Fang Zhen rode his Jue Ying motorcycle while Jilenna jogged alongside, heading toward the Light Gate.

The last time they did this, Fang Zhen had felt a bit awkward, wondering if he was being inconsiderate to Jilenna.

But this second time, he was used to it.

After chatting with Jilenna for a bit, Fang Zhen got a general idea of what life was like in her tribe.

Jilenna's High Mountain Tribe practiced true gender equality; they didn't treat women like "women" at all.

Over there, women could be Warriors or go down into the mines to dig for coal. No one cared if you were a man or a woman. They only recognized your ability to get things done, your personal strength, and the results you produced.

If you could win a fight, you earned respect, regardless of whether you were a man or a woman. If you couldn't, you had to keep your head down in the tribe, man or woman.

In short, being weak was the original sin, and this applied to everyone equally.

Fang Zhen thought this was great. This was true, absolute gender equality.

He also understood why a girl like Jilenna was so obsessed with pursuing strength.

Her environment had determined her personality.

「On the hillside above Ellick Town, near the Light Gate.」

Fang Zhen parked his motorcycle, and Jilenna also came to a stop.

It seemed Jilenna really had improved. After running such a long way, her breathing was only slightly ragged, and she hadn't even broken much of a sweat.

"You did a good job this time. I'll hire you again next time I need a partner," Fang Zhen said.

"Alright. I'm not good at much else, but I'm a natural when it comes to cutting people down," Jilenna replied.

After speaking, Jilenna suddenly seemed conflicted, as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.

"What is it? Don't be shy, just spit it out," Fang Zhen said, having noticed her hesitation.

Jilenna blushed a little. "Oh, it's not a big deal. I just saw that you seem to really want things that can increase your strength, and I suddenly remembered... In our tribe, there's a type of insect called a Water Ice Cicada. It matures over twenty years, and eating one can increase your strength and constitution."

"I was wondering if you'd want one."

"If you do, I can try to bring one for you next time."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Fang Zhen narrowed his eyes and studied Jilenna.

His gaze made Jilenna's face turn even redder.

"Let me be clear, I'm not trying to get your money, and I'm not trying to save up to pay off my debt either! I just thought you might need it, so I'm telling you. If it weren't for the bond we've formed fighting side-by-side, I wouldn't even be mentioning this to you," Jilenna said.

Fang Zhen chuckled.

"Do you know what 'the more you try to explain, the guiltier you look' means?" he asked.

"No," Jilenna said, shaking her head decisively.

"It's describing you right now." Fang Zhen looked at Jilenna with a teasing expression. "I never would have guessed. You're in debt? How much? Did you spend beyond your means? Are you overdue on payments?"

Jilenna's face instantly flushed red.

Apparently, Jilenna found the idea of being in debt quite shameful.

Jilenna usually seemed very capable and wasn't stupid by any means, but the moment money was mentioned, her confidence vanished.

"You could tell all that?" Jilenna asked.

"You're not cut out for haggling, and you're even less suited for business. You wear your heart on your sleeve," Fang Zhen said.

'When Jilenna tried to negotiate prices or lie about business, her face turned redder than a baboon's ass. Who wouldn't be able to see through that?'

Jilenna wanted to object, but after a long moment, she realized she had no comeback and let out a long sigh.

"Yes, I'm in debt. A lot of it. Probably more than half the amount of Gold Coins you just paid to those people from the Whig Society," Jilenna admitted honestly.

"How did you get into debt? Gambling?" Fang Zhen asked.

"No, I don't touch that stuff," Jilenna said, shaking her head. "When I came of age, I needed to get a full set of armor and a weapon. The tribe couldn't forge gear that satisfied me, so I placed a custom order with a passing merchant." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"At the time, all the money I'd saved up plus my family's savings wasn't enough, so I owed the merchant some money. I didn't think it was much at first, but the interest kept piling up. It seems like it's compound interest or something... I don't really get it. Anyway, I originally owed seven Gold Coins, and now it's snowballed to over thirty."

"Oh? What's the interest rate?" Fang Zhen asked, curious.

"I don't know, I can't figure out the math. All I know is, it's terrifying. It's truly terrifying." Jilenna, who could face down hordes of enemies without a trace of fear, trembled at the mere mention of her debt and interest to the merchant, looking surprisingly pitiful.

Fang Zhen shook his head slightly.

'Poor thing. The High Mountain Female Knight never had nine years of compulsory education, so she doesn't know what compound interest is.'

'Such a lack of mathematical knowledge.'

'From the sound of it, Jilenna took out an Otherworld loan shark's loan. At the very least, it's credit card-level interest, the kind with an APR of over eighteen percent.'

"Ever thought about just defaulting on it?" Fang Zhen asked, narrowing his eyes, curious to hear Jilenna's answer.

"You mean not pay it back? I can't do that. For one, it's only right to pay back what you owe. Besides, my tribe is in a remote, cold place that merchant caravans are unwilling to visit. The merchant I owe money to runs the only caravan that comes to our tribe," Jilenna said, shaking her head.

"If I defaulted, the caravan would surely retaliate against my tribe. Even if they just stopped trading with us, the tribe would suffer greatly."

"I can't drag my people down with me."

Fang Zhen nodded.

'Jilenna is alright. Her character seems pretty decent.'

He was also quite interested in the Water Ice Cicada that Jilenna had mentioned.

'From the sound of it, that Water Ice Cicada can boost base stats?'

'Strength and constitution are both crucial.'

He seemed to realize that this change, this new opportunity to trade, had probably only appeared because his familiarity or affinity with Jilenna had reached a certain level.

'Raising Jilenna's affinity should be pretty easy. Just cutting people down together would probably do it.'

'If this trade works out, it could be a huge opportunity!'