Nyahhh~ I forgot to choose a new outfit for myself last night, but I suppose that there's no harm in doing it now. Better late than never, I always say! I'm finally ready to move on from my raincoat phase. I want to move on to a more fashionable outfit. I'm going to do some strange things for this one, I can feel it. I don't really have a choice considering the options are slim. Even though I saved up two weeks to earn level 20 pieces, I really didn't get that many. It's underwhelming. I'll need to add to it more after. First thing's first. Breakfast. Getting dressed into my raincoat outfit one final time, I felt nostalgic. And somewhat sad. I like my style right now, no one else really wears raincoats. Nevertheless, I simply must move on with my life. Fashion never waits for the seasons to change. Maybe I should keep this outfit as a remember me? Stuff it into my treasure chest? Yosh!

I was thinking such things as I made my way towards the Foyeur. On arrival, it would appear that breakfast has not yet been served. It's not even in progress. I must be the first one awake. I suppose that breakfast duty is on me tonight! Beginning to prepare a platter, I was joined by the eternally grumpy Bear. Pleasant. We spent our time cooking the Fish while arguing over which were better. Fish or Berries. Apparently he likes Fish as much as the next guy, but Berries are fantastic. He's trying to convince me to go forage Berries for him but there's no way in hell that I'm about to go do that. Like I have time to spend on going to steal the Goblin populace's main source of food simply for a more nutritious breakfast. Tonight is my outfit change night, gosh darnit! I'm not about to do this side quest. No! I said NO!

After around twenty unbearable minutes with the Bear, we finally finished preparing breakfast. There are no Berries. He's considerably pissed off, but I don't have time for his shenanigans. I asked Weeping Angel to perform opera to help drown out his roaring aggression while I ate. It was a fantastic meal. Truly, blissful. If only there were windows in the Wailing Keep to allow me to view the sunset while I ate, like the good ol' days. I suppose we could always begin eating breakfast by the fire and just ignore the Dining Hall, but I enjoy the tables it gives. The capability to use cutlery, and to have a plate... I wouldn't want to go without them. I need better camping equipment before I can manage eating outside every single time again. I should have asked Vigi for some with the order, but I feel as though I should place priority on improving life for the Villagers above myself who is already living somewhat luxuriously.

Over the course of the meal, Cetilla reminded me that tonight is the weekly Safari Card Game Tournament. Jeez. I forgot about that. I suppose that we can hold it after I go handle outfits. Yosh! We ended up needing to explain the rules of the game to several of our newer companions, who are now being added to the roster of participants. Due to that, I decided to let everyone else start the Tournament without me. I can just come back later and have my matches all in a row. It's no problem. That way, when other participants have finished all their scheduled matches; they can just drop out for a while as they go and choose their clothing.

After finishing my meal, I went and made my way to the Treasure Room. I'm now grabbing buckets of Candy. We have a whopping 18 and a half of these bad boys. I have exactly 9 Gold Coins and 450 Silver Coins, making up 9450 Silver Coins total. I intend to rent 3 carriages for 150 Silver Coins, so I really only have 9300 capable of being spent. I intend to purchase a lot of Apples as well as to commission a Lumbermill, so I should save 2 Gold Coins for that… Still leaving me with 7300 Silver Coins. If I were to slowly take these Coins to the Candy man, I would eventually be able to walk out of there with around 7300 Candies. I can generally fit 90 Candies into a bucket, so there would be more than 73 buckets being obtained from the deal. That's a whole lot of Candy. I should honestly just pay the Candy man to close up shop and only work for me. We're at the point where I want that much Candy. I genuinely want more than 73 buckets of Candy.

I don't want it all just for war effort, obviously. I feel as though 20 buckets is probably safe for a war. Maybe 30 if I want to be really prepared. The remainder? I want to spend them on clothes. With 73 buckets of Candy, I can no doubt fully clothe all of the Goblin Villagers as well as obtain the necessities to properly clothe the Monster Knights in potentially even level 30 clothes. That's a big jump from the level 20 clothes that I'm already struggling to procure for them. I could even clothe the Harpies, and include the Tier 3 Harpies as Monster Knights. I could use the remaining level 5 to 20 clothes as shipments for Clive, allowing the Clothing Store to step into more lucrative sales. I'll be pretending that level 20 is the new ceiling, and I'll have his store sell them at raised prices to increase the desire to obtain them. We'll make more profit off of the first rate adventurers and more prominent nobles who would otherwise probably only attain one set of clothes before choosing to wait until level 25 clothes were to be released.

If they don't sell immediately to the wealthy due to people not being able to afford them, then they'll become something that people work towards while trying to earn their Coin faster than anyone else. It will become a race to see who can get the best clothes first. I doubt that I'll let the level 25 clothes slip into the market before I myself gain even higher than level 30 clothes. 5 levels above just doesn't feel right to me anymore. I need a better advantage, as 5 levels really isn't that big of a deal. If the other side had a considerably larger number of forces to face us, yet those numbers also only had a 5 level difference in clothes… It might prove to be a pretty troublesome battle.

I need to have the end game boss appeal of possessing stats unattainable by the general public if I hope to turn around the sorry state of the Lost Kingdom. Like I'm intended to be faced when the next batch of updates comes out, but for whatever reason... I get stronger with every update. I need to be THAT type of boss if I want to help this Kingdom. Regular armor could probably still beat my clothes in terms of sturdiness, but only if you're willing to pay an extremely hefty sum for it. Even at that point, if you don't possess the capability to move properly in that armor... Then it's wasted. I think that's the number one reason why my product appeals to nobles.

I need to take advantage of that. Nobles have the most Coin to spare, and normally speaking; that Coin would otherwise be spent on war efforts. One might say that purchasing the clothes themselves counts as a war effort, but it's not as effective if the clothes purchased are inferior against the enemy's clothes. The way that I spend my profits is probably the best thing to do when facing those pesky nobles who thirst for war. I spend the vast majority of my profits on things completely unrelated to war. I give back some of my profits to one Blacksmith who I'm also currently suckling profits from. I give back some of my profits to worker class citizens. I also gave some of my profits to a Merchant, and to a Broom store in an entirely different territory. But most of my profits this time are intended to go to a Candy man.

Think of it this way. Brooms are made for Witches, which are impractical for Nobles of Reygid to make use of. The added funds being given to the Hag's Hollow can never be returned to Reygid. It's like I just took 4500 Silver Coins from the Beastkin Kingdom economy and then threw them into an entirely different economy. Me giving profits to the Candy man means that trade involving sugary sweets across the continent will boom, but that kind of trade still can't be used for the war effort. How is an increase in sweets being attainable going to help their war effort? It simply won't. It might help mine, though they will never figure that out. Who could assume that a potential catastrophe monster would thrive in an environment where Candy is easily attainable yet nothing else is? The Blacksmith will use the profits to make new weapons to be sold to Nobles, so it's kind of a loss for me but he's already losing out on so much profits from my clothes; that it's more like a charity case than anything else. Rudou is another potential loss for me. I have no idea how he will put the bandit's funds to use, but at least he's a Merchant. He'll be aiming to secure a profit, not to throw it all away by investing into a war effort. Clive is the same.

Nobles are dangerous because they're born with wealth, and many of them choose to spend it. Most Nobles in Reygid own large farms which are used to slowly secure Coins for their coffers; but it's not exactly lucrative business. They simply have wealth because they waited generations to attain it. Sometimes, their children decide that in order to vastly increase their wealth... They need more land to farm in. That's where the war effort comes into play. These guys only think about farming land. It's silly. You farm to feed the populace, slowly suckling money from them almost as though it were a tax. Yet for some reason... It makes sense to send off those taxed citizens to war where they would die and henceforth no longer need your food? At least the Vellisroi family seems to have come to understand that war is futile for their own particular cause, seeing as how Roy no longer takes part in their wars.

They might also be sending people out to wars in attempts at obtaining resources from the fallen enemies, or they might be doing it in attempts at gaining valuable materials from slain monsters encountered along the way. I suppose that Rabbit fur might be a valuable crafting material, or something along those lines? It's too difficult to challenge the Lost Kingdom ecosystem without an army backing you, so you convince the army that it actually isn't a collection mission and that you're aiming to conquer an enemy Kingdom waiting past the Lost Kingdom. You convince them that they're helping gather the materials from fallen monsters in order to help pay the army after the war. Then, you stay near the back lines and watch as your army dies. When you signal the retreat, you ask that the few survivors help carry the materials back to the Kingdom... And you only use a portion of the funds gained in order to pay the remaining army. It's probably something like that.

It could honestly all be solved if a noble learned how to fight for themself, and I think I might have finally realized why Cetilla has neglected her inheritance in order to become an adventurer. Even if you choose the life of a noble, you'll probably end up just forcing other people to be adventurers for you. At that point, why not just be an adventurer instead? It would certainly cause less guilt for yourself in the long run. I'm glad that my companions are all still alive. I don't know how I might feel if Cyclozard for example were to die in a war that I asked him to fight. Yikes. Roy probably stopped helping the war efforts after Rei's father died. Someone close to him died fighting his battle, and he has continued to see that someone's daughter grow up alongside his own. Cetilla, who knows how her best friend's father died in a war only held in attempts to line her family's pockets, chose to instead neglect those pockets entirely. My heart... It's warm.

I was thinking such things as I munched on considerable amounts of Candy to create new pieces while aiming at level 20. I ended up devouring 10 buckets of Candy, but it's fine. I have adequate funds to go and buy more Candy tomorrow morning. I spent an hour or so adding them to the other piles of clothes, and then began to spread out the pile of level 20 clothes to choose my outfit. I decided to go with a pair of loose fit clown pants. They're vertically striped black and white, so I thought I might as well. Due to their size, they don't actually fit me properly. I currently have the bottom of the pants rolled up, so the entire pair appears to be extremely baggy. Thankfully, the waist has an elastic band of some sort to make it fit properly around there. I can still fit swim shorts on underneath, and the pants feel light; so I'm here for it. Pairing with the loose fit clown pants, I decided to switch it up and get a white long sleeved collared shirt. I think it's supposed to go with a cowboy costume. I'm tucking it in underneath my pants, and rolling up the sleeves to my elbows. I was also able to fit a grey short sleeved tee shirt underneath, so it was nice. I'm adding a black hippie vest to wear over top of it. I chose a smooth orange scarf to keep things true to Halloween, and even went so far as to grab some purple aviators. The scarf is pretty long, even if I roll it around my neck a few times; so it's hanging down.

In order to hide my rolled up pants, I decided to throw in some shin-high black leather boots. They're flats, thank god. I chose to adorn my head in a pilot hat. It's black, has gold pieces adorning the front of it; and my ears mysteriously fit underneath it. To top it all off, I began searching for accessories to fit alongside it. I found a pair of yellow swim trunks, two golden hoop bracelets, an orange sash belt to tie around my waist, and socks! They're actually black stockings and reach up most of my legs, even far enough for my swim trunks to be hiding where they stop... But no one will ever see them. I refuse to allow it. I want socks, dammit! I'm still wearing my trusted Emerald Gold necklace. The results of my choosings are as followed:

Level 20 black and white striped clown pants for 20/20 P./M. DEF.

Level 20 yellow swim trunks for 40 M. DEF.

Level 20 white long sleeve collar shirt for 40 P. DEF.

Level 20 grey short sleeve tee shirt for 20/20 P./M. DEF.

Level 20 black pilot hat for 20/20 P./M. DEF.

Level 19 black vest for 38 M. DEF.

Level 19 orange long scarf for 19/19 P./M. DEF.

Level 19 black leather boots for 38 P. DEF.

Level 18 purple aviators for 36 P. DEF.

Level 18 black stockings for 36 M. DEF.

Level 17 gold hoop bracelet for 34 P. DEF.

Level 17 orange sash belt for 34 M. DEF.

Level 16 gold hoop bracelet for 32 P. DEF.

Level ? Emerald Gold Necklace for 8 INT.

Name: Unnamed Monster (Nero Miki)

Race: Cat (Halloween)

Weapon: Lantern (Poor Iron Lantern)

Mount: Broom (Cerberus String Emberwood Broom)

Class: Halloween Cat (Sub Class: Witch/Tamer)

Level: 42

HP: 210/210

MP: 293/1220(+380)

SP: 87/100

FP: 93/100

P. DEF: 259

M. DEF: 227

STR: 168

INT: 610(+190)

DEX: 126

LUK: 42

AGI: 360(+108)

Titles:

[True Halloween Cat+1], [From Another World], [Fish Mongerer+1], [Master of Disguise+1]

Abilities Learned:

[Flying Broom+1], [Soul Merge], [Clansmen Capture], [Hallowed Gate+1], [This is Halloween], [Wailing Keep], [Language Comprehension+1], [Shapeshift+2], [Barrier+1], [Daily Candy+1], [Claw Fishing+2], [Disguise+3], [Recovery by Sleep+1], [Enhanced Meditating+2], [Swim+1], [10 Minute Makeover], [Pumpkin Bomb]

Looking at my status, it would appear as though I gained around 100 P./M. DEF. There's no longer any doubt at all over who's more sturdy between Crowli and I. It might take a little while before I get used to the look and feel of my new outfit, but I'll just need to manage. Particularly the stockings... It feels strange to wear them. I think I should probably just try and procure regular socks from clothing stores not being supplied by me. They might be less comfortable, but at least they won't reach up this high. Nyahhhh~

After vacating the Throne Room in my new attire, I informed Cetilla, Mobbin Village Keef Sama, Cloaked Hunk #wassup, Goblin Hunk, White Sheep Lady, Rei, and Milton that any clothes left in the Throne Room were theirs for the taking should they desire them. I decided to take some time to ask the other Monster Knights of how they felt about clothing. The Rifaleesi said she had no need for any, as she was covered in fur and her current form would not properly fit into humanoid apparel. The Rabbit, Bear, and Wolfenrine all felt the same way.

Vana said that she was willing to try accessories, but her wings would likely get in the way for anything too major. The Lamias claimed that they were willing to try accessories and potentially shirts. Shucks! The Cat's Costumery Clothing Brand needs to reach out to more body shapes! This is unacceptable! I also have no feasible way to change it though, so I guess I'll just cry in a corner for a little while. I didn't get a chance to ask the Kitsune or Leshi on account of them being asleep, but I can already imagine the Kitsune's response. The Leshi might be able to fit something loose on though.

While eating Fish by the fire and discussing with the others their own quarrels with clothing, Cetilla emerged from the Wailing Keep. She now has a pirate costume on. It's way too provocative for her age. Long black knee high boots, a red frilly skirt dress with corsets and a belt. A big pirate captain hat, no sleeves. Jeez... I'm glad that I'm not currently attracted to her. I'd probably just roll over and die if I swooned right now.

Around 10 minutes later, Mobbin Village Keef Sama arrived wearing a pharaoh costume. It's all black and gold trim, quite extravagant. There are golden anklets with strange designs adorning his legs, he has a full on cape, but looks somewhat on the conservative side. He doesn't show much skin aside from his lower legs. He has a pharaoh mask covering the top half of his face. Goddin Village Neith Sama?!

Cloaked Hunk #wassup returned shortly after while wearing a pastor outfit. He's still a Cloaked Hunk. Cloaked Monk? I'm fairly certain that he's already given up his chastity, but okay~ Goblin Hunk arrived while dressed head to toe as if he were about to step into a disco. He's got the afro wig, he's got the high waisted black pants with loose ankles, he has a baggy and colorful shirt tucked in underneath his pants, but it still has plenty of bagginess and he even brought sunglasses. His silver boots have platforms. Goblin Funk?!

White Sheep Lady returned while wearing a cow costume. It reminds me of the costume that I wore that one time when I fought against the Spider monster in the Chasms. White Beef Lady? Rei returned wearing an alien costume. I say that, but it's not a very committed costume. She's wearing a headband with antennae, some pretty retro sunglasses, and a very glittery dress which has a ton of cheap looking frills making it appear somewhat like a child's princess dress. Rather than show her fur, she's wearing some kind of glittery spandex pants which might be rolled up towards the top to let her tail escape through the clutter of frills. The entire outfit is colored light blue and matches her eyes. A few moments later, Milton arrived and shocked me greatly. He's wearing an astronaut suit. They're totally wearing a set of couple costumes. I could squeal right now, but I'm going to play it off cool.

After everyone had finished making their entrance, I joined in on the Safari Card Game Tournament and ended up with a shocking defeat against a few of the contestants. Goddin Village Neith Sama, the Rabbit, my Tier 5 Bat, Cloaked Monk, and even Felsi who apparently woke up specifically for this as she had been informed about the event a few days ago. They all beat me. Goddin Village Neith Sama ended up taking the crown and becoming our new Safari Card King. Next week, it will be different. I'll take my crown back yet. They'll see. They'll all see!

I decided to get to sleep early tonight. I want to go visit the Candy man at dawn so that I can make up for the splurging that I did earlier. Informing one of my Crows to wake me before dawn, I bid farewell to all of my companions and made my way to bed. Taking off my new outfit was more time consuming than the last one, but I suppose that's just the price you pay when you want good stats. I decided to hide the stockings under my pillow. No way is anyone walking in and seeing those! No sir! Good morning~

***************

"CAWW! CAWW! CAWW!" [Crow] cawwed to wake Nero.

"mmHMMMnNyuhh~ [Daily Candy]!" [Nero] fumbled around while still in his Cat form.

I'm awake. Just kind of. I guess that I should have gone to sleep earlier. I tried. I really tried. I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for that meddling weekly Safari Card Game Tournament getting in my way. Maybe I can just not get Candy this morning? Skip it and let our war rations be in dire straits for one more night?...NYAH! I suppose there's no helping it. I must go. I must do this. I'm not the hero they deserve... I'm the hero they need.

Steeling my resolve, I got up and changed my form. After pulling up my big boy stockings and swim trunks, I threw on my tee shirt and buttoned up my overshirt. After tucking it in as I put on my overly large clown pants, I then rolled up the legs before throwing on my leather boots and vest. I then grabbed my jacket and began wrapping the scarf around my neck several times, before placing my new pilot hat on my head. Last but not least, I scavenged around for my bracelets and aviators before getting my sash belt and looping it around my waist. It's no joke to say that this outfit is seriously way too high maintenance for me. I want to cry.

Finally dressed, I began to fly towards the Kitchen. I only cooked enough Fish for me, so it didn't take very long at all. I ended up eating my meal outside by the dying fire. The Kitsune, Rabbit, Rifaleesi, and surprisingly... Cloaked Monk were all awake. I spent my time eating while talking with the small group. I say that, but the Rifaleesi and Rabbit were actually busy playing in the background so they only chimed in on the conversation a few times. It was all just small talk, and I really didn't learn anything new at all. I want to talk to the Leshi about where the Deer originated from, but she's not here. I should have asked her last night during the Safari Card Game Tournament. Oh well~

Finishing my meal, I bid my farewells to the group and made my way to the Beastkin Kingdom. It's time for more Candy! Arriving at the Candy Store was seriously uneventful. I spent around 20 minutes flying to save my MP, and it was kind of relaxing. I still feel tired though, so I'm not really enjoying it all too much. Finally reaching the Candy Store, I opened the door and walked inside.

"Hello~" [Nero] called while entering the establishment.

"Oh! Welcome back, I've come across some new treats which I think you might fancy!" [Koalakin Candy Man] greeted Nero with a smile before gesturing towards a few jars in the store.

"Hohh? What are those?" [Nero] asked with eyes wide while taking a peek at the new Candy.

"These are Sugared Ginger, while these over here are Glace Orange Peels!" [Koalakin Candy Man] exclaimed as he let Nero taste each type of Candy.

"Wonderful. I would like to add these to my list of Candy. I would like to spend over 7 Gold Coins on my favorite types of Candy. This order is excessively large, so I'm fully aware that you may not be able to complete it all in one sitting. I'm prepared to return multiple times to see this order to its completion, if that is alright with you." [Nero] happily tasted the two Candies before he began to explain his situation.

"7 Gold Coins?! I thank you for your patronage, but as you say… I have no way to complete the order at this current moment. We can try to fulfill as much of it as possible right now, but would you like for me to come and see you when I have gained the remainder? You should not feel the need to come in more than two trips." [Koalakin Candy Man] gasped before thanking me and continuing to ask about the rest of the purchase details.

"That would be appreciated… In that case, how about you try to bring the remainder to the Cheetah Man, Clive's Clothing Store in Reygid? I'll ask him to make preparations to receive them and hold onto them until I next come to town." [Nero] stated before coming up with an idea.

"That sounds fine. I know the place." [Koalakin Candy Man] agreed.

"Very well, I'll give you the 7 Gold Coins now to help you with procuring the Candy. I'll go fetch some buckets to carry the first purchase while you count the Candy now." [Nero] proclaimed as he took 7 Coins from his new jacket pocket out and handed them to the Candy Man.

"Oh! That reminds me~ I took the liberty of acquiring this bag. It should help you carry the Candy without needing to rely on that monster." [Koalakin Candy Man] exclaimed while rummaging around some boxes before pulling out a rather large sac made from some type of cloth.

"...Thank you." [Nero] said while removing his hat and slightly bowing.

And with that, the Koalakin counted out a hefty amount of my favorite types of Candy before throwing them into the bag one by one. He spent a considerable amount of time doing it, so I honestly don't know how much Candy there is. I decided to put them into empty Candy buckets later so that I could know generally just how much Candy I now own. After he finished, he thanked me once again for my purchase, and I thanked him for the Candy as well. Everything's peachy~

After I left the Candy Store, I chose to return home via a Hallowed Gate at the Beach. Lugging the massive sac of Candy was uncomfortable, but it went off without a hitch. I can't believe we made it. The cloth sac is surprisingly durable. It's a dark green color though, so I doubt that I'd ever choose to carry it around as a fashion statement. It doesn't go well with my outfit. Arriving back in the Throne Room, I closed my gate and reopened it here. I ditched my sac of Candy in the Treasure Room. I'll do that later. I don't have the energy right now. I'm going back to sleep! Nyah!