Magical Store

Astra PoV

Looking up at the brick and mortar storefront of the magical shop that Sari wanted us to go to, I tilted my head as I stared at the sign board reading the name out loud.

"'Creamy Sage Emporium'..."

Sari smirked at me, the Catkin bouncing Aka in her arms as she whispered "She really was creamy last time I was here~! Name checks out most of the time..."

I gave her a confused look, as did Prixisia, which made Sari smirk some more.

"The owner - Tania Goldheart - accepts payment in coin, accepts trades, but she prefers her deals to be made in 'cream'. So... yeah."

She tilted Aka's head and looked at Ehretia, the Catkin pursing her lips for a moment before looking at me, saying "Well, considering their home environment, they should be fine."

I frowned at that, with Sari shrugging as she said "Tania takes her payment in the backroom, whilst her clerks man the counter. They won't see anything, trust me."

My eyes remained locked on hers, until I eventually nodded as I saw her tilt Aka's head back towards her chest once more, the Catkin slightly defensive of our kit.

"Well, lead us in."

Nodding, she opened the door and revealed a dimly lit store, a few other people browsing the wares as we entered.

One of them blanched and left after seeing Prixisia slither in, whilst the the others just made room, too invested in whatever they were trying to purchase.

The two women at the counters smiled stiffly at us before returning to making their transactions, with one of them nodding and gesturing for the customer to enter the room hidden behind the velvet curtain, where soft moaning and grunts could be heard.

Guiding me to one of the tables, my Catkin wife showing me the wares and beginning to explain what I was looking at.

"So, magic can be cast in many different ways, right? There's incantations - what I use, speaking my spells power into existence and casting it. Then there is runic casting, where you utilize the ancient runic language to structure a spell before casting. Finally, there's a new technique that's a bit harder, but has a higher ceiling. You push your mana out into a focus of some kind; a wand, staff, amulet, whatever and utilize your will to create whatever you want from your mana.

For the first two, a focus is helpful to center your mana into something; even incantations. It helps channel your mana and - like the name suggests - focus your mind on casting your magic. Personally, I never had a problem focusing my mana, but I am also a genius, so... yeah."

She gestured to the table, which was laden with thin wands and basic metal amulets.

"For beginners, having a focus is really helpful. Wands, staves or amulets are made from materials that hold and maintain mana. For instance, this is... ah, Wekian Wood. A tree of blue bark and teal leaves, it is tree that grows inside of small ponds and seeped with Water Mana. Or this amulet, it's made from Magisteel, which is steel that was forged inside of a magic fire. Cheap - in regards to other materials - make it easier for people to begin experimenting with magic!"

Leaning closer, as if sensing my unspoken question, she whispered "For those that can see the Weave, a focus is really important. Having something to channel your threads into is powerful, and if you think your magic is potent now, well... The problem is, since you are utilizing the Weave itself, you need sturdy materials, which are expensive. Thankfully, Tania sells a few of her 'flawed' creations, which should be... ah, there."

Pulling me over to another table, she showed me a table laden with beautifully crafted wands, staves, and amulets, but they were all left to collect dust in the corner.

"They're flawed because the finished product leaks mana too fast to be usable. You can't get the wood back, or recut the stones, nor can you even smelt the metals, so... it's just junk."

Lifting one up, I stared at it curiously before inspecting it with the Survival System, a small smile gracing my lips.

"How much are they?"

Sari was stroked Aka's ears, the little kit yawning as she looked around the dim room before sniffing the air, her crimson eyes curious yet tired.

"Well, this sign says... 50 Silvers each. They are still well made and crafted from rarer materials."

Nodding, I kissed Ehretia's head and smiled at my daughter, picking up one of the red metal amulets and showing it to her.

"What do you think of this one, Ehretia~?"

{Fire Maiden Amulet (Flawed) : Enhances accumulation of Fire Mana and potency of Fire Spells by 1%}

It still 'works', but that wasn't what I was interested in...

{Restore Amulet : Use an Arcane Workbench and (5) Magisteel to restore this Amulet to normal, or (15) Magisteel and a Fire Ruby to restore it and upgrade it to (Enhanced)}

All I needed was an upgrade to my workbench and some materials, and I could get this Amulet back to working order in no time~!

And with how much coin I had, well, I could buy these 'flawed' items and retrieve some materials from them...

{Smelt Amulet : Use an Arcane Furnace to retrieve (2) Magisteel from this Amulet, with a 10% chance to retrieve the Fire Ruby}

Though...

"So... what exactly does this Tania want? Is it sex, or..?"

Sari smirked at me, leaning close as she whispered "No, she has a rather peculiar kink... What she wants isn't sex, but semen. All over her body, she wants to be covered in semen. If you send someone back there, they're getting their cocks milked for a thick load of cum that they spray onto her beautiful face or luscious tits, all while she lounges inside a tub. Peculiar, no~?"

I raised a brow, before glancing at Prixisia, the Lamia staring back at me when she sensed my gaze.

"Oh, and she doesn't discriminate. Semen is semen, after all..."

With that, I smirked too as I beckoned for my Lamia to approach, deciding that I should save this coin and instead pay in other means...

Whilst I wouldn't mind going back and 'paying' the woman myself, I wasn't particularly in the mood of explaining that to Sari, so maybe later...

"Prixisia, dear, would you mind going and 'paying' Miss Tania? I'll reward you tonight for it..."

She nodded, trace amounts of lust appearing in her orange eyes as she followed me to the counter, where I made my order of all the 'flawed' focuses in the corner.

The clerk frowned at my request, only to shrug as she nodded and took note of what I was purchasing, giving me the total of 12 Gold 50 Silver for the 25 focuses.

Then she gestured for Prixisia to enter the backroom, where this Miss Tania waited for her kinky bath.