Not Your Average Port

"I have an idea."

Though she didn't think Paul's suggestions were bad, Venti couldn't help asking, "Why don't we occupy a Labyrinth or have Ganyu bring over Zhongli to construct a fortress. I mean, if we're going to be here for a few years, we may as well make a place for ourselves."

Blinking in surprise, Paul replied, "That's...actually not a terrible idea? It would definitely give us some privacy..."

Since Labyrinths/Dungeons formed in regions where Mana was abundant, the Demon Continent exceeded even the Begaritt Continent when it came to the number of Dungeons it possessed. The primary difference between the two was that most Labyrinths/Dungeons in the Demon Continent were located and destroyed fairly quickly. The Adventurer's Guild tried to deter people from doing so, but the temptation of looting a Dungeon's Treasury and Core were too tempting for most Demons to resist.

"The only problem with that suggestion is that we're foreigners. To further complicate matters, I'm technically a foreign dignitary. Even if we found a Dungeon in an area unclaimed by a Demon Lord, attempting to claim it for ourselves could cause an international incident. There is also the Guild to consider. They get pretty testy when individuals or organizations attempt to monopolize the resources of a Dungeon."

"Hmmm..."

As her actual intention was to secure a place where they could have some 'privacy,' Venti strained the hamster wheels in her brain to suggest, "Can't we just ally with a specific tribe or Demon Lord? With the resources at our disposal, it shouldn't be difficult to convince one of the declining tribes to join hands with us."

"..."

Unable to resist the urge, Paul tilted his head to the side and asked, "Who are you, and what did you do with the original Venti...?"

Furrowing her brows in a pretend pout, Venti flatly replied, "Rude." before adopting a broad smile, puffing out her chest, and reminding, "I am a God, you know~?"

"Anyways..."

Shifting his attention to the rest of the group, Paul asked, "What do you girls think? I did want to experiment further with my Dendro Vision, so allying with a Demon Lord or doing something like what we did back in Sharia could be worth a shot."

Though she nodded her head as if to agree, Jean cautioned, "I approve of Lord Barbatos's suggestion. However, unless the Demon Lord we ally with is powerful enough to function as a deterrent, any improvements we make to the region will draw intrigue, greed, and eventually resentment."

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul flatly replied, "That's life. There will always be people who envy what others possess. We'll just create a stringent set of rules to punish anyone that comes looking for trouble. It's as simple as that. The real question is, who do we ally with...?"

Looking around the room, Paul was unsurprised to find everyone staring back at him in silence. A few of them had read books related to the Demon Continent, but it had never been their primary focus or interest. Ganyu had intended to study up on it in the months leading up to their expedition, but their sudden and unexpected departure had caught her off guard.

Regurgitating the only names she was familiar with, Venti questioned, "How about Bagura Hagura, Kishi Kishi, or Ato-whatever-her-name-is?"

Though he smiled wryly at Venti's manner of addressing Kishirika and Atoferatofe, Paul didn't disregard her question. Venti was in a rare, 'big brain' kind of state, so he mulled over the possibilities before replying, "I think we could work something out with Bagura Hagura, but I'm not sure how Atofe would respond. Once she learns we're in the Demon Continent, it's pretty much guaranteed she'll come looking for us. As for Kishirika..."

Recalling how Kishirika was always wandering around like a pauper, Paul muttered, "I'm not entirely sure? I think she would agree if we helped her, but she doesn't really bring much to the table. In fact, she could invite a catastrophe unto us if we're not careful..."

As the image of a six-armed, incredibly tall demon with violet hair and jet black skin entered his mind, Paul's expression morphed into a frown as he remembered Kishirika's relationship with Badigadi and, more importantly, the latter's affiliation with Hitogami. He owed the self-proclaimed Human God a favor, and, near the end of the original series, he repaid said favor by revealing his status as the Fighting God and taking on a group of King, Emperor, and even God-Ranked individuals with relative ease...

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Paul said, "For now, let's just get some rest. We can continue this discussion once we find our footing and better understand the situation. Planning too far ahead when we've only just arrived might blind us to other options that exist."

Nodding her head in approval, Eula stated, "I concur." before suggesting, "We should come up with a guard rotation. I volunteer for the first watch."

"Sounds good," replied Paul. "Cities in the Demon Continent don't exactly calm down come night time, so having a night watch is a good idea. As for our usual nightly activities...we'll shelve them for the time being."

With Paul staring in her direction, a soft chuckle emanated from Venti's throat before she subsequently slumped her head and shoulders. After all the feedback she supplied, she kind of expected a reward. Fortunately for her, Paul saw through her thoughts, so, once everyone was getting ready for bed, she ended up being his little spoon as they all snuggled together atop Ganyu's back...

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After a remarkably calm and relaxing night, Paul and the girls checked out of their room before heading westward toward the harbor.

Unlike a traditional port, which possessed numerous piers and wharves for loading and unloading ships, the port of Kurasuma was more like a city that had expanded into a frozen sea. There weren't even any merchant ships present. Instead, there were thousands of roughshod, house-like boats that had been moored together and trapped in ice.

After offering a street urchin a Green Ore Coin to show them the way to Bagura Hagura's residence, Paul and the girls soon found themselves at the entrance to a floating restaurant that was shaped like a laughing pig sitting on its rump and holding its belly. Paul had initially thought it was a giant statue, but it turned out to be Bagura Hagura's actual residence.

Though they were somewhat reluctant to enter the remarkably fragrant restaurant through an opening in the giant pig's crotch, Paul and the girls eventually made their way inside to discover it was surprisingly empty. It was decorated with countless trinkets from a myriad of cultures, but the tables were almost entirely unoccupied.

Noticing Paul's group enter, a fairly plump woman with a pig-like snout, strangely alluring blue eyes, and wavy blonde wearing a barmaid's outfit approached to remark, "You lot are a long way from home. Come to get a taste of Lord Bagura's cuisine, I wager?"

Nodding his head in affirmation, Paul replied, "I'm a bit of a gourmand, so I've always wanted to sample Demon Lord Bagura Hagura's cuisine. Does he accept walk-ins, or do we need to schedule an appointment...?"

Making a circle with her index finger and thumb, the woman replied, "No need for meaningless things like that. So long as you can pay, you're free to eat here as often as you want. Just know that the cheapest appetizer is five Green Ore Coins. You don't have to pay until the end, but..."

Adopting an unabashedly predatory smile, the pig-faced woman looked the girls up and down as she added, "Failure to do so could lead to you becoming ingredients in one of Lord Bagura's dishes..."

Furrowing his brows, Paul was tempted to point out that the agreement between Milishion and the Demon Continent prohibited the consumption of human meat, but he doubted the upper rungs of Demon society cared about such things. That same covenant granted Demons the right to live within human settlements and pass uninhibited through human territories, but that sure as hell wasn't upheld...

Holding up a large pouch of GOC, Paul's expression turned serious as he replied, "It shouldn't be a problem. Just know that if your establishment tries to scam us, even the weakest member of my Party is a Saint..."

Though the Demon Continent didn't use the same metrics as humans to determine strength, the pig-faced woman's eyes briefly widened before narrowing as she asked, "Is that a threat?"

Adopting a predatory smile of his own, Paul answered, "You gave us the courtesy of a warning. It's only natural we do the same..."

"Hmmm..."

Instead of being offended by Paul's words, the pig-faced woman gave an approving nod as she remarked, "Well said. I thought you were still a little green when I first saw you, but I guess you've accumulated a fair amount of experience despite your youthful appearances."

Since most Demons could live for hundreds of years, Paul didn't challenge the pig-faced woman's words. Given her appearance, there was a chance she was somehow related to the Demon Lord. Since the latter was easily more than three thousand years old, the fairly mature-looking Demoness in front of him was likely in her hundreds.

Lending credibility to Paul's thoughts, the woman began to turn around as she said, "Come this way. My father likes to greet and converse with new guests before serving them."

Nodding his head, Paul replied, "Sure." before exchanging glances with Ei, Jean, and Ganyu. They had already agreed to forgo eating within Bagura's restaurant as there was a chance the food could be drugged or poisoned. It wasn't too likely, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Noticing some of Paul's companions staying behind, the pig-faced woman commented, "Pretty clever. However, just entering this place with a group has already placed a massive target on your back. People won't bother to confirm whether or not this is your first visit. The only people who can eat here are the extremely rich."

Unconcerned about ordinary Demons targetting them, Paul just smiled as he said, "That explains why most of the tables are empty..."

As those words left his mouth, Paul shifted his gaze to the only table that was occupied. There, a relatively handsome man with pointed ears, ashen skin, raven black hair, and carmine eyes surrounded by pitch-black sclera was observing his group with a smile. He was dressed similarly to a Noble while the two nearly identical women accompanying him were dolled up like victorian era dolls.

Like the man, the two women also had pointed ears, but their hair was silver, and their skin was more pale than ashen. Looking into their ruby red eyes caused a sense of incongruency to fill Paul's mind, so it wasn't difficult to recognize which species the trio belonged to.

Following Paul's gaze, the pig-faced woman warned, "There is to be no fighting within Lord Bagura's restaurant. I know of the enmity between humans and Vampires, but you'll have to wait until you leave before killing one another."

Noticing that the woman was speaking more to the trio of vampires than his group, a wry smile developed across Paul's face. While it was true that Vampires were remarkably powerful, their Ancestor, the Demon Lord Vlad Draculea, had been slain near the end of the Laplace War. After that, the most prominent Vampire clans had slaughtered one another in a civil war, so most of the surviving Vampires were cowards who had hidden to avoid the massacre or thralls that had lost their masters.

Though it all but guaranteed the trio of Vampires would be paying him and his Party a visit, Paul replied, "Don't worry. I'm not one of those crazy bastards from the Milis Church's Anti-Demon Faction. Unless they go out of their way to antagonize me, I have no reason to hunt down a bunch of Vampires minding their own business."

With senses that far exceeded those of a human, the male Vampire's smile faded the moment he heard Paul's words. Since they lacked a Lord, Vampires were one of the few races that continued to openly predate on humans. They viewed humanity as little more than cattle, so, hearing his potential meal insinuate he was in a position to do the 'hunting,' the proud Vampire didn't even try to suppress his disdain...

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