They all call me an Outer God.

Chapter 18 Lia's New Clothes

At James's urging, Ria went to a clothing store in the north to buy new clothes.

Here, one could consider horse-drawn carriages or rickshaws for transportation, but Ria insisted on walking, ostensibly to help James lose weight, but in reality, it was a covert act of revenge.

However, the other person looked bulky, but walked quite fast. Even when Lia quickened her pace, he could keep up steadily with his short, chubby legs.

"You don't really think I'm fat, do you? Many years ago, I was a renowned handsome gentleman in my hometown, with an extraordinary bearing and elegant speech. The girls who pursued me could have lined up from the Sea of ​​God to the Southern Ocean."

"Are you telling me that doing this job will make you fat? Then I'm leaving."

"No, no! I was just joking."

James fanned himself with a gray banknote printed with the portrait of an unknown man. Ria thought this was completely unnecessary. If the other person was really hot, he might as well take off his mask. Now, fanning himself through the mask did nothing but let Ria smell the nauseating odor of the banknote.

However, it wasn't entirely useless. Through further subtle questioning, he learned that this paper money was called "Paper Le," with a face value of only one, but a single note could be exchanged for one hundred Svalbards.

That thick stack of paper looked like a lot, but it probably wouldn't even be worth a single silver coin, so Ria had reason to suspect that the other party was withholding her wages.

"How do you even know this?"

James's ulterior motives were discovered, and in his astonishment, he could only attribute it all to the terrifying money intuition provided by the black marketeer's identity card.

When the disorderly individuals receive identity cards, their behavior will consciously or unconsciously tend towards the identity on the card. For example, there is a card called "Idiot," and James would stay away from them, otherwise these idiots might suddenly throw excrement at his head.

It wouldn't be surprising if they did something.

Just as James was recalling something unpleasant, they were already standing at the door of the clothing store.

The clothing store wasn't very big. The reddish-brown wooden door smelled of mildew after the rain, and there were still bits of red paint left on the floor from when it was painted. A sign about a quarter the size of the door hung above the store, which read, "Welcome to Will's Clothing Store."

The decor is rather simple, but this is one of the few places in Winstown where you can buy clothes. Compared to clothing stores, the textile factory two kilometers away is more popular because the fabric and thread are cheap, and you can save a lot of money by sewing clothes yourself.

The ladies of Winstown are skilled in handicrafts and are all top-notch tailors. They would rather make their own clothes than waste money buying them.

This meant that when Liya opened the door, the clothing store owner was still dozing off, propping her head up with one hand on the table. It took her a while to realize she had a new customer. She quickly got up, pushed aside the chair that was in the way, and enthusiastically asked them what style of clothes they wanted to buy.

"This guest has a well-proportioned figure and an exceptionally outstanding appearance. She looks good in anything. Here, we recommend the currently popular combination of a white shirt, black tie, woolen vest, and trousers, which will surely meet your fashionable needs."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper took out a measuring tape and measured Ria's figure. Then, he picked through a pile of clothes on the hanger, picked out a set of clothes, and handed it to Ria, asking him to try it on in the fitting room. Ria did as he was told.

He carried a pile of clothes into the fitting room. At this moment, the shop owner turned her attention back to James. She frowned and thought for a long time: "Sir, we may not have your size. Do you need a custom-made service?"

"Oh, do I look like someone who would lack clothes? No, no, no, ma'am, I'm very happy with my current clothes and don't need any new ones. I'm just accompanying a friend to pick out some clothes, but I appreciate your kindness."

He lifted the brim of his hat to give a gentlemanly bow to the shop owner, then casually found two stools to push together, plopped down, and patiently waited for Ria to come out of the fitting room.

Lia moved quickly, and when he lifted the curtain of the fitting room and appeared in front of everyone, the shop owner's eyes lit up and he immediately praised him, making him sound like some strange creature that did not exist in the world.

Lia quickly stopped the other party from showering him with flattery, walked over to James, patted him on the shoulder, and gestured for him to pay.

James paid the money readily. The shop owner would probably never forget the stench of that money, but she gritted her teeth and pretended to be calm as she accepted it.

After all, you can't go against money, no matter who you are. Before leaving, Liya asked if they accepted used clothes. She successfully traded her old clothes for a scarf and a baseball cap, and also received a small token of faith.

He wrapped the scarf around his neck to cover his eyes, which he couldn't close no matter what. Although normal people couldn't see them, it was always good to be extra careful.

As for the hat, that was purely a matter of Lia's personal aesthetic taste.

After he finished dressing, the two left. On the way, Ria suddenly remembered Angena's unusual behavior and asked James about it.

"She clearly doesn't have a younger brother, so why would she lie?"

"Hmm... She really likes having you buy books, right? If that young lady doesn't have any relatives, she probably buys them for herself. For that alone, I admire her quite a bit."

"How to say?"

"Ha, the more barren the place, the more chaotic the rules. Here, once a woman possesses knowledge, she is considered a witch, and people will never let a witch go and will try every means to burn her."

So if you don't want that poor lady to be discovered secretly reading, especially a sensitive book like "The Encyclopedia of Mysterious Items," you have to find a way to keep it a secret.

Lia was greatly puzzled: "Such a bad habit still exists?"

"This seems ridiculous to us people with special status, but ordinary people don't think so. They only become more foolish under the influence of foolish people, stubbornly believing that their foolish behavior belongs to justice."

Go back and rest now. This isn't over yet. An investigator from the association died because of you, and other investigators will come here to collect his body. They will definitely investigate your so-called 'grave'.

Ordinary people who are not good at dealing with disorderly people think that burying Ria alive will solve the problem, but this is the worst thing to do.

Twisted as they are, they will not die so easily. Even if those people successfully kill a disordered person, without proper disposal of the body, the virus in the disordered person's body will rapidly multiply and expand. What they will eventually become will vary from person to person, but it will definitely not be something that anyone can watch while eating.

(End of this chapter)