Chapter 437: Buy buy buy
Damon and the group walked toward the first demon territory. From a distance, it looked like nothing more than a small village, stone huts, crooked watchtowers, and smoky fires curling into the sky. But everyone was uneasy.
Mark’s hands were tightly clenched, eyes narrowing at the horned figures milling about the dirt roads. Kate clutched her staff, ready for attack. Even Ellora, who was usually calm, kept glancing around here and there.
Damon could only chuckle at their attitude. It was not their fault. Anyone who stepped foot in here for the first time would probably have the same reaction. "Relax, guys. There is no need to be so anxious and uptight. You all can unclench and walk freely. This is just a village. They don’t care who walks through, as long as you don’t give them a reason to."
He gestured casually at the demons in the marketplace. Some were selling meat. Some were bartering leather and bones. Some were even selling something that looked like a fruit or vegetable, but no one in their right mind would consume the said thing, as it reeked and was disgusting in every way.
"See? They’re busy with their own lives. As long as we don’t draw attention, we’re just shadows passing by. Mixed places like this are common in demon lands. As long as we don’t cause trouble, we’re just background noise to them. Act casual and walk."
Everyone nodded, but it was clear that they still didn’t completely believe his words. Damon decided to let them see for themselves.
The group walked into the town without hurry. Nothing about them screamed "outsiders." Their clothes were simple, stitched from demonic beast leather, rough, dark, and practical.
Damon had gathered plenty of these from the demons he had killed along the way. The pouches he looted had not held much worth, no treasures, no rare weapons, but they had been filled with the daily things demons used to blend in. Worn cloaks, travel boots, crude belts, and odd trinkets carved from bone.
It was just enough to pass unnoticed. No one bothered to spare them a second glance.
Demons of all kinds moved through the dirt roads. A tall brute with tusks hefting a barrel on one shoulder, a horned woman shouting prices at her stall, a child with bat-like wings darting between legs, clutching something shiny he’d clearly stolen. No one looked twice at Damon’s group.
The group crossed the marketplace, where half-skinned beasts hung from hooks and strange bubbling stews simmered in iron pots. A demon barked out a laugh, shoving his companion into the mud, while another cursed loudly about the price of bone-dust.
Just as Damon had said, life here went on, completely indifferent to a small group of vampires passing through. There were surprisingly a couple of other races as well, goblins and beastkin.
"Oh, wait a minute. I almost forgot." Damon’s sudden detour caught everyone off guard. He strolled up to a crooked stall where a demon with cracked horns and a missing eye sat slouched behind a table.
Spread across the warped planks were chunks of ore, faintly glowing herbs tied in bundles, and cloudy gemstones. Everything was being sold for dirt cheap!
Kate blinked. "Wait... are those... Jingna ores?" She leaned closer, her eyes widening as Damon casually tossed a few into his pouch after flipping over a handful of copper coins. "And you’re telling me these things are just lying around here being sold like onions?"
Mark’s jaw nearly hit the ground. "What the fuck... That’s mithril ore. I saw someone pay five hundred gold for a sliver of this in Garth City! And this guy’s selling it for... for..." He stared down at the price scratched onto a chunk of bone. "Two silver?"
Ellora shook her head, lips curling in disbelief.
Damon laughed. "The exchange rate between human lands and demon lands is completely skewed. They don’t value ores or herbs the way we do. To them, it’s just material, something they dig up in abundance, something the beasts bring in from the wilds. To us, it has many values. That doesn’t mean everything is cheap. They use specific ores and herbs to craft dark faction-aligned items. Those things are pricey as hell."
Damon smirked, already pulling out more coins. "This is why demon lands are goldmines if you know how to shop. To them, this is junk. To us, it’s currency, weapons, armor, potions. We could arm an entire squad with what I just bought."
The one-eyed demon behind the stall didn’t even glance up. He lazily swiped Damon’s coins into a sack and muttered, "Come again."
Mark rubbed his temples, muttering under his breath. "Unbelievable. We’ve been grinding like idiots for scraps, and here we are, shopping at demon Walmart."
Kate giggled while Damon only shrugged. "Demon villages have a lot of treasures. Feel free to shop around for whatever you want." He then added with a wink. "Guild leader."
Mark’s face twitched, but he was way too excited to react. He quickly walked over to another stall and cleaned out the wares over there.
Ellora, Kaelthorn, Kate, and everyone busied themselves doing pretty much the same. Only Riven was happily whistling and walking along without a care in the world, observing and enjoying the scenery around him.
Damon sighed at the sight of the damned guy. He still had no clue how to whip this one into shape. Considering the other important things he was dealing with, he had no choice but to leave this particular problem on the back burner for the time being.
Soon, the group was done with the small village and walked out of there with big smiles on their faces, eager to step into the next village.
Kate’s eyes sparkled as she stuffed another pouch full of herbs. "Oh my god, if we clean out all the villages like this, we could probably become the richest guild in no time."
Damon chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Don’t get too carried away. Remember, these are just scraps to them. If we buy up everything in sight, sooner or later, someone will notice and trouble will come looking for us."
"So, we are not going to keep buying?" Kate looked unwilling.
"Of course not." Damon grinned. "Buy whatever you want, my dear. Enjoy to your heart’s content. If trouble comes looking for us, we can simply say hello."
Kate giggled and gave him a flying kiss.
Mark groaned loudly and did a puking action at the exchange.