Chapter 1045: Section 1046: The Grand Money-Making Plan
Angel looked through the open shop door and noticed that there were more demons peeking at this side from the woods outside. Most of them were Half-Blood Demons, and there was also a handful of strangely-shaped little demons.
At first, Angel didn’t understand what had happened until he stuck his head out the door to take a look outside.
He then saw the celestial river phenomenon caused by Pulapa’s breakthrough, emitting a faint blue glow above, winding and circling, attracting countless gazes.
“With such a commotion, my shop might have caught the attention of some big demons just as it opens.” Angel rubbed his chin, thinking about how Toby had admonished him to keep a low profile, yet it seemed that he had failed on the very first day.
“You think big demons have that much spare time?” Fafnir, after hearing Angel’s whisper, couldn’t help but reply sarcastically, “Countless little demons are born every day; no one will care about your insignificant shop.”
After finishing with the sarcasm, Fafnir still added, “Even if a big demon does come, I will not be afraid.”
Angel had gotten used to Fafnir’s sharp tongue. He wasn’t planning to stay in Lassudral for too long; once he earned enough money, he would choose to leave. Therefore, a temporary wooden hut would suffice; he was only making do for a few days after all.
Although there were demons peering into the “Mystic” hut from the woods outside the door, not a single one came in.
All of the demons were watching secretly.
It wasn’t until Pulapa walked out the door with a puzzled look on his face, that this caused some commotion.
So, that breakthrough phenomenon just now was caused by Pulapa?!
Pulapa was also quite well-known in the area, famous for being weak. But now, that weak Pulapa had just broken through! Although Pulapa’s strength was at most comparable to an average phantom-like little demon even after the breakthrough, it was still a sign of improvement!
What exactly happened inside that “Mystic” store?
Thus, some demons directly stopped Pulapa to inquire.
At this moment, Pulapa was also a bit bewildered. It had thought for sure that it was going to be planted today, and under the scamming of that couple, it could only pay money to ward off disaster. Who would have thought that it actually achieved a breakthrough?
Moreover, Pulapa felt that its affinity for water had improved to such a terrifying degree that it might even be stronger than its parents’!
Even when faced with the demon now holding its collar and interrogating it… Cherno Tan, it no longer felt as fearful as before.
Cherno Tan was a Quicksand Demon, likewise a little demon. Their attributes naturally countered each other, and Pulapa had suffered from Cherno Tan’s bullying, but now, Pulapa felt that the currently aggressive Cherno Tan didn’t seem all that impressive?
“I’m talking to you, didn’t you hear?” Cherno Tan, holding Pulapa by the collar, said viciously, “What’s up with that store?”
Pulapa quietly looked at Cherno Tan and gave a response that it had never dared previously.
In front of Cherno Tan, it transformed into a watery state.
As water, Pulapa had no solid form and instantly escaped Cherno Tan’s clutches. However, this action incited Cherno Tan’s rage, causing its solid body to explode furiously, transforming into a five-meter-tall sand giant.
Facing off against each other, Pulapa looked much weaker in terms of presence; however, unlike in the past, Pulapa didn’t beg for mercy or retreat, instead saying, “If you want to know, go look for yourself — don’t block my way.”
To others, these words might seem straightforward, but for Cherno Tan who often used Pulapa as a punching bag, this was a blatant provocation!
It roared in anger and with a sweep of its sandy form, struck viciously at Pulapa.
At this moment, inside the hut, Angel, somewhat excited, leaned by the window to peek outside, “I wonder who will win between them? Pulapa seems to be at a disadvantage in terms of attributes.”
“It’s a matter of mutual restraint; it depends on who’s stronger,” Fafnir interjected, “But no matter who wins between them, the ones who suffer will certainly not be them.”
“Then who will it be?” Angel wondered, but then he noticed that Fafnir, who had been on the sill behind him, suddenly vanished, and at the same time, there came a thunderous boom right in front of the hut.
Angel turned his head and saw dust flying outside the door and water droplets scattering everywhere, while the vanished Fafnir had appeared at the center of this collision of energies.
Before Fafnir, a whirlwind arose, blowing both Pulapa and Cherno Tan high up into the sky.
Fafnir turned his head, showing his side profile to Angel; that perfect curvature was stunning against the backlight.
“Now do you understand who will suffer?”
Angel silently nodded.
Following Pulapa’s ascension, both demons outside had become Wizard Level existences; if a battle ensued, it would surely affect the “Mystic” shop. The Quicksand Demon had intentionally moved the battlefield towards the wooden hut, which naturally infuriated Fafnir and resulted in this outcome.
Although it seemed that the suffering ones were those two demons, without Fafnir, it would have definitely been his little shop in distress.
Therefore, he didn’t have the slightest sympathy for those two barely breathing demons outside.
Fafnir then coldly snorted at the crowd of onlooking demons outside the wooden hut, “Whoever dares to make trouble here will end up just like them!”
The indicated Cherno Tan looked at Fafnir with full fear, while on the other side, Pulapa showed a flush of shame on its face, because it felt that due to the surge in strength, it could defeat Cherno Tan now, yet it had not considered at all how its impetuosity could have brought consequences for the “Mystic” hut.
If it hadn’t been for the intervention of that dark-skinned woman, that small cabin in the forest might have been shattered to pieces.
Feeling guilty for bringing misfortune to the person who had just shown him kindness, Pulapa turned to look at the cabin, wanting to apologize to the young shopkeeper, but he found that the shopkeeper had already returned inside.
After lying on the ground and resting for quite a while, Pulapa finally regained his senses. Chenota had left, and only a few half-blood demons who were onlookers remained.
He hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the cabin.
But as he approached, he noticed a new wooden board standing at the entrance of the cabin with several rules written on it.
At the very top, the first one read, “Fighting near this shop is prohibited; violators bear the consequences.”
Beyond that rule, among the others, Pulapa also saw one that read, “This shop will not serve the same customer twice. The experience is only once, so cherish it.”
Pulapa intended to apologize to the shopkeeper, but before he could step into the cabin, he felt as if there was a breeze swirling around him.
He knew it was a warning. If he took another step, the outcome would be unpredictable.
Pulapa had no choice but to leave. After his breakthrough, he should have been very happy, but the previous events left him somewhat downhearted. With these mixed feelings, he looked back three times with each step he took, leaving the range of the “Illusory” cabin.
“If you feel remorseful, you can express it to the shopkeeper in another way,” a deep voice suddenly reached Pulapa’s ears.
He looked up.
Without knowing when, Night, draped in a black cloak, had appeared in front of him.
…
On the first day of opening, Angel only earned eight Gold Coins.
He was now very anxious, as he was still a long way from gathering the materials he needed. Toby’s Frostsphere could only last another six days at most.
If his daily earnings continued like this, it would be extremely difficult for him to gather ten thousand Demon Gold Coins within six days.
Angel contemplated whether he should change his strategy.
What’s the fastest way to make money if he doesn’t stick to the straight path?
“Maybe I should coerce Lord Fafnir into robbing?” Angel seriously considered the feasibility of this plan. The fastest way to make money, after all, was through murder and robbery.
However, while he was quite willing to consider this option, Fafnir would probably not agree to it. Although Fafnir acted as if he was second only to Odeclass, the strongest in Demon City, in reality, according to what Baltica told him, Fafnir’s strength was currently around True Knowledge Level Three and not yet at his peak.
Lassudral, as an intersection between the superficial and deeper layers of the Abyss, appeared calm on the surface but was far from simple on the inside.
It was said that there were stable portals here allowing the major powers of the deeper levels of the Abyss to arrive with ease. Even the Abyssal Lords might personally visit.
Therefore, it was impossible for Fafnir to challenge the authority of Lassudral for Angel’s sake. And Angel’s own strength was not sufficient to support his ambitions either.
But if he didn’t take shortcuts, how could he quickly gather enough money?
Angel felt incredibly anxious. If he had enough time, he would even consider making money through Alchemy, even though it might expose his identity.
As Angel struggled with his thoughts, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from the entrance of the shop.
“Welcome…” Angel instinctively lit up with a smile, but when he saw the visitor, he stopped short, “It turns out to be Night.”
The visitor was clad in a black cloak trimmed with fire fur, revealing solid abdominal muscles underneath, as he wore no clothes inside. His face appeared fierce, partially due to one side bearing bright, burning Patterns; they were scorching his skin. If the patterns were to disappear, one could see that he was actually quite handsome.
The visitor was indeed Night, the curator of the Hunting Museum and also the Half-Blood Demon with Fire Transmission Demon Bloodline that Odeclass had instructed Angel to find in Demon City.
As it happened, after arriving in Lassudral, Night was the first one Angel found.
When he explained his purpose, Night replied bluntly, “I have the method for synthesizing the Fire Transmission Stone, but due to bloodline restrictions, I cannot tell you.”
After getting this answer, Angel was not surprised. Baltica had said before that the method for synthesizing the Fire Transmission Stone was tightly concealed by the Fire Transmission Demons; even if you killed them, you could not learn it. Moreover, because of the prohibitions tied to their Bloodline, even under soul interrogation, you couldn’t get the information you sought.
So, Angel was grateful that he had gone to see Baltica beforehand and acquired the parchment of uncertain origin.
After Angel mentioned having the synthesis method, Night was somewhat surprised, but when he learned Angel had traded for it with Baltica, he did not ask any further questions.
It seemed that Baltica held a very special status in the Abyss.
Later, when Angel learned that Night could use Hellfire and was also willing to help him, he finally put his mind at ease and devoted all his energy to the grand plan of making money.