That night, Nicole took Sam Li, Billy, Anby, Nekomata, and Soldier 11 to Lumina Square for a big meal.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
Early in the morning, Sam Li didn't wait for Piper at Hare's House. As usual, he took his birdcage and headed to the café on Sixth Street.
Nicole, meanwhile, had already prepared the Dennies and was waiting for Piper.
Around ten o'clock, a beat-up truck pulled up outside Hare's House. Two familiar figures stepped out—it was Piper and Lucy from the Sons of Calydon.
As soon as they walked in, Piper rubbed her eyes to wake up and glanced around like she was looking for something.
"Where's Mr. Sam Li? He's not in the shop?"
"Sam went out early for his bird walk. It's his routine. Don't worry, the Dennies are ready."
Saying that, Nicole pulled out a bulging handbag and opened it, revealing the stack of Dennies inside.
An entire bag packed with exactly three million.
As she looked at the shimmering pile of Dennies, her eyes sparkled with excitement—mixed with a trace of reluctance. They were already in her hands, but she still had to hand them over to the Sons of Calydon.
So unfair—
Seeing this, Piper reached for the bag.
But when she noticed Nicole hadn't let go yet, she gave her a puzzled look.
Nicole let go quickly, a bit embarrassed. "Ahem, aren't you going to count it?"
Piper shook her head. "No need. The boss said Hare's House is one of the Sons of Calydon's most trusted partners. We completely trust you."
Still, she couldn't help but peek inside. The bag was packed full and looked about right for three million.
"Thanks. If you get the chance, please drop by Calydon Town to handle the land transfer."
"Do we really need to go through all that?"
"Burnice says Calydon Town is being developed into a city, so we have to start doing things properly."
"Alright then, handle it for me. I'm too busy these days to make a trip to the Outer Ring."
Nicole's mind was fully occupied with the Golden Bangboo and the Platinum Bangboo. She had no time to worry about Calydon Town.
If she could catch them, she'd be swimming in wealth.
At that point, buying the entire town wouldn't even be a stretch.
Off to the side, Piper and Lucy didn't leave right away. "Your car's still in Calydon Town. It's been fixed, so you can pick it up whenever."
"I heard Outer Ring gangs love secondhand cars. Do me a favor and sell it off."
Nicole had already made up her mind—she'd take Sam Li, Billy, and the others to buy a new car that afternoon.
She was in a rush to get a better vehicle ready for the upcoming scramble over the Golden Bangboo.
Just then, as Piper was about to leave, she stopped. "Nicole, after you got back to the city... have you heard anything about the Golden Bangboo or the Platinum Bangboo?"
Nicole froze for a moment. "Huh? You've heard about it too?"
Piper nodded. "Yeah, the day you left the Outer Ring, word spread fast. I heard the Hollows where the Golden Bangboo is showing up are right at the border between the city and the Outer Ring. Lots of gangs are recruiting to join the hunt. Caesar said the Sons of Calydon are getting involved too."
Lucy grinned. "I heard the boss of Hare's House loves money more than life. I bet you're jumping in too, right?"
Nicole laughed awkwardly. "Of course. See you in the Hollows."
As Piper and Lucy left, Nicole's face was full of mixed emotions—excitement, worry, tension... She hadn't expected the news about the Golden and Platinum Bangboos to blow up like this.
It was still just a rumor, yet it had already stirred up all the major factions in and around the city.
Neighborhood agencies, big companies, official groups like the Hollows Investigation Association and the Defense Army, and now even the Outer Ring gangs were all jumping in.
Once they all rushed into the Hollows...
It was going to be absolute chaos.
Nicole was confident in Hare's House's strength—especially Sam Li, whose power was obvious to everyone.
But beating all those forces? That was still a tall order.
"Maybe... we can team up with the Sons of Calydon? If we run into them, we might be able to cooperate."
With that thought, she turned to Anby, Billy, Nekomata, and Soldier 11.
"Don't just stand there. From now on, I want you monitoring every major forum. The moment anything pops up, tell me right away."
Billy said confidently, "Don't worry, Nicole. With the Stringmaster siblings helping us, we're already ahead in the info game."
Nicole added, "Also, once Sam Li is back, we're going to buy a new car."
Nekomata lit up. "Nicole's finally willing to empty the account for a new ride!"
Soldier 11: "..."
...
By noon, Sam Li returned, birdcage in hand.
Nicole grabbed his arm. "I've been waiting two hours for you! Let's grab lunch at Lumina Square, then head downtown to buy a car."
There used to be a dealership at Lumina Square.
But it had gone out of business due to poor management.
Nekomata said excitedly, "Hey Nicole, why don't we eat downtown instead?"
Nicole immediately shook her head. "What are you thinking, Nekomata? Even if we sold you, it probably wouldn't cover the bill for a meal downtown."
Anby said seriously, "Good idea."
Nekomata gave them a pitiful look. "Meow~ I'm way too cute to sell, right?"
"Enough nonsense. Let's go."
With that, Nicole grabbed her suitcase in one hand, flipped her hair with the other, and strode off ahead.
Nekomata, Sam Li, Anby, and the rest followed closely behind.
Since arriving in this world, Sam Li had never been to the city center. He'd only seen the towering skyscrapers from afar.
And it wasn't just him.
Even Billy and Nekomata had never set foot in the downtown area.
Soon, they arrived at Lumina Square.
After a quick meal, they hopped into a taxi and headed downtown. Just the fare cost five thousand Dennies.
Along the way, they passed through several districts and crossed a bridge before finally reaching the city center, surrounded by towering high-rises.
Inside the cab, Nekomata leaned against the window, eyes wide in awe as she stared at the skyline.
"Nicole, look at that building—it's got to be over 200 floors…"