The wolf girl Slyhpia dismantled the invisible air barrier sheâd created around them with a simple gesture, the wind currents dissipating into nothing.
"Bunbun, letâs go," Sylphia said firmly. "Thereâs no need to wait any longer."
However, as her eyes landed upon Leon and his two companions standing several meters away, she paused. She still had to thank them properly for saving her life in the forest. There was also something else she wanted to discuss with them.
For now, she only bowed deeply toward them as a gesture of her gratitude.
"Sir Leon, I will be back shortly to speak with you properly," she said respectfully before turning to leave with her idiotic bunny friend in tow.
Leon wasnât confused by her sudden acknowledgment, but being called "Sir Leon" felt different somehow. It was a first for himâthat particular formal address carrying weight he wasnât accustomed to.
After they left, Loriel leaned close and whispered urgently to Leon. "Should we follow them? What if thereâs trouble?"
Leon shook his head. "No. Itâs not our business, and they should be fine. That wolf girl is strongâstronger than most people in this city."
Seraphine was next to speak, asking the practical question. "Then what should we do now? Itâs only around three in the afternoon."
Leonâs response was immediate. "Weâre going shopping."
Heâd been impressed by the armor heâd seen on the wolf womanâthe quality was exceptional, far better than anything they currently owned. He wanted to buy something similar or even better for Seraphine. Money certainly wasnât an issue.
In terms of causality, these gold, silver, and platinum coins donât even give impressive rates anymore. The numbers are too small.
He would also receive expected monthly causality income from so many people through the cosmic chat system. Compared to those massive transfers, the local currency felt like pennies.
Loriel got visibly excited hearing him mention shopping, her hazel eyes lighting up with anticipation.
Seraphineâs expression brightened too, a genuine smile crossing her beautiful features. She was genuinely curious to see what kinds of clothes, weapons, and other interesting items this Middle Domain city had to offer. The feeling of exploration, of discovering new things in an unfamiliar place, was thrilling.
Led by Leon, they left the Adventurerâs Guild and began exploring the city properly. They wandered through various shops along the wayâclothing boutiques displaying elaborate outfits, accessory stores with enchanted jewelry, and general goods establishments selling everything imaginable.
They bought whatever they liked.
But their main destination was the weapon and armor district.
They eventually found a large establishment specializing in combat gear. The building was impressiveâthree stories tall with display windows showing gleaming armor sets and razor-sharp weapons.
However, once inside and examining the inventory carefully, Leon wasnât able to find armor nearly as good as what the wolf woman had been wearing. The quality here was decent but not exceptional.
Still, they purchased armor for both Seraphine and Loriel. The sets cost around fifty platinum coins total, which the merchant proudly declared was "the best we have to offer in this establishment."
The armor was functional and well-crafted, but Leon could tell it wasnât top-tier equipment.
They also couldnât find any daggers for Loriel that were much better than the uncommon rank weapons heâd already given her from his spatial storage. Most of what this shop offered was common rank, with a few uncommon pieces scattered throughout. There were also many by blacksmiths; however, they were not up to par.
The Middle Domainâs average equipment quality is higher than the Lower Domain, but truly exceptional gear is still rare.
As they continued exploring, another shop caught Leonâs attentionâone he hadnât expected to find.
A firearms establishment.
The sign above the door displayed a stylized image of what looked like a rifle crossed with magical runes. Leonâs curiosity was immediately piqued, and he entered with Seraphine and Loriel following close behind.
Neither woman had much idea about these particular weapons. Firearms werenât common in most of the world they knewâmagic and traditional weapons dominated combat.
Leon examined the inventory with growing interest mixed with disappointment. There werenât many options available, and what did exist was fairly limited. Handguns and rifles only, with designs that seemed pretty medieval compared to the advanced weaponry from his previous world.
Instead of gunpowder, some other material rich with concentrated mana was being used as propellant. Strange arrays were inscribed on each weapon to trigger the firing mechanism, and the bullets were made of exceptionally strong metalâprobably much more lethal than anything from his original world due to the magical enhancement.
However, the weapons had many obvious flaws that Leon could identify easily because of his knowledge from Earth. They could only fire one bullet at a time before requiring manual reloading. The mechanisms were crude, the accuracy probably questionable, and the rate of fire abysmal.
Still, the concept is interesting. With proper modifications...
Despite the limitations, he decided to try purchasing a few samples to study.
The shopkeeperâa middle-aged man with a condescending expression and slicked-back hairâimmediately approached them.
"Do you have a silver Union ID?" he asked, his tone already dismissive as he looked Leon up and down.
Leon pulled out his identification card, which was made of bronze metal and marked him as a one-star adventurer.
Seeing the bronze card, the shopkeeperâs expression soured further. "I see. Then Iâm afraid you cannot purchase firearms. Theyâre restricted to silver ID holders and above."
His tone was incredibly condescending, clearly looking down on them because of their card status.
Ignoring the manâs attitude, Leon asked calmly, "How does one obtain a silver card?"
The shopkeeper was clearly looking down on them, but he still answeredâthough not because he cared about Leonâs question. His eyes kept drifting to Seraphine and Loriel, lingering on their beautiful features with obvious interest. He wanted to appear knowledgeable in front of these two lovely ladies, or else he wouldnât have bothered being this "nice" to this bronze-card-holding nobody.
Completely ignoring Leon, the shopkeeper directed his explanation toward Seraphine and Loriel while answering.
"There are three ways to obtain a silver Union ID," he said, puffing out his chest slightly. "First, one must be born into nobilityâthatâs the easiest path for those fortunate enough. Second, accumulate enough merit with the Union through significant contributions to be promoted. And lastly, the hardest route for common folkâbecome a four-star adventurer."
Leon observed what the man was doingâthe obvious attempts to ignore him and address only the womenâbut he chose to let it slide. Getting angry over such petty disrespect wasnât worth his time.
He turned to leave the shop.
But the shopkeeperâs voice called out from behind them, stopping their departure.
"Beautiful ladies, if you donât mind, I could sponsor you to obtain these advanced weapons!"
His voice carried false generosity mixed with barely concealed ulterior motives.
"I am a silver Union ID holder myself, which grants me certain privileges. I have the ability to sponsor up to ten people to acquire one weapon each without the usual restrictions."
After mentioning this fact, he didnât stop there. His actual intentions became crystal clear as he continued.
"Of course, it wonât be completely free. Both of you would have to work in my establishment in exchange. But I assure you, the pay would be very good!"
He smiled in what he probably thought was a charming manner.
In his mind, he was far more interested in how beautiful they both were than in any legitimate employment arrangement. He was pissed that they were with this lower-class citizen holding a bronze ID. Getting them to work here was just a convenient excuse to get closer to them.
Seraphine was the one to respond, her voice dangerously sweet.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, absolutely!" the shopkeeper answered eagerly, completely missing the warning signs.
The man leaned forward against his counter, his posture becoming more casual and presumptuous. His eyes traveled over Seraphineâs figure in a way that made his intentions unmistakable.
"You know, beautiful ladies like yourselves shouldnât be wasting time with someone of such... limited status," he said, gesturing dismissively toward Leon without even looking at him. "I own three shops in this district alone. I could provide you with comfortable accommodations, fine clothing, excellent mealsâeverything you deserve."
His smile widened, confidence growing with each word. "Why settle for traveling with a nobody when you could have stability and luxury? Think about it carefully. This is a rare opportunity Iâm offering you."
He actually had the audacity to wink at Seraphine, completely oblivious to the way her amethyst eyes had gone cold.
Too lost in her beauty to notice the purple lightning beginning to crackle along her fingertips.
Leon didnât make a move, knowing Seraphine had this situation covered perfectly well on her own.
Instead, he simply created an air barrier around the entire shopâsimilar to the one the wolf girl had used earlierâensuring no sound would escape outside. He layered his illusion affinity over the barrier as well, making the shop appear closed to anyone passing by on the street.
Then he said calmly, his voice carrying quiet permission, "Go for it."
The shopkeeper heard Leonâs words and completely misinterpreted them. He thought the coward had just told his woman to accept the generous offer.
Good! Good. Despite his extremely good looks, this white-haired man is pathetic. Iâd be better off taking these lovely women under my protection. Iâm richâI could take much better care of them than this bronze-card-holding nobody.
He smiled through his teeth, completely unaware of what was about to hit him.