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Thankfully, I managed to convince Lucia to leave the desolate mountains via the academy’s teleportation array. It wouldn’t have been very smart to stay in those lawless lands after everyone found out about our wealth. I’ve told it to Lucia before, but divine beasts are valuable. It wouldn’t have been a problem if only the students came after us, but I’m willing to bet patrol leaders and teachers would’ve been tempted by nine divine beast corpses.
When we arrived in the capital, we were asked for our I.D. once again, but Mr. Shinx’s name was enough for them to stop hassling us. I wanted to find Mr. Shinx and apologize for spending so many of his contribution points, but he was visiting family in the countryside; thus, we had to leave. I hope he won’t be too angry with me when he finds out. His contribution points were only enough to rent a room for a week, so either he had an abysmally low number of points or that room was insanely expensive. I think it’s the latter.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to the capital. It’s an ugly, crowded place. There’s people everywhere. It’s loud and noisy. Tourists stand in the middle of the streets or walk side by side along the narrow paths. The roads are littered with horse dung from all the carriages and taxis. The smell is unbearable at times, especially when it rains. It’s nothing like the countryside. I’ve only been here three times: when I begged my father to take me on one of his business trips, when my father was recognized for his deeds, and most recently, when the crown prince came of age. I was ten at the time, which means the prince should be in his twenties now. Speaking of ages, I wonder how old Lucia is. “Lucia? How old are you?”
Lucia blinked and glanced at me before raising her head again. It seemed like she didn’t like crowds—crowds of demons at least. I’d probably be just as uncomfortable as her if I was thrown into the beastkin’s capital. “Age has no meaning to a warrior.” Lucia nodded twice.
Well, whatever. It’s not like it matters once she’s above the age of marriage, which I’m sure she is. “You wanted to sell your … stuff, right?”
“Right,” Lucia said and pushed me in front of her. “Lead the way!”
Under normal circumstances, I’d avoid the marketplace and have my father buy everything Lucia was selling, but I’m positive my father has no use for beast penises! He hasn’t remarried after my mother died after all. Though I haven’t been here often, I memorized maps of the major demon cities and the human and beast capitals as part of my education to becoming a duchess. I’m pretty sure the mercantile section of the capital is towards the south.
And I was right. It was to the south, but now the problem is choosing which store to sell to. Apothecaries have been known to create tonics with the goods Lucia’s trying to sell. But chefs have also been known to buy the goods Lucia’s trying to sell from butchers. They’re a delicacy sold in high-class restaurants. And I also have to take into consideration which shops are aligned with which political faction. It wouldn’t reflect well on my father if I sold a tremendous amount of materials to someone unaffiliated with my father. Then I have to take into consideration the beast cores Lucia wants to sell. Those can go to alchemists, magical blacksmiths, or the apothecary again. Price also plays a major role; I can’t let anyone scam Lucia. …I think I figured out why my father hired a butler who used to be a merchant.
“Are we here?” Lucia asked. “Why’d you stop?”
“I’m trying to figure out the best person to sell your goods to,” I said. “There’s a lot of things to take into consideration.”
“Eh?” Lucia tilted her head. “I’ll take over since we’re here.” She sucked in her breath and tilted her head towards the sky. “Beast penises! Beast penises! Come get your beast penises! They come in all shapes and sizes: one heads, two heads, three heads; you name it, I have it! Special limited time offer! Buy a package deal and receive two complimentary beast cores!”
…I think I should hide.
“But wait!” Lucia shouted. “There’s more! How many of you have seen a divine beast’s penis!? Not only can you look, but you can buy your very own today!”
Lucia’s voice echoed through the whole mercantile district, and a few curious shop owners stuck their heads out of their stores. A few mothers had covered their childrens’ ears with their hands, and men were laughing at Lucia’s advertisement. One shop owner walked up to us. “Can I see your wares?”
Lucia nodded and grabbed my hand. She put an earring in my palm and patted my back. “This is the seller. I just work for her.” She leaned closer and whispered to me, “They’ll scam me if I try to sell them goods. You can do this for me, right? Thanks, Ilya, you’re the best.”
I looked up at the expectant merchant before sending my senses into the interspacial earring. A sea of dicks awaited me. When Teacher told me to gather experience by exploring the world, I don’t think he ever expected me to have this kind of experience.
What happened next has been forever scrubbed from my memory.
A few hours later, Lucia was smiling with an interspacial earring filled to the brim with gold, silver, and copper coins. If I had to take a guess at Lucia’s fortune, then I’d say she had as much money as an established marchioness would—more than a common person would ever make in fifty lifetimes. I never realized there were so many depraved people in the capital. I feel tainted after … after that event that never happened.
“Ah, it feels good to be rich,” Lucia said and stored her earring somewhere in her pants. “So, what’s next? Why don’t you take me to your home? There’s so many new things to explore! Ah, the world’s so bright.”
I think I’m going to cry.