Chapter 942 Chapter 941: Shopping Spree
"So... what exactly are we looking for out here..? Materials, weapons, ingredients..?"
Humming to myself, I continued to lead Leone through the bustling market by the hand, weaving around and sometimes between people as I took us to where we needed to go, even if the route didn't seem the most ideal.
The market was as busy as ever, the sheer number of people coming to buy things of all kinds and in all kinds of quantities filling the space to the brim and then some, which...
On one hand, I felt rather cramped in this tight space, and I disliked how close we were to other people who were able to try and 'accidentally' brush against Leone and I to cop a feel, though the mana I had lingering around my body and hers made that impossible.
They only came away with cuts on their fingers or arms for daring to do something stupid, and whenever someone tried to say something to me about it, I just smiled sweetly at them and continued to walk, taking this time to practice my control in many different ways...
If they truly did accidentally brush against us, they were left without any cuts and were just pressed away gently by the wind, but if they did reach for us - either for our waists, our breasts, or our butts - they got cut, plain and simple.
On the other hand though, I really enjoyed this melting pot of people and the sheer amount of stuff around us waiting to be viewed, occupying my mind to most of its capacity as I entered 'shopping mode', determined to look at everything I could and spend the money I had on whatever I wanted.
Seeing all these people and all these goods was great, and I loved the way each trip was unique no matter what, the constant influx of new items keeping the market fresh whilst the vendors had to constantly adapt to the shifting availability of items, creating this intricate balance that needed to be struck.
It was just so fascinating to me in this world, where everything was sold and purchased on an individual level and not on a corporate level; most people bought and sold from small collectives of people and not gigantic collectives, meaning there was always a deal to be struck and middle ground to meet upon.
Negotiations were required here, and the battle of wits and honing of your verbal prowess was just so damn addicting to me, the same way that Jahi and Anput found violence addicting or how Leone found alchemy addicting.
It was just a skill that I had that I could further hone in unique ways for unique reasons, and now that I had access to Lust Mana, I was tempted to begin utilizing it to make these deals more weighted in my favor...
Though the thought also disgusted me a tad, something that made me smile wryly at how different I was now compared to my previous life; the previous me would have loved this sort of thing, being able to go around and make people crazy with lust before pulling away and fading away, getting deals and gratification alike.
"Materials primarily, my love. Ingredients included in that, of course; same thing, different system of use. See if we can find any sort of interesting things to make use of, be it ores, gemstones, crystals, bones and any other thing that Anput could make use of. And of course, any herbs and alchemical ingredients that you might be interested in. Otherwise... I don't think there is much else of interest for us, is there? Besides the dresses, of course~! Ah! Let's look here~!"
Of course, I didn't say that I was going to be slipping chunks of System purchased ores and the like into the various bundles of things we bought, which I would have Anput utilize to make us some really powerful gear; enchanted gauntlets, bracers or gloves that have some great support spells, boots that have speed spells, weapons that I can enchant with a myriad of things...
Wands and staves as well, one for each of us going forwards; Leone could utilize a nice staff with a really big chunk of Fire Mana infused crystal on its top, while the Jackalkin could probably make do with a simple wand to spice up her fighting style, same with Jahi.
Then there were the alchemical ingredients for Leone to brew up some vats of potion that could make fights easier, or perhaps she could get into the medicinal salves and pills that were more complicated but had more benefits to them that needed time to get to work...
There was a lot of things I wanted to get, but the primary wants that I had were more System Made Items for all of us, as well as for the Marquess, the Countess, Mother, and of course, Lakshmi and Alessandra; something to keep them safe and help them going forwards, and it was something I was more than willing to splurge on and try to find a way to explain...
It would need to be a matching set of things, something that all of them would wear and something inconspicuous too, but something powerful... it would take a bit of time to look through all the options, but I was going to do it tonight, back in the miniature church inside the Palace.
"How can I help ya, Miss~? Ah, Miss's! My apologies~!"
A jolly Cowkin woman grinned at Leone and I as we entered a simple store, the horned anvil sign ?drawing me in out of curiosity, which was promptly rewarded as the beautiful Cowkin woman and her gigantic Bullkin partner smiled at us.
The Bullkin in the back was standing beside an anvil, where his tongs and hammer rested as he waited for something inside the forge, while the Cowkin was walking around and helping the customers inside the store, her corset propping her gigantic chest up and making it clear this was a marketing strategy...
One that worked wonders considering the amount of people inside looking to buy some self defense daggers or some simple tools of some kind, all while they tried to subtly ogle the Cowkin woman without alerting the Bullkin, who was just smirking as he looked around proudly.
"Good evening. We were looking for any materials you had..? Raw ores and the like, if you sell them."
"But of course~! Over in that corner there, all the raw ores, ingots, and other materials are situated on those three tables and those shelves~! Go take a look, and call me over if ya see something ya want~! Oh, yes dear~?"
She darted from customer to customer, keeping her hands up in a rather unique pose as she pressed her elbows together to emphasize her chest, which bounced with every single little movement...
"She's uh..."
Leone's murmur behind me made me chuckle as I pulled her over to the tables shown to us, which were laden with various goodies for me to investigate as I looked over everything.
"She's making a lot of coin, that's for sure. And I bet her husband back there loves it too, being able to show off his wife so freely and not worry about someone trying something; I mean, he's nearly seven feet tall and made entirely from muscle. And that hammer is pretty heavy..."
The Vampire smiled wryly at that, before she lifted a gemstone and stared at it for a few moments, catching my attention too as I asked "Want that for a staff, right? It's a pretty ruby too, but..."
"It'd be alright for what we want, but yeah... not enough juice inside it. Though..."
"Could make a bracer with some sort of healing spell enchanted onto it? Or some kind of glove for an offensive spell."
"Mhm..."
Placing it back down, Leone joined me in combing through the materials, before we stacked together a small pile of goodies that cost us a dozen some odd gold, which the Cowkin very happily promised to ship up to the Palace for an extra gold coin when Leone showed her the Royal Medallion.
With some ores and the like secured, we went next door to the alchemist shop and perused their herbs, coming away with a few bundles of different leaves and twigs that looked similar, but had vastly different effects... according to Leone anyways.
Then we went across the street to another blacksmith shop, then we went to another place, then another, then another...
Time began to blur together as I dropped coin after coin in each place, securing a giant haul that would instantly be turned into enchanted gear that I would then sell for double to triple the total I spent before doing it again, and then again, and then again...
During those trips, I added a thing or two here and there when they accepted the bundles, which we placed into containers before handing them over; containers that were made from my Ice Mana and sealed securely, so that they couldn't see the prime goody I had added... which was whenever Leone was looking away.
We both added things that the other didn't see, so I wasn't too worried about it, and the alchemical ingredients would be fun surprises for her when we got back home, something to make her all the more giddy and loving as we cuddled together before bed.
Besides that, we also stopped at a few stores that sold normal ingredients as well, Leone wanting me to bake some treats tonight or tomorrow that needed us to ensure we had the right things, so we bought those too.
But, it all led up to the boutique that we now stood in front of, the lavish exterior and almost formal aura around the store making me feel underdressed already, though when Leone just walked inside without a care in the world, I followed her this time as we entered territory that she was more familiar with than I was.
And it was a good thing too, since she practically had to keep the medallion in her hand and raised up at eye level considering the amount of people giving us odd looks when we entered, something that made me click my tongue as I felt my skin crawl slightly.
I really disliked places like this, but...
The dresses were absolutely stunning, so it was well worth it.
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