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If Chang'an didn't actually harbor one million people, it sure at least looked the part. Brine was more than used to everything in her vicinity towering over her - but here, she may as well have been a pebble beneath one's shoe. She was drooling. The plan was simple, at any rate: 1) Find the coolest residential district 2) Buy a house big enough to make her forget about any ship or witch's hut she's ever slept in 3) Use the rest of her earnings to fuel a lifestyle of utter debauchery for the foreseeable future. A job can wait. It was perfect. So what if the sea didn't work out? A "little girl" from the North could learn to love Han, easy! And yet... "You've got mixed currencies." "Bwuh?" The housing merchant glared up at Brine from his big chair. "This money ain't local. You trying to play me for a fool, lady?" "The hell are you--?!" Brine ripped open the bag to see for herself - and sure enough, there were coins from places all over this corner of the world. All except Han. Her old crew had sailed across Okhotsk and the Yellow Sea, never too particular about the spoils they'd reap along the way. "All glitter is gold" was a popular mantra on deck. She'd just never considered what this would mean in terms of finally cashing in. The girl sneered, then cracked a nervous smile - unsure what face to really give the merchant in her little moment of abject humiliation. "Ah... H-Hahaha... ... Would you gimme a sec?" Not waiting for his approval, Brine darted out of his office with money bag in hand, rushing to the nearest bank in hopes of converting the gold. She would soon learn that at the current exchange rate, her 1,000,000,000 mixed coins came to... 1,000,000 Han coins. The kids playing outside learned a new cuss word that day. "Oh freakin' well..." Brine muttered to herself as she stumbled down a slope, jingling a decidedly lighter bag. Her aimless wandering seemed to take her downtown, as orange lanterns began to illuminate the street ahead. It was getting late. Crowds of sharply dressed people were gathered around fancy bars and public venues. Large fans. Bright Qipaos. All very esoteric and adult. She still needed a place to crash, but turning in this early on her first night in the big city felt like sacrilege - and this money had to go SOMEWHERE, or she'd go crazy. ... Might as well blow it on gambling. | |