Alpha Realm (OP.MC.|Harem|NSFW)

Name: Aizel Kadashi | Age: 19 | Level: 15

Title: Goblinoid Nemesis

SE: 0 | HP: 261

Race: Crimson Were-Dragon

Aizel and Vanessa were walking back into the main building. The rest of the hunters tried to approach him, but the were-doge had a little outburst and took out his frustration by making the bronzes start running around the town.

Kira led the way, holding her book in front of her as she walked, leaving Aizel with a prime view of her swaying hips. He even used (Focus) to burn that majestic sight in his mind. She smelled like roses, weirdly enough; it had the opposite effect on him than she probably was going for, as it just smelled weird to his Were-Dragon nose, washing away her natural smell.

"You look pretty focused," Vanessa said to Aizel with a knowing smirk.

"How the fuck can she walk on dirt, mud, and cobble with heels? And without getting them muddy?" He asked

"Oh! Probably a high-quality ward, infusion, enchantment, or other thing for the mud. Your guess is as good as mine. And practice for the walking."

As they got to the front desk, Kira waited for them from the other side, with her hands behind her back.

"So, the guild master said that you need to pay in full the inscription, ranking ups, monthly fee, and this season's taxes…"

Aizel was without words; his only hope was to save enough money to justify the fucking fees. No wonder this place looked so nice.

"S-So… how much is it?"

"How do you look more scared at a simple fee than an enraged guild master?" Vanessa asked, with genuine curiosity.

"As your handler, I will take care of all of your paperwork related to season tax collection in Redvelia, and all other forms or legalities you need." Kira tried to soften the blow, but the damage was done. He could not escape taxes, even after death.

"God is dead… Fucking heathens taught the savages taxes before sewers, or shield walls." He whispered.

"It comes to a total of…" Kira started writing on a piece of parchment.

He was about to take a closer look at her fountain pen, which looked quite modern, and as an ex-designer, he wanted one as much as the rifle. But then he noticed something. She was not wearing her ring anymore… Looking back. After they left the guild master's office, she had been hiding her hands, and just now when they got to the reception, she was moving weirdly with her hands behind her back.

'Am I tripping, or did this slut just take her ring off?'

It was quite sneaky too, waiting until only he was in sight, and Vanessa, but Vanessa looked like she was thinking hard about something, so she did not notice.

Aizel realized that he was using (Focus) when one of his HP points dropped. So Kira probably did not notice him staring at her ring finger. He looked for a tan line over the finger, but her skin was a pale white that made the mark look red instead of giving him an accurate indication of the time she had been wearing it.

He saw the pulse of her nervous system flare, and she started to exhale and move her lips, so he pulled out of (Focus).

'Thank my heathen predecessors for making that skill active/passive.'

"Sixty-three Silver," Kira said

"Tsk, Almost got it," Vanessa said as she clicked her tongue.

'So that's what she was doing, weirdo. Hot weirdo, but still…'

Aizel pulled two medium and two small crystals.

"Huh… I expected you to haggle," Vanessa said

"She was reading from a set list of prices, probably a waste of time," Aizel replied.

Aizel involuntarily wrinkled his nose and almost sneezed. Kira's perfume was irritating his nose. This did not go unnoticed by her, who stealthily smelled herself when Aizel was not looking her way. But his electroreception and (Detect) did not let him miss it.

Kira took the crystals and gave him back three silver coins as change, then she pulled a scroll from under the counter with some text already written on it. She wrote his name, and then offered it to him with her left hand, even though she wrote with her right hand, and even extended her fingers as she moved the parchment.

'Message received, slut. I'm not cucking a man I don't know. For all I know, your fetish is to bait people for your killer husband, so back off.'

"Please read the text and recite the vow as it is written."

Aizel read the text before committing; it was pretty standard and actually quite assuring, making sure that no one with a hunter tag could be a criminal when it came to the two unforgivable crimes of murder or rape of humans, at least.

'So, "sub-humans" that did the crimes already are free to be killed and raped?'

"I, Aizel Kadashi, of clear mind, by my own will, take a vow. To forfeit my titles in exchange for hunting ranks, and to not murder or knowingly rape any humans of the human races. If my vow is broken, my title shall forever be: Wanted Criminal. And all my human Sun-given rights forfeited. Becoming a sub-human in the eyes of the law, and all humankind."

'Kind of rhymes? Got broken in the middle.'

Suddenly, his red aura became visible to all. A mark appeared over his left hand for a moment, but then dissipated.

"You are full of surprises, Hunter Aizel Kadashi. A Were-Dragon who's also a blood-mage, rare among the rarest." She said with a smirk and a raised brow.

He ignored her and glanced at his System that itched just like when he gained SE or a level.

Title: Bronze class Hunter, Rank D+

'Hey, I passed Vanessa already!'

"Your tags will be ready after noon. I will also have all information about possible jobs for you."

He was about to ask her if the guild had lodgings, but then Priestess Lisa came in from the side where the guard was leaning. She was unbelievably attractive, last time he saw her, he was focusing more on the cranky Dwarf, but now that he gave her a closer look, he could see that she was not human, she was some kind of elf, with long ears hiding behind her long wavy white hair—mostly hidden by her veil—in fact all of her hair was white, even her eyebrows and lashes. She had diamond-gray eyes and was about a head shorter than him, same as Vanessa. So, on the tall side for the average height. Her veil could not hide her beauty from him.

"High Priestess Lisa, hello again. I'm not from around here, so please forgive me if this is an offensive question. Are you an Elf?"

"Do not worry, Aizel. I can tell truth from lies, even when I do not want to. I know you mean no harm. And no, it is not an offensive question; in fact, people often introduce themselves when their race is not obvious. It's just that this far north, most people are of the human or Were-Dog race. So it is not common. As for your question. No, like you. I'm of the immortal races; I'm a Seraphim Angel."

'Immortal? Like me?' Aizel thought.

"Forgive my ignorance, High Priestess." He asked.

"Please, call me Lis."

"Forgive my ignorance, Lis. I am not familiar with other immortal races; are they all the same?" His question implied that he was familiar with his own, so it was not a Lie, since she had just told him that he was of one; he was technically familiar only with his own race.

'Fucking mental gymnastics for hottie número dos. Kira is shorty-pretty, and a cucking slut, not stupid-hot like Vanessa and the Priestess.'

"It's alright to admit to one's deficiencies it's the first step towards growth. Yes, Immortal race just means that we stop aging after a certain point, unlike long-lived races like elves, that do eventually die of old age. But we can still be killed; we are not truly immortal, like the Sun and the Moon."

'So biologically immortal.'

"I'm pretty sure they are mortal." He replied absentmindedly, referring to the Sun and the Moon.

Sure, compared to humans they looked immortal, but any star has an expiration date, same as the moon.

"Aizel!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"What?… Oh, fuck. Sorry." The priestess was silent, just staring into the distance. He waved his hand in front of her. "I think I broke her…"

"Sorry, but you really believed your words. You are truly a dragon, to think a God can be killed. Anyway, I came here because I was reading about just that, Dragons."

Both Vanessa and Kira snapped their heads towards her and began staring daggers with furrowed brows.

'The fuck?'

Lisa ignored the sudden hostilities and continued.

"As I said before, your race is similar to mine, so I was going to offer access to my…" She took a pause, and he could swear the other two girls were about to jump her at any moment.

"The temple's skills, since you will probably have the money to buy my… Our services, and the talent to actually acquire the knowledge, given your racial traits. You have an innate mana sense, right?"

'I think she's doing that on purpose, just to fuck with them. I like her.'

"Kinda? Seeing the vapor-like thingy they call aura, right?"

"Yes! That's it. Please come to the temple whenever you want. I'll always be available… For you." Lisa said as she left with a refined walk.

'How nice of her. But Vanessa was right; there's nothing free in this town. She clearly said that her offer was partially because of money, understandable, but still. She's just teasing, I think. I could not smell the same saltiness from her that Kira is hiding under a stupid amount of perfume. I guess that is arousal, excitement?'

"Well, see you later then, Kira," Aizel said and gave one last glance at the rifle.

'Fuck I want that thing. No, I need it!'

"Goodbye, have a nice noon."

"Get us something good!" Vanessa said as she followed Aizel.

As they walked outside the Hunter's Guild, Aizel squinted at Vanessa.

"Us?"

"Well, yeah? What, you were planning on leaving me to rot on guard duty? The Guild Master will for sure assign gobo hunting after that little performance of yours."

"Sure… Its just that…"

"What? I'm not good enough for you!?" Vanessa asked as she looked at him up and down.

'Can you fly!?' was what he wanted to say.

"Never mind, I thought I was the one who was lacking." Is what he actually said.

"Pfff. Right, because you haven't spent almost a winter's wage just on mana crystals before noon."

"What. Really?"

"Yes. Really, just that massive entrance fee was like a full season's worth of wages"

"How the fuck does someone even become a hunter then?"

"By owing the guild for double that time?"

'Damn. Did I fuck up? Should have gone to the butchers to carry daggers.'

He stopped talking for a few seconds before continuing to talk to her as they walked.

"So. That's why you are sticking to me? You a crystal digger?" He said playfully

The language scroll was so good that the phrase left his mouth before he could even begin processing that it would probably not translate well—but it actually did—and she was not happy.

"What! I'm not the shameless one who was flirting. In front of her husband!"

'He honestly did not think that she was flirting. Yes, she took off her fucking ring, and was probably wet, but he doubted Vanessa noticed.'

"What? I honestly did not notice. If she was, that was the most passive flirting ever."

"Well obviously, her husband was right there! But, I guess you would not notice, since it's the first time you have seen her."

"What do you mean?"

"She's a bitch. Not in the slutty sense, at least before today, but in the not pleasant at all sense. Today she was all smiles and being helpful. Walking like she was a noble or something. She even wore some perfume after your interview."

'So she did not notice the ring thing. Thank God… The Sun? I feel like my heathen predecessors might just have made that Y pose meme real…'

"Yeah, that was fucking disgusting," Aizel said

"I know, she was practically begging you to mount her as she walked!"

"What? No, I meant the perfume. My sense of smell is probably higher than a Were-Doggo. It irritated my nose, and I had to actively try not to sneeze in her face."

"Were Doggo?"

"Sorry, old habit. It's not offensive, right?"

"No, it's just…" She said as she gave it some thought. "Like saying you are a Were-Draky?"

"Anyway, Kira and the guild master, kind of hard to imagine." Dude was probably as well-equipped as him, and Kira is a shorty-shorty, not like the two goddesses Vanessa and Ms. Priestess that were actually tall, but not for him.

"Guild m-? No, silly, the guy with the musket."

He stopped walking.

"Are you fucking with me right now?" He asked.

"You really do like that word, right?"

"I'm serious, woman, did the wife of the only man with a rifle in town just try to cheat on him, in front of him, with me?"

"He's not the only one with a rifle; there are two others. One of them is out, but yes, yes, she did… and it's called musket…" He grabbed his cheeks and pressed them as one would a child. "Say it with me. Mush-ket"

"Mh~kmh"

"Good boy, so be careful. I know you are fast, but you are not dodging a bullet." She said as she shivered. She turned and kicked a small pebble before she continued walking.

"Is that like their fetish? I find it hard to believe that he did not notice; maybe he's into that shit?" Aizel asked and followed her.

"As I said, this is the first time I've seen her acting that way, and you are not the only good-looking hunter around. Besides, I have not interacted much with Mr. Seth, but the little I have makes me think that he would have shot you right there if he found out."

"Thanks, by the way, both for calling me good-looking and also for almost letting him put a hole in my head."

"Ughh, She was smart about it. You were blocking his view, and he stopped caring about you the moment we mentioned that you were bronze."

"M~hm. So where are we going?" He asked.

"The gatherer's guild; they have backpacks like you wanted and other stuff for camping out. Then the Apothecary for potions, then eating, back to the shoemaker as you promised, return for your tags, get a mission, retrieve your daggers, go ~camping in the woods…"

"Okay, thanks, mommy. You are pretty sure I will get a goblin mission, aren't you?"

"Y-Yes, I am."

'Caught you off guard, huh?' Aizel thought.

"By the way, how are you so sure I can afford all of that?"

"I—might have looked into your weird bag before your fight started…"

"Crystal digger."

"Please. Don't call me that."

"Okay, sorry, I went too far that time."

— — —

Aizel ended up using almost all of his crystals; he just kept 2 small crystals from the goblins, and the large one from the Shaman Orc. The store returned him 12 silver coins and a lot of Tin Bits and Silver Pennies; those smaller coins were how most of the daily necessities and small commodities were bought. A single small goblin crystal was worth 200 Pennies and like a thousand bits. About what the average commoner made in a week, or a single gold coin.

His little spending spree was quite productive. Vanessa guided him through and even haggled a little; surprisingly, she was not much of a haggler, trusting the vendors to give her a lower price just by flashing her tags. But after seeing how Aizel was getting better prices and how people seemed to actually respect him instead of resenting him after a trade was made, she wanted to learn.

He ended up acquiring a really nice leather backpack, A cozy hand-made bedroll with wool inside that tied nicely on top of his new backpack. Basic tools and cooking utensils, two HP potions of Medium tier, A large canvas tent that fit two people of his size, with some room to spare. He ended up exchanging his smoked deer for almost nothing, 20 silver pennies, but at least it would be eaten and not go to waste.

They ended up speed-eating meat skewers because they were messing around most of the time, and it was already noon.

Aizel wanted to go to a tailor to see if he could have made something similar to his jeans and T-shirt, but they were closed and wouldn't open for a few days. Some kind of bandit attack fucked their last cargo, and they were out of inventory, so they were doing other jobs around town.

Hosthrot the Shoemaker ended up crafting some armor for him on the spot. He had pieces of metal and leather of different sizes. He got himself heavy metal pauldrons, a thick leather vest, open-finger gloves, mainly because they came with thick metal knuckles. A belt with space for a few daggers and quick access to potions, and reinforced his boots with some metal. Shoe-man also modified his jeans to have buttons on the back hole. Thankfully, Vanessa did not notice either the hole or when he asked Mr. Shoe-man to modify his jeans because he was in a back room.

"Looking good," Said Vanessa, once he returned from the back, wearing armor pieces. "You finally look like a proper hunter, only missing your tags."

"Thanks, It's just some leather and the pauldrons, though."

"Still…" She looked at him up and down and bit her thumbnail

"But now I'm fucking broke…"

"You still have the large crystal… The Sun only knows where you pulled that one from. Is that how you cut your ear?"

"Yes…"

— — —

They entered the Hunter's guild two hours before sunset. Aizel looked composed and nonchalant; his heart rate was calm and showed no signs of being in distress, but he was shitting himself. The guard, Mr. Musketeer—also known as Kira's fucking husband—raised his head as they entered as a simple welcoming gesture.

Aizel nodded back with his eyebrows raised to acknowledge the man and went directly towards Kira.

"Oh my! ~Someone's been busy." Kira said as she checked Aizel's new accessories.

'Stop it, woman! It's beaten up, second-hand, readjusted gear, and is not even complete.'

It did not affect him that much because of his scales, but eventually, he would have to buy more equipment. As it was, it was good for goblin hunting.

"Vanessa. I see you are still sticking to him like a (Mana Hand). Do you realize you won't get paid for today, right? Your duty ended the moment you two left earlier today, and that was already pushing it. Hunter Marlo reported that you did not come back at noon, but I did not imagine you would not return to the gate at all." Kira reprimanded Vanessa. And she was right. But she had been helpful to him and wonderful company, so he was biased towards her.

"I'm really sorry, Kira. In my defense, Aizel will be one of the best assets we have in this backwater town," Vanessa replied.

"And the Hunter Master is of the same mind. That is why he’s not de-ranking you and just deducting your pay. Next time, report to me that you will not complete your assignment; you would still lose the silver, but I would not be mad, and the gate would've been properly manned sooner, and not until midday"

"Aizel, please come to the back. I have reserved a private room for your assignment."

"Can I join?" Vanessa asked.

"It's Aizel's assignment; ask him."

"Please join us, Vanessa," Aizel told her before being asked.

Kira came out of the back and waved at them. They followed her into the rooms on the inside of the guild; one of them was open. Inside the room, a small Were-Dog female and a human female were sitting at a large table.

"Miss Kathrine, please go tend the front desk. Miss Limi, stay here and listen to our meeting; it's part of your clerk training."

The human female stood up and gave the trio a short bow. Without saying a word, she went outside. The small Were-Dog girl just nodded, taking out a small notebook made with rough fibrous paper, and pulled out a fountain pen like Kira's.

"Hm. Kira, where can I get me one of those?" Aizel said as he pointed.

"The slavers should come with the temple later this month, with the restocking caravans."

Aizel froze for a couple of seconds as he processed what he just heard. He already knew that there was a spell called (Bind) that enslaved people; that was not the shocking part. It was the nonchalant way Kira just responded to him.

And the small Were-Dog girl shared his mind because she looked shocked and even scared; he could not blame her.

"T-Thanks, but I meant the pen or quill she's using to write with… I did not see any out in town today."

"Oh! Oh my, please excuse me. ~I will tell you later; it will come up." Kira said. A flush of heat rose all over her face, and she placed her left hand over her lips, flashing her ringless finger.

'Oh yeah, now I see what Vanessa said; it's kinda hot. Still, I like my brain without holes.'

"Please take a seat. Hunter Aizel Kadashi." Kira motioned to a chair and took a seat awfully close to him.

"Please, just Aizel, or just Kadashi, not the whole thing. It feels… showy?"

"If that is what you truly desire… I will have to comply," Kira replied with a sultry voice.

'At least the Were-Dog girl is not as thirsty as the woman I've been finding… Wait. What the fuck are you teaching this girl, Kira!'

"Thanks, may we continue with… well, whatever you called me here for?"

"Yes, at once, ~Kadashi."

"…"

"The Guild Master asked me to assign a goblin hunting mission…"

Cough… Vanessa fake-coughed.

"So, these are the areas with the most recently reported activity. The ones towards the north side have greater difficulty, but they also come with better pay."

Kira started explaining as she unrolled a map of the region. It was quite rough—not parchment; that was really a nice and soft leather. It was a crude attempt to represent the land, but it should be workable for him. The problem was that it was made with arbitrary measurements; the Redvelia looked a lot closer to the White Shield mountain range than it truly was.

The more efficient paths to walk on were marked with dotted lines that marked the distance in clicks. He would probably get lost if he used this map. And he doubted that they would just give him one; they would probably charge him a hobgoblin crystal or more for the stupid thing.

"The reason is that we have a large returning group of hunters coming from the north. And they have been away for quite some time. So, in their rush to come back, they might get more tired than they already are. This will cause unnecessary deaths as they encounter gobos… Pardon me, goblins. While they are tired and rushing."

"For your pay, you need only to provide proof of extermination. A right ear will do. You will be paid 30 silver for a week's hunt. You will go north while being as visible and noisy as possible to attract nearby monsters and hunt every one you come across."

"Are you trying to get him killed!" Vanessa said with genuine fear in her voice.

"Huntress Vanessa. Please. We are not forcing him to do anything, and this is just one of his many options."

"As I was saying, you will try to join the incoming party. You will also get an extra 5 silver for each confirmed kill, and can keep any loot or material from the monsters, like mana crystals or internal organs. Or let us handle them."

"Forgive my ignorance, Kira," Aizel said and looked her in the eyes, also adopting a low tone. He knew it was probably a bad Idea to blow into the pressure stove that was Kira, but he could not help himself.

'There is nothing wrong with a little teasing, right? Right?… I'm dying young.'

As he got closer to her, he noticed how he had not sneezed since he got inside the room. How she smelled… Natural.

'Did she take a shower just so I did not sneeze? See Vanessa! She's not that bad… But fuck, I should not have gone close to her; now her actual smell combined with Vanessa's is going to make me go nuts…'

The less he tried to pay attention to the smells, the more they seemed to force themselves into him. And what's worse, the Were-Dog girl was also smelling kind of nice.

'At least she looks my current age'

Thankfully, he found the problem: as 1 HP point was drained, he noticed that he was using (Focus), again. As time returned to normal, he continued speaking, distracting himself from the situation that he placed himself into.

"How am I supposed to keep goblin organs from rotting for five days? Their bodies rot twice as fast as a normal animal."

"The Join—" Vanessa was silenced by Kira with a single raised hand. "I will get to that. Huntress Vanessa." She said and gave Vanessa a glare with squinted eyes.

'She's indeed kind of bossy towards Vanessa, which only makes her hotter.'

"Seven days. It could be more, or it could be less. It depends on the incoming party. If you find them fast, it could be less; if you find them late, returning will take you longer. If you don't find them after seven days, it would take you a really long time."

"As to how to keep organs from rotting. The Joint store of the Hunter's Guild and the Temple of the Sun that is by the entrance has all you could need. Ask the clerks. Now that you are officially a hunter of high bronze rank, you will be allowed to enter and buy from them. There you can also find Mana Quills for sale, but as a heads-up, nothing there is cheap. Especially the Quills; even these are just lent ones." She shook her fountain pen, or Mana Quill.

"And the other missions?"

Kira circled points on the map with her Quill, based on coordinates on the x and y-axis written in her book.

"Simple, these are the last known locations of goblins. You won't get paid per hunt, just for the proof of extermination, and can keep anything you can loot and bring back. There are even rings of timeless holding that can keep their bodies fresh for as long as the ring is not destroyed."

"Pffff. Ha-ha! Tell him another; the smaller ones go for around two royals." Vanessa mocked Kira.

"Still. I'm here to provide him with information"

"Vanessa wants to come with me. Is there something you can offer her? I am good at killing, but not at navigating the terrain; there's a reason I got lost for two weeks," He lied.

In all honesty, He did not need her for the mission, and would probably be able to do it extremely fast if he went alone. But she was a fountain of knowledge of this world with a nice ass. He also felt bad for her losing her post at the gate.

Kira had said that she would not be de-ranked, but that did not mean that they would let go of her abandoning her post so easily. Kira never said anything about rehiring or not. But if Vanessa was Aizel's employee, and she had gone sightseeing with a random dude instead of working, without telling anybody, he would not have been so lenient.

"You can form a small party, or duo, and the rewards are spread as you see fit. But I do not recommend Huntress Vanessa undertake this mission she—"

"I like that idea." The voice of the Guild Master came from the room across from them.

'Eavesdropping fuck. Fucking women are distracting me; how did I not notice him in the room next door? Hey (Detect), you waste of HP! Trying to pull a Vanessa on me…'

The Dwarf entered the meeting room and began talking.

"It will help me see Aizel's true potential, he said that he is lacking in the navigation department. I can't promote you to silver without those skills. Skills that Vanessa has."

'Only by walking you, overgrown Dwarf. I can see you picking your nose from a cloud away.'

He got to the table and pulled up a seat. Then he continued speaking.

"Hunting ranks are prestigious not just because we keep the town and people safe as the first line of defense against monsters and sub-humans. They are prestigious because we are trustworthy."

His tone was actually professional and serious this time.

"Any. And I do mean, Any. Silver rank should be able to keep a party of bronze alive, not through killing everything in their path, but through their decision-making and planning."

"Any Gold rank should be able to lead a few silver parties into the Death Valley. Not like the sorry excuse we sent, and you are being asked to help."

"Any Platinum rank should be able to lead a guild. Not like the gold excuse of a leader you are stuck with." The Guild Master pointed at himself.

"Above that rank… Your guess is as good as mine."

"You have the strength of a high silver rank. Your fight with Duncan made that clear. But the knowledge and common sense of a low bronze. Take Huntress Vanessa into the North, and keep her safe as she guides you. And you will be just a mission away from silver, and you fucking discounts…"

"Damn!… When you put it that way. Sure, what the hell, let's roll." Aizel said, as the Guild Master finished his little pep talk.

"What?" Sigil asked.

"I'll do it… If you are up for it," Aizel asked Vanessa. Who just nodded happily.

"Good. When are you departing?" Sigil growled.

"Tonight!" Replied Vanessa.

"Hmm. I won't tell you how to do your job. Aizel. If you think it's wise… Sol speed"

'I'm calling that a heathenism.'

"But. Aizel looks ready to go; you, on the other hand, Vanessa. Not a tent or backpack in sight. Did you suddenly loot a ring of holding?" The Guild Master added.

"N-no, sir! I will go get my things…"

"Hmm…" He just growled and left.

"Sooo… Do I get a map or…" Asked Aizel.

"10 Silver," Replied Kira.

"Of fucking course. Let me get back to you on that; I want to check the Joint store," Aizel said as he stood up and started to leave.

"So, do I register you two as a duo party for the assistance mission?" Kira asked.

"Sure. Do I need to do anything else?"

"No, you can go; that's what I'm here for," Kira replied

— — —

Aizel and Vanessa were at the reception.

"Wait for me here. I'm just going to get my stuff; I should be back before sundown, unless you want to pay for a room and leave in the morning? Mine is in a women-only hostel, so you can't even sleep on the floor there… and I would also need to pay for another night since I pay by the cycle"

Cycle was the Geas equivalent of 24 hours.

"How much silver did you lose by guiding me through town?"

"I… you don't need to worry about that."

"I'm not worrying, I just want to know."

"T~two silver… A guard's daily wage."

"Huh, I thought it was going to be more… Here." Aizel pulled four silver and gave them to her.

"W-Wha- Why? It was my mistake!" She said, but took the money anyway.

"You lost two silver, and the rest is for being a great guide." He said, but added in his mind: 'That smells like heaven and looks for sinning.'

"This is eight days for commoners, thanks! I'll be right back!"

She left with haste. Aizel turned, and the almost cuck guard moved to the side after seeing his tags.

"Welcome!" A happy middle-aged man dressed in priest robes called to Aizel. "You must be new! Tell me, friend, what can this humble servant of the sun do for you?"

"Hi, I was just getting to familiarize myself with your wares. I do not have too much to buy at the moment, and I was told that things here might be quite expensive, so don't get your hopes up."

"There is nothing to worry about, friend. I do not get paid by my sales, and as you said, our prices are on the expensive side, so in a rising town like Redvelia, our sales are almost non-existent. We do have, however. Many forms of payment."

"Such as?"

"Loans, financing, lending, leasing, among others. If you need me to explain them to you, I am here to help." The happy man replied.

"There is no need. I was looking for something to keep monster parts from rotting on long trips, and—" Aizel locked his eyes on the most beautiful, magnificent, perfect piece of technology ever created. "Is that a fucking ri—Musket!?"

"Oh! I see you are a connoisseur of the killing arts. Yes, that is the Imperial Musket Mark 69"

'Pfff hahaha, Fucking Earthlings! Heathens, all of us!'

"Ahem. How old is it… not like the creation of this particular beauty, but like the design, the last time the name changed?"

"Magnificent! Even your question speaks of deep, superior knowledge!" The man T-posed?

'Did Vanessa drug me?'

"This has been the same model since its creation, true perfection incarnate, efficiency maximized!" The man continued, his excitement growing by the second.

'And the answer to my question?'

"175 winters, no one has been able to make any improvements since the last True Emperor… sadly, died"

'So there's at least 150 years… winters, since the last earthling… but Deez Nerd mentioned a merchant, not an emperor.'

"How much?" Aizel questioned.

"10,000 Silver"

Gulp