"Please stop, Boss Lady!" Marco dropped to his knees, his hands raised high in surrender, eyes wide with panic. The restaurant fell silent except for the soft flutter of peacock feathers.

"Boss Lady?" Yumina blinked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Boss Lady!" Marco repeated, bowing so low that his forehead nearly hit the floor. "Remember how I told you about the Firecarp inflation? Please, you have to solve that problem for us! I’ll do anything— anything —you say!"

"Inflation?" Tyla leaned back, her silver hair glinting in the faint lamplight. Her eyes gleamed with curiosity, the kind that usually preceded either a brilliant idea or chaos. "Explain."

"Well, it’s not money inflation," Marco said quickly, rubbing his neck. "The value of Lydia hasn’t changed much. It’s the Firecarp inflation!"

"The what?" Yumina asked.

"Ah... since Boss Lady is not from here, let me explain what Firecarps are." Marco pointed toward the remnants of their earlier meal—plates smeared with golden crumbs and the faint scent of spice lingering in the air. "Those fishes... the ones we were eating just now—Firecarp sasami, fried Firecarp fillets—those are the most expensive food in the entire city right now. Three years ago, they were cheap. Common, even."

He sighed, shoulders slumping as if reliving a tragedy. "But now? They’re worth more than anti-cold poison Pills"

"Go on," Tyla said, resting her chin on her palm.

Marco took a deep breath. "You see, because of all the pollution from the factories— yes, even though the fallen World Tree roots absorb most of it— there’s still poison lingering in the air. A lot of factory workers develop something we call Cold Poison Fever. It chills your organs, slows your prana flow, and makes it impossible to work."

He slammed his fist lightly on the table. "And the cure? The Firecarp fish. They’re from the Volcano Pass, a place where rivers of magma meet the sea. Eating Firecarp warms your inner organs, burns away the toxins, and—most importantly—"

"They taste divine," Kurt interrupted with a dramatic sigh. "Crispy skin, smoky aftertaste, tender inside... truly the food of the heavens." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Tyla’s lips curved slightly. "So this fish heals, tastes good, and keeps workers alive. Naturally, everyone wants it."

"Exactly!" Marco said, snapping his fingers. "They were once sold for a hundred Lydia a kilo, and everyone could afford them. Workers, families, even the lower-tier mages ate Firecarp daily. It was a thriving business! I used to rent a small stall at the market— sold them fresh every morning. Life was simple."

He paused, then clenched his fists. "Until those bastards ruined everything."

"Bastards?" Yumina asked.

"Merchants!" Marco spat the word like venom. "Greedy, cold-blooded merchants! They started hoarding Firecarp stocks. Some bribed the fishing guilds, others hired bandits to block transport routes. Then they sold the fish at outrageous prices. Now a single kilogram costs nearly six hundred Lydia!"

Yumina whistled. "That’s robbery."

Marco nodded fiercely. "You don’t understand. A regular worker eats at least twenty-five kilos a day to counteract the cold poison effects. Now they can’t even afford one! People are getting sick. Some even turned to black-market Firecarps— which are probably just painted fire lizards!"

"Ew," Yumina muttered.

Marco pressed his forehead to the floor again, his voice shaking with desperation. "So please, Lady Boss, use your power, money —bribe the bandits, crush the merchants, do whatever it takes! Bring Firecarps back to normal!"

Tyla stayed silent for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she tilted her head slightly, the corners of her lips curling. "Hmm... do you want the price returned to normal—or do you want those merchants to disappear?"

"Disappear?" Marco gulped.

Yumina’s eyes widened. "Wait, are you going to assassinate them? Just for fish?!"

Tyla blinked innocently. "Assassinate? No, no, that’s too crude."

"Oh, thank goodness—"

"I just have an idea," Tyla continued, her tone calm but her eyes glinting like molten silver.

Kurt leaned back in his chair, sighing. "I know that kind of look, my boss used to show that. That’s the ’something big is about to happen’ look."

Yumina groaned. "Last time she had that look, we ended up blowing up Bandits hideout."

Tyla brushed off their words, "Hmmm... I have my own way of handling this. First —where can I hire mercenaries?"

"As expected. Assassination?" Yumina blurted.

"No, it’s not."

---

The next day, the air in the rented office was thick with tension.

"Your big plan is buying their business?" Yumina asked, staring at Tyla as if she had grown a second head.

Tyla smiled mysteriously. "Not the full plan, Yumina. Just wait and see."

The clock ticked past noon. Tyla, Yumina, Marco, and Kurt had been waiting for almost three hours. The large table in front of them was neatly arranged with documents, contracts, and a pot of still-hot tea that nobody touched.

But no one came.

"Did you guys explain properly that I wanted to buy their Firecarp businesses?" Tyla finally asked, leaning back in her chair with a sigh.

"Of course, Lady Boss," Marco replied nervously. "But those people are so arrogant, they probably don’t care. Maybe they think you’re just another young merchant trying to buy their fame."

Marco had quit his previous job not long ago. Tyla had paid off all his debts in a single day—something he still couldn’t believe. Now, he was following her, not because of money, but because of curiosity.

Tyla chuckled softly. "At least I was expecting them to show their faces. But these merchant groups..." She tapped her fingers against the wooden desk. "It’s alright. At least I won’t feel guilty about what happens next."

Her calm smile sent a chill through the room. Even though the heating system arrays were humming gently, everyone felt as if the temperature had dropped.

"Kurt, Marco," Tyla said suddenly, her tone all business now. "Go to the fish market and buy a few barrels of top-quality Firecarp—no compromises. Also, find out where the printing press is."

"Printing press?" Yumina tilted her head. "Are we... advertising something?"

Tyla’s grin widened, a spark of mischief dancing in her eyes. "Exactly. Oh, and I’ll need a picture of you."

Yumina blinked, tilting her head in confusion. "...A picture of me?"

---

Meanwhile, in a luxurious bar on the other side of the city, three merchant bosses sat comfortably in leather seats, enjoying their expensive wine. Dragonion girls with long tails and radiant scales were serving them food, drinks, and entertainment.

"Hehehe, who was that newbie again?" one of the merchants said, swirling his glass. "Something about wanting to buy our Firecarp business?"

"Yeah," the second man laughed. "The Firecarp trade is worth nearly five hundred million Lydia now—and still rising! Only a fool would sell it."

The third merchant smirked. "Probably some second-generation rich girl. These types show up every few years thinking they can make a name for themselves. She’ll learn her place soon enough."

They raised their glasses in mock salute.

"What do you think she’ll do next? Start her own business?" one joked. "Hahahaha! She wouldn’t last a week. We can just drop our prices slightly and crush her like the others. Easy."

Their laughter filled the bar, mingling with the music and perfume in the air. None of them realized that this arrogance would soon cost them everything.

---

Another day passed...

An uproar swept across the city. Crowds gathered in every industrial district, whispering, shouting, and running toward the same destination.

The uproar was sparked by the sudden appearance of colorful posters plastered on every wall and the countless flyers scattered across the streets. By morning, they had been handed out in every marketplace and alley, setting the all the cities abuzz with curiosity and excitement.

A middle-aged Dragonion, his scales gleaming under the sunlight, stepped out of his house and nearly collided with a rushing group of people.

"Hey! What’s going on? Is the Dragon King visiting or something?" he shouted.

Nobody stopped to answer. He frowned, bent down, and picked up one of the flyers that littered the street.

As he read, his eyes widened. His jaw nearly dropped.

He leapt onto his hoverboard and sped off, joining the wave of people heading toward the docks.

The flyer slipped from his trembling hand, fluttering gently down onto the cobblestone road. Around him, posters were plastered across the walls, flapping in the morning breeze like banners of rebellion.

Each one bore the same striking image of an orange-haired girl — Yumina — smiling radiantly, holding a large, glimmering Firecarp fish as if she had just caught the sun itself. Her vibrant eyes and playful expression added a spark of warmth that made the poster almost glow with life. Her beauty alone could stop passersby in their tracks, but what truly captured every onlooker’s attention were the bold, golden words gleaming beneath her image, shining brighter than many people’s future:

---

(⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ Mina’s Fish Shop – Grand Opening Celebration! ←⁠(⁠>⁠▽⁠<⁠)⁠ﾉ

Venue: xxx street

Firecarp Fishes – Only 10 Lydia per Kilogram! (⁠☉⁠｡⁠☉⁠) !

"Hotter than lava, fresher than your ex’s excuses!" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)