“Shopping?”

Lil was taken aback by Ian’s words.

“That’s right, let’s go to town together and do some shopping.”

It took Lil a moment to process what Ian meant. She had never gone shopping before.

Ian had been waiting for Lil to build up her stamina. Lately, thanks to playing with the divine beasts, she had grown stronger, so he thought it was about time.

“Can I really go shopping?”

Understanding the meaning, Lil became excited. Michiru had said that shopping was fun.

“Of course, let’s go buy something you like.”

“Yay! I’m so excited!”

Lil jumped up and down with joy. It was her first time shopping, and she wondered what she should buy.

Before they left, Ian taught Lil about the value of money and how to use it. Then, he put a lot of copper coins and a few small silver coins into her bag. Lil was good at calculations, so she would likely be able to shop wisely within the budget. Ian had no intention of spoiling her when it came to financial education.

He also instructed Lil never to stray from his side in town. She nodded firmly.

It seemed that divine beasts weren’t allowed in town. That was the only sad part for Lil, making her suddenly feel uneasy.

‘There’s nothing to worry about. Your father will be with you, right? When you get back, tell us all about it!’

Marron and Kohaku comforted her.

As Lil prepared to ride the horse, the divine beasts gathered around.

‘Are you going out?’
‘Where are you going?’

“I’m going shopping in town with Dad!”

Everyone cheered her on.

‘Have a great trip!’

All the divine beasts saw Lil off together.

Riding with Ian on the horse, they headed to town. It was Lil’s first time on a horse, and she was a little scared.

When they arrived, Lil was overwhelmed with awe. The town was much larger than she had imagined.

According to Ian, this was a transit town connected to the royal capital. The capital was apparently even bigger.

As they made their way through the crowd, Ian lifted Lil up and carried her. She was too distracted, looking around restlessly, and it was dangerous. From the higher vantage point, she could now see the shops clearly. Many delicious-looking foods were on sale. This area seemed to have a lot of food stalls.

Ian walked slowly and eventually reached a street selling daily necessities. Lil was ecstatic at the sight of cute general stores and toy shops.

Everywhere she looked, she was drawn to something, making it difficult to decide what to buy. But there was one thing she absolutely wanted.

“Hey, Dad, is there a shop that sells brushes?”

“A brush? …For the divine beasts?”

Ian couldn’t help but laugh. He hadn’t expected that to be the thing she wanted most.

Ian took Lil to the biggest shop in the area that sold pet supplies. Surely, she would find something she liked there.

Lil was amazed when she entered the store. Not only were there brushes, but also toys that the divine beasts would love. She almost ended up making impulse purchases.

She focused on the brushes first. Since the divine beasts came in various sizes, it was a tough decision. After consulting Ian, she decided to buy three different sizes.

Then, she looked at the toys. There were frisbees and squeaky balls like the ones they had played with before. She had a hard time choosing, but in the end, she bought several inexpensive balls as souvenirs.

“You did a great job shopping.”

After paying at the register, Ian patted her head. She felt proud. She had been a little nervous when handing over the money.

“Next, let’s buy something for you, Lil.”

Ian lifted Lil up again and walked down the street. Lil pondered. The dolls were cute, and so were the accessories. After much thought, she decided on a small box with a beautiful painting on it. She would use it to store her treasures.

Ian was impressed by Lil’s practical choice. He had expected her to pick a toy, like most children would.

But thinking about it, it was very much like Lil. After all, she never played alone. She was always surrounded by many divine beasts.

On the way back, they bought sweets from a street stall and ate them together.

And thus, Lil’s first shopping trip came to an end.

She must have been exhausted from all the new experiences because she fell asleep on the horse ride home.

When they returned to their base, all the divine beasts came out to greet them.

Lil woke up and, forgetting that she had even been asleep, rushed over to report to them.

Ian watched over her fondly.

Lil took out the balls she had bought, and they all played together.

Her first shopping trip had been a great success.