Chapter 57: "How’s Your Mother?"

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: "How’s Your Mother?"

Lucien was halfway through the front gate when he spotted the Blackstone crew unloading loads of enchanted materials.

"Morning," he said.

The foreman bowed. "Mr. Lucien. We are here for the master bedroom expansion."

They ran through the plan quickly, expanded walls, reinforced flooring, a widened bathroom connection, additional mana lighting, structural reinforcement heavy enough to support the massive bed waiting in his storage ring.

"...You remember the bed needs space," Lucien said.

The foreman’s mustache twitched. "Hard to forget a bed built for five people."

"Right," Lucien said, coughing, and left them to it.

---

He hailed a carriage and watched the city slide by demons heading to work, adventurers hauling gear, merchants rolling up shutters, a mana powered cart competing with an enchanted one for the same lane.

’I really need my own transportation,’ he thought, not for the first time. ’Magical carriage or maybe a flying mount. Something. Anything besides hailing a carriages every single time, and why don’t they have cars here, I mean the technology is advanced enough for it, right?’

’Anyway it’s a future purchase for sure.’

---

The commercial guild district felt different alone, no wives drawing stares, just another young adventurer, though a good looking one with an absurd amount of gold to spend.

He soon approached an elegant three-story shop with a blue moon and fire symbol at its entrance, Moonfire Emporium, the same shop as before, deciding this was a good place since they would have everything he needed.

A female Oni employee who recognized him from before instantly due his and his wives looks.

"Welcome, sir, is there anything I can help you with?" She asked with a professional smile adorning her red skinned face as he glanced at her name tag, Lisa.

She glanced at his list he showed her. "...Preparing for a dungeon?"

"Yeah, a high ranking one too."

She paused, reassessing him. "Then we need to prepare properly?"

"Yes."

Her professional smile sharpened into something more serious. "Then let me help you properly."

---

Blood came first, though she had no clue why he needed blood if he was going to a dungeon, even if he was a vampire, healing potions would be better, though she kept that to herself, having learned not to stick her nose is customers business.

She led him to the other professions floor contianing ingredients for various purposes and laid out the options across the counter each in a vial with one vial being of about 10ml.

Ironback Boar Blood (C-Rank, Common) — 200 gold per vial.

Normal Kobold Blood (D-Rank, Common) — 50 gold per vial.

Shadow Panther Blood (C-Rank, Rare) — 450 gold per vial.

Venomfang Serpent Blood (B-Rank, Uncommon) — 1,200 gold per vial.

Storm Hawk Blood (B-Rank, Rare) — 1,400 gold per vial.

Crimson Bear Blood (A-Rank, Rare) — 15,000 gold per vial.

Normal Goblin Blood (E-Rank, Common) — 10 gold per vial.

Normal Orc Blood (A-Rank, Uncommon) — 7,000 gold per vial.

Minotaur Blood (B-Rank, Rare) — 5,000 gold per vial.

Hell Hound Blood (C-Rank, Uncommon) - 550 gold per vial.

.

.

.

Infernal Wyrm Blood (SS-Rank, Super Rare) — 10,000,000 gold per vial.

Lucien blinked at the last one. "...How much did you say?"

She repeated it, unbothered. "Ten million, but we only have 2 vials of it, should I add it to your cart sir?"

He slowly slid it back across the counter. "I’ll come back when I’m richer."

He bought several vials each of the C, B and A-Rank options instead enough to fill reserves and test extraction, not enough to bankrupt himself on curiosity.

’Don’t even know what I’ll get yet,’ he thought. ’No point dumping money on every bottle that looks interesting, though for what I know, that’s a different story.’

---

The scythe came next.

She led him to a the weapons floor just below amd headed to the specialized cprner once he explained the paired-weapon concept.

Options ranged Common to Super Rare, some from the same forge, others being dropped from dungeon chests, prices climbing steeply with rank. He winced at the Super Rare listing [Crimson Reaper’s Embrace] — 4,500,000 gold, and settled one tier down.

[Twin Reaper Scythes — Rare]

’Blacksteel and Mana Infused Silver, connected by a flexible mana-conductive chain.’

’Designed for rotational attacks, hooking maneuvers, and rapid directional shifts. Chain reinforces via user mana.’ She explained to Lucien.

850,000 gold.

Lucien’s eyes lit up immediately.

’And I could reinforce the chain with blood, too. Or replace sections of it entirely when needed.’

He added them to his cart without hesitation.

---

Cultivation Rank Concealment followed.

Options ranged from Common suppression items to a Super Rare skills he couldn’t afford, and he settled on a Rare skill.

[Auraveil — Rare]

’Suppresses and disguises cultivation aura, usable up to SSS-Rank targets. Higher mastery allows mimicking another rank’s fluctuations, though only those lower than you.’

600,000 gold.

’Perfect,’ he thought. ’Because "how do I get stronger" stopped being the problem. "How do I explain it" is the actual problem now, hopefully its solved with this, atleast for a while.’

After that he stayed on this floor looking for any good or useful skills and found one he thought Seraphina would love as he read its description.

[Appraisal — Uncommon]

Examines materials, ingredients, equipment, and magical items. Depth of information scales with intelligence, knowledge, profession, and mastery.

420,000 gold.

"What the hell, isn’t this alot for an Uncommon skill?"

"No sir, most profession related skills are priced like this as it’s harder to aquire, this being the only one of this rank we have, and those that need them ready to spend huge amounts to aquire, hence raising their prices further, though our prices are the best you can get in the city." She explained to him.

"Damn, rich people." He muttered.

’But Seraphina would love this, since she is practicing alchemy, and I could get an investment back from it.’ he thought, adding it to his cart immediately.

Then he remembered Evelisse, and her complaining about not having a mana sensing skill, so he looked and found one for her.

[Mana Sight — Rare]

Grants visual perception of mana flow and fluctuations.

299,999 gold.

’Damn even other worlds have these kind of price tags, what the hell?’

He bought that too.

---

Armor for the wives took longer as he looked for the best possible ones for each wife.

[Moonveil Robe — Uncommon] for Seraphina — mana regeneration, magical resistance, potion effectiveness boost. 700,000 gold.

[Guard Bracers — Uncommon] for Evelisse — increase mana control, physical resistance and magical resistance. 500,500 gold.

[Crimson Warplate — Uncommon] for Aurelia — physical defense, impact resistance, mana enhancement.

He hesitated on that last one.

’Her veins are still recovering, I don’t want anything interfering with that process.’

He asked the employee for something that boosted defense without disrupting internal mana flow, and she swapped it for a lighter alternative.

[Featherweight Vestplate — Rare], 700,200 gold, defense-focused with zero need for internal mana.

"Better, though it’s cheap Rare rank Armour "

"That is because it doesn’t have any mana based effects, sir."

Estate defense came next , a [Protection Array — Rare], capable of shielding several people temporarily, plus detection talismans, an alarm array, and a handful of communication crystals.

’After Vane,’ he thought, ’one barrier clearly isn’t enough anymore.’

Potions were next, and predictably tedious.

"How many?" the employee asked.

"...Enough to last."

She waited.

"...How many is ’enough’?"

He stared at the massive list, healing, mana restoration, antidotes, bleeding suppressants, stamina recovery, mental clarity, minor regeneration.

"I don’t know."

She sighed, professionally. "I’ll calculate it for you."

---

Dungeon supplies rounded things out, ready-to-eat rations, water purification crystals, portable mana lights, spare clothing, blankets, rope, basic medical kits, spare weapons, sharpening stones, maintenance oil, and communication crystals, since phones apparently died the moment you stepped past a dungeon threshold.

’Figures, where would they get reception from in dungeons?’

’Sheesh, an adventurer basically needs to carry an entire house, or Mayne I am going overboard?’ he thought, watching the pile grow.

---

He checked his balance mid-shopping, still faintly disbelieving.

’Vane’s original stash of about ninety thousand gold, invested into the girls and multiplied.’

’I have about ten million, give or take, but why don’t I feel rich at all?’

’Anyway, thanks for the inheritance,’ he thought, almost fondly. ’Truly, your greatest contribution in your life, Vane.’

After making sure he had everything, they headed back down to cash out everything he picked.

"Does this city have banks?" he asked, curious as they walked down.

"Yes," the female employee said, "though mostly civilians, merchants, and lower-ranked adventurers use them. Wealthier demons generally carry Currency Storage Wallets, spatial items built specifically for coin and mana-crystal currency."

"Why not just use a bank?"

"Someone with enough money to need one usually already owns a spatial item, or can buy a few when needed." she said simply.

Fair enough, why trust others others you can carry it yourself.’ he thought. ’Got to get one of those for myself and the girls, a future purchase, filed before I could even buy what I already have.’ He thought shaking hi head a little.

As they headed down he stopped at the manuals section hoping to get a better cultivation technique.

He browsed a few, scythe techniques, blood techniques, movement, concealment, mana control finding several Uncommon and Rare options he hadn’t seen before.

But nothing beat his Epic cultivation technique, so he grabbed two promising Rare manuals and left the rest untouched, resisting the urge to buy everything to invest in the girls.

They reached the cashier desk as Lisa went to attend to another customer.

---

The employee finally tallied everything and delivered the total.

"That would be about 6.8 million, sir." the employee said.

Lucien stared.

"...Say that again."

She repeated it.

He looked at the pile of blood, weapons, armor, potions, skills, arrays, food, supplies.

Then at his fortune.

"...Vane."

"Sir?"

"Nothing."

He paid, and despite millions remaining, watching the number drop still physically hurt.

’Money disappears faster than expected. Even absurd amounts of it.’

---

Lisa returned and helped transfer everything into his storage ring, then paused, studying him.

"You’re sure you’re only C-Rank?"

"...Why?"

She gestured at the pile. "You bought enough supplies for a small expedition."

"I like being prepared," Lucien said.

"Probably wise," she said, nodding.

---

On his way out, a commotion drew his attention near the entrance.

A well-dressed demon, clearly wealthy and clearly convinced of it, had cornered a girl near the door.

"I have more gold than you’ll see in a lifetime," the demon said, addressing two human women. "Come with me, and I’ll buy you whatever you want and all you have to do is spend time with me." He said licking his lips.

A young man stepped forward, black hair, golden eyes, sharp features, wearing what looked like academy robes with a star symbol his chest which the girls also wore, flanked by a group of others, humans, demons, an elf, a beastman, a half-elf, with them all being at or near A-Rank.

"She said no," the young man said, unbothered. "Twice, actually that I counted."

His group laughed. The demon’s face darkened.

"Watch your tongue, boy, do you know who my father is?"

"Yes, son. I unfortunately do, how’s your mother?" One of the other young men said sounding disappointed making the group and those watching laugh.

"I advise you to leave me and these two lovely ladies alone, if you don’t know." The demon’s said, while giving a villainous lackey type of smile.

He reached for one of the women’s wrists.

The young man’s aura flared, cold and heavy, pressure rolling across the shop floor hard enough to make nearby customers freeze, causing the staff to worry.

The demon went pale, hand snapping back, but stubbornly held his ground.

His own servant leaned in, whispering urgently. "My Lord, they’re from Nine Star Zenith Academy. There’s usually an instructor nearby, if they are on a academy mission, this isn’t worth the trouble."

The demon’s bravado crumbled instantly, hearing what away away were from. He muttered something about "the woman not being pretty enough, and that he had standards" and fled toward the exit, looking graceful somehow.

Lucien watched the whole exchange, shaking his head. ’No shortage of Young Master types in this world, apparently.’

One of the group’s female members a elf, caught his eye briefly, blinked, and leaned toward her friend, whispering something with a faint blush as they looked at him, making some boys glare at him.

They didn’t approach, gathering their purchases and exiting shortly after.

’Seems like my charm is beyond racial boundaries, though I don’t know whether to be worried or not?’

Lisa, who’d paused to watch the show alongside him, huffed a laugh. "Zenith students. And this guy, Daren, why is he always causing a scene here, the horny bastard, making us demons look bad to other races."

"Seems like it," Lucien said, grinning.

---

The carriage ride home gave him time to check everything through his storage ring, weapons, blood, armor, potions, skills, arrays, dungeon gear, all neatly organized.

’Today flew,’ he thought, satisfied and looking at the evening sun.

Then, more seriously: ’Bloodmoon Ruins, I wonder if people know why there are dingeons in the first place or maybe they don’t care?’

He glanced at his barely filled storage ring resting on his middle finger.

’This time, I’ll actually be ready unlike the with the goblin king.’

As the carriage rolled up toward the estate, he noticed the Blackstone crew getting on their carriages to exit the estate grounds, and Borin standing slightly apart from them, gaze fixed toward the treeline.

Not moving or speaking to anyone.

Just watching the forest, the same way someone watches something that’s watching back.