by buying the Teigu for 500 gold coins.
"Ahem, Big Sister, let's not worry about these details. Let's quickly find a place to test if this thing works. I can't wait to see your transformation."
Too lazy to argue with this rogue woman, Sora said to Leone.
Because he was incredibly excited to see Leone transform into a cat-eared girl, Sora accidentally let it slip. Leone was a little suspicious, as she didn't seem to have told this brat that this Teigu could transform her.
However, the bold and carefree Leone didn't think too much about it, because she was even more anxious than Sora to try out the power of this Teigu that could call to her. With great anticipation and excitement, they soon arrived at a deserted area outside the Imperial Capital.
"Big Sister, the moment to witness history has arrived. Don't let us down!"
Swallowing his saliva, Sora was extremely excited. Although he already had many women, he really didn't have a cat-eared girl!
"Hmph, when have I ever let anyone down? Watch me!"
Although she looked confident, Leone was actually a little nervous. After all, she had never tried this thing before, and didn't know if it would work.
Moreover, it was said that if one couldn't withstand the power of the Teigu, they could explode and die. Although she usually acted bold and carefree, this rogue woman was actually a little scared.
However, Leone ultimately couldn't resist the temptation to gain great power. In this corrupt world, even she might die tragically on the streets one day. Only by gaining power could she survive, and could she allow more people around her to survive!
"Lionel, transform!"
A trace of determination flashed in her golden eyes, and Leone finally fastened the Teigu to her waist. With a shout, she activated the Teigu's ability. Sora's eyes widened, afraid of missing any important scenes.
However, one minute passed…
"Um, Big Sister, are you not full today? How about we go back and have a meal before trying again?"
Feeling that his eyes were almost dry, but the expected scene still hadn't appeared, Sora was speechless. Leone had previously looked confident and said she would never let them down, but she had revealed her true colors so quickly!
"Ha…haha…"
Not knowing how to answer, Leone was also embarrassed. She had never used this thing before, and was completely clueless about the situation.
However, just then, suddenly—
"Ah!!! Fire! Fire!"
Suddenly, a ball of flame appeared out of nowhere, engulfing Leone completely. The rogue woman was so frightened that she jumped up and down.
However, Sora's eyes flashed, and a strange arc appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Hehe… Success!"
Without any intention of helping, Sora watched as Leone was completely bathed in a sea of fire. Although the rogue woman was frightened and cried out due to instinct, the flames did not leave any scars on her body.
Her aura continued to rise, and wherever the flames passed, she was reborn. Her original short golden hair continuously lengthened, reaching her waist. Two fluffy cat ears grew on the top of her head, twitching adorably.
Not only that, but with a delicate moan from the girl, a golden tail grew from Leone's buttocks, without any fur, looking quite… toned!
As the transformation was completed, the flames on her body disappeared, leaving behind a cat-eared girl who was completely unaware of the situation, standing there at a loss!
Twitching cat ears, huge and alluring breasts, a toned tail, and that bold and hot outfit!
Okay, Sora admitted that his blood was already boiling…