After Fisher’s simple question, the atmosphere in the small storeroom suddenly became awkward.
At that moment, the door of the basement behind them was opened, and Old Jack, carrying two bags of garbage, came out. He casually glanced at the situation in the storeroom, and his expression immediately soured upon seeing Elliog awake.
"You’re finally awake. I’m the owner of this tavern, and you haven’t paid yet. Pay up, then find a place to sleep wherever you like. I don’t shelter drunkards here, especially not a demi-human drunkard."
Fisher turned his head and looked at the demon named Elliog, expecting her to at least blush or offer an explanation. Instead, she pondered for a second with her hand on her chin before seemingly giving up. She lay down on the ground, looking indifferent towards the ceiling, and said,
"Ah, it’s so annoying... Sorry, I used up all my travel funds. I don’t have any money left. I’ll let you guys do whatever you want with me, it’s great not having to work too."
Even Old Jack was left speechless by the demon’s extremely passive attitude. Just as he was about to speak, Fisher pulled out several bills of Narliou from his bag to cover the demi-human’s previous drink expenses.
"Old Jack, let me cover her tab for the drinks; I’m quite interested in her."
Old Jack glanced at Fisher, and then at the demi-human lying on the ground, motionless, showing no reaction to Fisher paying, and only staring at the ceiling. Reluctantly, he took the money.
Then, he pointed at Elliog’s very peculiar horns and tail on the ground and advised,
"This person looks very strange. It’s okay here in Snake Head Street, but be careful if you take her to other areas of Saint Nali."
"Good, then I’ll get back to work. Taking care of this individual has really been a headache for me these past few days.."
Old Jack massaged his graying hair as he left the storeroom with the two bags of garbage. Thus, only Fisher and Elliog were left in the storeroom filled with the smell of alcohol and saltpeter.
Turning his head, Fisher saw the lying demon curiously watching the very serious human in front of her. Supporting her head with her hand, she curled her flame-lit tail around her firm abdomen. However, the flames seemed illusory, not burning her skin at all.
"Hey, you paid for my drinks, so you must want something from me... You look pretty strong for a human; are you a mixed breed with some other race? Let me guess, Angel Species? You don’t look like one. Dragon-man Species? Hmm, that feels a bit right. But the Magic Circuit in your body seems thicker than other humans; how did you manage that?"
Elliog’s body lay still, her agile tail prodding here and there on Fisher’s body as if it was a finger, the ethereal flames at its tip flickering without heat.
Fisher didn’t answer but instead reached out and grabbed her mischievous tail. The tail was very elastic, hairless, and somewhat resembled the texture of smooth rubber with a palpable solid inside, which felt stress-relieving to touch.
The tail-held demon didn’t seem annoyed, and even without moving an inch, Fisher realized that she was so lazy that she probably wanted to lie there forever.
At that moment, Fisher caught a term she had used in her speech. She had mentioned something called "Angel Species," which sounded like a type of demi-human, though Fisher had never heard or seen it before.
"Angel Species, what is that, a kind of demi-human?"
He looked at Elliog with a puzzled expression. She pursed her lips, unable to move her tail, and gestured with a finger, sketching something that could either be a bird or a winged person. She said,
"Ah, it’s probably like a bird person with wings, crowned with a Light Halo on their head. Those guys hate you humans the most. After the battle, no one knew where they hid, probably because I was asleep during the fight."
Elliog, half-asleep, revealed many secrets before asking Fisher,
"Tell me, you paid for me; what do you want from me? If you don’t say, I’ll just go to sleep; I’m so sleepy."
She yawned wide, and through her small tongue, her stomach seemed to be lined with rolling magma, continuously emitting a saltpeter-like pungent smell.
"...I am a scholar currently researching the demi-human, very interested in you. Consider the drink I paid for as my treat. In return, may I study you?"
Fisher speculated that the demon might be of a long-lived race, considering she was a type of being he had never encountered before.
Some demi-human species have shorter lifespans than humans, while others live much longer. Thus, the demon in front of Fisher might be an old demon, so he spoke quite politely.
He indeed wanted to know more about this race and also wondered why she suddenly appeared in Saint Nali.