Seeing as I couldn't drown my ick feeling of being licked all over like a finger covered in cheese dust in violence. I was just going to make a fuck load of money as having an infinite pile of money was definitely better than actual therapy.
Plus, this was Zenless Zone, Zero. There wasn't Mizuki from Genshin to act as an actual therapist...
"Lumina Square! The wealthiest sector in all of New Eridu! Where each square foot is measured in gold and to buy an apartment here takes several dozen generations of wealth!" Billy said happily as he showed me around.
All the while Anby was behind me as she was scared someone might try to jack me who had the backpack filled with platinum bars.
As for why we came here to Lumina Square specifically to sell these platinum bars and such... With how limited New Eridu was in its land, actual rare metals mining was an extremely costly and dangerous thing, especially if done inside of a Hollow.
While Billy could have led us to a quieter outfit that could buy off our metal... Not many organizations on the dark side of the city had the liquid funds to do so. And the ones who did?
They were the ruthless types who would happily just kill us to get the metal for free anyway.
So we were in the richest part of the megacity in the hopes that we could sell it off to a big buyer. And then skaddle with our money.
"Alrighty Jake! Keep your weapons out of your hands and don't start anything as these crazy guy's have turrets built into their ceilings in all the major rooms. These guys are kinda crazy, I tell ya." Billy said with a helpless expression before he continued.
"Diggy Diggy Holes is a gem and mining group run exclusively by subterranean race-based Thiren's. And they know their stuff, and are vicious about protecting their monopoly on certain things."
We walked into the giant jewellery store and as we walked in. My face twitched as I saw dozens of the Thiren's that came in all shapes and sizes seize up and look up at me with fear and fascination entering their gaze.
'Ah fuck... Vole, mouse, rat, mole, and other races are naturally prey to an extent to a snake thiren. To say nothing of a divine snake bloodline like my own.' I thought helplessly.
I then casually lowered my eyes to not meet and scare the thirens working the counters. And the three of us went over to the clearly marked 'Appraisal' area.
The tiny but cute mouse Thiren girl shivered as I looked up at her but then Anby thankfully spoke up in her typically blunt tone. "We would like to get a sizable amount of platinum appraised and preferably sold."
The mouse thiren paused at our words, and then she said quietly. "Is this metal from the Outer Ring's lower rim?"
And I realized that it was code for asking if the metal was 'clean' as Billy said quietly, but in a cheery tone. "Nah, it's homegrown. We are just looking to offload some pristine product if you guy's got the Dennies."
The mouse girl smiled then and she said more casually. "Come with me then. I will need to get a couple of scales and will need to take some samples then."
The three of us followed the mouse thiren into the back office where she indeed pulled out a delicate-looking scale... Only to freeze as a heavy thud and loud clanging rang out as I carefully pulled the shortened but still rather long rebar bar's made out of platinum.
"Why... Why are these looking like rebar?" The Thiren asked in honest confusion. "It's not like platinum is a controlled ether substance. It's not like you even need to smuggle them into the city or out of a hollow in a bundle of other rebar, even if you stole it to begin with?
I coughed and said flatly. "We didn't... Steal it, it was just easier to carry it in a bundle like that."
The mouse Thiren's very unimpressed look truly hurt my soul, but I just remained silent as she took out a series of drills and lasers to test to make sure that these bar's were truly entirely platinum.
And not like sect around an iron bar or something else.
But after a solid five minutes of testing and weighing all the bars of metal, she cleared her throat and said. "A total of fifty-one pounds and six ounces of seemingly impossibly pure platinum. Ahem, counting for the 'tax' and the purity of the metal I will offer a going price of 1.2 million dennies per troy ounce of the metal."
She took a breath, and after hitting a calculator several times, she said with finality. "Your total comes up to six hundred million dennies. Would you like that in cash, or a pre-paid company card that you can transfer out of. But it will take ten minutes to set up?"
Before I could ask what was the point of the prepaid card. Billy and Anby instantly said sharply. "CASH!"
Leaving the Mouse Thiren to tsk in annoyance before she said more happily. And I knew she was going to take a happy commission out of this, as she said. "Very well. Give me a couple of minutes to get a suitcase for your cash."
And my face actually twitched as she got up and all but sang out as she skipped away. "Help yourselves to the fridge over there. It's got premade premium sandwiches and all the popular and artisan drinks, it's on the house!"
New Eridu and especially the mega corporations of New Eridu didn't do 'free'. So as I went to the ornate 'fridge' that in reality looked like a high-end wardrobe. I said quietly. "We got screwed, didn't we?"
To which Billy said helplessly. "Not... Really? We got a boatload of money, enough to make Nicole cry with happiness. But they are certainly not going to take a loss for sure."
I looked at the bundles of sandwiches, freshly made salads, and other goodies in the giant fridge, and I said flatly. "Anby, grab the bag. We are stealing all of their drinks and prepacked food."
And with our bag stuffed with new goodies. I was actually disgusted and impressed with how shameless and chill both Anby and Billy was as the mouse thiren came back in.
"Here you guys go. Six hundred million dennies in cash. My supieror has also said that if you bring another load of similar quality, we are willing to half the 'quiet tax'." She said happily.
I smiled thinly and said calmly as I took the heavy suitcase. "I will keep that in mind."
But in reality I was screaming that I was going to make my own mining company to cover up my ability for making high end rare metals. Hell I could also use that made up company to also hide my Star Wars tech and other goodies.