Hmm?
Hearing the other’s words, Shawn’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and then he seemed to understand something. He swept the relics beside him aside and calmly said, "Making a friend is fine, but I’m also new here and not familiar with Abyss City."
Shawn’s words made the Enchanting Demon’s eyes in front of him grow even more eager. A newcomer actually had the City Lord’s token.
What does this represent?
As an Enchanting Demon, she knew all too well.
Veronica, with a smile, said, "Please don’t misunderstand, sir. This is just a small investment. Sorcerers with talent are our major clients."
"This is just the beginning, right?"
"With your strength, in the future, you’ll probably have many things that need assistance. I’m just expressing my sincerity to cooperate."
Whether a capable sorcerer or a well-connected one, her investment wouldn’t be a loss.
At most, she’d earn just a little less soul stones from this transaction.
The other’s words had reached this point, so there was no longer any need to haggle. Clearly, she intended to buy back these curios and relics at a high price.
This was a very smart Enchanting Demon.
Shawn gladly accepted. He indeed needed some external help right now. If these curios could sell at a high price, he could have more soul stones to prepare for the next trial.
Half an hour later.
Shawn’s figure emerged from the shop named ’Purgatory Fire Horn.’ Veronica did give Shawn a high price. For these curios and relics, he received over five hundred soul stones, essentially meaning she was helping Shawn sell, with no profit, and possibly at a loss.
Veronica smiled as she watched Shawn’s figure leave. After he departed, this Enchanting Demon gently waved her hand, and a small figure, only about 1.2 meters tall, appeared.
The Enchanting Demon softly said, "Go investigate if there have been any human-looking people entering or leaving the City Lord’s Mansion lately."
The small figure nodded and quickly disappeared into the shadow.
On the street.
Guided by the Enchanting Demon proprietress, Shawn found a very hidden store in an alley, with a sign at the door that read ’Hellfire,’ clearly a very legitimate alchemy shop.
"Veronica recommended me here."
Shawn pushed open the door and towards the ’corpse’ burned all over inside said, "I need to buy some powerful alchemy explosives."
—Fire Burning Demon.
It should be an advanced variant since what Shawn saw was an almost charred humanoid corpse, with cracked skin, embers flickering within its flesh, utterly hairless skin adorned with intricate demon pattern marks, seemingly trying to stabilize its body form.
Demon advancing through the Alchemy Path.
Advancing in the Monster Path is quite complicated, not something that can be explained in a few words, and Shawn was still learning.
Simply put, the Demon Path requires one to first advance to the demon form, then change the racial template, before advancing to the corresponding professional system.
The proprietress of Purgatory Fire Horn is a Charm Mage.
According to Shawn’s understanding, her first ten Extraordinary Levels are Monster Levels, Demon Species branch—Enchanting Demon Form. At the third stage, when merging the Extraordinary Relics, she chose to advance to the Warlock profession, so she should be level 10 Enchanting Demon/level 2 Warlock, roughly this advancement template.
She relies on the Enchanting Demon’s innate 26 points of charm to enhance the warlock profession’s casting ability.
Extraordinary beings of the Demon Series all choose a final life form before advancing to the corresponding professional system.
If they continue to advance their Demon Form, it would require a higher Monster Level.
The final form of the Fire Burning Demon should be the Balrog Flame Demon, and according to Shawn’s understanding, the advancement template should be—level 20 Balrog Flame Demon/level 1 Alchemist. If advanced this way, up to the Path of Destiny of being Legendary, one would only have Monster Level, without a single Professional’s Extraordinary Level.
Demon, Devil, Evil Demon, etc., every form conversion and racial conversion in the Monster Path has corresponding Monster Level requirements, which also occupy the Extraordinary Level of the Professional.
Because the ultimate Path of Destiny is a limit of 20 levels, the more Monster Levels, the fewer Professional Levels.
Monster Levels gain racial talents, whereas Professional Levels strengthen comprehensively.
Overall, the Professional Levels of Transcendents are still stronger, but the racial attributes of the Demon Series’ advancement route are indeed very high. A level 10 Transcendent possessing an astounding 26 points of charm is probably only attainable through the Enchanting Demon Form of the Demon Path.
(The Desire Demon of the Devil Path has only 20 points of charm, so you can guess which is prettier. The Enchanting Demon has always been N01, even surpassing the Fairy Species.)
The owner of this shop is a half-elementalized Demon Species, probably on a special advancement route, possibly merging the Extraordinary Relics of elemental life.
There is a strong sulfur and gunpowder scent here. The figure slowly raised its head, glanced at Shawn, and said in a heavy voice, "The inventory list is at the counter."
"Some are sold out, currently out of stock."
This shop lacks any staff; presumably, no one wants to be around a Fire Burning Demon who likes playing with gunpowder. It isn’t afraid of fire damage, but others likely worry about being blown to pieces.
Shawn was indeed a bit concerned as well.
The entire shop reeked of sulfur and gunpowder, and the shopkeeper’s body was still emitting sparks. If it suddenly exploded, the whole shop would blast to the sky.
As he came in, he was already prepared to ’Dimensional Jump’ at any moment.
Shawn didn’t go deep inside but stayed about five meters away, inspecting the inventory list on the counter to ensure he could teleport out at a moment’s notice. Everything here was extremely expensive, with the cheapest explosive powder barrel costing fifteen soul stones.