"Here is an all-access pass to the Demon Kingdom, given to all capital residents. I must go now, but within a few minutes, you will receive the notification that the Keep has been transferred to your possession." The King informs him, still scratching Laura's head.
"Thank you. And if there are staff currently working there, inform them that I will take over their contracts. It will allow me to use them to activate a travel circle there so the Guild doesn't need to wait for me to circle the continent by boat before Dimnys can access those recipes."
"One is already placed, you'll be able to modify it when you take possession, but I'm sure the maids will appreciate the work. Just warn your Blacksmith that the Masters in the Capital are Dark Dwarves." That gives everyone in Cain's group an honest smile.
"So is Dimnys. I'll be sure to send her with an appropriate gift for them."
They've talked so long that the process is complete. Cain gets the notification that the Keep is now the property of the Darklight Host, then that the Travel Circle has been added to the network, and finally contracts for eight Succubus 'Domestic Needs Assistants' as the contract calls them. The list of duties and responsibilities looks like they're multi-purpose domestic staff, so Cain increases their pay and signs the contracts.
Well-paid workers are happy workers.
Now that they're finished here, Sergio leads them through the building again, but this time back to the lobby. "This exit is for the low-value auction purchases; you'll be led here if you made a purchase of one gold bar and under. It shouldn't raise suspicions; hundreds of others have also come here; you'll blend right in."
"Thank you for the consideration. I'll be back if I get something good for you."
Sergio passes him an envelope with the Auction seal on it, and Cain puts it in his inventory, shaking the Auctioneers hand and heading back into the city.
[I just saw the notification. Did you get me access to a Dwarven Master Smithing book?] Dimnys sends in Guild Chat.
[In exchange for your suit of Mythril armor and shield. Hopefully, you're not upset about getting a nonmonetary price.]
[Not at all. Master Crafter Certification is worth more than Platinum. Plus, it comes with all the Legendary Dwarven Recipes and one randomly chosen unique or ancient recipe. Those are only available through the system at the time of certification.]
"What's next? I could use a break from walking." Vala days, giving an annoyed glance to a transfer who is following them. Cain's not sure what he's up to; he's far too low level to be a threat. Then he notices where the young man is looking and thumps him on the head.
"Stop drooling over her ass, or she might hurt you."
"Sorry, sorry. It's just, Mommy Dommy thighs." The man says it with a sigh, and Vala looks like she will draw her sword.
"None for you. Now scram." She says with a growl, and the man flees.
"There's always one weirdo." Evangeline laughs in her large Tiger Kin male disguise, and the others nod along.
"Next time, I should take the disguise. But this new form is incredible. As soon as it upgraded me to Legendary, I became Ancient Quality, and I'm not sure anything we've met could stop me now. At least not on my level."
"But are you going to have a brood of little demonettes after Misha gets a baby of her own?" Nemu teases, causing Misha to give her a swat to the head.
"I don't think the harem route is on the table. But if I find myself a suitably powerful Demon Prince, who knows what might happen."
As they're joking, a particular storefront catches Cain's eye. Pets and Vampire Accessories is the name. Maybe they can get something for Cid or a pet for Neffie there. It's still in front of them, and Cain is about to turn in when he scans the person's description in the window.
[Vampire Healing Pet]
[Non-Sentient Magical Construct]
[Level 5]
They're human-shaped magical blood bags, animated to entertain like a puppy or other house pet. That's a hard no from him. Vampires don't need blood to survive, but drinking it increases their regeneration rates.
Plus, many transfers who chose the species just want to do it to live out some stereotypes from their past lives.
He is abruptly pulled into a clothing store, bringing his attention back to the group, and the girls start looking over the available items. It's almost all cloth and leather, but Cain does see a few high fashion plate pieces and wonders if Vala can change her outfit now that she's an Ancient Quality Demon.
"Vala, why don't you try something on? See if you can do fashion changes now? Just grab a few items, like this shirt and pants that count as plate mail, and head for the dressing room." The buildings in this city are pretty tall, built with the expectation of serving various species, so her increased size isn't an issue at the moment.
Vala disappears into the changing room for longer than expected before Cain gets a message. [Do we know of any well-dressed female Demons?]
[I take it you can change clothes now? The Demon Socialites were sitting near the King at the auction. I'm sure we could find someone if you need advice.]
[That's not it. I tried putting on the clothes, and it notified me that these weren't effective armor and asked if I wanted to pick a disguised form instead.]
[In that case, maybe not the socialites. They're pretty overdressed for a disguise. We might have to wait; everything else I can think of for demons is either half dressed or stands out a lot.]
[Got it, boss. It can wait.] Vala comes back out in her armor, handing the clothes back to the attendant as 'Not her Style.'
[You have the Census now. All those forms are in your mind; you just need to go through them one at a time until you find a good one.] The Seraphim Inquisitor suggests. It's a possibility; he can see the form and details in the Interface when switching summons if he wants, but just filtering them and picking one could take days. Best to do that while they're at sea.
Nemu leads Misha out of the changing room with a blindfold on, dressed in a pink plaid pleated school uniform skirt, matching black blouse with pink stitching, and thigh-high black stockings. "Trust me, in this form, that outfit is irresistible. But it's a surprise, so once we show Cain, I'll change you into another one."
The Felian is having way too much fun at her expense. Cain gives the schoolgirl outfit a thumbs up and motions for Nemu to have her do a twirl. It might look better on her human form, in Cain's opinion, but the schoolgirl uniform is still a good look on her furry body.
Nemu quickly brings her back inside and then out again in an elegant gold short-sleeved cheongsam dress that compliments her fur and matching roman sandals.
"Oh, that is amazing on her. Would you like a job here, young lady?" The manager asks Nemu, who lifts the blindfold off Misha's head.
"Sorry, we've got to sail on soon. But we couldn't leave without at least one new outfit. Is there a suit store nearby? We should dress the guys too." The Companions in male disguises are wearing boring generic outfits because Cain doesn't have much to work with, but the staff gladly runs next door and returns with various suits and shirts.
"There, much better dressed now." The clerk declares as everyone comes out in new suits. The whole group looks like a group of businessmen and their dates now, giving Cain an idea.
He opens up his Summoning Options, sorts it to Wrath Demons, then Legendary Quality, female, and then melee type. A bodyguard who looks a lot like Vala's new form but wingless and under 180cm tall is among the remaining options, catching Cain's attention as he scrolls past. He links the description to Vala and sends a mental message to try it and a suit.
She's still got her cornrows and her own face and burnished Bronze skin, but she's shorter and wingless now, and the black suit accents her curves, making her look like a high-priced lawyer. The manager begins to fan herself as if the temperature suddenly increased when she sees the new Vala, and Mythryll whistles in appreciation.
"That's too good not to show off. Let's go somewhere for dinner." Nila declares, still stuck with her usual Sailor's outfit, as she isn't wearing a transformation.
"We're due for a celebration anyhow." Laura declares, and Cain notices she's got white overalls and a baby blue sweater on her Dragon Pixie form now. Still barefoot, though.
"That we are. Miss, how much is our total?" The clerk looks shocked that they're taking almost everything they tried on and all the men's clothing, but quickly comes up with the total, paid with a single gold bar from the auction of the Amulet.
"Split the tip. Excellent work, everyone." Cain declares, leading the group out into the streets. They're not attracting any less attention now, being so elegantly dressed in a city full of Pirates, sailors, and mercenaries. Still, enough Nobles visit for the Auction that they're not too out of place.
