After hearing Rina's comment, Nicole was stunned.
Her jaw dropped in disbelief as she looked at Lycaon. "Every one of your commissions is worth millions of Dennies?"
Lycaon glanced at Nicole, then at Sam Li, and slowly nodded. "Some even reach tens of millions."
That was it.
Nicole was completely numb.
She didn't even dare dream of million-Denny commissions. If she could land just one order worth a million Dennies per month, she'd be thrilled for weeks.
Now she was genuinely curious—how did Lycaon even find those rich clients and convince them to shell out millions for a single commission?
"Um... Mr. Lycaon, how do you get all these high-paying clients? Do you trick them? Or... threaten them?"
"Miss Nicole, Victoria Housekeeping is a legitimate business. We don't engage in anything illegal."
"Then how do you do it?"
"That's a trade secret…"
Lycaon frowned slightly, clearly displeased with the blunt question.
But then he glanced at Nicole again—then at Sam Li—like something had just occurred to him.
He said slowly, "However... if Miss Nicole is willing to agree to one condition, I can introduce you to a few clients."
Nicole's eyes lit up. "Okay, let's hear it. What's the condition?"
With complete seriousness, Lycaon said, "Let Sam Li join Victoria Housekeeping—"
He hadn't even finished the sentence before Nicole cut him off with a firm shake of her head.
"No way. Sam Li is our ace at Hare's House. We're not giving him up to anyone—don't even think about it."
Unbelievable!
Just a few days ago, Soldier 11 tried to poach him, and now Victoria Housekeeping was pulling the same stunt—trying to steal talent right in front of her!
What, do they not have their own employees? Always eyeing someone else's team?
Nicole refused on the spot.
There was no room for negotiation.
She'd rather miss out on million-Denny commissions than hand over one of her teammates.
...
After that brief episode, everyone finished resting.
It was time to leave the Hollow.
As they packed up, the director suddenly remembered something and rushed over to Nicole.
"Hey, hey, Miss Nicole, my commission isn't finished yet—the Star-Emblem Knight trailer still needs to be filmed..."
Nicole sighed. "This is the middle of the Hollow. You don't seriously want to shoot here, do you? Bring the props outside or at least to the edge. Billy, Nekomata—you two help the director carry some gear."
Billy perked up instantly. "Sure thing! Director, don't forget—you promised I'd get to play the Star-Emblem Knight!"
The director nodded. "I haven't forgotten."
Looking at the pile of props, he felt a little regretful—there was no way to take them all back. He carefully picked out only the essentials and stuffed them into a big burlap sack, which Billy then hauled onto his shoulder.
"Director, aren't you packing too much? This? And this? What's all this for? And this Ethereal costume is way too big—grab a smaller one."
"Of course they're useful. I didn't take anything we don't need. What, you think I'm greedy for props? Please—I'm not even interested in this stuff!"
"Then maybe pack a little lighter! Hey, hey—this is too heavy. I can't carry it!"
"You're the Star-Emblem Knight—you can handle it!"
"..."
Billy hunched over, struggling with the massive sack, his slim waist nearly buckling under the weight.
...
An hour later, guided by Radish, the group reached the edge of the Hollow.
Nicole turned to Billy. "Alright, drop the bag here. Director, Billy, Sam Li—you three get the set and props ready. I'm heading outside the Hollow to finalize the transaction with Victoria Housekeeping. I'll be back soon."
Billy collapsed against a rock, gasping. "Got it, boss. Go ahead."
Most of the filming had already been done.
According to the director's script, they only had a few shots left to finish.
Under his direction, they quickly set up the scene and arranged the props.
This time, the director kept his promise—Billy finally got to wear the Star-Emblem Knight armor.
As for the Ethereal role... it went to Nekomata.
The moment she heard that, Nekomata sprang up in protest.
"Meow?! Why me?! Shouldn't Sam Li play that part?"
Previously, Sam Li had played the Star-Emblem Knight while Billy portrayed the Ethereal.
Shouldn't they be switching roles this time?
The director scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry. The Ethereal costume Billy wore got wrecked during the last battle. While I was grabbing props earlier, Billy kept whining about how heavy everything was, so I only brought the smallest Ethereal suit. Sam Li's too tall to fit into it—you're the only one who can wear it..."
He looked genuinely embarrassed. He hadn't expected the costume to be that small.
Nekomata stared at the tiny Ethereal outfit in front of her, absolutely dead inside.
But what could she do?
A job was a job.
Reluctantly, she suited up.
...
A few minutes later, Nekomata stood beside Billy, now fully dressed in the mini Ethereal costume.
Compared to Billy, she looked like a pint-sized junior Ethereal—not even reaching his shoulder.
Billy looked her up and down, clearly uncomfortable. "Director... are you sure I'm supposed to fight her?"
The proud Star-Emblem Knight... facing off against a baby-sized Ethereal?
Something about it just felt wrong.
The director covered his face. "Let's just shoot the scene..."
"..."
...
An hour passed.
Thanks to Billy and Nekomata's reluctant cooperation, they finally finished the last shot.
Though Billy technically got to play the Star-Emblem Knight, he was totally miserable about it. Every time he looked at Nekomata in that tiny Ethereal costume, he wanted to sink into the ground.
This wasn't a proper victory!
If anyone in the Star-Emblem Knight fan group ever saw this footage, his reputation would be done for.
"Ahem. Director, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead. If I can do it, I will."
"Promise me—don't tell anyone I played the Star-Emblem Knight in this version. If anyone asks, just say... say Sam Li did it."
"Uh... sorry, I already promised Mr. Sam Li I'd keep his involvement secret."
"Then say Anby played the role!"
"Miss Anby played the damsel in distress…"
"I don't care. Just don't say it was me."
"..."
Before filming started, everything sounded great.
But during the shoot, one problem came after another—and the final result turned out way worse than expected.
Still...
At least they finished filming.
Just as Billy and Nekomata were about to change out of costume, Nicole returned from outside the Hollow, having completed the delivery and collected one million Dennies from Victoria Housekeeping.
She had just stepped back into view...
When she spotted Nekomata in that adorable little Ethereal outfit.
Nicole clutched her stomach and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! That tiny Ethereal... wait, is that Nekomata in there?!"
Nekomata panicked. "It's not me! I'm Anby, meow!"
Anby: "..."