Chapter 1044 The Wronged Prapa <TOC> Chapter 1046 The Great Scheme for Amassing Wealth
Translator: SumTLMan
“Let the journey begin.”
Upon uttering these words, Prapa found itself thrown into a whirlwind of change. No longer a formless entity, it found itself incarnated into a frail, defenseless human, bereft of any offensive might.
Despite this radical shift, Prapa felt no confusion. For it was staring down a far more immediate threat that dwarfed any existential conundrums!
Here it was, adrift on a solitary boat amidst a tempestuous sea. Enormous waves, conjured up by the storm, threatened to capsize its fragile vessel. Its only hope lay in navigating through this wrathful torrent, to seek a glimmer of survival.
The sky was a canvas of brooding darkness, pierced by serpentine lightning that danced amidst the rumbling thunder.
Winds howled in fury, while painful ocean spray stung Prapa’s skin. Forgetting its heritage as a descendant of water demons, its sole focus was on surviving the storm…
As Prapa grappled with the illusion spun by the Rhythm of the Ocean, inside the narrow confines of the “Phantasmagoria” cabin, a young shopkeeper watched a woman perched on the windowsill.
“You would aid this Phantom Imp in its vengeance against humans?”
“Isn’t animosity between demons and humans quite normal?”
“Hmph. Have you forgotten who you are? Have you deluded yourself into believing you’re an Abyss native? Pitiful human!”
The young man squinted, shrugged, “I’ve never forgotten who I am. But right now, I’m not in a position to pick and choose. Much like Lady Balalaika of the Resting Ground, she despises humans, but she doesn’t mind trading with them.”
“Likewise, I would perhaps have been picky elsewhere, but here in La Sutherland, where every demon detests humans, can I afford to be choosy about my customers? If I reject all, the chance of earning enough demon gold coins within five days seems nearly impossible.”
The young man spoke, simultaneously extracting an orb of ice from his bracelet.
Encased in the heart of the frosty sphere was a grey seabird.
“In order to rouse Toby, I am willing to compromise, as long as it does not infringe upon my principles,” he declared.
The youthful shopkeeper was none other than Angel, who had journeyed a great distance to La Sutherland in pursuit of materials to synthesize the Firestone. The dark-skinned woman was Fafnir, the Abyssal Wind Dragon.
“Humph, it is my duty to shield you during this period, yet you should not forget your pledge,” Fafnir huffed coldly.
“I won’t forget. If the Firestone is successfully created, I will relay your contribution to Lord Odeklaes truthfully,” Angel paused briefly, “Given that, once Lord Odeklaes becomes aware, he would certainly understand your predicament.”
Fafnir expelled a snort through her nostrils, a grudging acknowledgment, before lapsing into silence and feigning sleep against the window ledge.
Inwardly, Angel breathed a sigh of relief.
To be honest, his shop wouldn’t have been able to sustain itself without Fafnir’s assistance.
Just as he had fretted back at the Resting Ground, upon his arrival in La Sutherland, he was immediately faced with the challenge of turning a profit.
He found the half-demon named Night, whom Odeklaes had instructed him to seek out. According to Night, purchasing the three unique materials required alongside a substantial amount of Firestone fragments would cost at least several thousand, or even tens of thousands of demon gold coins.
With his alchemy skills, earning that many demon gold coins wouldn’t be difficult, but the true challenge was amassing that sum in a short span of time. After considerable deliberation, Angel decided to capitalize on the special effects of the Rhythm of the Ocean to generate income.
Though he had a method to earn money, establishing a business in La Sutherland necessitated a formidable deterrent.
Being only an apprentice who hadn’t even fully become a wizard, he was a pushover in La Sutherland, hence he thought of collaborating with Fafnir. What Fafnir desired most was a meeting with Odeklaes. Thus, Angel used this as a bargaining chip to sign a short-term protection contract with her.
Having solved the two most difficult issues, Angel believed he could finally rest easy.
However, he had overlooked one thing: even the finest wine needs to be discovered, and in the vast symphony of the wizarding world’s ‘Rhythm of the Ocean’, who would pay attention to his insignificant melody, let alone in the demon world where civilization is primitive and information dissemination is slow?
From the moment he opened his shop in the morning until now, a span of six hours, all those who entered his shop were just troublemakers.
Not a single transaction had been made thus far.
Just when Angel was at his wit’s end, a half-demon named Prapa sauntered in.
…
As Prapa was experiencing the ‘Rhythm of the Ocean’, Angel was examining the eight demon gold coins he had just earned — his first-ever earnings.
Truth be told, Angel was taken aback when he first heard from Balalaika that the demon city used “gold coins” as trading currency. He had thought that only mortal nations would use the gold standard as the medium of trade to maintain and stabilize their economies.
Take, for instance, Angel’s birthplace — the Goldfinch Empire, where the currency unit was the gold coin. The reason why gold coins could be used for trade in other continents, or even among mortal nations of the Vast Continent, was due to the gold standard.
The value of the metal itself does not change based on the design on the coin. What influences its value is the content of the metal.
In extraordinary worlds, they either use virtual currency as in the Hante World or use energy coins. Therefore, he was somewhat astonished when he heard that the demon city used gold coins for transactions. Could it be that the demon world operates under a gold standard trading system?
However, when he finally laid his eyes on a demon gold coin, he realized his mistake.
At first glance, the demon gold coin seemed no different from a mortal world gold coin — similar in size and shape. But upon closer inspection, Angel noticed the subtle distinctions.
The gold coin bore two distinct designs, one on each face. On the reverse, an illustration of a regal crown graced the surface, its majesty punctuated by a sphere perched atop each crown’s peak. This sphere was etched with an intricate formation that, despite its monochrome nature, bore an uncanny resemblance to a jester’s orb.
The obverse side of the coin, on the other hand, was emblazoned with a symbol that Angel found all too familiar!
Upon inspecting the coin’s reverse side, doubts began to bubble up within him. As he set eyes on the symbol on the front, Angel came to understand why demon gold was in circulation within the demon city.
For this symbol was the true mark of the Crowned Clown.
As a preeminent Demon God residing at the zenith of the Abyssal pyramid, the Crowned Clown’s philosophy was the pursuit of absolute equilibrium. Therefore, coins bearing the true mark of the Crowned Clown were the epitome of fairness, as per its philosophy.
Now, Angel understood. It was no wonder that demon gold served as the currency of trade in demon city. Behind the scenes, an influential figure was pulling the strings.
Upon completing his examination of the coins, Angel carefully stashed away the few pieces of demon gold. Though they weren’t plentiful, they were, after all, the first earnings he had made.
With the coins safely stored away, Angel turned his attention back to his sole patron, Prapa.
Prapa’s endurance was impressive. Nearly ten minutes had passed, yet it showed no signs of retreating from the Rhythm of the Ocean.
Typically, most first-timers were expelled from the Rhythm of the Ocean within three minutes. Angel’s own unfortunate experience had lasted less than a minute.
The fact that Prapa had managed to endure this long was a testament to its adeptness at navigating the ocean’s rhythms — a testament befitting a water-element half-demon.
Another five minutes passed, yet Prapa remained firmly within the illusion. Doubt crept into Angel’s eyes. Could Prapa potentially last long enough to meet the Goddess of the Sea?
Two minutes later, a dense mist of water suddenly radiated from around Prapa.
Moreover, the thickness of the mist visibly increased at an astounding rate.
Upon witnessing this, Angel’s gaze momentarily faltered. He could now confirm with certainty that even if Prapa hadn’t set foot on the shell hosting the Goddess of the Sea, he had undeniably beheld the sea deity!
Such a rapid surge in water-element affinity was simply unprecedented.
Angel was now certain of another thing: the Rhythm of the Ocean wasn’t only effective for wizards, it had significant effects on water-element demons as well. Furthermore, the effect was even more potent than it was on ordinary wizards!
Even Fafnir, who had been dozing off by the window, couldn’t resist opening his eyes.
“Why is it so damp? Wait, what’s happening… is its power actually increasing?” Fafnir eyed the blue-skinned half-demon with a hint of surprise. She had previously sensed how mediocre Prapa’s abilities were; even a lowly human could best Prapa. Yet, in a matter of moments, Prapa’s power seemed to be skyrocketing?!
It was as if Prapa had overcome a particular hurdle, or perhaps he had been in a bottleneck all along, and once that barrier was broken, his growth was explosive.
After a minute, Prapa finally emerged from the trance induced by the Rhythm of the Ocean.
“Exalted deity, allow me to serve you…” Prapa mumbled odd phrases, his eyes slowly opening.
Upon opening his eyes, he saw the young store owner opposite him beaming, “I’m no deity, but seeing that you’ve met her, it seems like your gain was substantial… So, was this experiential journey satisfying?”
Just as Prapa was about to nod and say something, he suddenly felt an oppressive force erupting within him.
He froze for a moment, as if realizing something. His face was a picture of ecstasy, and he promptly closed his eyes to sense this overwhelming power.
While Prapa quietly absorbed this realization, the mist surrounding him became increasingly condensed, even starting to drip water droplets.
Just like before, these droplets turned into crystal-blue orbs as they hit the ground.
Instead of waiting for Fafnir’s reminder, Angel took the initiative to gather these condensed blue beads. These pearls, capable of preserving meat for extended periods and enhancing its flavor, are the prized possession of gourmet wizards.
“Surprisingly, it’s quite effective on demons, the enhancement is immense…” Angel muttered under his breath: “This deal seems rather disadvantageous to me, nurturing a tiny demon who is hostile towards humans, these phantom water beads can serve as compensation.”
While Angel was grumbling, a flash of water-blue radiance burst forth from within Prapa, shooting towards the sky.
The entire eastern city of La Sutherland could observe the sky lit up with blue light as if a celestial river had been projected above them.
Any demon witnessing this spectacle would naturally comprehend its implication: some water-attribute demon had broken through. However, judging from the scope of the blue light projection, it had only advanced to the level of a lesser demon.
Therefore, many demons merely smirked and brushed it off.
Yet, a few inquisitive demons, intrigued by the radiance above, cast their gaze towards the direction of the ‘Phantasmagoria’ cabin…
While this caused a disturbance outside, Angel was looking at the half-demon across him, eyes filled with envy.
Not long ago, this half-demon was merely at the peak apprentice level. Yet, it had now broken through to the level of a formal wizard.
“Is ‘Rhythm of the Ocean’ really that incredible? Doesn’t it just increase water-affinity?” Full of doubts, Angel reflected that he had experimented with the effect of ‘Rhythm of the Ocean’ countless times, but never expected that it could directly boost strength.
“This half-demon was already on the precipice of a breakthrough, yet the feeble bloodline of the Phantom Imp held it back, preventing further progress. However, your Rhythm of the Ocean, despite merely enhancing water affinity, has provided a conduit for the suppressed power within it, leading to such a substantial improvement.” As Fafnir shared this, her gaze landed on the Rhythm of the Ocean item in Angel’s hand. Although she knew it could enhance water affinity, she hadn’t expected such a dramatic impact, enabling a half-demon to break through to the level of its paternal line.
It seems that the Rhythm of the Ocean item isn’t as simple as she had originally envisioned.
Fafnir cast a thoughtful look at Angel, a figure who in the human world would be considered weak. Yet, he was laden with secrets.
To be able to present goods that even the crafty merchant Balalaika was willing to barter for, and now to produce an item of irresistible allure to water-affiliated demons, spoke volumes.
Chapter 1044 The Wronged Prapa <TOC> Chapter 1046 The Great Scheme for Amassing Wealth