“…….”
With a sudden rise in pitch on the word “who,” the shop instantly fell into a deathly silence.
The “shopkeeper” wore a loose black robe similar to Kane’s, with a mask covering half her face.
But even the robe couldn’t hide her voluptuous, curvaceous figure.
Though her full face couldn’t be seen, just judging by her figure, she was in no way inferior to Enya.
And Enya was a succubus, with natural racial buffs on her side—so the fact that this woman could match her in physique spoke volumes.
Kane was observing the woman, and the “shopkeeper” was observing him in return.
Moments later, the shopkeeper broke the silence with a clear, alluring voice like a spring breeze in April.
“So it’s a customer. I did hang a ‘closed’ sign on the door, though.”
Only then did Kane notice the “Closed” sign hanging by the entrance.
That’s not good…
“When will you be open?” Kane asked.
The shopkeeper lightly tapped her lips with a slender finger—beside her strikingly red lips was a prominent beauty mark.
Tilting her head slightly, she thought for a moment and said:
“As you can see, I’m still organizing things. Can’t really say when I’ll be ready to open.”
“I see…”
Kane looked disappointed, ready to excuse himself and say he’d disturbed her—when the shopkeeper spoke again:
“You’re already here, so come in and have a look. Just make sure to close the door behind you.”
Hearing that, Kane closed the door and stepped inside.
The shopkeeper walked out from behind the bar.
From under the robe emerged a pair of long legs, crossing slightly, faintly visible beneath the folds.
Her black stockings shimmered subtly in the dim light.
She propped her chin on one hand, the corner of her eye beneath the mask lifted with a teasing glint, her voice flirtatious and playful:
“Is this the young master’s first time here? Tell big sister what you’re looking for, and I’ll help you find it.”
“I want the Ten Thousand Demons Banner.”
Kane didn’t care how she could tell it was his first time.
If she could run a black market shop safely, she clearly had skills.
No matter how a newbie like him tried to hide it, he wouldn’t be able to fool old foxes like her.
Might as well be direct—better than attracting more curiosity and scrutiny.
“And I also need a magitech item that can counter the Ten Thousand Demons Banner,” he added after a pause.
“The banner again?” The shopkeeper blinked in surprise, delighted, “Is it really that popular now? Maybe I should stock up.”
“Again?”
Kane immediately caught the keyword.
He stepped forward quickly, closing the distance between them, both hands pressing on the bar as he questioned:
“Who else bought it?”
Could it be Enya? But there wasn’t one at home. Or… did she hide it somewhere else?
“Young master, we’re not allowed to disclose customer information without permission,” the shopkeeper said, pressing a jade-like finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.
But the next moment, she extended her pale arm, turning her slender wrist.
Her thumb and forefinger rubbed together in front of Kane’s eyes:
“Unless… you pay extra.”
Money and fists—that’s the rule of the black market. With enough money, you could even buy a life.
Kane really did care who bought it.
And if it could be solved with money, it wasn’t even a problem. That was a win.
“How much?”
“Our shop’s having a limited-time discount promo—just 99,999 Erylis.”
“Ahem, then… how much for a full set of what that customer bought?”
Thinking it over, it had to be Enya.
Even if she didn’t buy it herself, that stuff would end up in her hands eventually.
Buying info he already knew—even if it was a good deal—was still wasteful.
Waste was shameful.
Kane refused to allow it.
The shopkeeper seemed to have expected this.
She smiled calmly and said:
“Please wait a moment.”
Then she turned around and walked back to the bar, rummaging through the shelves behind it.
The items appeared to be placed high up, and the shopkeeper had to stretch up on her tiptoes to reach them.
The black robe was pulled up slightly, revealing her small black-stockinged feet in high heels.
A breeze slipped through the window, lifting the edge of her skirt.
Her long legs tensed, slender and glowing faintly in the light, stirring a primal impulse in any onlooker.
So the shopkeeper was the childbearing-hips type.
Were black market shopkeepers always this hot in the game?
Why didn’t he remember at all?
Aside from his personal maid Enya, every beautiful girl in the game inevitably ended up in the OP protagonist’s harem—heroine or villainess alike.
With a shopkeeper this hot, she should definitely be on the list.
Did he miss her?
Or was his memory just that bad?
“All done. Here it is.”
While Kane was still lost in thought, the shopkeeper swayed her slender waist back to the bar, arms full of goods, which she laid out one by one in front of him with great care:
“This whip is made from the tail of a Sathyrian centaur girl—it stings but leaves no marks.”
“This gag ball is made from pearls of a rock serpent clam—you can breathe easily with it in, comfortable and ventilated.”
“This candle is made from refined wild boar oil, more potent than an elbow strike. It burns for an impressively long time and leaves no marks when dripped on skin—just pure, tingling bliss.”
“This black tea comes from Lucifer’s domain in the Demon Realm. Drinking it makes someone utterly obedient, though it doesn’t harm the brain’s cognitive—”
“Stop. I’m more interested in the price of the Ten Thousand Demons Banner.”
Sweating buckets, Kane forced a polite but awkward smile and interrupted the shopkeeper.
He didn’t need her to explain what these items were—he knew very well. Why?
Because he’d personally used every single one of them in live combat, so to speak.
You think he wouldn’t know their effects?
Looking at all these items, Kane felt like he was bumping into his long-lost first love at a class reunion—the kind who curls her black-stockinged toes while counting the change in his pocket, leans in to nibble his earlobe, and whispers that her husband’s not home tonight… So why not swing by her room and catch up?
Kane’s palms were literally sweating.
“I want the Ten Thousand Demons Banner. And something that can counter it.”
Kane repeated himself, his urgency more obvious this time.
But the shopkeeper only shrugged.
“Out of stock.”
“Huh?”
The shopkeeper explained, “The Ten Thousand Demons Banner is a rare item. That one we had was pre-ordered ages ago. And anything that can counter it? Even rarer.”
Then why did you waste all that time talking to me?!
Kane barely managed to hold himself back.
If it weren’t for how tight things were right now, he’d seriously consider giving this shopkeeper a proper lesson on how a woman with childbearing hips should prepare for a smooth delivery in the future:
Of course, that was just a passing thought.
As Kane was getting ready to leave, the shopkeeper’s soft, lilting voice called out from behind:
“I don’t have anything that can counter the Ten Thousand Demons Banner but I do have a whole bunch of things you can use to spike someone’s drink.”
“Young master, you’re about to get refined into that banner, aren’t you~?”