Starting as Cipher-The Flame-Chaser Identity System(Honkai Star Rail)

Cipher had initially planned to take only a hundred or two Gold Dragons—just enough to get by. Despite being a thief, she still considered herself a decent person. She had no grudge against the Braun Family and wouldn't steal anything of particular importance.

But now it seemed that if she only took that small amount, the Brauns might not even notice they'd been robbed.

In that case, she wouldn't hold back. Cipher opened the shoulder bag she had just bought that day and began grabbing handful after handful of Gold Dragons, stuffing them inside. As the once-empty bag gradually filled, the crisp clinking of the coins rubbing against each other filled her with glee. Her lips curved into a smile, revealing a cute little fang, and her tail wagged briskly behind her.

She kept scooping until the bag bulged, unable to hold any more. But when she glanced back at the opened treasure chest, the pile of Gold Dragons inside showed barely any sign of being depleted.

"Tch, I should have bought a bigger backpack," Cipher muttered to herself. "Or maybe this world has magical storage items? Like a Storage Ring or something. I'll ask Feidric about it when I get back. Getting one would be perfect."

With her shoulder bag overflowing, Cipher pulled out a piece of paper and a pen she'd swiped from the study on the fourth floor. After a moment's thought, she began to write:

[Dear Viscount Braun,]

[Thank you so much for your generous donation! I'm truly grateful! ⸜(｡ ˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡]

[I'm only taking a small portion for now. Please continue to safeguard the remaining Gold Dragons for me. I'll be back when I need more~]

Cipher had originally intended to sign off with "Miss Phantom Thief Cat," but reconsidered. Would that be too obvious? What if Viscount Braun, in a fit of rage, issued a bounty for Catfolk?

It was doubtful there was another Catfolk besides Cipher in all of Stone Pine City. That would practically be doxxing her!

Instead, Cipher drew a simple, adorable cat face on the paper. This would serve as her signature, making it clear to Viscount Braun that any future thefts bearing the same cat doodle were committed by the same culprit.

Cipher was doing all this to "boost her fame."

She silently called out to her nearly nonexistent System. She saw that unlocking her next Identity required ten thousand Fame points, but she currently had only one hundred and one.

Pathetic, but not surprising. After all, she was virtually unknown. Those few points likely came from Aria and the others.

Cipher even considered sending advance "theft announcements" next time, then promptly stealing the item to give the world a taste of the Phantom Thief's flair.

With Divine Speed, stealing was effortless for her, no matter how tight the security.

After placing the paper and pen inside the open treasure chest, Cipher clapped her hands. "Done! Time to wrap this up!"

Activating Divine Speed, she left the room, relocked the door, and reattached the keychain to the guard's waist—all in an instant. Then, she raced from the second floor to the first and casually exited the mansion through the main gate.

A golden flash of electricity momentarily lit up the dimly lit street. In the blink of an eye, Cipher materialized "out of thin air" at the entrance of the Adventurer's Guild. She returned to the inn room she shared with Aria, less than fifteen minutes after leaving.

"I'm back~" Cipher chirped happily as she opened the door.

Inside, Aria, who had been sitting on the bed reading a folk tale, looked up. Her gaze immediately locked onto the tail swaying vigorously behind Cipher.

Having spent some time together, Aria had learned to gauge Cipher's mood by observing her tail. There was no doubt: Cipher was genuinely delighted.

After all, who wouldn't be overjoyed at suddenly receiving a large sum of money? Cipher was already daydreaming about what to do with this windfall.

Her first impulse was to buy a house and a car, but she quickly realized the futility of owning property in this world. As an adventurer, she was destined to roam, never staying in one place for long.

As for buying a car, wouldn't that just be buying a horse? It might be somewhat useful, but not really, since she could outrun a horse easily.

Cipher pondered further. Besides a house and a car, the only thing she really needed right now was a Storage Ring.

In her previous life as a citizen of Earth, her view of money had always been to save it for a house and a car. But what if she actually managed to buy both and pay off all the loans in her lifetime? She'd still keep saving—for her children's future homes and cars if she had any, or for her own retirement and medical expenses if she remained single and childless.

Now, for the first time, Cipher felt genuinely perplexed. She had no idea what to spend her money on.

If this were an RPG game, the first thing a player would do upon acquiring funds would be to upgrade their equipment and replenish consumables to boost their combat power. But none of that applied to Cipher.

She had a healthy dose of self-awareness. In this world, her strength was considerable. After activating Divine Speed, she could instantly kill almost any humanoid creature with just a small knife.

She could simply rush forward and slit their throats, ending the battle instantly. But her lingering reluctance to kill might prevent her from acting.

Therefore, buying equipment to enhance her combat prowess seemed pointless.

"So, is a Storage Ring really my only option? What happens after I buy it? Will all the money I earn afterward be useless to me?"

Lost in these thoughts, Cipher took a leisurely bath and went to bed. She wasn't one to dwell on things; if she couldn't figure it out right away, she'd set it aside. After all, having money on hand couldn't hurt.

The next day, Cipher woke up early as usual. While stretching, she circled Stone Pine City, searching for any shops related to magic. She found nothing—not even a hint of a magic shop, let alone a Storage Ring.

Back at the Adventurer's Guild, she ran into Feidric, who had also risen early (though Douglas's snoring had actually woken him). After some inquiries, she learned that magic was far from common in this land.