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TOSDAG Chapter 12: No Matter the World, Accompanying Girls to Buy Clothes will Always be a Challenge
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 05:04:44 +0000 UTCThird Person P.O.V
Nie Li was not one to be easily surprised, it could chalk it up to the fact that he was a person who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation, that his real age was at least a few centuries old, that he knew almost all the secrets that would make the greatest experts drool with greed, that he had seen and faced the greatest evil in existence, or the fact that he had died in that fight and traveled back in time to relive his life in Glory City.
You could call it vanity, but Nie Li had reason to be confident in his own knowledge, in his opinion, there would be practically nothing in the Divine Continent and perhaps not even in the Draconic Ruins Realm that hid secrets that he couldn't understand.
That was why what he was seeing in front of him puzzled him so much, a young man with spiky black hair, sitting in the lotus position, frowning slightly as some sweat fell down his forehead, and every few seconds, a white aura was shot out from his body, whether from his back, chest, arms, legs, and even a couple of times it covered his entire body.
The time traveler's eyes narrowed, because despite the eye-catching spectacle, not only was it incredibly difficult to sense the energy of the person he was looking at, but even giving an approximate estimate of their cultivation level seemed even more difficult, at least not without alerting the person being scanned, so based solely on the pressure emitted by this person's energy, Nie Li estimated his level to be someone who entered the gold rank, although without being able to use other detection methods that would attract attention or come into direct contact with the energy he gave off, Nie Li would not be able to know what step within the gold rank this person would be on.
And although Nie Li was normally shameless and relied on his knowledge, words, and attitude to deal with most people he might encounter in order to avoid any conflict that would harm him, this time he decided to take a step back.
There were too many questions, such a young-looking person with such a high cultivation level was something he would definitely remember from his previous life, and if he added to that the fact that the energy he was emitting was strange, and that he was practicing in such a remote place so as to clearly not attract attention, then he should keep some distance, at least until he gained enough influence so that he could obtain some information about who this person was without putting himself in too much danger.
So, with that in mind, Nie Li slowly backed away, and when he was finally at a distance, he considered safe, he turned around and sped off in the direction of his friends.
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The Next day
Leek P.O.V
I had to admit that Glory City seemed like a pretty lively place, that was what I thought when I first arrived, and with this "shopping date" I could reaffirm my thoughts with complete confidence.
But besides that, there was also that touch of fantasy that made everything even more attractive, at least in the commercial part where we were passing, you know what I mean, people with street stalls or shops selling products that seemed to come out of an RPG.
Armor, weapons, objects, bottles with mysterious liquids, talismans, and even plants with strange colors, names, and aromas, I saw many of these things and without being able to contain my curiosity I began to ask questions to my two companions.
After the conversation they both had yesterday in the clearing and the one they surely had at their sleepover, Lanruo, and Ning'er seemed to get along pretty well, and neither seemed to have problems answering any question I had no matter how simple it seemed.
Although I admit I was a little embarrassed when I asked about a container that a vendor was fervently promoting, only to find out that it was the equivalent of a trash can that seemed to be made from the roots of a plant that neutralized most unpleasant odors.
The worst part was when both girls laughed discreetly when they noticed my embarrassment.
Once we got through this whole stage, we finally arrived at a clothing store suggested by Lanruo called Silver Silk.
"Oh, young lady, I didn't expect to see you today." A tall woman with black hair and reddish tips dressed in something that looked as elegant as it was uncomfortable, looked at us from the back of the shop, coming over to bow respectfully.
"Xien Chen, it's good to see you, though I didn't come today for the dress we talked about last time." The pink-haired girl stepped forward, greeting her with a smile.
"Then could it be…" The woman's gaze shifted between me and Ning'er, though she seemed to focus more on her than me, probably thinking I was some sort of guard. "Are you here to get other clothes with this young lady?"
Lanruo blinked a few times and seemed to think about the idea, though after a few seconds, she shook her head. "Sounds like an interesting idea, maybe another time, but no, I came because I think you might be able to find something suitable for him." She finished saying before taking my hand and pulling me to stand in front of her so the woman, Chen, could take a good look at me.
"Ho, I thought this young man was your guard or your assistant, I didn't expect you to come to get something for him, could it be…" The woman seemed to get a little excited, leaning over with her hand on her chin as she seemed to analyze me.
Lanruo puffed out her chest as if she were proud. "Well, my father asked me not to say anything yet, but you know how I am." She said with a smug smile.
"I see, I see, he seems like a strong and healthy boy." She said, poking my chest and arms with a finger. "You must be someone extraordinary if you can catch the young lady's attention, I wish you both only happiness"
I didn't want to seem rude, but this woman's attitude was very enthusiastic, I assumed that young girls loved gossip, but, although this woman seemed to be in her late twenties, she seemed as excited as a little girl who was given her favorite toy.
Seeing that he seemed to be a little uncomfortable and intimidated, Ning'er decided to intervene, speaking with a soft smile. "We're looking for something a bit formal but also comfortable." She said, trying to redirect attention to the reason we had come in the first place.
Chen's gaze once again turned to Ning'er, and after looking at her for a few seconds, her eyes widened slightly, and she smiled as if she had understood something. "Of course, follow me here, dear customers"
What followed next was… definitely something, I mean it, I thought it would just be picking out an outfit that was comfortable and wouldn't make me look like a beggar or a brute with no brains or manners, but what I got was over an hour of trying on clothes to please the girls.
Things escalated to the point where Miss Chen put the closed sign on the door, and we had the place to ourselves, and as much as she and Lanruo framed this as if it were a blessing, I felt like my brain went into power-saving mode, and turned off some functions to allow me to survive.
And even though Ning'er seemed to understand my suffering and feel sorry for me for the first 20 minutes, little by little Chen and Lanruo's enthusiasm seemed to infect her, and soon I had to do something like a private catwalk for 3 women who kept giving their opinions and recommendations on what should be the next item of clothing I should try on.
"Come on Leek, try on this black Changshan, the gold embroidery and the dragon will make you look better." Lanruo said, showing me something that looked like a formal dress for men.
"This blue Hanfu matches well with your peculiar hair, you have to try it too." Chen put on a navy-blue outfit that had a white lotus flower sewn on the right side of the chest.
"I think this red tangzhuang jacket would suit you well." Ning'er, although she was more discreet and reserved, also came over and showed me an item of clothing of her choice.
I sighed and took the recommendations, putting them on in the private changing room before going out and taking a light walk to test if they were uncomfortable in any way.
Things got lively up to the point where the girls had paddles with numbers from 1 to 10 on them that they held up every time they saw me, rating how my clothes looked.
Where did they get that from? I had no idea, but my bet was that Lanruo was to blame.
When I felt like I was reaching my limit and almost felt like I'd be better off just passing out to escape from this, I found a set of clothes that genuinely caught my eye.
Low black combat boots, white bandage-like tights, a pair of blue pants made of some soft, but in Chen's words, sturdy material, loose enough that they weren't uncomfortable, but tight enough that they didn't look ridiculous, a dark blue short-sleeved shirt, and an orange sleeveless jacket with black trim, somewhat similar to the tangzhuang Ning'er recommended, only it didn't have sleeves and this one seemed to be made of softer fabric, plus it had a couple of splits on the sides of the hip, making the front part look slightly like a loincloth, mainly because it reached my groin.
I instantly related this to Goku's dogi, although there were clear differences between this and the outfit he wore, it was similar enough to strongly draw my attention, rating it as borderline a reference that definitely wouldn't infringe copyright.
Or so I hoped.
"What do you think of this one?" I asked as I stepped out of the changing room with the suit on, feeling that it was very comfortable and it was incredibly easy to move around in without feeling like I might rip it if I bent over too much or twisted in the air.
"Umm." Lanruo narrowed her eyes, and she scanned me up and down, her expression staying like that for a few seconds before she gave her answer. "It actually suits you quite well, it seems kind of casual, but for some reason, I think it suits you well, what do you think, Ning'er?"
The girl they spoke to looked at me and nodded with a soft smile. "I think it's pretty good"
And that was all I needed to hear, both of them had given their approval, so it was now or never, I had to take advantage of this momentum to end this shopping session, or I could be betrayed and locked in this store for a thousand years.
"Fine, I'll take it, but there's something I want to add to it." I said just before Miss Chen gave her opinion, I had 2 out of 3 in my favor, but if she said something weird, she could turn things around, and I honestly didn't want to risk it.
"What thing?" The woman asked, attracted by my statement.
"Can you add a white circle with a black border on the back? I'd like to put a word there."
The woman's eyebrow raised a little, she now seemed really interested. "What do you want to write?"
I smiled and beckoned her over, I wanted to prevent Ning'er and Lanruo from hearing, and they seemed to notice this, because Lanruo pouted, while Ning'er looked a little curious.
"Eh? And what does that mean?" Miss Chen asked when I told her the word.
"I can't say it now, but it's special to me, is it possible to do so?"
"Sure, I can add it today, it would be ready in two or three hours."
"Then I'd like half a dozen outfits."
"Eh? Half a dozen?!" Chen's eyes widened, and even Lanruo and Ning'er looked surprised.
"Well, it will also serve the function of a battle and training suit, if one breaks or gets dirty, what I wear until it is repaired or cleaned?" I asked.
"Leek, are you sure?" Ning'er asked.
"Quite a bit, what would the price be?" I asked Miss Chen.
"Well, they are pretty sturdy clothes since they are made of Holy Frost Caterpillar thread, and the boots have some ascending earth dragon leather, so each set would be 7,500 demon spirit coins." She replied, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lanruo and Ning'er look a little downcast as they each held the set of clothes they liked to see me wearing the most.
And since I wasn't stupid or petty enough, I added. "And also add these two please." I said as I walked over to them and took the clothes.
""Eh?""
Both of them looked surprised, for my part, I simply gave them a slightly mocking smile. "What's wrong? You both chose these, and I'm sure you both have much better taste than me, it would also be nice to have something more formal, don't you think?" I winked as I smiled.
"You… did that on purpose!" Lanruo pouted once more, but I'd have to be blind not to see that she was happy.
"What? Are you suggesting that I intentionally pretended to only buy the clothes I picked out so I could surprise you by also buying the clothes you picked out for me so I could look better? That sounds a bit far-fetched, don't you think?" I said while smirking.
"Youuu!" She attacked like a sore loser, although of course, her blows had no intention of harming in the slightest.
"And you, Ning'er? Do you also want to attack the bastard who just played a prank on you?" I asked the orange-haired girl.
Her cheeks were a little flushed, and after looking at me for a couple more seconds, she started laughing, it was a soft laugh, but it seemed quite genuine. "You-hahaha-I never thought-hahaha-that just going out to buy clothes would be so much fun."
Contrary to my expectations the girl didn't get embarrassed or look at me a little resentful, it seemed as if it was the first time she could relax and experience what it was like to joke around in a group.
And that… was quite sad.
Chen looked at everything with a flat expression on her face and could only say to herself, "Did they forget that I'm still here?"
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Leek P.O.V
"Finally, let's eat!" I stretched as we exited the store, I couldn't help but feel a little restricted in there, even more so considering we'd been there for a not inconsiderable amount of time, but I was free now, and better yet, it was time to eat, though it was a shame that, according to Ning'er and Lanruo, there were no all-you-can-eat buffets in this place.
Instead, Ning'er suggested a steakhouse that her family apparently gathered at during special occasions.
"Are you sure you shouldn't be saving your money for other things? You spent almost 80 thousand demon spirit coins on the clothes, that's no small thing, and I don't mind paying for lunch." Ning'er seemed a little worried, after all, I even suggested that they get something they liked from the store as a thank-you for helping me choose.
And although both of them refused at first, Lanruo, demonstrating her "strong" will, agreed after I insisted a few more times, so Ning'er had to agree as well.
"Don't worry, do you remember that I defeated a bunch of those apes? Luckily, Mister Xiong and his group collected all the goods that could be obtained from them and exchanged the goods for money when we arrived, he gave me the money after I rested after the fight we had, it was 123 thousand demon spirit coins, so I still have more than 40 thousand left, and even if I run out of money I can go and hunt more beasts, so I don't mind spending all this money, for now, let's just worry about eating something delicious." I said, moving the leather bag in my hand a little.
"There are very few people who think like that, you know?" Lanruo said.
"Well, I'm a pretty simple person, I've never really thought too much about things like luxuries, I can appreciate and enjoy them if I earn them, but they've never been my priority, delicious food, a comfortable bed, and a good fight every now and then, offer that and almost any Saiyan will accept most deals, though of course, subjugating them is another thing, Saiyan pride is perhaps the strongest thing they have"
"You included?"
"Well, while it's tempting to have all that and work for someone fighting strong guys, while I'm not as proud, I am a bit more ambitious than the others, I don't feel comfortable with the idea of just serving, I want to see what else there is in the world, maybe live some adventures, it may seem childish, but now that there are no more Saiyans, I don't want to just survive, I want a life that is worth having lived." I said my sincere thoughts.
But before either of the girls could tell me what they thought of my goals, a new voice caught our attention.
"Ning'er!" The male voice called out, and when I turned to see where it came from, I saw a boy a little taller than me with red hair, his brow furrowed, and there were a couple of girls clinging to his arms, burying his arms between their chests.
The girl on my right tensed up, and the one on my left frowned.
"Shen Fei." They both said in a low voice.
X-X-X-X-X
Well, one more chapter, as many of you know, the first volume of my main story (The Alternate Multiverse Chat Group) finished a little while ago, so because of that I'll be able to pay a little more attention to this story, although I don't think I'll be able to publish a chapter per week, because as I said at the end of my other story, I still have a lot of material to review to write volume 2.
And as I said before, this story is much more relaxed and casual than TAMCG so, although I'll put all my effort as I do every time I write, don't expect as many mysteries or questions as in that story.
Anyway, most of the fics I see from this work follow 2 paths, ally with Nie Li and his group or directly antagonize him, so I hope to do something more or less different from those two options.
And the first step is that Nie Li has set his sights on the protagonist without him knowing, so things could get complicated if Nie Li finds cracks in MC's backstory, let's wait and see what happens.
Oh, the outfit Leek chose is the same one Goku wore in LEGEND - A DRAGON BALL TALE (2022), an incredible fan animation.
And Shen Fei appeared, what do you think will happen to him?
