Damian and the girls arrived in the city with their carriage. His first priority was to find Frederic, but that would be a challenge in the crowded streets.
He decided to use the ring to send a message to his old friend, and soon enough, an older man appeared in front of him.
"Old bones!" Damian exclaimed, embracing Frederic and patting his back.
"Missed you too. Come on, Raikono is waiting for us at the shop," Frederic said.
Shareva drove the carriage with Lila, Natasha and Mary in the back. It was safer that way since Mary was still unable to move.
"Who are they?" Frederic asked, eyeing the passengers.
"Well, the three girls are my friends, and the one driving is a… succubus."
"A succubus?"
Damian quickly covered Frederic's mouth. "Don't shout. She saved my life and she's helping me. You can talk to her later if you want."
Frederic frowned, but he trusted Damian's judgment. He led them through the bustling city, where Damian noticed the fearful and anxious expressions on people's faces. First, something had attacked Earth, and now their new home, the tenth floor, was invaded by a demon and his army!
It was terrifying, but Damian was not worried. The demon who possessed Miller was powerful, but there were many incredible superhumans who could fight him. The humans who lived in the dungeon were not weak either.
They reached a small shop with a sign that read 'D.R.F Potions and Ingredients.'
"D.R.F?" Damian asked.
"Damian, Raikono and Frederic. Do you like it?"
"Not bad, not bad."
The shop was busy with customers coming and going. Damian entered and saw a man behind the counter, explaining the benefits and uses of various potions and ingredients.
"Boss," the man greeted Frederic.
"Welcome to D.R.F Potions & Ingredients! How can I help you?" he asked Damian.
He did not have to answer. Frederic did it for him.
"He's one of the owners of this shop," Frederic said.
The man's attitude changed instantly. He became more respectful and deferential towards Damian. They went to the back of the shop, where Damian saw two familiar faces that made his eyes widen.
One was a stunning woman with silver hair, so perfect she looked like a goddess!
"Aurora!"
Damian ran and hugged her tightly. They stayed like that for a while.
"No rush, bro. I'll be here when you're done with your lady," Magnus joked.
"Bro! I'm so happy you're both okay!"
Magnus grabbed Damian in a bear hug. If this had happened before, Damian would have felt pain, but his body was much stronger now.
"Wow, look at your traps and back. Nice work, bro! There's a gym nearby with stones and trees to lift. We should train sometime!"
They released each other and Damian asked, "Where are Vanessa and Hazel?"
Aurora's voice was sad. "We don't know, but we can look for them now that we're together!"
As they were talking, the door opened again. It was Serana and Raikono, who were overjoyed to see Damian too!
"Damian!!"
They hugged him and he patted Raikono's head.
"This place is amazing! You two did a great job," Damian said.
Raikono beamed. "It was all me! That old bones only slept and fished."
"Shut up!"
Frederic was the one who did everything. He hired someone to work with the customers, another person to brew the potions, and one to manage the storage.
Damian knew that too. Raikono was just teasing. A wolf running a shop?
"Right, of course. You did everything! Congratulations!"
"Thank you, thank you."
Raikono was satisfied with the praise and dropped the subject.
"Now that we're all here, we should talk about our next steps. Frederic, how much money is the shop making?"
"A lot, actually. We might have enough to open a second shop in two weeks."
"Good. We need to secure a base. A fortified place big enough for many people. Should we get it inside Lemoria?" Damian asked.
Frederic had spent more time in the city and knew more about the situation on the tenth floor.
"I think so. This is the main city for humankind, so there's no better place. Unless you want a secret base. There's a canyon not far from here with a lot of rumors."
"Oh?"
"Many people went missing around that canyon, and some say the place is cursed. Even the guards and other authorities try to stop people from going there."
Damian liked the sound of that. If no one would bother them there, then it was a safe place to be!
"Alright. I'll go check it out and see if the rumors are true."
"Can we all go together?" Aurora asked.
"Yes. Me, you, Magnus and Serana. Raikono and Frederic will take care of the shop and the girls in the carriage. Talk to Natasha when we're done here."
"Got it."
Damian and the others would go to explore the canyon, looking for a place to set up a base, while Frederic and Raikono would look after the shop and the girls who came with Damian.
Of course, Frederic was still using his connections and power to search for information about Hazel and Vanessa, as well as Damian's father, but he had no luck so far.
"I'm so excited! This reminds me of our time in Garmony!"
"Garmony! I still don't know what this gem is," Damian said as he took out the bloodstone gem Darius wanted.
"Now that you mention it, I wonder how the others are doing. Like the director and the other students," Aurora said.
Damian had many questions too. He asked, "What happened to Earth? Did you see it?"
"I did," Magnus said.
"The others were still in the dungeon trying to complete the missions we got, but I finished first and went back. Everyone and everything on Earth at that time is frozen forever."
"Tsk."
Damian clenched his fists. He wanted to know but got angry after hearing it.
"Do you guys feel like something is watching us?" Serana said.
They were already inside the mysterious canyon at that time, and after Serana said, Damian also felt something was off.
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